<p>D and I have been pouring over college websites, including CC. There are so many options, and all schools seem like they have the whole package. For those of you who have gone through the college process - are you aware of any schools that might fit a lot of the items on our wish list?</p>
<ul>
<li>Small to mid-size LAC - she is very drawn to schools like Reed, Rhodes, Sewanee</li>
<li>Parents would prefer something in the midwest for undergrad - D is open to anything</li>
<li>D interested pre-med at this time. Unsure if she will stick with that - but would like a school that has a strong program if she continues to go that direction. We visited Knox, and our guide told us they didn't offer Anatomy so the guide had to go on for an add'l year to get some of the required courses before being accepted to med school.</li>
<li>Strong travel abroad program - maybe to UK, live with host family, want to avoid problems with credits not transferring, or wide variances in grading standards, etc</li>
<li>Not interested in being in a sorority, Greek system okay, but doesn't want it to be an overwhelming presence on campus.</li>
<li>Generous merit aid (don't we all want that?? But of the above criteria, what might be more generous than others?)
Thanks for any suggestions!</li>
</ul>
<p>My school, Valparaiso University, is a great school. They gave me a significant amount of aid, even as someone who is not from the Midwest at all. They have a pre-med program, and it seems as though the sciences are pretty good (I’ve only interacted significantly with the psychology department).</p>
<p>Many of my friends are studying abroad right now. There’s programs in China, Australia, South Africa, France, Germany, and England (Cambridge). My friends who’ve been abroad in the past have had the credits transfer very well.</p>
<p>Greek life, while being a relatively strong presence on campus (30% or so), is not the only focus. There’s a social justice group, different kinds of clubs, many musical ensembles, and other ways she can get involved.</p>
<p>Take a look at Dickinson. My midwestern (non-drinking, so don’t be put off by the existence of frats) daughter is a senior. She has very good merit aid. They have particularly strong study abroad, and are quite flexible (D was able to study in a country that didn’t have any formal programs by enrolling directly in the foreign university, and Dickinson accepted all of her credits). It isn’t too far from the midwest (depending on where you live, we live on the western end of Midwest, so it is a bit of a hike for us).</p>
<p>My advice is to visit as many of the campuses on your list as you can reasonably fit in. There is nothing like a day spent on campus where your D visits a class, eats in the cafeteria, goes on the tour, meets with a prof or coach, etc. to give you a real feel for whether the college is right for her.</p>
<p>I would also advise you to get a copy of The Fiske Guide to Colleges for a good view of the colleges that is more than just what the websites show. And the individual college forums on CC are a great way to get a feeling for the strengths and weaknesses of a college.</p>
<p>Schools don’t have a “premed” major. You can actually major in ANYTHING as long as you take the required prerequisite course needed for med school. </p>
<p>Most colleges offer a study abroad option…and if you work WITH your daughter’s college, the credits won’t be an issue. If you try to arrange your own study abroad separate from the college, you could have credit issues.</p>
<p>What sorts of things interest your daughter? Does she want to be near a city? How far from home do you (and she) agree college should be? Are finances a significant consideration because that could make a difference in terms of school recommendations. What are her SAT scores and current high school GPA? These very often are the determining factors for merit aid.</p>
<p>If you are looking for criteria for merit aid, you will need to check specific college websites. Some schools offer guaranteed merit aid for kiddos with SAT or ACT/GPA scores above certain levels. Some schools have limited merit aid. Some schools have top awards of $15,000 or $10,000. Most small LAC type schools have costs approaching $50K per year. Can you pay the balance? </p>
<p>Has your daughter looked at the flagship university in your state? Would she have the grades to be eligible for their honors college? UIUC is an excellent college. Yes, it’s a bit larger but really, she isn’t going to get to know ALL of the students there. She will have her circle of friends.</p>
<p>The percentage of Greek participation is about 40 percent - maybe your d would think that’s too much. We have friends who sent children there and speak highly of it.</p>
<p>I must second Kalamazoo College. My S decided to go somewhere closer to home, but looked very closely at K and it does have everything on your list. His counselor here on the west coast suggested it as a school with a good reputation for pre-med. Study-abroad was also a focus for him, and K had by far the best program we saw at a small LAC. It also offered him generous merit aid.</p>
<p>(By the way, Knox was also on the pre-med list, and they have a good program where they work with early admission to med school in Chicago, if I recall correctly. I also wouldn’t worry about anatomy – as said above it’s not required for applying to med schools.)</p>
<p>You can study anything and be premed. You just have to take the core set of sciences you need. Anatomy is required in medical school, not in undergraduate school. Look for research opportunities on campus, however… </p>
<p>For merit aid, look at Section H of each college’s common data set (easy to find online, just google “(collegename) common data set.” It will tell you exactly how much the college spent on merit aid (i.e., non-need based aid, over and above meeting financial need). Three in the Midwest that are fairly generous are Grinnell (about $4 million/year in merit aid after meeting 100% of need), Earlham (about $4 million in merit but doesn’t meet 100% of need), and Lawrence U. (ober $6 million in merit, not sure about need-based). Grinnell has great sciences, not sure about the other two but all three have very good academics and none is a big-time party school.</p>
<p>Denison is indeed generous with merit, but will not let it be used for study abroad.</p>
<p>Trinity in San Antonio is also generous with merit, and is incredible helping students study abroad. Students pay the program, not TU, and their aid almost always goes with them.</p>
<p>My IN daughter chose it for many reasons, but those are two. Also, it is less expensive than many peer schools.</p>
<p>College of St. Benedict in Minnesota. No Greek life (except for academic honors), study abroad program doesn’t cost extra (not including spending money and plane ticket)-it’s part of the college itself, mostly taught by college employed professors that go on the trips. I think they have programs in 21 countries or something like that. It’s the best study abroad program we have found in our search. Generous merit aid. Great science program but many others as well. They offer anatomy. Lovely campus, small school, about 2500 students but paired with St. John’s University (MN) so classes and activities are together. They provide bus transportation to get to and from each campus. Rural setting but close to city of 80,000 with lots of shopping, etc., 1 1/2 hours from MSP airport (and the Mall of America) with bus transport for major breaks but easy to find a ride if not.</p>
<p>One college that’s not on a lot of radar screens, undeservedly so, that meets your criteria to a T is the University of Evansville. (In spite of its name, it’s really a small college, about 2800 students, with a few graduate programs.) They have a very strong pre-med program, with personalized and individualized counseling and advising for pre-med students. They actually own a campus in the UK, with UE courses offered there each term, and they actively encourage their students to spend a semester or year there. Their cost of attendance is reasonable to begin with (just under $40K), and they offer good merit scholarships, especially to kids with high stats. There is a Greek scene, but only 28% of students participate.</p>
<p>Centre might be one to check out. Also Albion, DePauw, Butler … kind of a mishmash, but I don’t know what might fit your D.</p>
<p>Reed, Rhodes, and Sewanee … I can see maybe Rhodes with Sewanee, but Reed throws me for a loop! If she likes Reed, Sewanee seems like a strange choice.</p>
<p>I don’t think anatomy is officially on the prerequisite list of classes for medical school but I sure wouldn’t want to go to med school without having taken that class.</p>