Help finding targets and safeties [4.0/34ACT, Studio Art, Creative Writing, etc, needs high financial aid / scholarships]

College Search & Selection
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I am helping D24 with her college list, and need some help finding some targets and safeties, along with any other suggestions.

GPA (unweighted): 4.0
GPA (weighted): 4.3
PSAT: 1360
Pre ACT: 34
Grades are straight As
(she is taking the SAT/ACT in July and August)
Class Rank: our school doesn’t rank, but she is in the top 5%

APs:
Chemistry (rec’d a 3)
APUSH
AP World History (rec’d a 3)
AP Calc AB
AP Physics I

next year she is taking AP Calc BC, AP Physics II, and AP English

Must haves:
LAC
Majors: English/Creative Writing; Studio Art, ideally including animation; potentially Sociology and/or Religion

She is still somewhat undecided and wants the flexibility to try some different things before committing to a major, hence looking for an LAC.

Would like to have:
small school <5,000
good mental health resources on campus
not hot/humid (Portland is her ideal weather)

Would be nice to have:
not in the middle of a big city
good food
strong art community overall

She has strongly considered but mostly ruled out art school. She spent a month at Ringling last summer doing a pre-college program and although she enjoyed it, she wants to have the opportunity to study other things as well, and not shoehorn herself.

She is not interested in any Ivies (except possibly Brown).

Colleges on “the list” so far:
Brown (no animation, but does have a dual-enrollment program with RISD)
Bowdoin
Bates
Reed
Colby
Carnegie Mellon
Hamilton
Dartmouth
Carleton

Our state flagships are both huge - IU and Purdue - so not good options for her. Any suggestions are welcome! Thx

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So you don’t need an LAC for being undecided. Most schools have. Even small, mid, and large publics.

Any budget concerns ? Or full pay ?

With those stats you can be $20k to $90k+. And since those schools you list meet need, I want to ensure I understand your finances first. Not just what you can afford but want to afford. Some may say for Dartmouth I’m willing to spend the full $87,315 COA but for a target/safety I’m only willing to spend 50% or 25% of that. Or I can afford Dartmouth per the NPC because not all are need blind or are willing to meet need. So it have, for example, may give you far less need based aid.

I suggest you google niche + best college food. May give you some positive or not positive feedback on your current list.

Ps - no matter where you go you’ll want to ensure there are ample outside mental health resources. Schools all have them but in most places the demand will far outstrip supply. For medical and mental, we’ve had to go private because of this.

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Good question. She is aware that anything owed that merit and need-based aid doesn’t cover will be loans. Thankfully with a brother in college, and us being relatively poor, our EFC last year was literally $41 if I remember correctly.

So not full pay, but at the same time we’ll look at any price range for now.

I’ve been running NPCs just to show her the differences in how schools evaluate aid. Schools that have no-loan policies now are desirable, but also reaches for the most part.

Good point about the mental health resources. We’ve learned how stretched thin they are with her brother. And she will need to have good support.

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If Portland is her ideal weather (I’m assuming Portland, OR and not Portland, ME, so please let me know if I’m off-base), has she thought about schools in the Pacific Northwest? Although some of these are in big cities, I don’t necessarily know which ones would be considered “middle of a big city.” For instance, Lewis & Clark is reportedly in a lovely residential area. Plus, being in a bigger city will also generally mean better access to mental health supports as well as easier transportation to get back to Indiana. Perhaps @JBSeattle might have some insight on the campus locations?

  • Lewis & Clark (OR): About 2100 undergrads
  • Pacific Lutheran (WA): About 2400 undergrads
  • Pacific (OR): About 1700 undergrads
  • Reed (OR): About 1500 undergrads, and very much a “fit” school
  • Seattle Pacific (WA): About 2600 undergrads
  • Seattle (WA): About 4200 undergrads
  • Whitman (WA): About 1600 undergrads
  • Willamette (OR): About 1200 undergrads

Also, not in the Pacific Northwest, but has she thought about Colorado College (about 2200 undergrads) or Fort Lewis (CO, about 3400 undergrads)?

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Yeah – if heat and humidity are to be avoided, she might also consider schools from New England, the Upper Midwest (Wisc, Minnesota, Michigan especially), the upper plains/Dakotas, and upper Rockies. Those places don’t generally get too hot/humid until the summer, when she presumably will be home.

