<p>Just want to encourage a close look at Westminster. We are from the south, visited Westminster and loved it! Friendly place, great location and lots of scholarship money. Don’t know why more people haven’t heard of it.</p>
<p>@dadof1, Thank you for posting that information about Emory. My D loved Emory. Emory does seem like it will be more expensive, and we got the impression after info sessions, that being full pay would really be helpful for admission. 
They do have some merit, and it seemed a little more likely at Oxford than at Emory, but not very likely without some very strong stats. I didn’t realize there would be "many’ kids of faculty and staff there. That is interesting. I wonder how many that might be. </p>
<p>Agnes Scott and Emory are very near each other, I think it’s 2 miles, maybe? Atlanta is one of those cities that as grown so much that is seems to have absorbed areas around it, and Decatur seemed fairly blended into the city in that way to me. It’s certainly not downtown Atlanta, but it didn’t have a small town feel to me. It has it’s own little downtown, but it still felt a part of the bigger city to me.
Oxford is about 40 minutes away. They do have shuttles back to Emory, but our guide at Oxford (who had joined an Emory Sorority) said it was definitely better if you had a car if you wanted to go back and forth. I liked Oxford, and that sort of LAC type entrance into Emory, but there is not much at all around Oxford, and D does want there to be places to go and things to do…so…not sure.</p>
<p>@4kids4colleges, I can’t remember if you already mentioned it, but it sounds like Elon might be easy to add to your tour and might fit much of what you are looking for.</p>
<p>@shoboemom You’re right about the Agnes Scott, Emory, Oxford situation. Emory and Agnes are both with I285 in the inner burbs of Atlanta (not the downtown area but close). Oxford is on the edge of suburbia. From Oxford, it’s not a spur of the moment decision to go into the city… takes some time. </p>
<p>@4kids4colleges D will be very interested to hear about your college tour. One thing that D is adamantly against in joining a sorority, but many of the Southern LACs have a significant greek presence. Any insight you can provide on the dominance of greek life at Southern LACs from your travels would be most appreciated!</p>
<p>@dadof1, I will be happy to share whatever we learn about Greek life! I have to admit, it is a foreign concept to me, coming from a women’s college, and H was never involved in fraternities either. D is not especially interested, but not against it either. </p>
<p>@4kids4college, Thanks for relaying any information. D has little to no interest in that scene at the moment. With the right group, she might change her mind but the stereotypical parties don’t do anything for her. </p>
<p>Me on the other hand… I quite enjoyed frat parties at UGA as a youngster though I never pledged.</p>
<p>Any thoughts about Honors College at UGA @dadof1? </p>
<p>Also, anyone have any input on UNC Asheville (have a relative going there now)? </p>
<p>And ideas about merit $ at Elon? Might as well check it out while we are there. Thanks!</p>
<p>@4kids4college, I was in the UGA Honors program, but that was many moons ago. At the time, the major benefits were access to smaller classes for the typical non-major required classes and getting to register for classes first. I can’t tell you what a benefit the latter was as a freshman and sophomore… a big luxury to get into the classes of your choice, not just the leftovers. </p>
<p>I found the UGA campus really nice. Athens is the perfect college town. The greek scene is present but because the university is so large, there is a place for everyone. I did have several classes with many students but was also able to get involved in research as an undergrad. I think access to UGA faculty is available to any undergrad with a the right attitude and ability. Students can definitely breeze through unnoticed as well. </p>
<p>UNC asheville is pretty, but in a more natural woodsy way than some of the other pretty campuses you are looking at. I liked it when we visited. It seemed very laid back, and you could walk ( a long walk) to downtown Asheville. D felt it was too laid back for her, but we love DT Asheville. Asheville is a fairly artsy area…beautiful in the fall!</p>
<p>Thank you @shoboemom and @dadof1! I’ve heard great things about both Athens and Asheville. One very artsy, outdoorsy (also gay) relative lived in Asheville for a while not too long ago, moved there from the NE after college, now in Portland. The other relative is at Asheville now. Don’t think it would be too laid back for our D, but who knows! </p>
<p>This is turning into an epic road trip. </p>
<p>Emory, Oxford at Emory, Agnes Scott, UGA, Sewanee, Centre, UNC Asheville, Emory&Henry, Elon, Meredith College, Guilford. </p>
<p>Ten schools in 6 days? I think we did 8 in 5 days for our PNW trip this summer. Not sure I’m ready for that much windshield time with a 17 year old, but it will certainly be interesting! </p>
<p>Sounds like fun! 
