<p>Reed offers no merit aid. The only merit aid Carleton offers is $2K for NMF.</p>
<p>Erin’s Dad: Thanks for the info, I didn’t know Carleton’s merit aid was so limited…</p>
<p>MrMom62: I’ve heard Case Western is really graduate student-focused, but I’ll definitely look into Rochester. My only potential issue is that Rochester is a bigger university- do you know if its easy to take lots of different classes and if they have good humanities programs, or is it mostly science all the way if thats your major?</p>
<p>I haven’t heard that about Case Western, and know some students who are really happy there. Good merit aid, too. you should visit before crossing it off your list.</p>
<p>I’ve never heard of Case Western short-changing it’s undergrads either. And since there hasn’t been a supplemental essay, it’s very easy to apply EA and have an answer by Dec.15.</p>
<p>Rochester is really very small for a full fledged university. No core requirements, but you have to take your electives in clusters of three related classes, called concentrations. It’s an interesting place, also associated with the Eastman School of Music, which is like the Harvard of music schools.</p>
<p>Check out St. Olaf - same town as Carleton, cute, scenic town but within easy striking distance of MSP. There is a bus that runs from both campus centers to MSP so you can get yourself back and forth to the airport with ease. With your GPA and scores you are right in the mix for solid merit aid (18k per year or more) and they have great science programs. They also have a similar social justice vibe as Oberlin and Carleton and offer many targeted study abroad and internship programs.</p>
<p>Your other listed schools are reaches not because you lack qualifications but just because of numbers of applicants to spots. StO could be a good admissions match with merit $$$ to add to the mix.</p>
<p>A cardiologist I know is a proud St. Olaf alumnus. I hear the sciences there are fairly rigorous, but not the “weed out” kind.</p>
<p>If you would consider Florida, take a look at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg and New College in Sarasota.</p>
<p>As “Sacci” implies, in order to get good merit aid your SAT/ACT scores need to be far above average; at least in the top 25% and sometimes higher. So, having said that, you might consider Ohio Wesleyan University. Small liberal arts college (2000 students, almost exactly), rigorous academics, strong in science, plus has generous merit aid. Your SAT would probably be in their top 10% to 20% and thus get you excellent merit aid. Check out their “net price calculator” which will give you a merit aid estimate:
<a href=“http://choose.owu.edu/financialAidAndScholarships/netPriceCalculator.php”>http://choose.owu.edu/financialAidAndScholarships/netPriceCalculator.php</a></p>
<p>Oberlin, Case Western, and Ohio Wesleyan are all in Ohio. Maybe it is worth a visit to Ohio. One visit, three colleges (and you could even add Wooster to make four). Personally, it seems rather risky to attend a school which you have never visited.</p>
<p>I also second the recommendation of U.Rochester. Only about 5000 undergraduates and very strong in science. If you are going to major in science but want a strong dose of humanities, then Rochester is marvelous. Basically, you only need to take six courses outside of your major, but you can take more if you want. Tons of Rochester students double-major. I know a student entering in fall 2014 who had a 1950 SAT and 31 ACT but got excellent merit aid. By the way, Rochester is only a four hour drive from Case Western in Cleveland, Ohio.</p>
<p>Cool, I’ll definitely look into those schools! I really won’t be able to visit any other colleges outside of CA before I apply, but I’ve heard that acceptance letters come in March, so I’ll be able to visit during spring break.
Saintfan: do you know if St. Olaf is really religious?
Does anyone know about the strength of
health sciences at Carleton, Puget Sound, or Allegheny College (which I forgot to mention)?
Thanks!</p>
<p>I think it is a great idea to wait to visit colleges until after being accepted; especially those far from home. Saves a lot of unnecessary time and effort. Smart move.</p>
<p>Allegheny College is only two hours of Cleveland, almost due east. So another excellent choice in that part of the country. About one third of Allegheny students are STEM majors. Don’t know about health science strength.</p>
<p>I was going to say St Olaf if you apply to Carleton - very strong in science, summer internships at the Mayo Clinic, merit aid. Same town. Saintfan beat me to it! 
You could justify flying to Minneapolis St Paul if you visit 1° UMN-Twin Cities for their Honors Program …(or not) + 2° Macalester 3° Carleton 4° St Olaf. 3 colleges should justify the expense of flying there.
It’s religious-liberal, one required class is “The Bible in Community” but it’s something like “African Americans and the Bible”, “The Bible as Literature”, “Women of the Bible”, “The Apocalypse and Dystopias”, etc.</p>
<p>To be eligible for merit at Rochester, you might need to apply earlier than the regular deadline - I don’'t recall if that is the case for this school. Rochester has what they call Priority, it’s there version of EA, Dec. 1 deadline, non-binding, Feb. 15 notification. Priority is early enough to get the merit awards. And to stand the best chance at merit, you’ll need to interview.</p>
<p>Case has EA as well, Nov. 15 deadline, Dec. 15 notification. No interview required. Both schools will let you know your merit awards at the time of admissions notification, or shortly thereafter.</p>
<p>Brandeis, Wesleyan, Amherst, Williams, Oberlin, Hamilton, Trinity</p>
<p>Trinity? Trinity U. in TX and Brandeis barely make the NSF’s top 50 list of science/engineering doctoral producers. Hamilton is nowhere to be found on anyone’s list of strong science colleges.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf08311/#tab2”>http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf08311/#tab2</a></p>
<p>OP should consider Rice over WUSTL as it has more characteristics of an LAC due to its Yale/Oxbridge-like college system. It’s immediate proximity to numerous medical institutions may also be of interest to OP.</p>
<p>I was talking about Trinity in CT.
Brandeis is not going to make any of those lists due its small size, but do some research and you’ll find its undergrad life sciences are very strong. </p>
<p>Forgot about U Rochester. Very fine college.</p>
<p>As far as I know Wesleyan, Amherst and Williams only offer aid based on need, no merit.</p>
<p>Although not in the location you desire, you should really look at Rhodes in Memphis. Great Merit, strong ties to St.Jude’s Hospital.</p>
<p>Rice University is a great idea! Strongly recommended. Fewer than 4,000 undergraduates, but probably feels even smaller than that because of the “residential colleges.” Merit aid could be difficult, because OP’s SAT scores are average for Rice. Still should apply, though.</p>
<p>Trinity in CT is not strong across the board for science, though. Its physics program is definitely lacking. Hamilton is just fine. Not known for its science programs, but it can do the job.</p>