<p>What about Haverford? It’s a little more reachy than some of the schools she’s looking at, but it’s got terrific sciences and a strong tradition of a capella groups, a very good music department that’s open to non-majors, a lovely campus, and it’s located in a cute, upscale town in Philadelphia’s Main Line suburbs with lots of walkable local amenities. And zero Greek life. I think with her stats she’s got a real shot at it, especially if she applies ED. She comes out somewhere around the middle of their class, but it’s worth a shot.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Are you from the the Northeastern part of the country? Because I bet there are at least 2 dozen colleges that would meet her criteria to a tee. When I was new at the college search it was quite startling to me when I saw just how many colleges were in my neck of the woods and many of them have really nice little towns. [Google</a> Image Result for <a href=“http://www.collegebedlofts.com/pictures/2006_us_sales_map.jpg[/url]”>http://www.collegebedlofts.com/pictures/2006_us_sales_map.jpg](<a href=“http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.collegebedlofts.com/pictures/2006_us_sales_map.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.collegebedlofts.com/colleges.html&h=434&w=710&sz=105&tbnid=jjSuy-iLEnDbBM:&tbnh=75&tbnw=122&zoom=1&usg=__qChOZV9cjnot-xxaNyBO944nG3Q=&docid=YTsptNal_yZgDM&sa=X&ei=FsFdUMHwDau60QHeuoHoBg&ved=0CCUQ9QEwAQ&dur=241]Google”>http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.collegebedlofts.com/pictures/2006_us_sales_map.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.collegebedlofts.com/colleges.html&h=434&w=710&sz=105&tbnid=jjSuy-iLEnDbBM:&tbnh=75&tbnw=122&zoom=1&usg=__qChOZV9cjnot-xxaNyBO944nG3Q=&docid=YTsptNal_yZgDM&sa=X&ei=FsFdUMHwDau60QHeuoHoBg&ved=0CCUQ9QEwAQ&dur=241)</a></p>
![http://www.collegebedlofts.com/pictures/2006_us_sales_map.jpg[/url]](http://www.collegebedlofts.com/pictures/2006_us_sales_map.jpg%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
![http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.collegebedlofts.com/pictures/2006_us_sales_map.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.collegebedlofts.com/colleges.html&h=434&w=710&sz=105&tbnid=jjSuy-iLEnDbBM:&tbnh=75&tbnw=122&zoom=1&usg=__qChOZV9cjnot-xxaNyBO944nG3Q=&docid=YTsptNal_yZgDM&sa=X&ei=FsFdUMHwDau60QHeuoHoBg&ved=0CCUQ9QEwAQ&dur=241]Google](http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.collegebedlofts.com/pictures/2006_us_sales_map.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.collegebedlofts.com/colleges.html&h=434&w=710&sz=105&tbnid=jjSuy-iLEnDbBM:&tbnh=75&tbnw=122&zoom=1&usg=__qChOZV9cjnot-xxaNyBO944nG3Q=&docid=YTsptNal_yZgDM&sa=X&ei=FsFdUMHwDau60QHeuoHoBg&ved=0CCUQ9QEwAQ&dur=241%5DGoogle){kind=link}
<p>I agree about going out of state for the geographic edge on applications, but my thought was that instead of mentioning colleges all over the US, that we suggest colleges within the criteria that was mentioned. Which is why I didn’t mention my own son’s college that has extremely good merit aid but is in the South.</p>
<p>Hartwick College in Oneonta NY offered my youngest son quite a bit in merit aid and has a very nice town within walking distance. With your daughters stats, it would be very affordable. One key to merit is having stats on the upper edge instead of matching.</p>
<p>Mount Holyoke gives merit aid and is strong in the sciences. It is also in the 5-college consortium with Amherst, Smith, U Mass, and Hampshire. I’m not sure whether Smith gives merit these days, but it fits the criteria even better than MHC because it is in one of the cooler college towns, Northampton.</p>
<p>Bowdoin also fits the bill, but it would probably be reachier. </p>
<p>If financial aid will be important, don’t overlook the possibility of qualifying for need-based aid, particularly at generous schools like these.</p>
<p>If the student is going to consider Haverford, she should also strongly consider Bryn Mawr, since they have cross registration. (Bryn Mawr, BTW, has one of the strongest post-grad med school prep programs in the nation.)</p>
<p>My S seems to have similar criteria as he is looking for LAC with strong sciences. Not big Greek life. Also wants good college town, same location. Stats slightly lower than OPs, (GPA slightly lower, and slightly higher SAT). Skidmore and Ithaca were suggested, although I’m having trouble getting info on science program. Both seem to have very happy students.</p>
<p>Susquehanna is less selective than the others on the list, so may be a better candidate for merit aid.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Then you should probably also be singling out the people suggesting schools like Bowdoin and Haverford, which are unlikely to be matches for this student (or many others, for that matter).</p>
