<p>Ohio University is a university...but it's not enormous like Ohio State or Michigan. It's in a very nice small town, and has a great feel to it. It's not all that far from Marietta. I begged my daughter to look there but she wasn't interested in her mom's alma mater!</p>
<p>Thanks thumper. Is that the school with the gateway scholarships? If it is, one reason we are not looking is that my son might not get much in the way of merit aid because of his competitive hs (gpa won't be high enough, IMO). Also, I would prefer that he stick with smaller schools with few graduate programs, but I have not completely ruled out stopping there. I guess, last but not least, is if merit aid were lost at a state school, FA would more than likely be lousy. I would like to avoid that scenario. My son isn't afraid to work hard, but I also know that losing merit aid is quite possible for a B student. I have seen it happen to friends of mine, and some of their kids were A students in high school.</p>
<p>My D just graduated from Hiram College and it was the best decision we made for kid # 1 . She grew up in an urban city with many schools ,started at State college , transferred to Hiram and she was very happy there . It's isolation was a plus point . She is now on her way to grad school with a full tuition scholarship . Many success stories come from this college ( kids who did not do well first semester at another college or ambivalnet about future ) --and a very pretty village , safe campus .</p>
<p>easydoesitmom, CONGRATULATIONS! I wish her all the best as she goes to grad school!</p>
<p>Don't forget to get frozen custard at Whits in Granville, while visiting Denison. Worth the trip. Also Denison Admission office will give you free lunch card so you can eat on campus is you ask for it.</p>
<p>There are several nice B&B's in Granville. Find the details on the Denison website.</p>
<p>Please don't overlook the University of Dayton. A large non-Catholic population. Daughter absolutely loves it. As for me, I've never seen a more welcoming, inclusive school -- the community feeling others have posted is evident when you walk on campus or through the student neighborhoods. UD has generous financial aid. A Mariott Inn is on the edge of campus and the Oakwood Club is a great place to dine (one of the older/nicer restaurants in town) a few miles from campus.</p>
<p>applicantmum, and InOhio, thank you for the suggestions.</p>