UVM or CU?
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U of Utah was first to come to mind, if the weather is workable. My granola cousins went there 30 years ago and one has a granola kid there now. 
It is WUE, great for STEM majors (with a hospital nearby if health-related ECs are of interest) and it is easy to establish residency after the first year.
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Yes, I guess that would be confusing. I think she is trying to get away from Seattle weather where the skies are dreary Nov-June and it rains most of the time. It doesnāt technically get that cold, mostly in the high 30s-low 40s, but we donāt get many sunny blue skies either. Iāll ask her about snowy areas that also have sun and blue sky. She will def need to compromise on some things.
My oldest applied to Utah. Does seem like a great place. Love that itās WUE.
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Will take a look at these. Thanks for the suggestions. WWU is def a possibliity though I suspect my daughter wants to get a little further away from homeā¦ Will see.
I took a look. The merit scholarships do look good. Thanks for pointing that out.
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She will apply to UW, but I think she wants to go a little further from home. UW admissions is also tough. We knew in state kids last year who were waitlisted with 4.0 gpas. really unpredictable. UW also feels a bit like a commuter school. The other main alternative is WA State (WSU), which is a screaming deal and everyone around here seems to be crazy about WSU, but my daughter isnāt too thrilled about the location, in the middle of nowhere. Plus, itās actually a 7hr drive to get home - over a mountain pass that often closes to snow. Itās easier to drive to OR or fly to CA/AZ, etc.
My older D is a Sr at Western. Has had a good experience for the most part. Is getting tired of Bellingham and struggling with a math class she had to retake. PM me if you would like more info.
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U of A only offers 2 majors for WUE students.
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Hereās the list of WUE majors at ASU: Bachelor's Search Results | Degree Search | ASU
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Seems like U of A has good merit though outside of WUE, though I heard that may be changing, or maybe it already has?
ASU and Arizona merit gets down to nearly the same as WUE in other places (Arizona can be even less with a 4.0). ASU considers SAT scores, whereas Arizona currently just uses UW GPA.
In common with others, Iād also suggest Utah. Yes itās cold some of the time in winter but not dreary like the PNW. D18 was there as a liberal, atheist vegetarian and loved the U, especially the outdoor lifestyle (climbing, skiing, backpacking etc). Thereās a good airport in SLC making it easy to reach from the west coast. WUE is competitive but not anything like as difficult to get as at Oregon State.
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U of A was $35K for a 4.0 but is now $32K - off.
Also the tuition is up - so if you have a 4.0, what used to be about $3K is now $9K.
Note -itās unweighted and their core classes. With a 3.75 or above, you get a great deal.
Here is the table
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What about Evergreen?
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if sheās willing to go cold but sunny, CU Boulder is crunchy, bigger, and a great school.
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Beautiful but super expensive for OOS kids compared to WUE options.
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Iām not sure CU (as a school) is granola. I think Boulder is granolaā¦but not so sure the school is. Didnāt get that sense on our visit. More like rich kidsā¦with BMW and Benzā¦just like Bama.
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Lots of rich liberals from CA. They probably eat granola, if itās the Whole Foods organic version! Popular at our NorCal high school but the demographic is more similar to Oregon (ie willing to pay $50K+ per year and unable to get into a better known UC) than those attending Arizona and Utah (who want something cheaper).
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Iām going to throw out a couple of options that meet some criteria, but not all. Since a warm climate has been one of the more challenging aspects, thatās where I focused:
Appalachian State: Iād guess pretty crunchy, but itās in the coldest part of North Carolina. But you do have sun and sunshine, unlike the northwest.
Hendrix: Itās a private school that is on the small side (about 2k undergrads). But theyāre definitely a blue dot in Arkansas, theyāre part of the Colleges That Change Lives association, and they have a flagship match program, so the tuition would be the same as at UW.
Oglethorpe: This is another small school, this time in Atlanta. I mention it because it also has a flagship match program. Although this is a small school, all the Atlanta schools are part of a consortium where students can take classes at the other colleges (like Emory, Spelman, Georgia Tech, etc). So, if your daughter wanted a big college for all that course possibilities, this would be a way to get it.
Anyway, just thought Iād throw out some possibilities that should be relatively affordable and in a warm climate.
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I do think she would like CU Boulder. I made the mistake of taking my S22 to tour CU Boulder. He fell in love with the place within the first hour. This was after hating all other college visits and telling us he had decided to go the CC route. I had really hoped he would do a 4-year university. Heās just so smart. Anyway, we flew to Boulder on April 28th to show him one last uni before the May 1 commit deadline. Once he saw CU Boulder, he was all in. I can see why he loves CU Boulder - I would want to go there too!
Anyway, this means Iām already gonna be paying $$$ for one kid. It may not seem fair to another sibling, but I really want to promote some less expensive options this time round. We have 3 teens ($$$)! In-state, WUE, or OOS/good merit would be great. Iām just hoping my daughter will fall in love with one of these less expensive colleges.
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