<p>Just to let you know, at USC they have lower division Honors programs for top students [NMF would qualify your D] which feature small class sizes and terrific professors- Thematic Options
Thematic</a> Option
which satisfy the college gen ed humanities requirements, and Freshman Science Honors classes
Freshman</a> Science Honors
Both programs have the best professors at USC teaching them. That is one very big reason my son, who did not apply to any of the UC's or other huge U's, is very happy there. By the time students get into upperdivision classes size is no longer an issue.</p>
<p>I second Colorado College in Colorado Springs as one to look into for your science/arts D. Its a top 25 LAC (even higher ranked for "value"). Small with approximately 500 in freshman class. Uses the block system (one class at a time). </p>
<p>Discover Magazine in 2002 Named the Top 50 Women in Science of which three were alumnae of Colorado College, one less than MIT (who had the most). The arts/drama/dance department is strong even for those who aren't majoring in these subjects.</p>
<p>There are full merit scholarships for science majors and your D has stats at the very top of the CC profile.</p>
<p>Colorado Springs is less than an hour from Denver by shuttle, if the big city issue is really important.</p>
<p>Sports are not a primary focus although the men's hockey and women's soccer programs are strong.</p>
<p>The campus is beautiful with Pikes Peak as a backdrop.</p>
<p>Colorado College, though a wonderful school, is on a "block" schedule where you take one course at a time for 3 to 3 1/2 weeks each. That schedule is not for everyone.</p>
<p>Since WashU in St. Louis is on your D's list, take the time to check out St. Louis University as well !</p>
<p>Has she considered Northwestern?</p>
<p>Though it is not out west, I would check out OWU for a small school that doesn't focus on athlethics, has a great LAC program and a great science program, esp. genetics. Their honors program is supposed to be awesome. Obviously it is close to a major city, Columbus, but it is not caught up in the city life. Check out the OWU website.</p>
<p>Momstl4 my hubby is from St Louis but didn't get enough money to go to Wash U back in the early 70s (family was very poor) so he went to UMSL and then on to Northwestern. He would love for her to consider Northwestern but we understood there was NO money to be had there. If this isn't correct, please let me know.</p>
<p>girls4mom my D did a few summer programs at OWU as part of the Ohio gifted series but wasn't thrilled with her program-mates. Sort of turned her off to OWU who has been sending her mail for the past 4 years. I'll have her look at it again. We live right north of Columbus so OWU is within 20 mins of the house (neither a negative nor a positive).</p>
<p>The biggest issue now is that this list is getting so big she's not sure how she's going to narrow it down. Obviously we can't visit all these schools. I think we'll try a visit to a few as described earlier which aren't that far away so that hopefully we can start putting together a list which she can use to evaluate them all. Other than gut feel, have there been any lists created to help with the evaluation process?</p>
<p>Correct, Northwestern offers no merit money.</p>
<p>My understanding is that there is no merit money to be had at Northwestern.</p>
<p>sharon-</p>
<p>You may want to double-check your assumptions about class availability and registration at the honors college at UMich. It used to be that honors college students had first dibs and were able to get over-rides. May still be true.</p>
<p>I know, first-hand, that the merit money can be **very **encouraging!!!</p>
<p>Caltech offers merit money, especially to top scoring girls.</p>
<p>My son went to two football games in his four years at USC. Both were his first year. He watched some on television, but felt neither alienated or deprived by his lack of interest in sports. The same is undoubtedly true at other schools with big-time sports. Like drinking, partying, or fraternities/sororities at most big schools--if you don't want to be involved you don't have to and no one will care. Could be different though at monoculture smaller colleges.</p>
<p>good point, tsdad. I never attended a single football game at University of Michigan! The universe is getting me back though, because I must watch college football now if I have any wish to understand the conversations in my home!</p>
<p>St. Olaf would give her $7500 for being a NMF and most-likely their top merit award of $12,500 in addition. It's a dry campus so that might fit her desire for a non-party school. Medium sized LAC, strong in science, but very cold.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I think we'll try a visit to a few as described earlier which aren't that far away so that hopefully we can start putting together a list which she can use to evaluate them all. Other than gut feel, have there been any lists created to help with the evaluation process?
