If you like Brown over other Ivies partly because of its open curriculum, but would prefer an exclusively undergraduate-focused college with a similar structure, look into Amherst, Hamilton, Grinnell and Smith.
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@my.fluffy.pillow, It seems like a well balanced list. I donât think that you are setting your sites âa little low.â There is nothing âlowâ about Williams, Pomona, Brown, WashU, or Emory. If anything, depending on how strong your interest is in D3 volleyball, you might want to cast a wider net among the LACs to figure out where you could play. Support from a coach can go a long way at some of these schools, especially for someone with your great qualifications.
Given the other great schools already on OPâs list, I am having trouble understanding why schools like these three would be a better fit, especially since the candidate is somewhat interested in playing D3 volleyball.
Also, the OP indicated that they are ânot low incomeâ so on what basis do you believe they would âprobably get great financial aid?â
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I concur with your assessment that this is a well balanced list. This girl really did her homework!
With regard to the maximizing financial aid comment, she said she can afford $20K per year and will apply for need based financial aid. With that in mind, Iâll suggest that she look at Colgate. Their âColgate Commitmentâ program only 2(?) years old offers free tuition to anyone whose family income is under $80K and caps tuition at 5% of family income. Anyone with a family income under $150K will have loans replaced with grants as part of a new âno loans policy. And itâs a great SLAC.
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Thanks so much! Even considering the school I go to, I feel like Iâve always been quite ahead of my class in the college process, probably due to my high level of interest in searching for colleges. Iâve edited my list so much between now and the end of sophomore year, so Iâve taken a look at basically every college within my realm of knowledge. Which includesâŠ
Colgate! My school is a feeder for Colgate for sure. My issue with it was that it wasnât diverse enough. I have a few other schools on my list that arenât diverse (Dickinson, Union) but neither are high up on my list and they both have a lot of other things to offer that appeal to me.
I donât fall under either of those categories in terms of financial aid :(((
I stay optimistic about FA because my boarding school assessed my need and gave us more than enough, despite the fact that our income is quite high.
Many prep school students with FA packages find that the get offered substantially less FA from colleges, so make sure you run the calculators for the various schools to figure if they truly are affordable. Also, with your qualifications merit awards may be a possibility, so you may want to keep that in mind in your search. In this regard, another school you might check out is Occidental, very good school, small LAC, D3 volleyball, strong international studies, diversity and gives merit money (in addition to FA) to qualified students.
I LOVEEEEE OCCIDENTAL
but my parents wonât let me go that far :(((
the only reason Iâm allowed to apply to Pomona is because itâs super duper well known, and I think they know that in the end they wouldnât let me go anyways
but i might add it to my list anywaysâŠ
Thank you!
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The homework youâve done is obvious; you have one of the best starting lists Iâve ever seen posted on CC!
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But- you can still give a famous @AustenNut odds list - right 
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Definitely recommend you keep talking to D3 schools about volleyball. Being part of a sport will give you a great community and close teammates/friends, which is so important in a college setting. Best of luck and hope the Williams pre read goes well!
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Looks like Emory and WUStL would also be plane rides away⊠do they fall within your parentsâ distance limitation?
I know it was mentioned upthread, but I would just reiterate that your family should really run the Net Price Calculators on each of the collegesâ websites to see what colleges are estimating the Expected Family Calculation (EFC) to be. If it lines up with what your boarding school decided, great! If not, then you may need to reassess your list.
Have you thought about Wellesley? You appear fond of womenâs colleges and this one has a diverse student body, offers majors in both Korean and Japanese, is strong in the sciences, strong pretty much across the board, and offers the chance to take classes at some other popular universities in the Boston area.
Another one you might want to think about is Vassar. I donât know if it offers Korean coursework (thereâs no major) but there is East Asian studies, a Japanese major, strong science programs, and an international relations major, and itâs more diverse than Colgate. 
Would you be happy to attend U. Conn if that is your only affordable option? If you would happy to enroll, thatâs wonderful. If not, then I would look a close look at your likely schools to make sure they are likely to get down to your familyâs budget between merit and financial aid. Or, add some schools that would be extremely likely/practically guaranteed to hit that $20k budget. I think you would be a very strong applicant for the full tuition scholarships at Agnes Scott, and youâd be allowed to take classes at Emory through the ARCHE consortium. Or if you ended up majoring in Japanese or Sustainable Community Development, those are both majors eligible for the tuition break reciprocity program at U. Mass through the New England Board of Higher Education, though it still wouldnât bring you down to $20k (but perhaps combined with other scholarships could be a contender?). Iâm not going to go further down that rabbit hole, however, unless the NPCs are not favorable for your familyâs budget.
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Luckily, yes :)))
I would not be very happy going to UCONN, but I think my parents would end up compromising (depending on the school) if it happened to offer more aid than others.
I also have plans for 3 ED schools (Williams ED1, Emory & Oxford ED2), so hopefully I get into one of those to eliminate that dilemma
You canât apply ED (either 1 or 2) to more than one school at a time. You can apply ED1 to one school and if you donât get in, ED2 to another school. But in this scenario you canât apply ED 1 or 2 to the third school.
Emory University does allow ED/ED2 to both its colleges.
- Students can apply Early Decision to Oxford College, Emory College, or both. If you are accepted to both Oxford College and Emory College, you can choose which campus to attend.
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Ah, ok. Thank you.
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Iâm honestly so excited about this policy. I love that I get to assess the pros and cons of two schools that I really like.
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my.fluffy.pillow, Congrats on all of your achievements. I love your personality, attitude, confidence and energy. It comes through in your writing.
I think you are a really strong applicant, and if I were you and it is financially doable, I would apply to Williams ED1 and Pomona ED2.
Be careful providing your thoughts, preferences and mild criticisms of certain colleges. I think if your Williams AO or the Williams volleyball coach saw this thread, they would know exactly who you are. You may want to edit / remove some of your identifying information or comments showing preference for one college over another.
We wouldnât want you to jeopardize your chances with an admissions office this winter because of some random comments you made to strangers online in June. Iâm just saying this because I am rooting for you and I want you to have as many good options as possible in the spring of 2023. Good luck to you!
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I was just thinking about this, it wonât let me edit or delete without deleting the entire thread :(((
I may delete this thread soon for that reason, and resort to just generally asking questions or something like that
Thank you so much!
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Wellesley and Vassar were both great suggestions for this applicant.
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