We started our college search with our eldest specifically starting from the viewpoint of cost. There are deals to be had but you have to be flexible. Its like buying a house. Its give and take when you have finite resources. The mistake people make is not having safeties that were well thought out in advance. There are advantages and disadvatages to both LAC’s and large publics. Neither is without its issues. I would continue looking at LAC’s that offer more merit or some smaller state universities and regional public’s with honor’s programs.
I think Mac will give better aid than Kenyon, but agree that Wooster is worth looking at. It’s easier to get in to and my wife (we are both Mac grads) was very impressed with the kids and faculty when she toured Wooster with our son. Our experience with Mac financial aid was that it was very generous, but… that was a while ago.
Consider your child’s temperament as well. Our son toured U Mich and hated it … I don’t think he was ready for the scale.
I don’t know what he plans on studying, but pre-med or pre-law at Wabash are phenomenal. Very high success rate for people pursuing those options.
If applying to Michigan or MSU, apply to Honors college and if not admitted (or even if admitted) apply to the Residential College - just in case the LAC route doesn’t pan out.
But yes for kids who want a smaller school large flagships aren’t a good fit, makes them shrink instead of grow, and the money isn’t necessarily “saved”. (Same experience as poster above but with course correction after first year. Know your kid - sometimes a poor fit personality-wise will sink them.)
Attending the CTCL fair is a great suggestion! Strong CTCL schools would include Whitman and St Olaf, plus Reed (would appeal to a very specific type of students, so read up about it).
@naryurf -Have you looked at Brandeis?
It is a short ride to Boston on college-provided transportation.
It is relatively small in number of students (in the 3000s), with small classes, yet it is a research university, too.
Officially, there is no Greek life. I hear there are a couple of very sparsely populated, unrecognized, off-campus frats. But they do not exert a strong influence on campus life, and the college is known for NOT being a big ‘party’ school. Clubs and theatre and other events keep the kids busy and having fun.
Great diversity, including international students.
Very intellectual atmosphere.
And what most caught my attention in your post was the word “secular”- Brandeis is the only never-religiously-affiliated, fully secular, highly ranked college in the nation without a Christian majority. No religious group forms a majority; ethnic Jews form a plurality, but they are under 50%, and a large number of them are fully secular. Symbolically, the campus was designed so that the shadows of three chapels of three different faiths never overshadow any of the other chapels. It also has a lot of fully secular, atheistic students.
It does give some merit aid to some top students, as well as need-based aid. I am not sure how much or if it’s enough for what you want, but you could look into it.
I do not know the specific reasons you are looking at Macalester for your son but did want to take a minute to comment on Denison as it has been a great fit for my son. We too were very concerned about a “Lax Bro” culture especially coming from Connecticut where it is prevalent and having sensed it at other SLACs.
I don’t believe the comment from intparent that Denison has it fair share of “dude-bros” is fair. Of all the colleges I have visited what struck me at Denison is that it is a melting pot. There’s Lax Bros and 20% Pell recipients and everything in between - just like in life. And as they say your vibe finds your tribe. Read the reviews on Niche - when asked to describe the school with one word - 69% of students said supportive. One of the other top replies was caring. Think about that for a minute. That’s an environment where I want my kids.
They were very generous with my son. Denison is definitely worth a hard look.
First, I would call to talk to the Financial Aid office about what merit aid to expect. They are tremendously professional, and straight about the process and likely results. Our D was in the same situation as you describe, with the exact same choice - Michigan or Mac. She chose Mac, and couldn’t be happier. Michigan is an incredible school. But so is Mac, and fit is a very important component of the decision. We know dozens of our kids’ peers who go to UM, and love it. Others, not so much because it’s easy to get lost in the numbers there. Our observations on the differences: Our D has incredible access to her professors. Her professors and advisor are her advocates, too; she works very, very hard, and those efforts are rewarded not just in terms of grades, but in terms of opportunities presented. That won’t likely happen at Michigan. She is pursuing everything she’s wanted to pursue and is achieving everything and more that she wanted to achieve. What an incredible thing to have in terms of experience! The social scene is much, much different. Her peer groups at Mac have the same interests, which is to say, partying is not a priority for most students. Doing cool stuff in the TCs is, and that’s especially true with regard to doing for others. Volunteering is very much a thing; and, the internship opportunities are incredible in the TCs, because every Fortune 500 and NGO want Mac students. The rigor and time spent studying is greater at Mac than for anyone we know at UM. Mac students work, and work and work some more, which isn’t for everyone. Also, a full semester abroad is strongly encouraged for all students at Mac. At Michigan, it’s generally a much shorter program for those who do one. Finally, everything Mac touches is very, very high quality. Even things like, how students are treated by the admin. And how wrongs are righted. And, how are sexual assault victims are treated, or better yet, the very real and meaty training of all incoming students to avoid those tragic life-changing events. At Mac, the answers resonate. And what that’s built for our D is an awareness of making choices of surrounding herself with high quality people and choices, and that’s tough to put a $ figure on…your S may reach a different conclusion than our D. Oh, and finally, I’m not sure I’ve ever met a ‘dude bro’ at Mac 
At halftime during football games, instead of battle of the bands, they have Haiku competitions. Lol! Send him up for a visit; that’s the best way to get a feel for the students.Hope this helps him make the best choice for himself!
I believe school general merit (tests, gpa) tops out at $32K from something I saw somewhere recently at Kalamazoo College, but there are other scholarships available. For sure there is an arts one (theater, visual, music?) that is worth up to $5k per year. My son will be a sophomore there this coming academic year.
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
The OP has long abandoned this thread, so I am closing.