Yes. I need to keep reminding myself because it really narrows things down if she needs to be a large med center. We are hoping her condition continues to improve. We are rural now, and so are accustomed so some remote zoom care and therapies already. But excellent point and we need to stay realistic about this for sure.
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Thank you so much for taking the time to reply! This is super encouraging for her!
I also think distance from home should be a factor for someone who may have health issues. My student spends much of a day in travel going from the midwest to Maine even though we live near a major airport.
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K. Burning question right now for me is despite doing our due diligence and keeping options open as a parent I keep coming back to the University of Denver. It checks all of D23ās boxes IF she can get admitted and IF itās affordable. Itās in a city which she wants which also means better medical care/options. Plus all her other wants and needs. The sole exception itās not close to home but itās a decent flight and she does want to go out of state for the fresh start. Itās much closer than many other options.
The other catch is we havenāt visited yet because we want to go when school is in session.
Our desired max COA is $40k per year. But for the perfect fit we could probably do $45k - $50k. But of course weād rather not.
DU does have ED but I notice on the CDS that the acceptance rate was low for ED and also there is of course merit aid to worry about.
Question: How can D23 increase her chances of admission and sufficient aid? Is DU a feasible possibility for assuming she loves it in person.
I would not ED anywhere unless she has visited it in-person first, preferably with classes in session. First, has your family attended online info sessions, virtual tours, etc?
Then, looking at the financials, it appears as though the COA is $72k and that 91% of freshmen without need received merit aid, averaging $20,559 (source). So itās likely to hit right around the $50k mark. Does DUās Net Price Calculator ask for academic info? If so, that should give you a sense as to the likely minimum merit aid package. How does that work with your budget?
Also, looking at the numbers, it doesnāt appear as though thereās much benefit to ED at DU. EDās admission rate is 43% while the RD rate is 41%. The EA category is the big beneficial category, with an 88% acceptance rate. If you apply EA and they want your D, then it looks as though you will still receive early notification. Additionally, you can still compare offers and see whatās going on with your Dās health and college desires in the spring to make the college decision. Frankly, I donāt see an upside to EDing.
With respect to increase her chances on admission, make sure to write a a good, specific why-DU essay (whether itās mentioned or notā¦there have been reports of that being a very successful strategy at some very competitive schools). Also, no matter what it indicates on the CDS with respect to the importance of demonstrated interest, show lots of interest. Email the regional admissions recruiter with specific questions that canāt be answered on the website. Attend virtual events. Ask to be connected with a student or a department to learn more info, etc. All of those things would show interest and allow your D to see if this is really the right school for her.
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Thank you for confirming she should skip ED here (she will have visited beforehand so I was just thinking in terms of what if she falls head over heels). The NPC does include GPA and stats and comes in right around $42k test optional. Also her club sport is very popular there and so Iām hoping that will be a good extra maybe in terms of them viewing her as a good fit and potential contributor to student life.
And I will encourage to do all that extra outreach - it helps to have a list laid out like this thank you!
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I think DU is a good choice. It has much stronger music programs than people realize. The Greek system is, I think, average with plenty of opportunities for those who want to join but not overwhelming the campus (join, donāt join, no one cares). The sport scene is a little different than most D1 programs. Hockey, lacrosse and womenās soccer are strong, but there is no football. Womenās gymnastics is almost always sold out because a lot of the community goes to meets (DU has a strong childrenās gymnastics program, so all those kids want to go to the meets).
Plenty of medical services in Denver so she shouldnāt have any problem finding help if she needs it. DU is on the light rail system so she can get to the airport, downtown, and almost anywhere else either directly or by bus transfer (to Boulder, Golden).
It is on a quarter system, so thatās a little bit of an adjustment for many.
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FYI my daughterās merit package matched the NPC in 2020 to the dollar - I think there was a little extra kicker towards housing, but the general tuition merit was exactly what it predicted by the NPC.
edited - do they still have EA? That might be a way to show interested without ED, itās what my daughter - she also visited.
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Yes! University of Denver does have EA and she is going to go that route. Thanks for the info on the NPC!
We are planning on visiting two colleges at the top of D23ās list in October: University of Denver and Colorado State University. On a whim awhile back I added University of Nevada-Reno to the list. But now we are having second thoughts. We have never been to Reno but are hearing more and more that the city itself (not the suburbs) is pretty gritty. And that the area around the University is not safe. So Iām second guessing our choice to visit even though we were also looking forward to visiting Lake Tahoe.