</p>
<p>Elon doesn’t have great merit aid. In fact, I think Elon’s merit aid tops out at $4,500, although Elon’s COA is lower than other schools, making it competitive. They also have a Fellows program, which offers additional merit aid plus other opportunities, but a student needs to apply separately for those, which involve separate essays and a weekend on campus with interviews.</p>
<p>Thanks @julesegr, that is helpful to know. </p>
<p>Seems like a great trip! You have a wide variety of schools on that list. When we toured Guilford D brought a friend on the trip. The friend loved Guilford. D didn’t. I liked it. D said it felt too much like summer camp, much too relaxed for her. Lol. It does have a small town feel. The tour there splits the parents up from the students then you all meet back at the admissions office. The info session was very informal. There were only a few of us there and the admissions person had no prepared talk. She just let people ask questions. So be sure to have a couple questions! lol
Oh and at unc Asheville, know that the unc schools are required to reserve 80% of their spaces for in state students, but I think the Asheville campus said they didn’t usually have the full 20% from oos there. </p>
<p>OOS tuition room and board at UNC Asheville is comparable to in state at Boulder! Everyone wants to go to UNC Chapel Hill, right, so must be why UNCA gets fewer OOS. </p>
<p>Looked at the stats for UGA freshman class, and UGA honors. Wow those are some smart kids! Had no idea it was that competitive. Still going to take a look. </p>
<p>Relative currently at Asheville has best friend and best friend’s sister at Guilford, so we are hoping to talk to her when we visit for the “inside scoop” on Guilford. Thanks everyone!</p>
<p>D and I toured UNC Asheville. It’s more like a LAC than a research, big sports university like Chapel Hill. D liked it. She felt the students were friendly and fairly relaxed.She discovered a unique major offered here she may want to explore/study. We lucked out with a great tour guide who connected with every student in his group. Very nice dorms. Great location - off the beaten path but close to the downtown area.</p>
<p>Stat wise, UNC-A is close to a safety but with the OOS cap, who knows? I suspect it’s more a match.</p>
<p>Look at UNC-Wilmington if you have time - about same selectivity as UNC-Asheville but larger (not as large as UNC-CH), OK OOS costs, nice resort town, plus cool option of being an extra on set for the many shows filmed there.</p>
<p>Agnes Scott is very close to Atlanta and Decatur does have an urban feel. . Its about 3 or 4 miles from downtown Atlanta. UGA is very competitive to gain admission to and is mostly Georgia students due to the Hope Scholarship. Athens has its good areas and its bad areas. Athens is an ex-hurb and Decatur is more like living in Grant Park or Virginia Highlands. </p>
<p>If you are going to be in Asheville, check out Warren Wilson. It’s a very special place for the right person. <a href=“Warren Wilson College - Home - Warren Wilson College”>http://www.warren-wilson.edu/external_index.php</a></p>
<p>Update: We visited Westminster in Salt Lake City this weekend and D (and I) LOVED it. It is now the top contender, as far as Western LACs go, with Puget Sound and Lewis & Clark still in the running. </p>
<p>This place really is a hidden gem. It is a CTCL without the label. Fantastic. Honors program is headed by someone who is in the leadership of Honors programs in the country, recruited with a Ph.D. from Michigan, holding one of the only endowed Chairs in Honors in the country. The Honors program lures NMSF students and other high achieving kids who do not want a big U in the West (and elsewhere). The Honors program is only 150 students total, about 40 in each freshman class. A separate application and essay is required, the minimum requirement is ACT 26 but I believe the average is 29-30 for accepted students. Holistic application process, not just numbers. They want you to really want to be in the honors program. </p>
<p>Students are enthusiastic, down to earth, friendly, not a single pretentious soul on this campus (well, ok, as far as I could see). More diverse than I expected, with a significant Hispanic, International, and gay presence. </p>
<p>Best tour we have ever had (yet), with not one, but three real dorm rooms on the tour, including dorms where the kids were just waking up and making breakfast…Because they offer apartment style dorms with kitchens, including to freshman. My D loved this. All for an exceptionally reasonable price. </p>
<p>The campus is small, very compact, but beautiful. Very green, trees, flowers, gardens, a stream, a bridge crossing the stream. Nice. </p>
<p>Merit aid unbelievable for a school with an already low sticker price. My D qualifies for guaranteed $16-17k, plus possibility of additional $. Tuition is $30k and room and board $8k. </p>
<p>Salt Lake City offers an excellent quality of life. The campus itself is in a residential neighborhood, very safe, with restaurants and shops within walking distance. (Excellent public transportation free with student ID). But only a few miles from downtown SLC, where internship and research opportunities, as well as cultural offerings, abound. As for the LDS presence, it is huge in the city, but (apparently) not so much an issue at the college. Westminster started out as a Presbyterian school. It has a wet campus for kids over 21 and smoking is allowed outside of dorms. Which translates into zero arrests for drugs/alcohol. (Yes, probably because it is tolerated, but without a football team or greek life I honestly think the partying is downplayed here). </p>
<p>Excellent study abroad opportunities. “Free” May term Experience opportunities, here and abroad. </p>
<p>Want to study piano or music for the first time in addition to your regular major/minor? Extra $150 for a series of private lessons. </p>
<p>We were served lunch as part of an Open House. Food was very good, provided by Bon Appetite, campus catering service. </p>
<p>(Actually, we received a $250 “travel stipend” to attend! Can’t beat that).</p>
<p>Fellow Parents, this is truly an excellent LAC (and especially for kids interested in winter sports)! </p>
<p>I will report back after we visit the Southern schools on our list, but with Westminster just a 6 hour drive away and so many excellent offerings in a beautiful, safe, engaged community, I would be happy to have D end up there! </p>