<p>I'm a junior with a 3.9 unweighted GPA, 2300 SAT (229 PSAT), and ~12 APs once all is said and done. Top 1%, good enough ECs, etc. I hope that covers it.</p>
<p>My family's financial situation means I have to attend a school that either a.) offers a sizable amount of merit aid or b.) meets 100% of need. I plan on grad/law school, so I don't want to accumulate a huge load of debt before I'm even finished with undergrad.</p>
<p>A few things to consider:
- LACs or small- to mid-sized universities are preferred-- <12k
- Equestrian programs available. I would like to have the option to ride, be it through a club, team, or whatever I can get. This is a major part of my life, but I could sacrifice it if I found a college that was otherwise amazing.
- Strong classics and anthropology
- I enjoy discussing material covered in class, debating, and nerdiness. I plan on partying, but not in excession. It would be wonderful if the school wasn't centered on Greek life and hard partying in general. Some degree of consistent intellectualism would be a plus, too. However, beggars can't be choosers, and I'm sure I'll end up happy wherever I go regardless of how wasted the majority becomes.
- Location is a nonissue</p>
<p>I’m attending Sewanee: University of the South this fall; they were, by far, the most generous with Financial aid! I have a 0 efc, am independent, and work a part time job. They do not guarantee to meet full need, but I believe its around 97%. Especially with your stats, I think they would offer you a nice chunk of change. They gave me some loans, but nothing outrageous. When I called and explained my situation, they increased my grants! </p>
<p>Regarding the other aspects, It is a small LAC in TN, has an Equestrian center on campus, has a 13,000 acre campus with ancient Indian sites(great for anthropology!), and has a small seminar class size. Unfortunately, its also very Greek, but I personally saw that as one of the only drawbacks, if it even is one that is. </p>
<p>Sewanee is also extremely rural, if that bothers you. I personally think it looks relaxing and quite regal!</p>
<p>EDIT:</p>
<p>Another school you might want to check out is Knox college in IL. They give very good merit aid and were also very generous in grant aid.
Beloit College in Wisconsin is very well regarded fro anthropology, they were not quite as quick to open their coffers for me, but you have better stats :)</p>
<p>To reinforce AttilatheFun’s post, I know someone that got into The College of the South with a G.P.A. like yours but a lower SAT score. With the combination of merit and grant money he is going there for free.</p>
<p>We, I believe, we one point from winning the national championships last year. I think we have “varsity” programs as well as more casual programs. We were built on a horse farm, after all.</p>
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<p>Stanford is admittedly a bit tech focused, but all of its departments are pretty great.</p>
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<p>You sound like an excellent SLE candidate.</p>
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<p>Good, Palo Alto stinks.</p>
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Top priority: affordability.
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<p>Meets 100% of calculated need with no loans. One of the best financial aid programs in the nation. No merit aid.</p>
<p>Just curious if you can not afford tuition, how can you afford for Equestrian at High school? which in my opinion is very expensive. In our high school, the students must have their own horses to be in the program.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the suggestions and the thread links. All of the schools recommended so far sound appealing in some way or another. I’m not sure about a women’s college, though; I’ll have to put more thought into that.</p>
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<p>A friend of the family very generously lets me ride their horses regularly for free. I’ve shown them, teach occasional lessons on them, get a lesson here and there, use their saddles, etc.</p>
<p>I doubt they (we?) have an equestrian program, but when I read this, UChicago jumped out at me. I think the classics/anthropology here (there?) is pretty good too. </p>
<p>If you are a girl, Bryn Mawr ticks off every point on your list: intellectual atmosphere, excellent anthropology, equestrian club. If you are not, Haverford cross-registers and shares their equestrian program with BMC, although it’s somewhat more selective.</p>
<p>(All three of the above schools are full need, but the package may or may not include small loans. I think Chicago is no-loan for your income level, but I’m not sure.)</p>
<p>U of Arizona would make a nice safety–you should get a full ride based on NMF status, they have an equestrian program, and their anthropology is apparently really good.</p>
<p>Ignore all the self-promotion spam, there are only two ways of getting exceptional aid. Getting need based aid from top 15 private universities or merit scholarship from 40+ ranked schools (for a normal competitive applicant without significant national/international accomplishments). Of course there are seriously merit money available at Rice, Duke, Vanderbilt, WashU, etc those merit scholarships are as if not more competitive than HYPSM admission.</p>