good "mediocre" colleges..?

<p>UVa or W&M are the obvious choices for you.</p>

<p>If Biomedical engineering is your thing, Case Western gives a lot of merit money.</p>

<p>Sheflowers: You're at the beginning of your college search, and things can easily change over the next year.</p>

<p>It seems comparatively easy at this stage for parents to say "We'll pay for this but not for that". (of course, this assumes that in the future you will be accepted to a medical school or that you even will still want to go to one). My suggestion is that you take that as a guideline in your college search, but not as an absolute. With the increasing competitiveness in applications to good schools, you'll probably find it difficult to identify a school that is both of good quality and that will award you a full-cost scholarship. There are very good private universities that may award you partial merit scholarships, but not necessarily full ones. If your parents are implacable about this decision, that position could change if they see that you will graduate from a good school with a signficant amount of debt due to taking loans. You may have to help convince them to change their minds a bit. </p>

<p>At the moment, William & Mary seems to be a good place to start - an good in-state school with a relatively low cost. I would forget the Ivies as they probably won't be affordable. Look to some private universities that offer merit scholarships - Rochester, Brandeis, Case-Western Reserve, others - but chances are they will only give partial merit aid, not full-tuition or full-cost.</p>

<p>Check lists of colleges in books such as "Harvard Schmarvard" and books by Loren Pope for possible lesser-known schools that may offer merit aid.</p>

<p>And keep checking these boards for suggestions. Try posting a question on the parents board to Carolyn, one of our home-grown experts in college choices.</p>

<p>And good luck with the process.</p>