Bard is very hipster/intellectual and has merit scholarships, according to their website.
You might want to take a look at Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA. They do an amazing job of fostering confidence in students who are smart but just havenāt quite hit their stride academically for various reasons. Incredibly kind student community and that side of Bethlehem has a terrific downtown with cute restaurants, etc.
@lisabees I second the recommendation for your daughter to visit Baldwin Wallace if youāre in & around Cleveland.
You need merit, so itās going to be tough with her grades and tests scores. Being honest, I think you need to checkout your in-state unis and see which ones she likes.
Or she can retest, or try the ACT. If she can get a higher test score, that will help.
Crunch the numbers first. Every college has a net price calculator on it. Use that.
Beloit is a great choice.
If youāre looking at Beloit and Lawrence, it may be worth it to look at Knox college also. Case Western is located in a cool area of Cleveland surrounded by various cultural institutions, however I think your D will have a hard time getting the merit she needs at Case.
Also, you asked if Lawrence would be a good fit and I think it would. The students are academically serious but tend toward collaborative and laid back vs. competitive. I donāt know that I would describe it as hipster but I think there is a mix of style and I have seen students there who fit the hipster vibe. Definitely not preppy. Having a music conservatory adds a lot to the culture of the campus. It seems to me they do a great job of bringing interesting speakers to campus. Since my D has been there she has heard talks by John Lewis and Ta Nehisi Coates just to name a few. Definitely worth a look.
Iām from Clevelandā¦and Case location is familiar to me. Itās a terrific school, but I would NOT call it a hipster placeā¦at all.
The location of Case has its ups and downs. The university is buying up property all over the areaā¦so it has changed a lot over the years. For the āhipsterā locationā¦look up Coventry. Itās up the hill from Case and a lot of off campus and Case professional studentsā¦and University Hospital staff live there.
Itās an urban campus. Is that what she wants? Many of the smaller colleges being suggest are in small towns.
If your daughter NEEDS merit aid, Iām not sure Ithaca will end up being affordable.
ETAā¦look at the list of Colleges that Changed Lives. Many of them have a nice vibe to themā¦and are also located close to or in PA.
You might want to look into Ursinus. They seem to give quite a bit of merit aid, and Iāll bet your daughter would qualify. Not really an artsy vibe, but definitely plenty of arts opportunities. I dissed it on another thread because it wasnāt right for my kids, but really I was very impressed and thought it looked like a great school for the right student.
Earlham and Kzoo for sure, Lawrence, Beloit and Knox if you will consider WI and Illinois. All are test optional and give merit aid (up to 1/2 tuition) without scores. We visited all except Beloit multiple times, wonderful communities.
Following up to say, Denison is blended student population, very diverse in terms of race/ethnicity/socio-economic but may not come through with enough merit for OP. Iāve written a lot about Kzoo, Knox, Wooster, Earlham etc. as they were all schools my kid looked at closely ā the OP might want to read some of my prior post history on those schools as I regret Iām not able to go into detail right now about them. Bottom line ā Kzoo, Earlham, Lawrence and Knox are all wonderful, inclusive, diverse communities with strong academics and places where kids can really blossom. All give merit aid without test scores.
Beloit is strong on the intellectual side. Itās a college where itās ok to be a thinker, and to have oneās own ideas. I know a few academics who earned their undergraduate degrees from Beloit. It would be less reachy than some colleges the OP is visiting but it has the intellectual core that most of the best schools strive for.
ADDED: this is not a reach for this applicant. Her current scores and grades are well within the range of the recently admitted students. I think Beloit looks for students with interest, motivation, spark AND ability, but not kids who are fixated on the numbers. Take a look at the CDS: https://www.beloit.edu/irap/collegedata/cds/
My son wanted many of the same qualities and had some similar stats. You might want to check out the 2017 and 2018 3.0-3.4 threads for ideas. We didnāt feel some of the schools youāve mentioned would offer enough merit or didnāt meet his geographical preferences so went for a match/safety only strategy. He ended up applying to Allegheny, Ursinus and Goucher for east coast/mid Atlantic lacās. Also applied to University of Puget Sound for a west coast option.
Of those the only one that fit was Ursinus. While I do know Goucher is very strong in ballet it didnāt meet the intellectual aspect, especially for his area of interest. Allegheny had the intellect but was very sporty athletic so while he loved the program he wasnāt sure heād find his tribe. Ursinus seemed to have a nice balance of all and ended up the last LAC standing.