<p>I actually don’t know of two dozen schools in the NE that fit the OP’s criteria, largely because of the dominant Greek culture at many of them. A year ago we were conducting a similar search with my son, who had comparable criteria and interests and for whom merit aid was essential. He focused his search on the midwest and northeast. We couldn’t find ANY match schools in PA, for example, that were entirely Greek-free, which was something we wanted. He applied to a couple of “outlier” schools in other parts of the country, and guess what? He is now a freshman at one of them. In the end geography was not as big a consideration as finances and fit. </p>
<p>I would like to add a note about Hartwick, which I had found very intriguing (but to which my son never did apply). Their environmental sciences program looked really interesting, and the main campus (from the pictures, anyway) was gorgeous. They also have a three-year bachelor’s track, which could save families a lot of money even apart from the merit options.</p>
<p>For those willing to venture outside of the Northeast “bubble”, Whitman College meets all of these criteria, including merit aid. Very friendly, nurturing place.</p>
<p>As some have said here on this board, if Whitman was located in the NE it would rank right up there with the very top LACs.</p>
<p>Denison University in Granville OH. Walk down the hill from the college to a picturesque NE style town with restaurants and a Saturday farmers market.</p>
<p>Wooster College has good merit aid. I’m not sure about the town.</p>
<p>sally - Where did your son choose, and is he happy there? I guess it’s time to expand our geographical requirement.
lucky and Erin’s Dad - thank you for your suggestions, plan to check them out.</p>
<p>
Entirely Greek Free would be hard, although that was/is the case at for two of my three kids. My daughters however was in the midwest and my son’s does not have the strong Science criteria. The OP, however said
</p>
<p>I’m not trying to slap down any great schools, because it sounds like the OP is actually open for a bigger area then she at first said. I think I just get frustrated when someone clearly defines what they want and then people respond with something very different just because they don’t know of any colleges that do fit that criteria. I, personally, would not answer at all if someone asked about a college on the West Coast.</p>
<p>Ohio was mentioned and I’ll second Wooster where my niece is loving her sophomore year. The town of Wooster looks pretty darn cute.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I don’t believe she said she was looking for matches in the admissions sense. She was looking for schools that matched her criteria, and is interested in FA. Bowdoin matches her criteria and gives very good FA. It is quite possible that the family might get as much or more need-based aid from a school like Bowdoin than merit money from a less selective school. It is reachy, as I said, but so what? This student has a god GPA and SAT over 2100. I would hardly call her a no-hoper at Bowdoin.</p>
<p>Maybe I misread.</p>
<p>Since the OP has suggested that she might consider schools outside of her original geographic parameters, she might want to take a look at Beloit. I think merit aid would be available for her daughter and the school is strong in both sciences and music.</p>
<p>If she was ok with St. Olaf, she should consider Luther in Decorah, IA. Another VERY strong music school along with a strong science program.</p>
<p>kathiep, maybe you missed this statement in the OP’s OP:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>You have spent more time criticizing my suggestions and those of other posters than you have suggesting what you say are “at least 2 dozen colleges that would meet her criteria to a tee.” You have offered a handful…where are the rest of them?</p>
<p>Remember what the OP asked:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Really, there could not be a college more like Muhlenberg than St. Olaf. Muhlenberg and St. Olaf are affiliated with the same branch of the Lutheran church. St. Olaf also offers a friendly, collaborative environment. But Northfield, MN, is a much cuter and more interesting town than Allentown (Carleton is there too, and an added bonus is the short distance to the Twin Cities), the St. Olaf campus is stunning, and the music programs are nationally recognized. Garrison Keillor just had one of the St. O choirs on Prairie Home Companion a few weeks ago. It’s a special place, and the experience and outcomes for students are very, very good.</p>
<p>I have to agree with Sally, for what the DD wants, St. Olaf is a perfect fit, just outside of the geographical area and they DID look into the school. It’s an easy plane ride from where the OP lives and they have shuttles to/from the airport from St. Olaf.</p>
