LACs with merit aid NOT in the Northeast or Midwest

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hello all! My D is a senior looking at LACs. We live in a small town in Colorado, she goes to a very small, well-regarded charter school. She is looking at some women's colleges in the NE (I am a 7 sisters alum, would love that for her), but otherwise wants to be in the West, South, or Pacific NW. We will not qualify for FA, but will not/cannot pay full ride, so looking for some significant merit. Thinking we can pay up to $25k for tuition and room and board, plus travel and books etc. (so maybe $30 k? per year?) </p>

<p>CU Boulder or CSU are (very nice) safeties for her. She will apply to honors programs. Other than that, not interested in big rah rah schools. She will also apply to DU in Denver. </p>

<p>I think I've helped her come up with a good (but too long) list. Need help narrowing it down and also want to hear if I'm missing any. We did go to a CTCL college fair, love the philosophy behind that book/organization, and she will be applying to many CTCL schools. </p>

<p>At least some diversity and not too conservative are important considerations. She is middle of the road/liberal-ish. Quirky is fine. Big Greek life is a no. </p>

<p>We have connections (friends or family) in all areas below except the Deep South. Not sure how she will fit in some of these schools like Sewanee or Rhodes? </p>

<p>Also, attractive campus matters. (I know, stupid requirement, but as a Bryn Mawr alum I personally can't see paying $$$ for an ugly campus!)</p>

<p>Stats:</p>

<p>3.8 uw
30 ACT (taking one more time in Oct, hoping for 31)
ECs include Lacrosse 3 yrs, Hockey 4 yrs
Church volunteer & community service 4 yrs
Mission work in South America
Freelance photographer
Excellent writer - hopefully excellent essay</p>

<p>Here is what we have so far:</p>

<p>Women's Colleges:
Mount Holyoke
Bryn Mawr
Smith
Agnes Scott (visiting)
Sweet Briar (?)
Mills College (?)
Scripps (reach, academically and financially)</p>

<p>Florida:
(plan to visit all in Nov)
New College of FL
Eckerd
Rollins
Flagler
Stetson
Florida Southern College</p>

<p>California:
(plan to visit all)
University of Redlands
Whittier
Occidental
Chapman
St. Mary's College of CA</p>

<p>South:
Oxford College of Emory (visiting)
Sewanee U of the South (visiting)
Centre
Hendrix
Rhodes
Millsaps
McDaniels
Goucher
Tulane (reach financially, maybe too large)</p>

<p>Texas:
Southwestern U
Austin College
Trinity U </p>

<p>PNW:
Lewis & Clark (visited)
U of Puget Sound (visited)
(visited Willamette, did not like)
Whitman</p>

<p>West:
Westminster College (UT)
College of Idaho</p>

<p>Midwest:
not thrilled about going to school there, but considering:
Beloit
Knox
Earlham
Kenyon
Ohio Wesleyan
Cornell College
Grinnell
Denison</p>

<p>Obviously, we need help cutting down this list. (And on that note, what is a reasonable number to apply to if we are trying to chase down merit $? I don't mind paying for a few more apps if it gives us a better chance at $) </p>

<p>Please let me know your thoughts about 1. any colleges to scratch from the list; 2. any we are missing; 3. your thoughts/experiences with individual schools.</p>

<p>Hope I'm posting in the right place. My first post! I've learned so much just reading on this site the last couple months.</p>

<p>Thank you so much!</p>

2

<p>Also, what do you think about Berry College? We will visit on our way from Agnes Scott to Sewanee. Too conservative? Thanks!!!</p>

3

<p>For cutting down purposes, I suggest figuring whether a school would be affordable assuming your D received the latest possible merit. For instance, I think that the Zollman is the best merit you could get from Smith, and that would only reduce the net price to ~$40k. If $30k is the most you can afford, that’s a big gap. Bryn Mawr also appears to max out at $20k / $40k net.</p>

<p>Sweet Briar’s COA is lower, so might be affordable after merit; my guess is that your D would be more competitive for merit there, too.</p>

4

<p>Sawanee - Is in a very rural location. There is really nothing there so you have to be okay about being in the middle of nowhere.
Eckerd - Part of the campus was under a freeway overpass.
Rhodes - Beautiful school and facilities. Definitely questioned the safety outside the campus gates.
New College - Is basically across the street from an airfield. Looked more like a summer camp with few facilities.
Rollins - Located in the historic area of Orlando which is beautiful in a walking downtown area. </p>

5

<p>I think Tulane is a big rah rah school. Cool for various reasons, but if you’re looking for reasons to cut…</p>

6

<p>Thanks! Husband is wary of Memphis (Rhodes). Also, I did get the impression New College and Eckerd are unattractive, while Rollins is lovely. Very helpful. </p>

<p>BTW, Austin College, Southwestern, and Sewanee are colleges recommended by our Episcopal Church Rector. D is actually more involved with Methodist youth group she attends. Religion is important to her, she appreciates the fellowship and opportunities for service, but overly religious school is not what we want either. Conservative Christian schools also out, so please let me know if any of these fall into that category.</p>

<p>About Smith and Bryn Mawr - I agree merit may not be enough. Still can’t figure out how my parents paid for me. I got a scholarship, but the rest must have been giant loans! </p>

<p>Does anyone know what Sweet Briar is like? Too “southern”? Agnes Scott sounds perfect (if she can be convinced about a women’s college). We are visiting soon.</p>