I agree with @Midwestmomofboys here. Denison likes to awards a lot of merit to entice kids to turn down Ivies/elites.
Iād think Earlham is a strong one from that list, and Wooster too. (I was just at Wooster yesterday and was reminded how darn beautiful that campus isā¦)
@lisabees (copying @Mimi2018 as well in case this is relevant for her D) We are wrapping up the college search for my D who is a ballet dancer in a small regional company. She was looking for a place where she could continue to dance but perhaps branch out into contemporary or other dance forms. She also wanted a place where there would be access to ballet, either on campus or close by. She is not intending to major or minor in dance. Here is a rundown of schools she considered and what dance options are there (assuming that your D will want to still have dance in her life, but not a full professional commitment. This info was correct as of last fall.
The following up to the line break would be reaches for your daughter based on current stats. However if she shows an upward trend in grades from here on out and boosts her test score (try a practice ACT to see how she does with the format), these might be worth considering:
Oberlin - youāve already visited. Dance on campus is mostly contemporary. There is a small ballet academy in town.
Kenyon - hipsters would be comfortable there. Has a reasonable dance program. Gorgeous campus, very small town.
Grinnell - quirky, eclectic, intellectual student body - has only one dance prof, improv-oriented.
Case - increasingly difficult to get in. Demonstrated interest is very important. The dance program is quite good (both modern and ballet) and includes an integrated wellness component. In addition to department shows, there is a student-run company called the Mather Dance Collective - check out videos on youtube. Surrounding area is full of museums and cultural opportunities. Student body is relatively socioeconomically and racially diverse for a private school. More pre-professional than hipster.
Macalester - hipster, yes. Has a dance program but not a very developed one. However, St Paul ballet is just a couple of miles away and has drop in classes that college students can take, including company-level classes. Beautiful urban/suburban location near the MIssissippi River.
More in the match zone for admission; not sure for merit scholarships, but they are at least a possibility
Earlham - D loved this, but no dance
Knox - D loved this otherwise, but no dance
Beloit - great small LAC, only 1 dance professor, improv-oriented, has merit scholarships.
Lawrence - same comments as Beloit, has merit scholarships.
Denison - becoming ever more eclectic but also has a sporty/preppy/Greek contingent. Has a small dance program. Has merit scholarships. Lovely campus and cute nearby town. Easy distance to Columbus.
Muhlenberg - strong in pre-med and musical theater/dance. Merit scholarships available.
St. Olaf - I wouldnāt call it hipster, but itās a lovely school with bright students, good outcomes for grad and med school, and a decent dance program. Has merit scholarships for music and dance by separate application (up to 8K) as well academic ones. Donāt need to major or minor in dance, just be involved in performance. 45 minutes from Twin Cities.
College of Wooster - varied student body, pretty campus. Has a contemporary dance program AND merit dance scholarships by separate application - up to 8K per year. Student does not have to major or minor in dance to accept scholarship. Your daughterās current stats might be sufficient to get an academic merit scholarship there (Iād apply non-restrictive EA for best chances).
Hope this helps!
Have you considered Antioch(The LAC in Ohio, not the University system)?
Similar/more radical vibe than Oberlin and likely lower required stats due to their taking a hiatus during the '00s due to financial difficulties.
I am so thankful for all of you! Thank you, thank you! We are in Oberlin now, visiting my son. She (sorta) knows this place is unrealistic, but would like to sit in on a gender studies class tomorrow. Mamadefamilia, I cannot thank you enough for the Wooster dance scholarship info! I really think dd may love the school. I always have! Many thanks for being so detailed in your dance findings. Thoughts on Kalamazoo and dance?
Muhlenberg and Moravian are on the list. They are super close to us. So is Ursinus. I know so many local kids who attend Ursinus for sports. I see it as such a regional, preppy, athletic school. Funny how we see our local schools differently than others.
midwestmomofboys, I have revisited your posts many times. They are much appreciated.
DD only took the SAT once. We are hoping her scores and grades improve somewhat, but it shouldnāt affect the kind of schools we are considering; However, It may make a bit of difference in merit.
Question. I am not sure if I have time for both Kalamazoo and Earlham on this trip. Which would you choose?
Earlham.
I also think Earlham.