@intparent I understand your point. The guy is actually the same one who looks at my dad’s finances, land, and taxes–I don’t think I was really clear about the extent of his knowledge!–and he also advises my dad about how much land he can buy, when to upgrade machinery ect. However, despite his knowledge of all of my fathers finances, you are correct that I do not know if he is familiar with financial aid and colleges. It just seems as if everything about the financial situation is messy and the guy at the bank knows the most about our specific situation. Your points are completely valid though.
Thanks @merc81 I think with the environment is a huge factor in deciding a college. I’m a little frustrated though because I will have to narrow my list, then apply, and then my parents will let me visit the colleges I get into in the east coast. Of course, everybody has given extremely good descriptions of some of the colleges which makes me feel like I know the colleges and their environments enough to make the cuts in the ones I feel like I wouldn’t fit in well at all. 
it’s not the same thing, I know, but I suppose it’ll have to do for now.
Also, I have heard of some schools with honor codes but haven’t done a lot of research! I’ll look into it–thanks for the suggestion.
@intparent Also, can I call a college and just ask them if I can send them my financial information for an early read? or do I need to wait till it’s closer to application time. I don’t really know how to go about it…
Eventually you will recognize your colleges, even without visiting, as having a certain balance of intellectual/sporty/preppy/artsy/woodsy/etc., and your preferences therein. So I think you may find a group of colleges with similar attributes that rise to the top, and ten may be more than enough to apply to cover all your bases. This number would only be too few, perhaps, if you hadn’t already discovered your strong preference for undergraduate-focused schools. You are in good shape for this still fairly early stage of your college search!
One more thing to consider, something about the way you describe yourself makes me think you would like a college with an open curriculum.
Bucknell is a very preppy, homogenous college, and (of the colleges listed here) one of the more parochial. That, and it’s relative isolation in the middle of PA really suited my nephew (who is from PA), and didn’t suit my neice (from DC). Based on what you’ve said here, I wouldn’t imagine it as a great fit.
None of the colleges you list are grade-driven competitive, but as noted above, Swarthmore is quite intense as in super-motivated (some would say driven) students. Haverford and Vassar are less intense / more rounded life than Swarthmore (Vassar’s strong creative arts component plays a part in that), but are more intense than most of the others on your list.
Bowdoin is tough for girls, as they currently are applying at twice the rate of boys and they try to keep the numbers balanced. It seems to suit sportier students.
You might spend a little time playing on expedia / travelocity and google maps: you may find that geography is a variable that is worth considering. For example, Middlebury, which was high on D2s list for a while, got cut when we were making a list of colleges to go see on spring break- because it was such a long, expensive hassle to get there (we were starting on the east coast). When we looked at the cost- in time and money- of 4 round trips a year (x4 years) (start/end of year, Thanksgiving, Winter break, Spring break; not coming back for Fall break) it was just ridiculous. It may seem a hum-drum reason to cut colleges, but the reality is that you can have a great experience at any of those colleges, and you have a reasonable shot at getting into the majority of them. As you haven’t indicated any particular love for any of them, practical is a good place to start as any - and since working out the financial side has been well covered (actually, really well covered- you have had some great posters reply)- I thought I’d mention this one.
I have not called for an early read on FA, but I know from the FA forum out here that people do. You might start a thread out there asking how family farms are treated in the FA process. There are some experts out there (even a couple of people who work in FA at colleges who post pretty regularly). Someone on this thread suggested May for requesting the early read, and I agree. Then last year’s taxes should be done and available, too.
You have been given some outstanding advice here by some very knowledgable people. I am going to echo much of what already has been said.
You have listed a number of top 10 and top 20 LAC’s. They are going to be difficult to gain admission to (for almost everyone) and while a number of them will not be overtly competitive there will be rigorous course work and a need for significant effort with your studies.
Our daughter had applied to a number of the schools on your list. We are from the east coast and we have visited several of these schools. Specifically we have been to Bowdoin, Middlebury, Haverford, Swarthmore, Vassar and perhaps some others.
Our daughter was very nearly a Middkid. I understand your appreciation for Middlebury, it is an awesome school.
Other schools that I would suggest you research are Lafayette College, Dennison, University of Richmond and perhaps Hobart & William Smith. They are potentially generous with merit aid, are good schools and have a strong athletic vibe on campus, two of these schools are Division 1.
