Any part of the country is okay, as my previous health issues have resolved, and my only want-to-have would be that it’s a secular school. I’m planning on taking some time off between undergrad and law school to save as much as possible for it, using anything left from college savings, and covering the rest with loans, so while a cheaper school would be nice, it’s not the biggest priority.
Based off the updated information, I would recommend that you look into some of these schools. Several are members of the Colleges That Change Lives (CTCL) association, and you may want to browse through the various college profiles there if other schools spark your interest. I have denoted those CTCL schools here.
With respect to the percentage of students who receive merit aid, this is the source that I used. Please note that most colleges are more generous in providing merit aid to incoming freshmen than to transfer students. Make sure your family runs the Net Price Calculator at each school. If it asks for your academic stats, then it will give you the minimum amount of merit aid that you might expect if accepted.
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Beloit (WI): CTCL
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Brandeis (MA)…only 34% of freshmen receive merit aid…this may be out of budget
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College of William & Mary (VA)
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College of Wooster (OH)…96% of freshmen receive merit aid, so I think this is likely to fall within budget
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Connecticut College…46% of freshmen receive merit aid, so this may be out of budget
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Denison (OH): CTCL…86% of freshmen receive merit aid, so I think this is likely to fall within budget
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Kalamazoo (MI): CTCL
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Lafayette (PA )…only 20% of freshmen receive merit aid…this may be out of budget
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Lawrence (WI): CTCL
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Occidental (CA)…only 34% of freshmen receive merit aid…this may be out of budget
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Ursinus (PA ): CTCL…96% of freshmen receive merit aid, so I think this is likely to fall within budget
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If it so happens that for practical reasons you are unable to transfer out of your big state school, remember that study abroad and/or domestic exchanges may provide at least some change of scenery. For example there is an exchange consortium called National Student Exchange (NSE) that allows for up to a year of exchange. There are about 200 participating schools, mainly in the US, but also a few in Canada etc. Most are public, but a few are private. The best thing is you only pay what you are currently paying (in state tuition) and your scholarships come with you. You can check if your current school participates. https://www.nse.org/exchange/colleges-universities/alpha-location/
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In looking at the National Student Exchange list that @fiftyfifty1 shared, I saw that St. Olaf is one of the participating schools. I have heard so many positive comments about St. Olaf here on the forum. It’s not urban/suburban, but I’ve heard it’s lots of intellectual discussions and a great atmosphere there from a number of families who have visited. It could be a great place to do an exchange with (or to consider as a transfer, if you’re willing to forego the urban/suburban preference).
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I know that there’s partying at every school, but there doesn’t seem to be a focus on academics here, to the point where students from other colleges and those who have transferred have told me that our upper level classes are much easier than other colleges. Also, Reed is practically in the middle of a major city that has one of the best public transport systems in the country, so there’s not feeling of being trapped on campus. The demographics of Reed are so much better for me as an LGBT+ Asian woman than the school I’m currently at, Reed doesn’t have a history of extremely racist and awful Greek life, and the campus actually has done a lot of work on their students’ drug use and used lots of harm reduction techniques, while the school I’m at has a reputation for ignoring student substance use. I know students party everywhere. I’ve done my research.
Have you visited Reed? If not, I strongly encourage you to do that before enrolling (I tell that to anyone considering Reed). When you are there, attend a class or two, hang in the student union and/or library, also read some class syllabi. If you can’t visit, do a virtual admissions session, and get class syllabi from the schedule of classes page or directly from profs.
If you do want to transfer there, I would reach out to admissions before you submit an app…since they accepted you out of HS, they might have a modified app process for you.
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This. Contact Reed. See what they say about accepting you now. They might be willing to do so.
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But they are. Lincoln, even though it is the state capital, isn’t a metropolis. Most everything revolves around the university, and football in particular.
Rural: in, relating to, or characteristic of the countryside rather than the town.
Lincoln, NE. population 286,388
Omaha, NE has a population of 479,529
These may not be major metropolis’ like New York City, L.A., or Miami, but these places definitely do not qualify as rural in my book.
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Thank you so much! I can’t say how much I appreciate you taking time out of your day to help me out.
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Wow. This is one of those statements where individual perceptions can certainly differ! I have family in a town of 5k in a county of 10k… the closest city over 100k population is more than an hour away. In my experience, that is rural. A town of 200k is not… it’s a small city, not a metropolis, but not rural.
I find our different perspectives fascinating. 
ETA: I did not realize this was a 3 month old thread when I replied. It was in my Suggested Threads…
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@nodefinitelynot, how are things going for you? I hope you’re enjoying more of your college experience. It would be great to have an update on your current thought process.
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Hi! I didn’t see this until now, thank you for checking in! I’m still definitely thinking of transferring to a more rigorous and urban environment - I just don’t think my school is the place for me. The only hangup I have about transferring is that I came in with 41 credits at my current school and not all will transfer, but I’m honestly fine with that.
My prospective list includes Barnard, Howard, Smith, WashU, Connecticut College, College of Wooster, Emory, and William & Mary. It’s pretty varied and I still have to narrow it down, but I think it has some solid options. I know that a lot if not all of these schools are reaches, but if none of them pan out then I can work hard at my current school at graduate in two years.
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Thanks for the update! Have you applied to any of the schools on your transfer list?
Not yet - I have a longer break than most colleges so I’m using it to travel. Planning to have my applications all in my 2/21 at the latest.
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