<p>I need some advice on how other families have helped their student narrow their college search. D is a junior. UW gpa 3.85, top 3% in large HS, candidate for NMSF with a 222 on PSAT, takes rigorous coursework and theatre is her EC. Academic strength is math/science. She is working her tail off balancing AP courses with late theatre rehearsals. </p>
<p>I should be very proud of her but I'm getting frustrated. Her dream is to attend any school that's far from home. I thought we had it narrowed down to small LAC then she saw UT Austin and loved the "vibe". She's organized and well-rounded but is the type of kiddo that can't decide what she wants to eat off a lunch menu. She's going to need accessible professors to help her determine her major.</p>
<p>Thankfully we began saving when she was a baby and can cover our EFC but we make around $90,000 so don't have the ability to contribute much more to her education. She also hopes to go to graduate school so we're looking at schools that give NM scholarships to fund her undergraduate so she can afford graduate school</p>
<p>I would appreciate any advice.</p>
<p>Be sure to figure in the 4 year graduation rate into your plans. Most of the time the poor 4 year grad rate is not due to lack of focus by the student but class availability. </p>
<p>Don’t worry too much about paying for grad school, especially if it is in the math/science area that you say is her strength. With teaching and research opportunities, much (if not all) of her grad school will be paid for. She won’t live the high life, but will get by OK.</p>
<p>After that, try and think about size of school, majors offered, college EC opportunities, etc. Realize that, unless she has had some exposure to the various fields in math/science/engineering, it is hard to choose which area to go into. The first year or two will be pretty much the same material no matter which field you choose. How easy is it to switch majors can be a factor in choosing a school. Some schools are darn near impossible to switch while others allow you to go in undeclared and make up your mind after freshman year. I would choose the latter, if possible.</p>
<p>Maybe right now you don’t need to narrow the focus. LACs aren’t right for everyone. Maybe she’d like to look at some small/medium sized universities or larger LACs. Has she looked at Rice? Great science, the residential colleges give it some of that LAC feel, but it’s large enough that you are unlikely to feel like it’s too small after a couple of yers.</p>