@labegg :x
We got a mailing from them that looks so green and beautiful. It makes me want to go there.
^^We are going next week to OU!
They have a “Discover the Arts” Preview Day on Monday, Columbus Day. Jibes nicely with WVU’s Preview Day on the Saturday, so we are combining the two.
I am really hoping D loves one or the other of them, and that one or the other of them finds something they love about her. There is merit to be had at these schools, and I think both are a better academic environment than our affordable state options, not that they are bad, just limited.
I can’t wait - there are many things to see, and I’ve seen folks from both schools rave about how much they love them.
@PetulaClark We got the SAT fee waiver based on income from 2015 income. In 2016 our income was exactly 700 over the limit for reduced price lunch. But that was only because H got a one time consulting job. So I think we are ok if we can go by last year’s income. This year the stock market is hot so we might be slightly over if we include that. I’m not even sure, though.
So I could be scrupulous and tell D not to use them, and then the stock market goes down or even crashes and I’ll be kicking myself for giving up the chance to use them. Lol.
That’s actually nothing to laugh about because D has a 529 that a relative set up for her years ago. If the market crashes, we won’t have that extra bit each year to help get her through, and that would make things really hard.
@Gatormama I hope you have a nice trip. The leaves might be changing and it could be especially beautiful.
And @Gatormama, you must post about your tours, as I am very interested in those that might be within our reach. :
DD asked me about touring schools, so we have done WCU and Bloomsburg University; one to give her a feel for the larger less contained campus and one very self contained. That’s it! 
OU was one we have looked at, but I think I decided that if DD changed her major to education, OH is not a well rated state for teachers. I think it is advised, initially, to get your certification in the state you want to teach, so it has gone down on our list.
@MACmiracle, don’t sweat the waivers. Years ago when DH lost his well paying job when everything started moving overseas, we were on the Free Lunch program When he finally started working it pushed our income over the max. I very diligently called and they told me the designation was good for the entire year and was surprised I had called.
DD has received a few fee waivers, but we are so disorganized, (still getting bombarded w/ college flyers!) we don’t know what I did with them. I was just going through a pile tonight with many more to go, so might find them yet.
@lisabees My dd has a similar profile. We considered St. John’s. Thing is, the French system is somewhat “great books-ish” – and so is the European and British system, in a way – so she sort of felt like it was btdt. Also, she decided she wants mostly science classes. All of the schools you mention were on our list at some point. I agree that Mt. Holyoke would be a really great choice for her. My best friend from HS is an alumna, so we might meet an alumna over here just to chat. Agnes Scott also seems like a really good school. I just can’t get dd very interested in LA schools.
We considered Ohio University for a long time, especially when dd thought she still might do flight. I don’t get a very rigorous vibe from the school, except in the honors program, which dd doesn’t qualify for, unfortunately (she would have wanted the neuro major but it’s only for honors students). Dd adores the campus and would have really liked to go there, I think.
We got the application fee waiver for OU in the mail too. I’ve been checking OU out and it looks pretty good, we just don’t know much about it. I think D is worried it is in a remote area, but I’m not sure that matters too much. I think D is planning to apply though and hopefully get some good merit. I’m hoping we can go visit this fall. @Gatormama would love to hear about your visit.
Haha, I literally just opened up the OU mailing with a fee waiver. DS’ grandmother went there - don’t suppose that counts as legacy, does it? Was about to look it up because I don’t know anything about it other than “Buckeyes.”
@lisabees I assume you considered Goucher but rejected it, since it looks like you’re working off the Colleges That Change Lives list and it’s known for its dance program? We just visited it and I think it could qualify as quirky and intellectual - at least according to our tour guide, who kept describing the students as nerdy. The campus is lovely and both me and my son really liked it. I think it may be test-optional, can’t remember, because you can submit a video application in lieu of the Common App. The downside is you can’t get any merit aid if you do that and it’s an expensive school.
I used to live in Atlanta and the area around Agnes Scott is really nice. Downtown Decatur is awesome. My mom went to Lawrence and is very loyal to it. I was considering Muhlenberg for my kid because it’s in a small city and he doesn’t want rural, which most of the CTCL are, sadly. He’s interested in science and the arts, so it seemed like it might be a good fit. Not sure. We may visit. I would’ve pushed Juniata, but apparently it’s really in the sticks, as is Allegheny. Still considering Ursinus because of location near Philly.
^ I believe you mean Bobcats (Ohio University https://www.ohio.edu/) - Buckeyes are with The Ohio State University https://www.osu.edu/
@BuckeyeMWDSG So I didn’t even know that! lol whoops
They are both great schools. I know many people that have attended one or the other and some that are alumni of both!
Muhlenberg is a place I’m familiar with solely from working in Allentown and dropping my kid off there every night during August for an SAT prep class.
Very nice adm. office people. Very small campus. It’s in a suburban part of a small city. Surrounded by a neighborhood of lovely homes; a few blocks away are strip malls with Chipotle and Panera and such.