I don’t have time to hit all those regions ATM, but here are some additional schools from the Upper Midwest –

Wisconsin:
Lawrence U
Beloit

Minnesota:
St. Olaf
Macalester (though that is in St. Paul…)
Gustavus Adolphus

Michigan:
Kalamazoo
Hillsdale, though check for vibe (conservative)

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We have visited or live near several of these schools, the only ones in the “middle of a city” are
Seattle Pacific - about 2 miles from DT Seattle, walkable, bus or bike, still feels like a residential neighborhood
Seattle U - Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, very urban

All the others are either in residential areas of cities (L&C, Reed) or in smaller cities (Willamette, Whitman)

I would also have OP add University of Puget Sound (Tacoma, WA) where she would get excellent merit, although I’m not sure about their need-based aid

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Thanks - I think PNW would be perfect her. I know weather seems like such an odd thing to be that important of a factor, but she is very affected by the humidity, even here in Indiana.

My read is that if the school is in Portland, but not literally downtown, it’s fine. So Reed or Lewis and Clark would be ok location-wise. OK, adding these to the long list to do more research with her. Thx

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Precisely @prezbucky. After last summer in Sarasota, she eliminated the entire Southeast.

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@shawk, I just discovered Puget Sound yesterday; haven’t done a deep dive yet. Man, it looks beautiful. Definitely looking at it.

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Here is my feedback based on @AustenNut post:
Lewis and Clark: In a fairly secluded Portland neighborhood. Need a car, shuttle etc to get into Portland albeit is a short 10-15 minute drive. Cars not allowed for Freshmen. Both my Daughters did not care for this school as they did not like the vibe where students did not seem happy. Other people feel different and think the school is great so would visit. They tend to provide good merit. Incredibly beautiful campus with views of Mt. Hood and a reflection pool.

Pacific Lutheran: In Tacoma (about an hour south of Seattle). Not really thought of by most students around my area. Tacoma has some rough areas but downtown is improving and they have done a lot to attract businesses. Unless you are Lutheran may not be a top choice as may not have the rigor the OP would like.

Pacific: In Forest Grove, OR which is a Portland suburb. Nice area. My D applied but did not visit. Their merit was less than anticipated. Could be an option as a safety.

Reed: My D really wanted to apply and attend but it was just way too expensive. They don’t really give merit aid so unless you qualify for financial aid or $80K plus per year is ok then it won’t work. Kids tend to love or hate the environment. Very academic minded students that work hard and well regarded in the area.

Seattle Pacific: Located between three Seattle neighborhoods. Area is nice but the school is struggling financially and with their reputation (anti-LBGTQ stance). I would research these issues before applying.

Seattle U: My D will start in the Fall. Campus is in Capitol Hill neighborhood which is exciting but a little concerned about safety. Campus is not the nicest but easy to walk to restaurants etc. They have a neat honors programs where all tests are via an interview with a Professor. Good size as it is not smaller than a typical high school but not a large public either. Lots of public transportation options and near hospitals.

Whitman: My niece will be attending in the fall. In Walla Walla which is a quaint town in Southeastern WA well known for its wines. School has a very good academic reputation and would be only school on this list other than Reed which I would not consider to be a safety for OP. Very personalized experience and my niece is excited to attend (will be playing a sport).

Willamette: Kind of wish my D had attended. Gave great merit, very friendly environment. My D did not want to attend due to location (Midsize town an hour south of Portland) and thought the school was too small. They have a cool program where they shave a year off undergrad and allow scholarships to carry forward if the student attends law school at Willamette as well.

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So your list above is all need based - no merit. Have you checked the NPC?

Your EFC is meaningless - because those are all CSS schools - so you need to run their net price calculator. They don’t go by EFC.

If you’re not full pay, you can’t look at any price range.

And you can’t take loans - she can get $27K over four years. That’s it. and especially with a studio art or sociology, writing, or religion major, that would be nuts. So the government got one thing right - restrict how much debt a student can get. Now, you can get debt as a parent - your debt - but do you want it, needing to be paid back by someone with an art degree?

As I said, with her stats, she can spend $20K or $90K - and there are tradeoffs to do so.

So set a budget - and stick to it. If it’s $30K or $50K, go there. For example and this isn’t your school - but you could go to an Alabama or Alabama Huntsville for below $20K or a Truman State, SUNY B for below $30K.

