Also, if you can manage to visit some of these campuses, it would probably be very helpful. I think it is a fantastic list and those campuses are going to have very different feels from one another.
We were surprised in our searches how different each campus felt. D20 was only interested in SLACs so we thought at the start they would all feel fairly similar. Not so - shockingly in some cases where on paper two schools looked pretty interchangeable and yet on the ground one would be a winner and the other one dropped like a hot potato.
Great input and advice, thank you. We have seen Richmond, American, Chapel Hill, Elon. We swung by Asheville briefly, but may need to take a closer look. Would love to arrange a visit to William and Mary, and I know they have interviews coming up summer/fall. It would be great to take a road trip to Ohio to visit to three Ohio schools.
Thank you! I’m not sure how happy she would be on the very likely admit/affordable schools. I mean the Asheville area is beautiful, but it may be too remote. We have to keep that in mind for all of the schools, because she wants a nice campus, but also wants decent access to a city, at least that’s what she says now.
My daughters have very similar SAT’s I think BING are in at around $25,000. My niece is at URich and my daughter visited but didn’t think she could get enough merit so didn’t apply (my niece had lower stats and got in, full pay and no merit (legacy).
If you visit Denison I would also recommend you include a visit to Kenyon and Case Western which is in the Cleveland area. If you student is really interested in Denison be sure to show interest which is important.
All in all a great list.
Don’t cut it too much, since you’re chasing merit it can be unpredictable and better safe than sorry (unless she’s 100% fine with UNC-A).
If you visit SUNYs, check out SUNY Geneseo and SUNY New Paltz in addition to SUNY Bing in case she likes one over another (location, campus style, etc.)
I appreciate this. I’m wondering where I should look but she would be super OK with that would be affordable. I guess keeping a list at a decent size can help, because there could be unpredictability with merit, right?
If you truly are full pay, I don’t think you can get American down below $50K. My son with similar stats received Presidential/Honors/etc. and I think his total COA would have been over $55K still (without loans). If you do decide to keep American on the list, keep in mind that they’re notorious for yield protection and your daughter will need to show a high degree of demonstrated interest there. We did a summer AU Preview Day, my son attended virtual events, communicated with counselor, and did the optional Honors app.
Denison is also another one where their merit seems kind of random. My son didn’t show a ton of interest there and got decidedly less merit there than I would have expected. His final choice ended up coming down to Occidental ($20K Presidential), American ($20K Presidential) and Tufts (full pay) and he chose Oxy.
What were her impressions of these campuses? And which schools did she eliminate based on campus visits, and why? That might help people in thinking of other suggestions.
Did your family consider U. of Louisville? If your daughter is a National Merit Finalist, she would get a $28k scholarship, which basically would cover nearly all tuition & fees, just leaving room & board. So this would be guaranteed affordability and admittance. Louisville is a definite city, and the university has a definite campus that is only a couple of miles from downtown Louisville (and is pretty nearly adjacent to the Cardinals’ stadium and a historic neighborhood that separates it from downtown).
She would likely be in its honors program which, among other things, has highly subsidized trips related to its international seminars, like tracing, “the footsteps of Charles Darwin in the Galapagos Islands, Ancient ruins of Greece and J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy in New Zealand.” (Color me green with envy.)
Here are some of the department pages that align with her current interests:
Thank you for the recommendation to look into Louisville. I will investigate that one.
My daughter liked American when we visited…. The overall campus was pleasant enough, and she was impressed with the tour guide’s description of the varied (some multi-disciplinary) majors offered, and the overall vibe of campus. We had just seen George Washington, and in comparison, she preferred American over GW because it was near the city, but not in the “hustle bustle.”
She also enjoyed Richmond and Elon, much more than the ones in DC, University of Maryland or UVA. She seems drawn to a somewhat smaller, more homey feeling, picturesque campus. I like the idea of her having solid access to professors and advisement, as well as some smaller classes. She always does well with having these kinds of relationships, and can use some guidance, as she is truly undecided in terms of major/career path.
I’ve heard that honors programs can make some of the larger schools seem smaller, and I wonder about that.
Honors can to a point - you’ll live with Honors kids and some classes would be smaller because you can take Honors for “some” classes.
My daughter at Charleston has always had small classes - Honors or regular.
Since she likes picturesque and a campus near a city and I’ve not been - but CNU might hit all buttons - size, location, gorgeous campus, top rated dorms, highly rated food, and very likely to hit your cost.
It’s in Newport News, VA - so not horribly far from W&M.
Consider adding Ohio Wesleyan with maybe doing some research/considering of Cincinnati and Xavier (Ohio version).
Many who apply to Wooster apply to Ohio Wesleyan and your student should get in with merit under $40k per year (would put 90% + odds on it).
This can be challenging at UNC. She won’t see small class sizes until she officially begins a major in her junior year. Also, good advising is hit or miss at UNC. It’s one of the top complaints by parents & students each year. People forget that it’s a public university and subject to budget cuts. Advising gets better once they are in their major but it can be daunting the first year. If she chooses the biology track, their science classes are notoriously brutal, so make sure she loves science.