Iām going so far as to wondering whether to scrap the Colorado tours for now and spend our valuable vacation time touring some East coast schools instead - but that feels very overwhelming to us West Coasters. My plan was for her to apply to some of the schools (UVM, UMaine, UDelaware, maybe more) and then if she got in and got a great offer weād go visit.
Sorry to ramble. We have limited family vacation time and thus limited college visit time (and money) and I want to use it wisely.
On a bright note D23 took the SAT for the very first time yesterday and felt super good about it. She actually really enjoyed it. That was supposed to be her practice test in preparation for October. So sheās excited to take what sheās learned so far and study for Oct and see what happens. We are keeping our expectations low especially in this Test Optional world. But Iām just happy to see her cognitively thriving again!
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Also, current Application list which will still likely evolve after early Sept when we visit a local LAC - Universtiy of Puget Sound - to see if an LAC might work . . .
Safeties
University of Maine
Colorado State University (#1)
University of Nevada Reno (questionable right now)
Western Michigan University
Need Merit:
University of Vermont
University of Denver
University of Delaware
Michigan State
UMass Amherst
Syracuse (prob too expensive)
University of Washington (in-state, arts and sciences)
LACās that have caught our eye if she decides an LAC might work:
University of Puget Sound (prob too expensive)
Clark University
Dickinson College
Still looking for one or two more
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I realize Utah isnāt a blue/purple state but I would definitely give some thought to the University of Utah as a substitute for UNR. SLC is easy to fly to and much less conservative than other parts of the state. D18 had an amazing time there as a liberal Californian (especially the outdoor life with skiing, climbing, hiking etc, though she also enjoyed her sorority) and itās high on S23ās list. The facilities and location are great.
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Have you done a virtual tour of UNR? Or looked on Google Maps at the street view and traveled around the outskirts of campus? There are some schools (Drexel/UPenn/Temple, I think) where some families found areas gritty while others did not, and this could be a case where your family finds the environment perfectly acceptable.
With respect to east coast vs. Colorado, wasnāt U. of Denver a school that she was even thinking about EDāing to? And was the preference to stay in the western U.S. her preference or yours? If hers, Iād probably take a closer look at the schools with geographic proximity. On the other hand, perhaps realizing how long it will take to travel across the country and get to a college campus will make her rethink whether thatās something she would like. Some are fine with it, and then others not.
Dickinsonās NPC came out as lower than UPSā? Thatās surprising (to me at least).
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If you havenāt visited what are currently the two top choices then Iād definitely do that in October while you have time to revise the application list if for some reason your D hates them. Itās a long drive from Delaware to Maine so I think youāll need to be selective there - better to wait until after admissions/merit are known.
My S18 was really keen to go to the east coast and neglected to visit more local options. He didnāt even visit UCLA until admitted students day but thatās where he ended up (had a great time and it was easily his cheapest option). In retrospect we wasted a lot of time visiting east coast schools that ended up being too expensive but seemed like exciting options at the time.
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If Colorado State is currently her #1 safety, it would be good to visit to confirm that choice. You want to be sure she has a safety that she loves, and you can visit U Denver and maybe other Colorado schools as well. You can always selectively visit East coast schools if she is admitted.
We havenāt visited a lot of schools (other than close ones that were easy to visit), but we did arrange all-day visits to S23ās safety schools (Oregon State and CU Boulder). Iām really glad we did that, because now we know for sure that he would be happy to attend either one, and this makes the whole process much more relaxing.
(Sorry, I didnāt mean to make this a direct reply to your message, Twoin18!)
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If sheās interested in Syracuse, she might want to check out the list of majors available at SUNY ESF. https://www.esf.edu/admissions/programs.htm Itās physically adjacent to SU, and ESF students can take SU classes, participate in SU social life and extracurriculars, and benefit from SU infrastructure such as their robust disability services. It could be a good place to study something in the biochem sphere without being immersed in premed culture; and it offers the advantages of a small school without giving up those of a large school. Plus, the OOS sticker price is relatively affordable.
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Thank you, oh wise ones! I will reply in detail later but am suuuuper grateful for your very reassuring input and feedback 
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Also, I have just been terrible about constantly second guessing things in this process - much to my daughterās irritation I might add. I need to just stick with our carefully curated plan and have faith things will work out. Thank so much all for talking me off the ledge!
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You could make Colorado your vacation and then visit those schools you are interested in. If you are a ādrivingā family, you could wind around a little and add U of U and maybe even UNR. There are worse vacations than the Rockies in October.
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Small update: My hubby needs a vacay desperately so we decided to leave the first few days up to him. To decide what he would enjoy most in terms of getting in some relaxation (Reno/Tahoe v. other location in the West). And then weāll visit the two Colorado schools on the way home.