<p>I’m sorry if anyone felt jumped on. That was not my intention. I know that it’s pretty common on this board though for people to forget about parameters. I should have left it up to the OP to be the one to say if her daughter REALLY wants to stay in the Northeastern corner of the country or not. </p>
<p>With my last son it got a little crazy in senior year because instead of cutting down the list, it seemed that we were adding more and they really weren’t any better then the ones he had already chosen. I’ve found that it actually helps if you have some priorities, whether it’s geographic or major or merit aid just to keep the college search from becoming overwhelming. </p>
<p>That said, here are a few more colleges that are in New England, NY or PA that are private LAC’s with towns within walking distance: Middlebury College, VT, Bryn Mawr, PA, Swarthmore, PA Villanova, PA, Lycoming College, PA, Hamilton College, NY Drew University, NY Wheaton College, MA, Western New England, MA</p>
<p>Juniata in Pa has a strong science/pre-health programs, and is greek free. Town is ok, not as cute as Bucknell (Lewisburg) though. Not many towns will be as cute as Lewisburg. </p>
<p>When we visited Juniata, the town was having a community day type event, which made it seem “cozy”.</p>
<p>I grew up in Allentown (less than 5 minutes from Muhlenburg), and while center city is not really great, where Muhlenburg is located is actuallly pretty nice. There are many parks within walking distance to the campus. Farmers market is unique, Wegman’s less than 5 minutes away (love Wegmans), tons of shopping and restaurants in the Lehigh Valley, but not within walking distance. Without a car, I guess her options would be limited. But with a car, the area really has a lot to offer.</p>
<p>LACs or small universities that offer merit aid in New England and the mid-Atlantic (and that are not super-selective) include:</p>
<p>Brandeis
Dickinson
Gettysburg
Muhlenberg
Smith
Ursinus</p>
<p>Of these, I’d most strongly recommend Smith (if your D would consider a women’s college). It meets 100% of determined need; its average merit aid package was $17,200 for 2011-12. The campus is gorgeous and the local area very charming. In addition, it belongs to a 5-college consortium, which greatly expands the available course offerings compared to other small colleges. About 30% of Smith students major in sciences (rather high for a LAC) and it even has an engineering program (unusual for LACs). It recently opened a new science & engineering facility.
([Smith</a> College: Ford Hall](<a href=“http://www.smith.edu/fordhall/]Smith”>Smith College: Ford Hall))</p>
<p>There is no Greek life at Smith. The college has several a capella groups including one called Crapapella.</p>
<p>Hi everyone,
I am new to this website, and I am so impressed with how thoughtful everyone’s replies are and really appreciate it. It has been so nice for her to have some options to investigate that she hadn’t thought of. </p>
<p>To clarify on the location: My daughter feels very strongly about staying generally in the northeast. I think I responded to the mention of St Olaf and Lawrence specifically because I grew up in that general area and have such positive associations with both the schools and the locations. 
Selling my daughter on some of the potential benefits of leaving the region is another story, but I did dangle St Olaf in front of her this afternoon, so we’ll see if she shows interest. Also gave her the list of schools you all have mentioned that are closer to home and she is reading about The College of Wooster right now.</p>
<p>That’s a good point about the financial aid that can come from a successful reach school admission. I know the net price calculators aren’t guaranteed to be accurate, but the estimates for Wellesley, Bowdoin (which she loved, loved, loved), and some of the other big reaches that fit her criteria look really good. She read the article on Muhlenberg’s fin aid website about how preferential packaging works, and for now seems determined to pick schools where she comes out favorably in that regard. </p>
<p>We’re very happy that she knows herself well, and that she is realistic about what she brings to the table – it makes it easier. I know this process will involve compromise at some point on some level, but as her parents, we of course want her to feel like she has multiple options that would make her happy. </p>
<p>ps-To the person who sent the private message re:Bucknell: I tried to respond but received an error message that I’m not allowed to send a pm because I’m too new. If you read this, I just want you to know that I appreciated your comments!!</p>
<p>Re: Smith</p>
<p>Thanks! She’s not completely sure how she feels about a women’s college, but decided this afternoon that she’d like to take a look – we’re going to try to visit next week. It is too close of a match in every other way to ignore. Plus, I can’t resist a visit to Northampton in the fall. :)</p>