<p>Yeah I would suggest Grinnell, I also would suggest The University of Iowa and a few other public schools though it will cost out of state tuition. Maybe you can look at The University of Oregon, close to Washington and there might be some in-state tuition for Washington residents.</p>
<p>Georgetown</p>
<p><a href=“http://performingarts.georgetown.edu/theater/CocurricularTheaterGroups/[/url]”>http://performingarts.georgetown.edu/theater/CocurricularTheaterGroups/</a></p>
<p>[Department</a> of Performing Arts - Georgetown College - Georgetown University](<a href=“http://performingarts.georgetown.edu/]Department”>http://performingarts.georgetown.edu/)</p>
<p>Georgetown university is need blind. The educational philosophy is liberal arts oriented even though it is considered a top 25 university. You would most likely be interested in Georgetown’s College of Arts and Sciences. The links above describe the theatre opportunities available. Georgetown is a cute college town in a residential section of the District of Columbia. As a city DC is only 500K. If you are a runner DC is fantastic. It is considered America’s fittest city. GU is safe for atheists in fact you will be able to explore your atheism further. Being a Jesuit university you will have to take a theology class - a class called “Problem of God” is a good one for an Atheist. You will save money since you don’t drink and because there are a ton of free activities in DC. Everything from the Smithsonian museums to free daily performances at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. Your only temptation may be shopping in Georgetown. Since there are no fraternities or sororities Greek social life culture is non-existent. Nevertheless, those who enjoy alcohol can find it if they want it. C’est la vie. Academically, all the students are bright, some are even HYP calibre because Georgetown has some elite programs especially in international relations and political science. Studying abroad is encouraged. DC is 5 hours by plane from the west coast. Nevertheless there is a sizable contingent from CA and to a lesser extent the Pacific Northwest.</p>
<p>University of North Carolina Chapel Hill sounds perfect!</p>
<p>It’s a medium to small sized college town, about 30 minutes away from a larger town (Raleigh). </p>
<p>UNC has it’s on theater company, and offers a dramatic arts major, as well as the other majors you mentioned.</p>
<p>Students tend to be very down-to-earth, yet intelligent.</p>
<p>To get in OOS it’s almost as tough as the ivies. It’s also relatively cheap and I have heard that UNC is very good with aid for those who need it. If you have any other questions PM me!</p>
<p>I’d recommend you really figure out your budget. Do an EFC calculator, see what your family contribution is. Then remember that if it is, say, $20k, that does NOT mean anything over 20k will be covered with grants or scholarships. Usually there are lots of loans, and often big gaps with no aid at all. So you might get into a 45k/year school, be offered a 5k or 10 k grant, and have the rest in loans. If this is comfortable for your family, that’s fine. But don’t make the common mistake of thinking all financial aid is generous. At your parent’s income level, it may not be. Especially if they have any significant savings or assets.</p>
<p>I’d suggest posting this on the financial aid forum to get the expert opinions! There are some really well-informed parents on that forum.</p>
<p>Even though my gut feeling is that you won’t get as much need-based as you’re hoping for, I think you could qualify for some nice merit aid if you target the right schools!
You have great stats!</p>
<p>Best of luck to you in your search!</p>
<p>Vassar and Wesleyan fit the bill</p>
<p>mamita- Orange is not a cute college town and neither is the Pomona/Claremont area. Orange has a very large Hispanic immigrant population and is one of the more run down areas of Orange County. It’s a lot like Santa Ana and is definitely not cute nor a college town. As for Claremont/Pomona, it is around Ontario and Chino which are kind of gross areas. You tend to find a lot of immigrants and red necks that live out that way. Also, it gets very hot there from late April to October. It’s around 100 a lot of the time during the summer and you’re about a 45 minute drive to the beach.</p>
<p>As for suggestions for some “cute” college towns for the OP, check out the University of Oregon. Eugene is consistently ranked as a top 10 college town. I took a visit and I absolutely loved it. Also, being from Washington, you should be able to receive an OOS tuition waiver. I’m not sure about their theatre program though. Some other schools located in good college towns: University of Wisconsin (Madison), University of Iowa (Iowa City), University of Georgia (Athens), Clemson University (Clemson, SC), and UNC (Chapel Hill).</p>
<p>I’ve been trying to get my parents to help me out with an EFC calculation but they’re always “too busy” and I don’t know enough about our finances. it’s all kinda complicated because my dad is self employed so we don’t really have a set income</p>
<p>Check out</p>
<p>Claremont McKenna
Pomona
Pitzer
Whitman
Occidental
Kenyon
Macalester</p>
<p>Chapman University in Orange California. Good theatre program from what I hear (friend’s daughter goes there, for musical theatre), as well as other performing arts. May be more of a safety with your scores. Orange is a cute town also. Supposedly, good merit aid. This I don’t know.</p>
<p>Chapman is a good idea. However, Orange is not a “cute college town.” Orange is a regular good-sized city that Chapman happens to be in.</p>
<p>country day pretty much took my list, adding perhaps Oberlin and Grinnell.</p>
<p>I love the previous suggestions of Grinnell, Macalester, Oberlin and Kenyon. These are all high quality LAC’s that seem to fit most of your criteria.</p>
<p>You might want to look through these threads for schools with good merit aid:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/63770-best-schools-give-most-merit-based-aid.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/63770-best-schools-give-most-merit-based-aid.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html?highlight=guaranteed[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html?highlight=guaranteed</a></p>
<p>I would also recommend Denison. Good FA and merit aid. The town of Granville where Denison is located is very quaint (think Currier and Ives New England).</p>