Allentown, despite the Billy Joel song, is not the town of dying steel mills … that’s Bethlehem, adjacent and to the east. But that didn’t rhyme in a song, Billy Joel has said, so he went with Allentown.
Allentown has/had Mack Trucks, but they moved their HQ to NC a few years ago, though I think there’s still a factory in Allentown.
The city has a thriving Latino population in the heart of downtown, but a lot of white flight happened in the 70s and 80s (much of it 5 miles away to West Allentown, where Muhlenberg is), and the downtown government/county seat was pretty deserted after business hours. That’s changing, thanks to a small arena and minor league ice hockey team, plus a lot of city reinvestment money. Things are definitely looking up there, though you still have suburbanites scared of brown people 
You would definitely need a car there. Transportation in the Lehigh Valley (where Allentown is one of three small cities) is the pits. Transportation to NYC is decent, in that there are frequent buses (not cheap - $30-50 rt) to the city, but you need a car to get to the buses.
The Lehigh Valley as a region has Lehigh U, Lafayette, Moravian College, DeSales, Cedar Crest, as well as Muhlenberg. ESU is about an hour away and there are CCs plus a PSU branch campus.
Lots of good stuff in the area, and about 90 minutes from NYC/hour from Philly (though again, no train service, just buses)
@Kardinalschnitt How lucky your D got a Great-Bookish education. I’ll be following your journey! If your D is on the preppy-greek side, there are more choices. But, I gather not if our lists have overlaps.
@persimmony I really liked Goucher. D was in a terrible mood when she visited, so it colored her view. She is willing to give it a second chance. She felt that the new president was marketing the school as if it needs to be aggressively marketed, rather than asking, “This is who we are. Are you a good fit?”
Thank you so much for the info Lawrence and Agnes Scott. We live close to Muhlenberg (not the greatest fit and won’t give enough merit) and have visited Allegheny and Juniata. WAY in the boonies, which is why it has been off the list until recently.
She is my toughest one by far. Financially, there are so many unknowns, too, this time around.
@Gatormama. Bethlehem is a fabulous town! Allentown - meh. We live within a hour of each. Muhlenberg had a beautiful performing arts center. I was in heaven. It didn’t sway dd from her basic opinion - she thought everyone was friendly, but got a zero/zilch/nada vibe from the school. And what’s up with some of their classes in modules?
@lisabees Dd loves 80s preppy (like I did) – flannel, plaid, tweed, lambswool, loafers, etc. Basically, British country menswear. Her main wish for a grad gift is a Barbour jacket. She is most definitely not what passes for preppy these days. And definitely not Greek at all.
Lawrence seems like a wonderful school. It would definitely be on our list if dd would consider a LAS. They have a truly excellent physics department. Dd is still wavering between neuro/biological sciences and physics/biophysics. If she would apply to a LAS she would apply to Lawrence first. Love their admissions marketing, too! So creative!
@katstat1 Athens, OH is a really nice town. Dd wanted urban but seems okay with Athens. I’ve heard the town is very supportive of the school. Athens is always on those “small college towns” or “best college towns to live in forever” lists.
@Kardinalschnitt Yeah, majoring in physics isn’t as ideal at a LAS. Oldest graduated with physics degree from Oberlin. Definitely not what he was thinking when he applied to all LAS’s. But, it was a fabulous experience for him and now he is working there - not working in physics, though!
@lisabees Lawrence actually produces the most physics Phd candidates after the top-4 usual suspects. Very surprising! Your son’s experience is very interesting!
You all, I am so frustrated with this FAFSA thingy! Argh! So confusing for us as dh isn’t a US citizen and works for an international org that is tax-exempt. I have to add stuff I never dreamed of to our income – ie. our home leave allowance, our tuition reimbursement. This one burns so bad because it doesn’t ask how much we’ve had to struggle to contribute to tution. Yeah, they help with 75% but that 25% has made life very difficult for the past 3 years. So now we have to treat that 75% as income? I mean, I get it in a way, the privilege and all that, I guess (I am so ambivalent about dd18’s school; I guess if I thought it had been some fantastic experience I would think differently).
@Kardinalschnitt Sorry, no experience with similar FAFSA issues, but we will have our own (well, with CSS Profile), because I am now remarried and they will include my new husband’s income and assets. Because this is my fourth to launch, I know that none of this is “fair” in the way we think it ought to be. And they will expect us to pay WAY more than we know we can afford. As long as the financial piece is recognized from the beginning of the search and you are strategic and transparent with your kid - you can come out as a winner. It’s very hard to get past that first, “Are you kidding me? They expect me to pay that?”
@MACmiracle You can use the 4 application fee waivers from college board, those were based on using a SAT test fee waiver you qualified for last year. You should also be able to send 4 free SAT score reports.
If common app asks if you qualify for fee waiver now, then you would need to check if you are still eligible I think.
But the ones the schools send you (unless they have a clause on it that there is an income limit), go ahead and use them.
We need the $3,000-$4,000 state grant so we need to stay in PA. Plus S wants to stay closer to home.
@MACmiracle the income limits on reduced lunch go up every year too!