Thanks, I will check out the Eckerd scholarships!
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Based on everything youâve written, your daughter sounds awesome and a very strong applicant irrespective of that one C! Please donât cross anything off of your list because of that grade. She can craft a really compelling personal story in her essays. I know a kid who got into Tufts with not one, not two, but three Câs in junior year and had an ACT of 26! Iâm not saying stats arenât important, they absolutely are, but your daughter has by no means ruined her chances.
Now for some suggestions!
- Oberlin College: likely a target based on your daughterâs stats. Rigorous and engaged atmosphere and known for generous merit aid.
- Reed College: another great school that could be a target and seems to match your daughterâs interests
- Barnard College: a reach, thatâs for sure, but thereâs no better time to reach for the stars than now
- NYU Abu Dhabi: a slightly more left-field suggestion but I would absolutely suggest it to your daughter. Itâs very selective but they emphasise candidatesâ personal stories during admissions process and also provide full scholarships to a high number of applicants. Focus is on building a diverse and global student body + developing global leadership.
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Thanks for the suggestions and words of encouragement! She hadnât considered college overseas, but NYU Abu Dhabi is intriguing. Iâll look into the financial aid aspects, as I understand NYU is known for being stingy.
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Yes, NYU does have that reputation! But - as far as I know - NYUAD has a separate endowment and manages its aid a bit differently, which is why they are more generous. Glad to hear you will look into it
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Definitely not for everyone, but has she considered any of the seven sisters? Barnard and Bryn Mawr are pretty darn close to one school with Columbia and Haverford, respectively, so access to boys isnât exactly an issue. Smith and Mount Holyoke are part of a consortium with Amherst, Hampshire, and Umass, so they also have coed nearby, although not quite as easily accessible. Vassar has gone coed, and Radcliffe no longer exists. I canât really speak to Wellesley, but students there can cross register at other Boston area schools like MIT and Brandeis. Theyâre all excellent schools, and perhaps slightly easier to get into than other schools of similar caliber because of limited applicant pool (excluding Vassar, of course.) Theyâre all LAC vibes, although they each certainty have a distinct character (I only applied to Mt. Holyoke as I felt the others werenât a good fit.) Mount Holyoke is probably the most in the middle of nowhere, with Barnard being the most urban. I can only really vouch for Mt. Holyoke academically, but itâs known for sciences and has a great IR program as well. Iâm sure the others do too, but I never got that far with them. Perhaps something to look into?
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She really balks at the idea of a womenâs college, unfortunately. Most of her friends are male, and she detests anything that approaches girl drama. I donât think sheâd encounter a lot of that at womenâs colleges, but her 17-year-old mind is made up. 
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I would also recommend checking out Vassar. Your daughter sounds very interesting and seems to have a good chance at some of the reach schools being discussed. Good luck!
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Swarthmore?
Environmental Studies programs can be very different from Environmental Science programs. She should look at the curriculums at various colleges to see what flavor best suits her.
My daughter was interested in Environmental Science and found that the science heavy program at Virginia Tech (she switched majors to Civil and Environmental engineering) fit her interests and abilities better than say, Environmental Studies programs at liberal arts colleges.
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@thumper1 She had never heard of Swarthmore until a few weeks ago when they sent a fun flowchart and viewbook in the mail, and that piqued her interest. Not sure if itâs too academically intense for her, as Iâm unfamiliar as well except for its intense reputation. Will look into it!
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@LeastComplicated This is a great point, and one with which she has grappled. Her limited time at the marine science semester school solidified a love of environmental science (we still havenât gotten over the loss of that opportunity), but I think she leans more toward the âstudiesâ at this point since, although she loves science, sheâs also interested in policy and diplomacy.
To be honest, the poor performance in AP Calc has also shaken her confidence in STEM, and I think sheâs leaning away from majors in that field despite loving science.
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Your daughter shouldnât necessarily feel limited by environmental studies programs. It sounds as if sheâs currently leaning toward a social sciences track. However, she can choose an environmental studies program that includes an available natural sciences track as well. Irrespective of her chosen direction, she would be advised to establish foundational scientific breadth through courses in geosciences and biology.
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No âgirl dramaâ at Barnard.
Quite possibly sheâll end up spending most of her time at Columbia U, will find that most of her friends happen to be Columbia C students.
See, Barnard is drastically different from what people think of as a âwomenâs collegeâ. More realistically its dorms will be a welcome safe-haven where you can retire to whenever you want to get a break from Testosterone spilling over, and not having to deal with less mature teenage boys with respect to bath rooms, laundry rooms and other essentials.
On the other hand, sheâll grow up for 4 years in an environment where women play at least an equal role, and excelling, in every leadership position and level. Barnard is a microcosm today of where we want the world end up to be in a few decades.
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Yes, Barnard is actually part of Columbia U.
Of the social sciences programs that can be combined with environmental studies, public policy tends to be the most practically oriented.
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So in addition to everything else she has going on, D has decided to pick up an online English class and graduate from high school this year. This wonât impact the fact that sheâll be applying to college from overseas next year, but it might impact how her counselor and recommenders have access to the Common App.
Does anyone have any experience with this? Her counselor has a caseload of 600-ish and wasnât sure - sheâs never dealt with this situation before.
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Love this kid! I think Oberlin is a great choice. Bennington, Lewis and Clark, Clark U. might be others. Brown, Amherst. Is Hampshire still going? Union Institute & University or Goddard are schools with program structures that are non-traditional.
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Do a lot of these private schools give enough merit to bring costs down to 25k a year? Our budget was also low so really never checked them out.
In our experience, no. It was pretty easy to find merit to bring privates down to the $40K mark but getting below that required dropping to much less selective colleges.
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When we run the NPC, most schools come out in the 25-35k range, so weâre not necessarily looking for merit. If by some miracle she were accepted to a school like Amherst, we could pay for undergrad completely from her college fund.
@compmom Thanks for more suggestions! Oberlin might be too âactivistâ for her taste - sheâs not much of a SJW (although definitely leans left), but Iâll tell her to check it out. She also not artsy at all. Interesting that you brought up Lewis and Clark - she was just looking at that school the other day!