<p>Thanks again. </p>

7

<p>If Religion is important these are very nice schools in the south:
Furman
Samford</p>

8

<p>Sewannee is really in the woods far away from civilization. Eckerd was much prettier than New College but the freeway killed it for us. Heard of a many people liking Flagler around here, but haven’t personally seen it. Agnes Scott is in Decatur with a walking downtown and close to Emory.</p>

9

<p>Lewis & Clark College is not religious.</p>

10

<p>You are right about Lewis & Clark being not religious @scubadive. That’s ok. Bryn Mawr, Smith, and Mt Holyoke definitely not religious. I can’t really tell how important it is to her. Some days very, some days not at all. More concerned about avoiding conservative Christian schools. She has spent some time developing her faith and most importantly, I think, appreciating the value of service to others, so that is the part I would like her to continue (and what she likes most). I would imagine the service part would be available at most of the colleges on this list. Thank you again. </p>

11

<p>You should give Trinity in SA a closer look. Pretty good merit, and not too expensive to begin with. Amazing dorms and a pretty campus. </p>

12

<p>Take a look at Hollins and Guilford. Both in the South and offering merit. Hollins is a womens college. Rhodes may be too conservative for her. But Guilford certainly won’t be. And both have lacrosse teams. </p>

<p>I really think the Quaker philosophy of Guilford might speak to her spiritual side.</p>

13

<p>Also from Colorado, my daughter had a 4.6 weighted and 34ACT and a great essay, got into Berkeley, and we got $15K Merit at Oxy. There are only 2 kids who get more than that for Merit. So that leaves about $45K - $50K (all in with travel and everything) in total. I think Puget Sound and Chapman would have given her A LOT more, but she didn’t apply so I can’t give you a definitive on that. </p>

14

<p>My son was in a similar situation last year (including the small academic charter school and a preferred LAC setting). Luckily, he was successful in finding some large merit awards and seems happy with his choice so far. I would agree with the advice to limit schools based on the largest possible merit award. We were also able to limit his list based on his intended major. My son applied to 20 schools and while that felt doable for us, I wouldn’t recommend any more. In addition to allocating funds for application fees and sending scores, several of the large merit awards were dependent on being available for a special in-person program and interview on a specific date. This can be a significant additional cost financially and time wise. It was definitely worth the effort, but not for the faint of heart!</p>

15

<p>I agree that Eckerd is much prettier than New College. I don’t remember anything about an over pass though. D has removed Eckerd from her list, just not the right fit. It seemed to be best for those who might spend the day barefoot (not in a hippie way), ride a skateboard, and enjoy a variety of water sports. It seemed very casual/sporty to us.
New College just doesn’t take advantage of its location on the water, and it’s a state school, so doesn’t have the funding that the private schools have. Definitely kind of grungy looking, but D is keeping it on her list. She likes the academics.
Rollins was very very pretty, almost too pretty for D. She felt it seemed more like being at a Disney resort (Disney is nearby). ;-)<br>
I had high hopes for Agnes Scot when we visited. We all thought D would love it, but she felt it lacked the vibrant feeling she is looking for and that the focus was too much on women’s issues for her. </p>

16

<p>My son is at New College of Florida, and is very happy. His stats were comparable to your daughter’s, and our financial situation is somewhat similar to yours. Eckerd, Guilford, and Willamette also offered generous merit scholarships; Occidental met our EFC. Whitman offered a more modest scholarship, meeting our EFC. If NCF continues its automatic $15k scholarship for out-of-state students this year, its Cost Of Attendance would be within your range. I recommend visiting it. You might have a very different impression. When we first visited, we had a little extra time before meeting with the admissions officer, and watched a dolphin frolic immediately offshore in the bay behind the former Ringling mansion that serves as NCF’s administrative building. There isn’t much of a lacrosse program, unfortunately, but there is an annual “classic” flag football game between NCF and Ringling College of Art. There are a number of club sports, along with an active sailing team. </p>

17

<p>Hendrix is a great choice for her–they are generous with merit and if she gets her ACT up to a 32 she could compete for a full scholarship. The school has a Methodist background and still some connection to the church, although I don’t know how much. The campus is really pretty, Little Rock is a fun city only a half hour away, and there are ample opportunities for outdoor recreation. </p>

18

<p>I have a child that attends Grinnell and one at Beloit. Both love each school for very different reasons. Beloit has men’s and women’s lacrosse if she is interested in continuing her sport. We have been pleased with the financial aid offered by both schools and the staff at have been wonderful to work with when we have had questions or concerns. Both schools you would need to seek out the faith communities on campus. They are there but do not have high visibility. Grinnell does not have Greek life. Beloit does but it is optional. Best of luck on your search. If you’re looking for a bit more ‘quirky’, I would say Beloit has it. </p>

19

<p>catholic out of the question? Many Jesuit schools have diversity and not too conservative, tolerant. Making your list longer, not shorter. UPS probably more liberal than Whitman.</p>

20

<p>Thank you , I really appreciate everyone’s input. Our first kid going to college (out of 4) so this is all new to us. Still in the “can’t believe we have a college kid” phase, but determined to find the best for her. Your thoughts and experiences are very valuable. We can’t visit everywhere - small town SW Colorado not conducive to that – so your thoughts especially helpful. </p>