<p>Next year our 3rd son will be applying to colleges. We're middle-class, so substantial need-based aid will be non-existent. We're in Florida, and he'll have 100% Bright Futures. I'm guessing that his SAT M/V will be 1450-1500 range. Weighted GPA will be around 4.25 (on a A=4.0 scale)</p>
<p>This is our different-drummer kid. Actually, I've always said he doesn't march to the beat of a different drum; he strolls to the tune of his own lute. He's one of the funniest people I know. He excels at math. He wrestles. He speaks French pretty well. He currently has no idea of what he wants to major in. He actually would like to make a career out of being funny, and he may have the talent to do it, somehow.</p>
<p>All this doesn't translate well in the traditional college searches. I'm open to suggestions of where to look. If we go private, it will have to be a school that would provide a whopping big merit-based scholarship.</p>
<p>Would New College of Florida be a cool place for him? It's instate for you.</p>
<p>I imagine your son could fit in at a lot of schools, and I imagine that a lot of schools that do their own thing would love to have him, based on his academic profile. Some schools I would recommend based on his profile would be Swarthmore, Carleton, University of Chicago, Wesleyan, Beloit, Oberlin, and Reed.</p>
<p>My other two didn't, but I think it might be a great fit for him. Honestly, it's not just the tuition - I love having my guys in-state. They get to come home and see each other, and us, and it's making the emptying nest much easier to take.</p>
<p>Rollins College has some excellent merit aid, and as is the case with most LACs, particularly is interested in attracting male students. Based on what you've posted, I think your S would have good chances for good merit aid.</p>
<p>My S is a freshman there and is very happy. They also have a nice theater dept. including some interesting sounding classes open to nonmajors. The fact that Orlando is right next door adds to job and internship possibilities for students interested in entertainment fields.</p>
<p>A big plus of going to a LAC is that one doesn't need to start off knowing what one plans to major in. That was a big selling point of Rollins for my S. One gets lots of chance to explore things during one's first and second years.</p>
<p>I understand that you want your son close to home, but, with the exception of New College, I cannot think of any schools near you that seem to be good fits. Most of the ones that come to mind immediately, such as Bard, Oberlin, and Reed, are rather far away. However, your being so far away from them could actually give him a better chance of getting into them, so I'd suggest you at least look at a few farther away and maybe visit them.</p>
<p>Also, does he have a preference as to urban, suburban, or rural?</p>
<p>I've thought about Rollins - I grew up near Winter Park, and we used to put our boat in at the Rollins ramp to go skiing.</p>
<p>Honestly, he doesn't seem to have given the whole thing a lot of thought, with regards to urban/suburban/rural, or anything else for that matter. He's Mr. Happy-go-lucky, which is a large part of his charm. But that's why I wanted to get some ideas to toss around with him. At his school most of the kids are applying in-state, or to big name universities out of state. Not a lot applying to LAC's from what I can tell.</p>
<p>I'll have a much better idea of what the options may be by next month when we see his PSAT scores.</p>