Match Me - First Gen looking for Liberal Arts Colleges!

OK - much better info. You should Questbridge. I personally, and others disagree, would not ED if you definitely need aid. You can run the NPCs and people say they should be accurate but a lot of times kids enter in the wrong inputs. ED has better odds - but it also includes recruited people. Don’t let the schools sucker you into a bad situation for yourself.

So my daughter, with stats not nearly as good as yours, is doing international studies with a 2nd, unknown major. It’s required in her program because international studies is not a pre-professional major - i.e. it doesn’t prepare you for a specific job, like accounting or engineering might.

So - really great schools will be American (gotta demonstrate interest), GW, and Gtown. My daughter hated GW - it’s very urban - but if you love that, you have BU and NYU as well. They are not LACs but they might fit given their political pedigree.

To get great merit, you want to look to schools like Arizona, FSU, and U of South Carolina - and they have great merit - but it might be unaffordable for you. Not LACs but the Honors Colleges reduce the size so can make them feel as such.

The tops LACs and many other schools such as Miami, UN, and UVA meet 100 of need. Most will have strong intl studies/poli sci. But again, the last three aren’t LACs. But colleges meeting aid should be most important.

Here’s Every College That Offers 100% Financial Aid (prepscholar.com)

My daughter got into Washington & Lee - but got no aid. They do meet 100% of demonstrated but they also have the Johnson Scholarship and you might be a great candidate - you go for free.

My daughter is actually going to to the 16th rated of the 17 she got into - but at College of Charleston she is both a Charleston Fellow and an International Scholar - sometimes it pays to be the tallest in the field. Should you go to a high rated school, you’ll fit fine - but everyone will be like you. C of C is like a public LAC.

So given you want an LAC - I’d suggest - given your #s and it sounds like you’ll apply to UCONN - then you can reach for the fences with the rest and you have a chance:

  1. Charleston - it’s a definitely safety but you can excel - stand out.

  2. W&L - get on their email list and you’ll apply free. Match/Reach

  3. Middlebury - reach

  4. Macalester - target

  5. Vassar - reach

  6. Occidental - match

  7. Hamilton - reach

  8. Kenyon - match

  9. Dickinson - safety

  10. Connecticut - target/reach

You didn’t give geographies, etc. so this is a diverse group. Hope that helps.