<p>One more vote for the U of Scranton...a hidden gem of a school.</p>
<p>Another Susquehanna suggestion-beautiful campus-my D struggled to decide between Susquehanna and St. Joe's. She did a summer program there and found that the Suaqu students who helped out in her program loved the school. I posted a review on it a while back.</p>
<p>Yeah, Lehigh is probably a reach...higher SATs.</p>
<p>If tyring for merit aid is a consideration: look at some other less well-known Catholic schools (that might be a small amt. cheaper than some of the others mentioned already) like Gwynedd Mercy College, Chestnut Hill College, Immaculata University, Cabrini College and Neuman University - all in the Phila. area or nearby suburbs.
Additionally, DeSales University is near Allentown, PA and might be worth looking at.
A family friend went to visit Salve Regina in Rhode Island and liked it very much - the d will likely apply next year.</p>
<p>McDaniel would be a wonderful choice. It is a Loren Pope "Colleges That Change Lives" institution. The campus is beautiful. The student body is tightly knit. McD is growing and investing in its future and its students. The college has great resources, a wonderful, caring faculty, and a warm feel to it. One poster here indicated that it might be a little less selective. I wish to add that a good number of the students are in the honors program. The school creates a great atmosphere. It sets high standards for its students, but the faculty and support services help the kids to attain them. Note, too, that McDaniel really emphasizes writing and global awareness in its curriculum. It is recognized that its writing demands are significantly greater than those of the other schools in the Centennial Conference (e.g., F&M, Gettysburg)...and it is a tougher school to stay in. McDaniel accepts a broader range of students, but adds tremendous value to each. For a relatively small school (McD intends to grow from about 1600 to 2000 in the next 3-5 years...the freshman class of 2006 is about 500), McD offers some very interesting, I call them quirky, offerings...Arabic and Middle Eastern culture, great freshman seminar classes -- history of baseball, the ghost story tradition, drugs and the mind, intro to global societies, Islam and the Muslim world, technology in education, understanding eating disorders, theatre appreciation, and many more.</p>
<p>What really impressed me about the school was the gentility of the people there. While it is a fun campus, the people there are really nice...in all varieties...high energy, laid back...a terrific blend. The people there are welcoming and friendly. My somewhat shy son felt at home right away. He's a recruited athlete and found the team and the coach were great. He needs additional support services, and found that McD was very helpful and caring. The college is located in a small town, Westminster, MD, and is about 30 min to Baltimore and an hour to DC. The town is very charming and enjoys good relations with the college. The surrounding approachways to the area are really well manicured. It seems that everyone out that way really cares about the environment.</p>
<p>Good luck in your search. There are many fine colleges out there...be sure to look beyond the name brand schools to find that perfect fit.</p>
<p>Except for Mr. Phelan's coaching record, I know next to nothing about MSM, but it does look fabulous in the drive-bys on US 15 in Maryland: </p>
<p><a href="http://www.msmary.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://www.msmary.edu/</a></p>
<p>St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN is worth a look.</p>
<p>moravian? i've never been, but know a few students there who are really nice, and the father of one of my best friends is a prof. it sounds like a good place.</p>
<p>Might want to look at Holy Cross top 30 National LAC - 1 hour from Boston. HC has a great campus and the school is SAT optional.</p>
<p>Well, if Holy Cross creeps on the list despite being outside the geographical boundary, I would take a close look at Smith (all women, Northampton, Mass.) as well. Don't let the "all women" thing get in the way...virtually every Smithie I've talked to eventually says something like "I never <em>meant</em> to attend a womens college but...."</p>
<p>College of Charleston is definitely worth a look....everyone LOVES the school, the kids & the town...and the price is unbelievable (4 years of Cof C =1 yr at BC) My D1 was accepted with 1290 SAT....loaded with EC...730 writing
St. Mary's in MD
Loyola MD
Elon-my friends kids LOVE this new hot school..
Stetson-my nephew is going there next year, looks great on the 'net!
Stonehill in MA---if she'll venture further up North..My D1 was accepted, LOVED it, but it is too close to home!!!!
Fairfield--in CT if she'll go that far...Excellent student body..D1 got in there too!</p>
<p>One note: you may want your D to take the ACT in addition to her SAT...That is what i am going to do with D2..Girls do well on this!!! It is more common now to take one of each...</p>
<p>The best way to find Catholic colleges specifically is to use the searchable database of the National Catholic College Admissions Association (link:
<a href="http://www.catholiccollegesonline.org/%5B/url%5D">http://www.catholiccollegesonline.org/</a>) There are MANY great Catholic colleges in the middle atlantic/South/Northeast that probably haven't yet been mentioned here, and several in Florida that I would recommend for a quiet type with stats similar to your daughter's. Some suggestions to get you started (more on the link above):</p>
<p>Mt. St. Mary's Maryland
Gannon U PA
Duquesne U PA
Barry in FL
St. Leo in FL.
St. Vincents in PA
St. Joseph's in PA
Chestnut Hill in PA
Belmont Abbey in NC</p>
<p>Slightly farther north: Providence College in RI, Fairfield in CT, Marist in NY, LeMoyne in NY.</p>
<p>Again, there are many more good Catholic schools that are not on the radar of most people but that can be found through the link above. Good luck!</p>
<p>merrimack is augustinian, like villanova...a faith based theology....villanova put my kid thru the wringer....nothing like deferred after EA, then waitlisted and still have heard zip...and it is june 5!!! so beware!</p>
<p>typical nova. not my favorite place.</p>
<p>i am very much hoping that my other 2 kids never look at nova or bc after this experience....i really prefer a school that will at least use an alumni interview...</p>
<p>"i am very much hoping that my other 2 kids never look at nova or bc after this experience....i really prefer a school that will at least use an alumni interview..."</p>
<p>Why would another college be any different? I imagine that many colleges keep kids on their waiting lists up until August since some may have double-deposited or come off waiting lists elsewhere.</p>
<p>Still, you're right not to count on the waiting list. It's much better for the kid to begin imagining himself at the college where he is likely to attend.</p>
<p>what abt swarthmore(not sure how to spell)... its a small LAC???</p>
<p>my d1 was not waitlisted by any schools that interviewed her and looked her in the eye, that is the difference...wondering why all the schools don't use less SAT rote and more interview look-see...</p>
<p>kudos to tuft's and conn coll for their personal touch!</p>
<p>Not Catholic, but fits the other requests including statistics: George Mason U in Viriginia.</p>
<p><my d1="" was="" not="" waitlisted="" by="" any="" schools="" that="" interviewed="" her="" and="" looked="" in="" the="" eye,="" is="" difference.=""></my></p>
<p>That might have been the luck of the draw, though. My d. interviewed at every school she applied to, and was rejected by three, waitlisted by two, accepted by six. The three that rejected her were reaches (Ivies); of the two that waitlisted her, one was a slight reach/match and the other was a safety. The interviews that went best (according to her) were an Ivy alumni interview (reject) and her waitlist reach/match. Go figure.</p>
<p>I think interviews are now an essential part of the application process for the smaller schools and that every applicant should interview if the school provides the opportunity. However, while an interview might swing an applicant from waitlist to accept, it doesn't decide admission, not even for the schools that list an interview as "highly important."</p>