<p>As someone also very concerned with academic core requirements, I'd recommend taking a closer look at Goucher's--specifically look at the page that lists all of the courses that qualify under each GE category. If your D is interested in the humanities and doesn't mind lots of writing, it might be a decent academic fit; I was surprised by some of the courses that fulfilled natural science.</p>
<p>I would say if Hendrix and Earlham are matches, Kalamazoo would also be a match, not a safety.</p>
<p>My son received substantial merit aid from Hendrix but we haven't finalized our decision yet. I figure they gave him the aid because he has nearly a 4.0 GPA and a moderately high SAT and lots of AP high school courses. The more I visit their website and blogs (I suggest you do the same) and facebook page, and receive various communications from them, and also have email communications with their admissions and financial aid offices, I get a positive feeling about the school and the faculty. The students and administrators seem 'real'. They offer a great balance of fundamental courses with student-directed projects and study abroad. It's a small student body, under 2000, noted for close professor/student interaction. Only negatives are its location - small town, 30 minutes from city (Little Rock); and the breadth and depth of course offerings aren't as impressive as you get in a larger school. But since my son is not pre-med, pre-law, etc., at this point a specific curriculum is not a high priority.</p>
<p>Beloit, in Wisconsin. Right on the Illinois border, so not far from O'Hare for trips home.</p>
<p>^^^ You must have read my mind! At a friend's suggestion, we just started looking at Beloit; proximity to O'Hare is great for trips home - - but bad for weather.</p>
<p>Based upon description of your D and what she is looking for, I might shy away from Suwanee (University of the South)- wonderful school in a beautiful setting, but IMO very preppy, and $$$. Rhodes is wonderful as Curmudgeon can tell you ( PM him for more info)., but Rhodes in increasingly selective and >42K/year. Good mix of preppy and non-preppy kids, though.</p>
<p>Check out another thread on the parents forum for High Point University-d might like it and they are generous with merit $. Would also look at Wingate, maybe Radford. If she would entertain living in Florida, then take a look at Flagler in St. Augustine and Stetson in Deland.</p>
<p>Catholic schools might be a good bet. John Carroll, St Michaels, Loyola (any of them), Fairfield are some suggestions. I also like Muhlenburg, Susquehanna, Ursinus, Roanoke, Elon.</p>
<p>You may want to check out Ripon College in Wisconsin. S got a merit package, and I can't say enough about the contact they've had, from admissions, students, faculty, etc. It was initially a safety, but the "love" they've been sending is definitely working. Don't know much about the diversity, however, and that's something we'll be looking at when we visit next month.</p>
<p>Check out Alma in Michigan, or Hood in Maryland, both have decent merit aid</p>
<p>Thanks - - but we're not really looking for merit money, just looking to add schools that would be a good fit socially and academically. </p>
<p>Cpt, we initially considered each M'berg, Susq, Elon, Roanoke and Ursinus. My sense is that they are all too preppy or conservative for D.</p>
<p>Ditto for Rhodes, and PR listed it as having very little race/class interaction - - that's why I reluctantly expanded the search to the midwest. D would have to give up the temperate weather, but she'd get a higher concentration of kindred spirits than in the south (with the notable exception of HPU, Guilford and UNC-Asheville, all of which are "must sees").</p>
<p>I never considered Ripon (cold, cold, cold) - - but once we add Beloit, I guess it's in for a penny, in for a pound.</p>
<p>Wheaton (Mass), Goucher, Beloit, Otterbein, Sarah Lawrence, Bennington, Marlboro, Lawrence,Ithaca,Goddard, Colorado College, Bard, Evergreen, Alfred, Wagner. Just some suggestion off the top of my head for those schools that are not preppy. Emerson is another one to consider.</p>
<p>Wouldn't most of those be "reach" schools?</p>
<p>For the person whose matches are Earlham and Hendrix, yeah, a bunch of the schools mentioned in #31 would be reaches.</p>
<p>If you like Guilford and plan to visit, check out Warren Wilson College. That's assuming the work/study aspect is not a turn-off.</p>
<p>If Bennington is on your visit list, check out Marlboro too. Probably not a safety, but worth looking into.</p>
<p>I have looked into Otterbein, so I can offer a little bit of insight. It has a lovely campus, and we definitely liked the campus. There seem to be things to walk to in the immediate area. I think it is pretty strong in theatre (think OP's D was interested in that?). Oh, and they have a welcome sign with the student's name on it when visits (seems that several LACs in OH do this, so HP is not only one that does type of thing, LOL).</p>
<p>Here are what I see as the negatives: It is still very much a regional school. They are going from trimesters to semesters and our kids would, I believe, be juniors when that conversion occurs. I do not know how seemless the change will be, but they have said that the transition will be smooth. They currently have finals the day before Thanksgiving. Without being able to arrange to take finals early, this makes air travel a problem IMO. Also, you need to arrange for your own transportation to and from the airport, but that is not a big issue for me. Also, I kept hearing from students about how you can take credits over the summer at a local OH school (ie:cc) and they could transfer for credit at Otterbein. I inquired as to whether our local (OOS) cc's credits would also transfer. The admission person there did not know, and did not inquire for us. It seems as though the OOS kiddo will have to really work at getting answers (I could not and we came from OOS to see them) bc they are very much a "regional school" IMO. They are looking to increase their number of OOS and international students, but I did not feel that they were willing to help us resolve some very basic questions, and they are continuing to operate in a way that works well for local students, but is very inconvenient for students who come from other areas of the country or abroad. I do want to add that we may have visited on an "off" day, and someone in admissions would be able to answer the questions that I had.</p>
<p>Maybe Drew in NJ. They are supposed to be good with merit aid also.</p>
<p>Warren Wilson is quite different than Guildord in terms of size, diversity and "feel;" many would describe WWC as "radical fringe hippie." (There are at least a couple of WWC threads; search for threads w/ Warren Wilson in the title.)</p>
<p>I haven't visited Marlboro, but a friend's D is a student there. Based on friend's D's academic profile, I'd say Marlboro would be a safety for OP, but it too is a VERY small school and probably not a good fit for a student seeking the social and academic variety of a traditional sized LAC (about 1000-2000 students).</p>
<p>Look at the book "Cool Colleges". It features schools that kids who like something less traditional, more artsy and quirky would like.</p>
<p>As URMs, most of the schools on my list would be very strong matches and or safeties. Some these schools are truly lacking in diversity and are seeking it, or have it and want to keep it that way.</p>