<p>UNC-Chapel Hill is a reach for almost anyone OOS.
I agree it is a great school (really great) but–if you are looking for MERIT aid, it’s VERY competitive and you have to be tippy-tippy-top to be in contention.</p>
<p>I don’t know about need-based aid—if your EFC is high, you will not get any aid. (and if you need Financial Aid and haven’t figured out your estimated FAFSA expected family contritbution, do so now! Many THINK they will qualify for need-based aid, and are mistaken about how much they will be likely to get).</p>
<p>Look, many posters don’t seem to have read your requirements. YOu have two requirements that rule out Publics unless you are an NMF: substantial financial aid.</p>
<p>So forget all publics as they are not generous with OOS applicants and are usually >10,000 students.</p>
<p>You are into theater, and are liberal, so avoid schools that are under 4,000 population… it’s just too hard to have a substantial theater community at a very small college, so eliminate all LACs.</p>
<p>Therefore, your search is really for non-zealously-religious private Universities from 5,000-10,000 in size, near a large lake or ocean, generous with financial aid and are a match to a 30ish ACT</p>
<p>Tulane, U of Miami, Chapman University (southern California), Northwestern (a reach), Georgetown, perhaps Fordham (I think you’re OK there as an atheist).</p>
<p>Some OOS publics offer good MERIT aid to high-stat students.
Not all. Not UNC-CH, not UMichigan…but some DO try to attact OOS students/high-stat students.</p>
<p>Though it’s competitive, UPitt is one that offers merit. CofC is another. I’m sure there are others. Most wouldn’t offer NEED-based Financial Aid, or not much. So it depends on if the OP is looking for MERIT or NEED-BASED or both.</p>
<p>I know someone at Eckerd who loves it and I think it matches your description. And isn’t New College of Florida near the beach? It’s small and non conformist. I’m not sure how their financial aid is for out of state.</p>
<p>jspeed, no there’s nothing wrong with the south! But they dont’ call it “the bible belt” without reason. I LIVE IN THE SOUTH, lol! I am also a christian, but the OP is athiest and I was letting he/she know that there’s a big mix of students at Charleston.</p>
<p>Most of the UC’s will be a bad choice because you will pay OOS tuition and will not get enough financial aid. Plus, they are really crowded right now. Many of the other colleges recommended will require you to get your ACT up to around 33. However, Rollins is a good match for a 30 ACT and has a vibrant theater program and Greek life. I looked at Stetson and the avg ACT is a little low for you. It also doesn’t seem to have much of a theater scene. Really, getting to Daytona Beach from Rollins is a lot easier than getting to the beach in LA. Easy to park at Daytona, not so easy at the LA beaches. Plus, the water in FL is a lot warmer than the Pacific Ocean. The only decent beaches in Texas are near Corpus Christi; kids from Rice don’t go to Galveston for the day. More likely they would go to Corpus for spring break. Also, as I said, you will need a 33 ACT for Rice.</p>
<p>Are you kidding me? It’s at least an hour’s drive from the Claremont Colleges to the LA beaches, IF there’s no traffic, and IF you have access to a car. And when is there not traffic in LA? I think to be safe you might need to count on 2-3 hours in each direction. Which is fine if you’ve got an entire day to kill and nothing else to do, but I wouldn’t count that as “close” to beaches.</p>
<p>I’m going to make a different suggestion. Because there aren’t many LACs or small universities in the South near the ocean (though Eckard and the College of Charleston are interesting suggestions), what about coastal New England? You won’t be swimming in the wintertime, but because of the ocean influence the winters are usually milder there than in the Midwest. Bowdoin is within minutes of a beautiful stretch of the Maine coast, and it has a coastal studies center that is literally right on a secluded stretch of waterfront. Connecticut College in New London is just minutes away from the coast, and very close to charming old seaport towns like Mystic. A number of Boston-area colleges (Brandeis, Tufts come to mind) are within minutes of the ocean. Wheaton College, in Norton, MA, is within 30-40 minutes of the ocean in any of several directions.</p>
<p>Midwesterners are often surprised how much milder the winters are on the East Coast; and Northeasterners who end up in the Midwest are often shocked to find the winters there much harsher. Californians tend to assume the weather is equally bad in the Northeast and Midwest because neither can come close to California in that department, but there is a huge difference. You can have warmer without going all the way to warm, and access to the ocean without sacrificing academic quality, in coastal New England.</p>
<p>I have plenty of good options in the Midwest for as an alternative to warm and sunny. I can get great aid at a few schools in my state, but want to look at alternatives to the snow and cold. Thanks for these suggestions. East Coast is out, though, at least for now.</p>
<p>I have been thinking about your requirements and I think Santa Clara might be an option. Not sure about their financial aid, though. It is about an hour from Santa Clara to the beach at Santa Cruz. The problem is that except for October, the beach at SC is not very warm. And, it rains a lot in NorCal from Dec through March. It’s not cold like the east, though.</p>
<p>Tulane isn’t near any beaches; it is near the Mississippi River. Has anyone ever heard of anyone vacationing at a Lousiana beach resort? Lousianna’s beaches are terrible.</p>
<p>Publics
UCLA - 10 mins from beach
UCSD - on the beach
UCSB - on the beach
UCI - 10 mins from beach</p>
<p>Privates
Loyola Marymount - 5 mins from beach, not too religious
Pepperdine, University of San Diego - 5 mins from beach, seem religious, anyone else know more?
USC is about 15 mins from the beach</p>
<p>Pepperdine is affiliated with the Church of Christ. They will not shove religion down your throat but you are required to take some religion classes and get “convocation” credits. There is a very diverse group there from atheists to ultra-religious and everything in between. Beautiful setting across highway from Malibu beaches. In our experience, UCLA is about 15 min. from the beach only at 3 AM- the rest of the time it can be up to an hour depending on traffic. Another small private is Cal Lutheran, which is about 1/2 hour from Ventura beaches and gives a lot of financial aid. While it is Lutheran based, the student body president is an Atheist and they are currently trying to change their constitution to be much more general in terms of religious beliefs. We know a lot of kids there and religion is not a big aspect of campus life.</p>
<p>I guess there’s some truth to this, if one goes westward on Sunset or Wilshire during rush hour. I don’t think anyone would care to go to the beach during those times though. Surfers are early birds, typically, not necessarily 3AM people though;general beach goers tend to go late morning.</p>
<p>UCLA"s actually ~ 5 miles on a direct line to the shore. But Sunset with all its winding features probably unravels at more like 8 miles. But part of the great thing about taking Sunset is the drive itself, incredible. I’d recommend it for anyone. Just don’t get caught into too much sight-seeing when you’re driving becaues of the blind turns etc, which can be extremely dangerous. </p>
<p>Wilshire, say, to San Vincente, is more straight, and can be fun in itself but is less residential, more bustling with professionals going to or away from work.</p>
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<p>Isn’t Cal Lu the one that offered a 100% tuition break for those who were accepted to UCLA and UCSB?</p>
<p>Are they still doing this or did they phase it out?</p>
<p>And I don’t think Pepperdine or Cal Lu would appreciate someone downplaying its religious practices and beliefs, esp, Pepperdine.</p>
<p>Your typical surfer at UCLA would also probably live in Venice or Santa Monica, do his/her requisite surfing in the morning and go to class later.</p>