<p>We are back again.....I can't help feeling that Dear Daughter is at square one after all this time of researching, planning and more researching. After endless conversations it seems that a larger small school to mid size LAC school (3,000-16,000 students) in a college town not in the middle of nowhere that could have marine biology but maybe pre-law but also with an education department would be DD's best bet. Who's to say what the actual degree will be in so she does not want to limit herself based on her 17 year thoughts of what maybe sounds / feels like a major at this time. She will qualify for Merit if the requirements are not crazy high GPA 3.75 / SAT CR&M 1170. Hispanic hook but that has not really been a factor in any of the searching so far. Doubtful for Fin Aid. The map is open as to locations now. Everyone here is so,helpful and resourceful.......Any new suggestions?
Here is the wide range on the list now......Flagler, Eckerd, Stetson, Denison, Ole Miss, Auburn, likes College of Charleston and Appalachia State but the OOS is wild high and she won't qualify for the OOS scholarship/ waiver.</p>
<p>What is your budget for your family contribution? What state do live in?<br>
You say financial aid (need-based?) is “doubtful”. Your D’s scores probably are too low for merit aid.
So it sounds like you’d want to focus on in-state public universities or OOS public schools with relatively low OOS costs.</p>
<p>Kiplinger’s ranks “best college values”.
<a href=“Best College Values, 2019 | Kiplinger”>http://www.kiplinger.com/tool/college/T014-S001-kiplinger-s-best-values-in-public-colleges/index.php</a>
Click-sort on the “Total cost per yr. (out-of-state)” column. </p>
<p>The University of South Florida has relatively low OOS costs (~$28K) and does have marine biology programs.
<a href=“http://marinebio.org/marinebio/careers/us-schools/”>http://marinebio.org/marinebio/careers/us-schools/</a></p>
<p>Something to keep in mind about pre-law and education. Many sources have state that a well rounded liberal arts education with concentration on math is a good preparation for law school. Most law schools care strictly about the LSAT score and GPA. They look for critical thinkers and good writers. Depending upon the state where your daughter would seek a teaching job, many states require a minimum of a 5th year teaching certificate program and will reimburse for a masters. Several of my daughter’s friends did not get an undergrad. degree in education but majored in the STEM field and went on to obtain the 5th year certificate. I mention this because your daughter may find a match school except for one of her majors that she is interested in and it could still work for her. </p>
<p>ECMotherx2… Great info and. I agree. I doubt that D will actually be pre-law but more of a degree and then head to law school maybe. </p>
<p>If you look at Denison, take time to also visit Wittenberg. About 30-40 minutes west of Columbus. Around 2000 students, average SAT Cr/M 1120 so possibility of good merit. Has Marine Science and extensive education offerings.</p>
<p>The list of interesting schools on this board never ceases to amaze me! Thanks!</p>
<p>Wooster is also not far from Denison with good FA and merit aid.</p>
<p>Yup, they are on the list now too. Ohio…a bonanza of great LAC’s!</p>
<p>D received her first acceptance package, from Wittenberg. lovely school with an wide, interesting offering of majors. Exciting to get their very nicely prepared package but, of course, D is waiting for her others to come knocking too. Now about that snow…</p>
<p>A number of LACs are test optional now. A couple I can think of offhand (that I visited and liked with my D) are Franklin & Marshall and Union College but I’m sure there are many more on this list that would be worth considering. <a href=“http://www.fairtest.org/university/optional/state”>http://www.fairtest.org/university/optional/state</a></p>
<p>Is she willing to look at women’s colleges? Smith is test optional, has a minor in marine science and policy that looks interesting and has about 3000 students. They also have merit aid. And Northampton is a great college town.</p>
<p>And congrats on Wittenburg!</p>
<p>Flagler College called her tonight after tracking the acceptance package and seeing that she had not received it two weeks later. Nice touch and Flagler has always been in her top list. Whew! Looking forward to the next few weeks of hopefully more letters. </p>
<p>Congrats on Flagler! If you want any info about Eckerd, let me know. Daughter graduated with a degree in marine bio, is applying to grad and vet schools. Son graduated with a degree in international business and was accepted into law school. They do not have a degree in education.</p>
<p>Berry in GA sent a very nice email commenting that admissions rep husband graduated from a near by International school so she completely understood D’s international HS experience. Great connection and made D feel good that they knew the cool/different factor of her HS life. Residence halls are a huge plus too! Berry is waiting to see new and improved SAT results on Tuesday and then we will see how interested they are in D. Ran the NPC and didn’t see a lot of merit love. </p>
<p>I’m not sure I’ve mentioned Birmingham-Southern to you in another thread or not, and I realize it’s not a mid-size LAC; however, if you’re looking for good merit aid for a child with good but not tippy top stats, it’s worth checking out. </p>
<p>With her current stats, your D would automatically qualify for about $22K in merit aid (<a href=“Types of Aid Available”>http://www.bsc.edu/admission/scholarships.cfm</a>). This would put your D’s CoA at about $22K/year (T, F and R&B only). </p>
<p>BSC has an education major . Pre-law is like pre-med… can be a “major” at almost any college. It’s possible to take marine biology classes during the summer at marine biology labs (<a href=“http://www.disl.org/”>http://www.disl.org/</a> and <a href=“http://www.bsc.edu/academics/biology/programs.cfm”>http://www.bsc.edu/academics/biology/programs.cfm</a>). It’s not the same in-depth marine biology experience as Eckerd though. Pre-law is like pre-med… can be a “major” at almost any college.</p>