Seconding West Virginia University if you want mountains and excellent merit aid, though I doubt that the vibe even in the Honors College is similar to Duke or Vandy.
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In addition to Furman, you may also want to consider Wofford in South Carolina.
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I didnāt get an official tour at either, so Iād actually love to hear the main differences! I might join Greek like but not at somewhere like lsu or Arkansas where itās crazy. I liked the academic vibe and the landscape around it
My daughter had no interest in Greek life, which is big at Duke and Vandy. When she interviewed at Vanderbilt, the interviewer spent 20 minutes trying to convince her to join. At the time it was 50% but maybe that changed.
My daughter actually liked the sports scene at Duke. She didnāt get that vibe at Vanderbilt and definitely not at Emory. She did love Nashville.
To my D, the students at Vandy seemed happier and friendlier than Duke, but you need to take this with a grain of salt. Itās based on her opinion during a moment in time. She noticed that the students at Duke were alone, on their phone, etc. The students at Vanderbilt seemed to walk with friends and were engaged in conversation. Again, this was her impression and many will have different opinions. She did find the tours to be valuable. She liked the fact that Greek housing was on campus at Vanderbilt. She found that to be more inclusive (this was 5+ years ago and may have changed). She had the same feeling about wake forest.
If you might join Greek life and love the sports scene, you might want to investigate the honors program at Ohio State. You will find very strong students, and the honors program will make a huge school seem smaller.
Good luck!
Take a look at Washington & Lee, which offers the Johnson Scholarship. Itās offered to roughly 10% of the first-year class and covers tuition, fees, housing and food, plus an additional $7000 stipend to cover a summer internship. Great school academically, and itās right in the middle of the Appalachians. Plus Lexington is a really nice college town and the weather would fit your criteria.
Potential cons are lots of Greek life, and if Rhodes College was too small, then W&L might also feel too small. But itās one of the best merit scholarships in the country and itās a really great school.
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I thnk Greek life is school dependent - meaning being Greek doesnāt mean the same thing everywhere. But it does have a cost everywhere.
Miami of Ohio, for example, houses Greek in the dorms - so it wonāt be wild like others. My daughterās sorority at Charleston is so chill. A W&L, I can speak to it but itās a far majority so itās like different than say an Arkansas or Bama. W&L has VMI nearby - so they are two separate schools but perhaps it gives a bigger sense of size although they are not one campusā¦but close. The campus is stunning - and the town cool.
In addition to Johnson, they also have full tuition scholarships.
And if the Johnson doesnāt work out and if youāre from New Orleans (not sure), thereās a full tuition one for you too!! And if you get on their list, theyāll send you a free app waiver - at least they did a few years ago. So yeah, W&L, even if too small, should be on your list.
The New Orleans Area David Favrot, Jr. Honor Scholarship was established in 1995 in memory of Favrot, W&L class of 1982. The award recognizes an entering first-year student from the Southern Louisiana/Mississippi Gulf Coast area with superior achievement in academics, extracurricular activities and community service.
This full-tuition award is renewable for four years, provided the recipient maintains a 3.3 grade point average while enrolled at W&L.
Finalists for the New Orleans Honor Scholarship will be notified in late January and will participate in a personal interview in March, conducted by New Orleans area alumni.
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I agree with the recommendation to apply to Tulane. They have lots of merit money available to students with your stats. You absolutely MUST show TONS of demonstrated interest.
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Iām from north Louisiana, thanks though! I really dont know if greek is for me. I do get shy around people I donāt know, so making new friends can be difficult. Thatās why Iām thinking a sorority could help me meet people. But Iāve seen pictures of some at Arkansas, Alabama, etc. and that type of Greek life scene looks miserable to be in.
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Whatās the best way to do that? I follow them on Instagram and I know to email my admissions counselor with a question. Iāll tour at some point. Is there another way to do that?
All that sad - when you have $10-25K, you have to make compromises. Many here being listed are HIGHLY unlikely to get you there if a full pay family (based on need).
Thatās why you need to keep the Bama and most especially Tulsaā¦top of mindā¦because Tulsa is your kind of school.
The odds of Tulane getting you there - even with merit - not great. Doesnāt mean you shouldnāt try butā¦And I always laugh - I know Tulane has some of the best and brightest but itās routinely labeled a top 5 party school by many pubs for a reasonā¦so it may or may not be right for OP.
With a small budget - I just think you take an NMF deal and then go for some home runs that have full rides - SMU, W&L, Seattle and maybe thereās more. The budget is going to bite you - and college costs more than they say - assuming you want to do other things socially (eating out, traveling, events, and more).
Best of luck.
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Thanks. Yeah Iām mostly looking into nmf safeties but Iām looking into reaches to just try because why not. Iāve heard a lot about Tulsa though so Iāll definitely check it out
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I heard itās free for you :). Enough said. And if u like Arkansas itās just two hrs
Our HS sends a LOT of full pay students to Tulane. Smart kids, yes, but not with the stats that this student is coming in with. I also want to say that it definitely is a big party school (btw so is Emory, Duke, Vanderbilt and just about every school). You will find your non party people at all schools.
Keep in mind that some of these schools have many students who seem to come from extreme wealth (that could be a pro or a con, depending on you).
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My D went to UNC (OOS). She found the academics to be perfect/well balanced for her. In other words, she worked hard, studied, and did very well. There were some other things that bothered her sometimes (ie student health, the process for getting classes was not always simple, etc) but the quality of academics was not one of them.
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It sounds like you are looking for a medium sized private in a city/pretty location that will give significant merit aid. Preferably in a liberal area where you donāt have to worry about who you date. This is similar to what I am looking for for my dd. I havenāt found many schools that work!
Maybe look at:
University of Denver
College of William and Mary ($$?)
Occidental (small but urban)
Lewis and Clark (small but urban)
Rollins (small but suburban but also Florida so conservative)
University of Puget Sound (small but sort of urban)
If Jesuit is okay - University of Portland, University of San Diego, Loyola Marymount, Santa Clara University, Seattle.
Iām not super familiar with these, they are ones I am asking my dd to research.
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Have you considered any womenās universities? You might like Hollins. Itās just outside Roanoke VA in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Gorgeous setting. Very supportive and engaging. You would definitely get some merit there. Donāt know about a full ride.
Agnes Scott in Decatur in the Atlanta area is another womenās university that offers top notch academics and gives out a substantial chunk of change to most applicants, with possibilities of getting more.
The sticker price on both of these looks high, but there is automatic merit that brought them both down to just over the price of a state school when my D22 was looking.
University of Southern California offers some great merit scholarships and you have the high stats for them. They also have a renowned music school. I know itās not the south, but the weatherās not bad 
I also agree with applying for the Jefferson scholarship at UVA. A former colleague won that and she loved UVA.
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What about Ithaca College? Ithaca is a great town. I am not sure if itās too far north for you. UNC Asheville?
The Jefferson Scholars program is very much a long shot and not administred by UVA.
The year my daughter interviewed for Jefferson Scholars there was somebody who had his pilots license and delivered home cooked meals (that he prepared) to food pantries throughout the country. As noted, these types of scholarships are extremely, extremely difficult!!
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