[/quote]
sharon, at your D's existing stats level (and the extrapolations from those stats) I believe y'all will be in a similar position to the one we were in. </p>
<p>It seems overwheming but it's really not THAT bad. Take it one step at a time. </p>
<p>Start by acquiring some reference sources. I'd suggest USNWR online and maybe the best 3## colleges. If you know of a school foolishly left out you just add that one in , too. Then (at her level) take a look at the top 100 uni's , top 100 LAC's (and your personal add-in's ) and do some quick "sorts" . (Some of the online sites allow you to do so on different parameters. Size. Selectivity. Check their numbers.;)) </p>
<p>Then go through the lists here on CC of merit aid schools . There are several. You can search on my name for a couple of threads started by me about merit aid at USNWR Top 100 schools. </p>
<ol>
<li>merit aid granting (doesn't matter how good the school if you don't have the $)</li>
<li>selectivity (some see it as shorthand for quality)</li>
<li>size</li>
<li>location </li>
<li>urban/suburban/rural</li>
</ol>
<p>From these 5 sorts you should get down to a manageable list of schools to research more fully, and if you are using USNWR for your rough sorts, they are in some sort of ranked order (for what little that may mean in the end. For us, zippo.). </p>
<p>For major merit aid kids (equal to or greater than 1/2 tuition) , like mine was, it's not really a process of selection but more one of elimination, at least at the start. The selection part comes much later. Good luck.</p>
<p>p.s. People will continue to offer up schools not meeting the financial limits you have set. Some will continue to challenge your decision to have such limits for the perfect fit school. They mean well.;)</p>
<p>You know, a great source of merit aid to consider, if she can get over the no schools in the south criteria, is Tulane.</p>
<p>If she's looking for smaller classes, and likes Kenyon, you might try adding a few more liberal arts schools to her list. Grinnell may be in Iowa but it has a fabulous science program with paid research opportunities, and can be generous with merit money. Also check out Lawrence U in Wisconsin. She might also take a look at Rensselear in NY and Worcester Poly Tech in MA, both of which tend to be generous with merit money, especially for female students. That is true for many of the "technical" institutes.</p>
<p>Oberlin College is in Ohio, has a history of academic excellence, gives merit and need-based aid, progressive politically, excellent diversity statistics. All of their upgrades in the past ten years have revolved around their Science offerings: new Science center, a state-of-the-art environmental science self-contained building. They win 3 or 4 (out of 4 possible) Goldwater undergraduate science scholarships annually (300 offered across the nation) for science students. Excellent graduate school placement. </p>
<p>National and international (not just Ohio) students. 2800 undergraduates, including the music conservatory. As my D quipped, "best ambient sound of any LAC." All courses taught by professors; no graduate assistants.</p>
<p>It's worth many conversations with science students who routed themselves through LAC's and then onto universities for graduate school. I'm a big LAC fan, obviously. Would your D enjoy meeting plenty of people in other non-science majors? Would this excite her...as a scientist? Lots to consider.</p>
<p>Optionals: Oberlin has cooking cooperative communities, an optional alternative to dorm food (OSCA), experimental college courses taught by students (ExCO). Sororities? Fraternities? NOT there.</p>
<p>I am completely not objective. I'm an Oberlin alum, so is my H, so is my brother, and my D. Just wanted to add that, for honesty's sake. PM if I can answer anything about Oberlin. The only thing I DON"t like about it is the dorms look worn out these days, compared to newer buildings on other campuses. Oh well.</p>
<p>^^Actually I'm curious about Oberlin's reputation within Ohio. Oberlin has been a catalyst for national progressive social change (first coed college in USA, first to admit African Americans--during the Civil War, its first 4 students were runaway slaves.) Part of the warp and woof of Oberlin is a progressive institutional history, for example: when the AA track runner USA medalist raised his fist at the Mexico Olympics in l968 in a Black Power salute to acknowledge Dr. King's death and the rioting in American cities, that athlete became instantly unemployable nationwide, except at Oberlin, who responded by bringing him in as track coach for a noble career there. A century earlier, Oberlin professors worked as agents on the Underground Railroad; when arrested, other professors raided the jails to free them. These stories are numerous, and surely known inside of Ohio.</p>
<p>Oberlin College was first nationally to have coeducational dorm buildings, this appeared on the cover of Life Magazine around l970 (some parents wanted to remove their students immediately from the college, very embarrassing at the officeplace.) Things that are standard fare at campuses nationwide began at Oberlin. Widespread acceptance of gay students at the Conservatory was the norm in the l960's when others suffered, afraid to come out. No big deal at Oberlin. </p>
<p>And so, I wonder if in Ohio, there's an "ooh, Oberlin, I told you it was hippie..." reputation that needs a complete rehaul, to understand the opportunities for contemporary students such as your D. It's still an idealistic place, of course, but the academic opportunity can be overshadowed by rhetoric about its progressive social history. I'd suggest: see what's there for you today. Oberlin's motto is "Fearless" which is an accurate description of its highly individual students today.</p>
<p>USNWR lists Oberlin lower than I believe it should be, at around 30. There's a specific issue over the reporting data, because Oberlin's insistence not to sever the Conservatory from the College when preparing stats for USNWR. This somehow skews the presentation of resource allocation per student. I don't know all the details. Oberlin is just stubborn that after more than l00 years of seamless social harmony, they're not going to sever two great institutions of learning because some magazine is publishing a list. Academically and socially, Oberlin College and Swarthmore compare, except that Swarthmore is on the East Coast. </p>
<p>Chalk me up as a loyal alum. Must depart now; am expecting an Oberlin Winter Term career intern, moving into the house tonight!! Very excited. She'll be doing research to help my H organize hundreds of pieces of archaeology. And she'll occupy an empty bedroom, so that's a good thing too! We give back...</p>
<p>Actually, Paying3, Oberlin is #20 on USNWR's LAC list. Still not as high as we loyalists think it should be ranked, but...</p>
<p>At Johns Hopkins the main Merit scholarship is the Hodson Trust ($24,000/year) Hopkins</a> Undergraduate Admissions :: Financial Aid :: Merit Scholarships Only 20 granted each year but with her credentials she'd have a chance.</p>