And yes, as I said trade offs.

So looking at your list and animation is a tough one - writing, sociology and religion aren’t - they’ll be everywhere.

You might look at a Kalamazoo - why - huge merit aid and that’s what you’re going to need or other LACs with big $$ - like Beloit, Wooster, DePauw, other midwest ones. @AustenNut mentioned plenty in the Northwest and there’s a lot and they’ll discount - but if Portland weather is ideal, why is your entire list other than Reed and Carleton in the NE?

So to me and I can’t speak for the art departments - but you need to find big merit schools pure and simple - and you need to run the net price calculators on your list above.

The last thing you want to do is to go into huge debt for any degree - but especially an art degree.

Not sure if this will help. Don’t see LACs but you might then have to try a public with Honors - if animation is a must. Or contact each school - or perhaps others on here with arts students can help.

But I would worry about your finances first and foremost - and then go from there. You don’t want to strangle yourself financially no matter how much you love your student.

And the good news is - kids like your daughter are a dime a dozen at Carleton or Dartmouth - but not so at Willamette or Christopher Newport or Guilford or Furman, or Sewanee or St. Olaf, or Augustana in SD etc. and these schools will discount heavily (merit aid) to get someone like her on campus. And that’s a trade off you likely will need to make.

Top 50 Animation Schools and Colleges in the U.S. – 2020 College Rankings | Animation Career Review

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Reed is unique, intellectual, and a “fit school” which will appeal to a certain type of student, I’m not sure if they are need blind at this point.

Lewis and Clark is in a wooded area on edge of Portland, I disagree that students seemed unhappy, we had a great visit and it would be a safety/merit school for your daughter.

Whitman is 4+ hours from a major metro area in a small city in Southeastern WA. Smart kids, artsy to sporty to quirky, you have to want to be in a relatively remote location but the Palouse area of SW WA is really beautiful and unlike any other place I’ve been. Over 100 wineries in the area which makes it a bit of a tourist destination and there are amenities like good restaurants that have followed. Great outdoors program, arts looks quite strong. Not classic rainy PNW weather as it gets cold winters/some snow/hot summers/less precipitation and fewer interminable cloudy weeks/months.

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I want to mention that one does not have to attend an LAC if they are undecided about a major, or if they want to change their major etc.

It’s fine if the student prefers an LAC, but that should not be the reason.

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Oh, I agree, @twogirls. I think I was unclear. She is looking at LACs mostly because they’re smaller. Any school with a small undergrad population would be okay if it was the right fit.

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Thanks, @shawk! According to Reed’s site, they are need aware. Thanks for the other suggestions. I’m glad I came here to ask.

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Then you might need to find a UNC Asheville ($43K OOS b4 merit), Christopher Newport $44K OSS b4 merit, SUNY schools like Purchase, Geneseo, Potsdam, Fredonia and other similar type schools - in addition to high merit LACs or smaller schools.

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With a FAFSA EFC of $41, it is likely that even $20k per year would be too expensive.

If the actual parental contribution approximates $0, then the federal direct loan limit of $5.5k plus student work earnings of a few thousand dollars would be the stretch price limit.

Basically, a safety needs to have assured admission with an NPC result within that price limit, or an assured merit scholarship bringing the net price within that price limit.

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@tsbna44, thanks … I think. I appreciate your concern but my finances are my business. I didn’t say she would go to a school that will cost $90k. I just want her to see the possibilities and what they cost.

I have done this twice already with her brothers and I know what the CSS profile is and how it works. And NPCs.

The list is mostly NE because those are the schools we found so far, and I came here looking for suggestions in the PNW because I’m unfamiliar with that area of the country.

Your remark about “someone with an art degree” turned me off from the rest of your response, but I saw you mentioned some schools and I will look into them. Thank you for that.

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Thank you, @JBSeattle! I appreciate the suggestions. I have a vague thought that Willamette has a connection with PNW College of Art, which could be interesting for her.

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@tsnba44, I’m sorry for my kneejerk response.

We have money put away in a 529 plan, and we are willing to do Parent Plus loans, so maybe that will explain the situation a bit better.

You made some good points, and mentioned some good schools to look at and things to think about, and I appreciate it. Thanks, and sorry.

I’m not sure how to delete that comment, or I would.