<p>emerlus, If you have the grades to match that ACT score then you’ll be a person of interest to many selective LACs. Small LACs like kids who are multi-faceted and a combination of academics, music (or any of the arts) and sports are the trifecta. Volunteering or community service is always good, but not necessarily a deal breaker.</p>
<p>Tell us more about what you’re looking for in a college: location, environment, character. E.g, urban/suburban/rural, sports, politics, fraternities/sororities. There are hundreds of LACs that would be appropriate, but their personalities vary widely.</p>
<p>If you are willing and able to swim on a college level you should be contacting coaches now. If you will continue participating in music related activities, plan to submit a tape that showcases your talent, even if you don’t intend to majorin music.</p>
<p>As for the money, you need to establish whether your family will be eligible for NEED based financial aid or if you will have to get MERIT aid. To determine NEED based aid, ask your parents to use an on-line calculator to get an idea of how much they would qualify for. If this is sufficient then you could apply to a wide range of colleges, as most offer reasonably good NEED based aid.</p>
<p>If, on the other hand, you are looking for MERIT based aid your list will be very different. There are many good colleges that offer MERIT aid, but many of the best known do not so you may have to do some digging. </p>
<p>The first step is to understand your financial position clearly.</p>