<p>The OP says he/she is Pell Grant qualified.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the suggestions. While a lot of the schools mentioned fit my academic profile, I used most of their NPC’s and they would end up being way too expensive to actually attend. Right now I’m leaning towards contacting one of the schools I applied to RD and see if I can apply ED2. Graduating with minimal debt is something that is extremely important to me and I think ED2 at a school that meets 100% of demonstrated need is the best strategy at this point.</p>
<p>That sounds like a good idea. I hope they let you do that.</p>
<p>At this point, I would concentrate on adding a safety school – both an academic safety and a financial safety. They may be the same school or they may be different schools. Places like Hiram or Moravian may be more flexible with financial aid than places on your current list. </p>
<p>Like you, our family was Pell Grant eligible. I know that my brother found Earlham particularly malleable when it came to avoiding loans. He had to camp out and bang at the financial aid office one or two years. He was aggressive, but the end result was that he ended up graduating with no student loans.</p>
<p>Good luck. I think you are making a wise choice in attempting to avoid the student loan monster.</p>
<p>Ripon College, in Ripon Wisconsin. Sleeper LAC, but very impressive small college for B student w/your stats. Good financial aid, TRIO program for 1st generation/low-income students. Check it out.</p>
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<p>A true safety is both. An academic safety’s admission letter is useless if it is too expensive. A financial safety which you are not admitted to obviously won’t offer financial aid. Note: be careful of schools which consider “level of interest” (see section C7 of the common data set) in admissions, since they may reject or waitlist applicants who appear to be using them as safeties.</p>
<p>The ultimate safety is community college. Some students who start at community college and transfer to a four year school later are [very</a> successful](<a href=“Berkeley News | Berkeley”>Berkeley News | Berkeley).</p>
<p>You are obviously correct ucbalumnus and thank you for clarifying. The point I was trying to make was that in searching for a safety, an “off the beaten path” liberal arts college may be a better bet to find a true safety. And as you mention, community college is not a bad option.</p>
<p>Have we said Hendrix yet? I too have drunk the CTCL Koolaid. </p>
<p>I am so impressed with Hendrix. </p>
<p>What about Loyola NO? Not a LAC, per se, but kinda has that vibe.</p>