Your ACT score is great, if you could get it up a point or two you are more apt to see opportunity for significant merit aid.
You come across as a young woman who is bright and enthusiastic. Best wishes to you!
also - another question is
Do you want to be somewhere (like near a city) or nowhere? Nowhere is not a bad thing - just know that all of your social life will be campus based
and dont let anyone fool you with New York or Philly or Boston is only and hour and a half away - you likely wont visit those places more (if even) once a year
Here’s an article on college honor codes: The Fading Honor Code, The New York Times. Unfortunately, not all of the colleges mentioned come across that well.
@merc81 I actually would love an open curriculum but, also, I wouldn’t mind a few requirements here and there. However, I want quite a bit of freedom in how I fill those requirements. Also, thank you for the information on schools with honor codes!
@swampdraggin location doesn’t mean a lot to me–I live an hour and a half away from any reasonably big city so I’m use to isolation. If the college isn’t near a city, however, the campus needs to be lively with tons of stuff going on! Other than that, I’m very open to any location.
@intparent I’ll start the thread right now!
Kenyon and Grinnell come to mind based on your description. College courses might be better than AP or IB. Waiting to visit until after you get in is a mistake. It might seem like your saving money but if you need to change colleges or majors because your first choice is wrong, it will cost you a lot more than a trip
If you want an affordable option, with an “open curriculum,” consider New College of Florida. Your list focused so heavily on northern colleges that I refrained from suggesting it earlier. The “vibe” is different, because it is a public college in FL (official title is “Florida’s Public Liberal Arts Honors College”). It routinely ranks in the top five for public liberal arts colleges, along with William & Mary and the Service Academies. Writing is a central component for all majors, and you can design your own major. Every student is required to produce a thesis in order to graduate, and they have Writer-in-Residence programs and January independent study sessions. The automatic merit scholarship for out-of-state students, if it remains in effect, brings the cost of attendance down toward many state schools. My son attends NCF, and we pay approximately the same amount as we would have paid for our state flagship. People have dubbed NCF “Bikini Bennington,” or “Bennington on the Beach/Bay,” because of its “hippie” flavor. Sarasota is a town catering, primarily, to affluent seniors, but don’t let that scare you off. It means there are flourishing arts and cultural organizations nearby. At this time of year, it’s also a great area for baseball lovers. Take a look at their website and course offerings. I think your chances of admission are excellent. The college is literally next door to a small airport, but flights into Sarasota-Bradenton can be pricey from some hubs (not all). It is very accessible to Tampa, St. Pete, and even Ft. Myers for budget flights.
I think your advice is excellent @Wje9164be. My thought is that the OP’s parents might be looking at the situation with a different frame of analysis. If @volleychick applies to six northeastern colleges, for example, and is denied at four – a possibility – then an early trip out east would not have been used that efficiently. Having said that, I think the distinct aspect the OP will be forgoing is the admissions advantage of early decision. Although, in her case, this may not be a great factor, as she has expressed no desire to go to the “most competitive” college possible.
In the end they probably won’t visit more than 1 or 2 in that one month window… It is just how it usually works out of students wait to visit colleges that are far away until after acceptances.
Iowa is different than NJ/NY/CT - If you dont visit many of these places beforehand and wait - then frequently you wont get in - Iowa seems tougher to show interest.
There are reps that travel the US - so seek them out if they end up within 2 hours of you
@volleychick13 should have local opportunities to do off-campus interviews. The individual colleges will provide her with information on this.
@Wje9164be @merc81 and @intparent I have tried to convince my mom to visit but she drags her feet saying “the east coast doesn’t appeal to me” or “what’s wrong with U of I?” I think it is mostly due to the fact she doesn’t want me to leave. I have talked to my dad, explaining that I feel as if I need to visit before narrowing down more and he is considering it. Yet, he can’t visit as he is needed pretty much all the time here which is unfortunate because he is actually the supportive one of the two. All that is left is my grandma–she loves to travel and I’m sure she would be willing to visit colleges with me if I talked to her. However, she isn’t the same as my mom; I am a very independent person but my mother’s opinion means a lot to me. Perhaps it would be better if I just went with my grandma since, if my dad and I forced my mom to go, she would have a really bad attitude the entire time. Regardless, I think I may have convinced my dad to let me visit before applying so that’s a plus.