Ahh that list of schools looks very similar to my D16’s list of schools! I miss having a child with a college list, haha.
I’ve been trying to persuade S and H that we should go visit UVM in the spring or summer (preferably spring so maybe some snowboarding can happen). H seems to think it’s an outlandish idea and S has no opinion, of course. He would need one of the bigger merit scholarships to go there, but the size and (apparent) vibe seem very attractive.
@cleoforshort – maybe VCU if strong sports means basketball. 
@cleoforshort Old Dominion University in VA has ABET Engineering and accepts 85% of applicants.
@cleoforshort a friend’s son is at SUNY Buffalo. Gpa was about 3.2 but ACT very high. He got a nice scholarship.
My daughter is at a STEM school and they take many students with 3.0 and under, but they get less in scholarships, and it is DII (good at some stuff, not so much in others).
You can also look at the non-flagship Florida schools. FIU, USF (Tampa) both have pretty good football. Engineering at West Florida and North Florida but the sports not as big.
I’m finding that Ohio schools, overall, offer the best bang for the buck in our search radius. So I was hoping there were parents on here with more experience in assessing the schools who could help me sort them out.
I’m not talking Ohio State and Miami U; they are not an option, as it’s expensive for OOS and my daughter’s stats aren’t likely to get her any merit. She’s probably going to have about a 3.5 with maybe a 29 ACT when all is said and done. I know she is working hard to beat that estimation, but I’m trying not to get too hopeful
So, the rest of the bunch:
Kent State, Youngstown State, Bowling Green, Cleveland State, University of Toledo, Ohio University, Otterbein, Baldwin Wallace, Denison, University of Akron, Wright State and University of Cincinnati.
I think that’s all of them
Anyone have good insights on ranking any one more highly than another? For quality of education and the possibility of merit aid for good, not stellar stats? ETA - I have researched them all and know which ones have charts on their websites and lists of automatic merit etc. I am hoping for something not on the websites; maybe firsthand, maybe anecdotal, maybe a site I haven’t been to yet. Thanks
Double eta: my boss went to Bowling Green and highly recommends it. That counts for a lot for me. Just sayin’…
Lurking from the 2017 3.0-3.4 thread–my S17 was above the GPA but had non-amazing SAT/ACT scores…
@Gatormama How much merit do you need? MSU gives an automatic $8k per year for your D19’s stats, plus probably a one time $3-5k study abroad scholarship. If she sneaks into the honors college, the auto scholarship increases to $15k per year. My S17 was a late admission into the honors college scholarship with a 94 GPA (top 10% rank) but a 1340 SAT and 28 ACT. However I fear that part of his honors college acceptance was based on my legacy…
@eh1234 you never know. my S17 did much better merit wise than I’d expected which made UVM a reality. He’s a very happy freshman.
Thank you all for your suggestions, I am going to put them in his folder. S19 is a hockey and lacrosse player, he’d like to play something in college as an NCAA athlete. Hockey will be a tough road and we’ll know more about lacrosse after this summer. His PSAT was decent, 1360 with a 740 in Math. He has severe ADHD and was not given extra time on the test. His school just informed us this week that he was granted extra time on the SAT which he will take in March. I’m hoping his grades will rise once the hockey travel stops (he flies almost every weekend and misses one day of school a week.) I’d like him to go to a school where he can have a balanced life, do well, and meet some great people.
@eandesmom UVM is very generous. My D14 with a 3.2 and a 31 on the ACT was offered the Presidential Scholarship (she went elsewhere). Her GPA never recovered after going off ADHD meds her Sophomore year in high school due to a heart arrhythmia. I am thankful that the schools that admitted her considered her story and were generous.
Thanks @MSU88CHEng - I’ll take a look at MSU.
We are looking to keep college to $20k a year, max, our cost for everything. Plus the federal student loan. I would love for it to be less; we cash-flow between $12k and $15k now for her private school and it’s not easy. I don’t expect to qualify for any need-based aid.
We have no money saved for college (see above, private school since preK, thanks to our cruddy area).
There are a couple of scholarships available through my work; one she is very likely to get, and that’s $5k. The other is need-based and I don’t know anything firsthand about how much is awarded. I’m not sure how to assess the value of the scholarship(s). I mean, if the cost of attendance is $25k and we have a $5k outside scholarship that we’re bringing to the table, does that reduce our merit? I guess it’s different from school to school.
Our safeties are the PASSHE schools: West Chester, Slippery Rock or Bloomsburg. She’s visited West Chester and will be happy to go there, and I’m thrilled that we have that as the fallback.
And out of left field, University of New Mexico. It has an Amigo scholarship, basically OOS tuition waiver, that brings the cost down to our budget. She already qualifies for it. Have to add that to the mix now.
@Gatormama Florida State also has an OOS tuition waiver, but I haven’t seen info on what stats are needed (probably higher than UNM). In-state tuition is <$7000.
@Gatormama Saw this posted on a thread from April 2017.
Just talked with Admissions and the requirement for this year was a 30 for the full waiver, and a 29 for partial waiver. They also said a 3.5 WGPA was required - I’m sure based on their weighted calculation.
Thanks, yes, FSU is on the list already and we are visiting over spring break. UNM looks slightly easier, financially, and they both have the right majors etc.
I’m still looking for help with Ohio schools from anyone with insights beyond the websites, though.
I realized after I posted that someone with the screenname “gatormama” is probably familiar with the Florida state schools 
Hahah @eh1234 - the sad thing is that legacy does me no good with getting my daughter into UF - and they would never accept me today, and I had worse stats than my daughter does when they let me in in the 80s…
We are back from a successful visit at JMU. D19 met with a member of the faculty (with a hat tip to @KatMT for help finding the right person!). She had a great discussion (and he looked over her portfolio) and was able to tour the facilities. D19 really likes the school, and she was able to meet several students in the theatre program as they toured. Some of the students were not only pursuing theatre but also digital video/cinema through JMU’s SMAD, which D19 would like to do as well.
While I waited, I was able to simply people watch – saw some really great students in the performing arts there! Some of the students were heading out together for a weekend trip to NYC – heard some songs from Dear Even Hansen as they pulled their luggage alongside them.
JMU definitely moved up the list! Not sure if she would be accepted due to her GPA, but she’s going to do her best and try.
Glad to hear, @OrangeFish - your daughter is showing a lot of dedication and passion in this process and I know you’re so proud of her!
Sounds like a great day at JMU, @orangefish. They seem to have a pretty extensive performing arts program there.
I hope my S19 ends up liking an in-state option or two. He’ll be at JMU for all-state orchestra auditions in February so he can at least see the campus a bit. I still haven’t seen a single Virginia campus unless I count attending some concerts at GMU.
I just signed him up for “Hokie Preview” at VA Tech during spring break. He seemed to think it was odd that we would travel to Blacksburg for one day, but he didn’t have a good answer when I asked him how else he would see the campus without actually going to the campus. (Plus we’ll go down the night before rather than driving down at 5:00 am!)
For summer visits, I guess I’ll try to combine the college tours with something he considers more worthwhile
@eh1234 – the performance spaces at the Forbes Center are beautiful at JMU! I also wandered around the Music Building (checking out the strings ) and they have some wonderful rehearsal halls. I’d love to hear thoughts after his visit next month.
When we went to tour Va Tech we stayed in Christiansburg because there were no rooms available in Blacksburg. It was a short ride to campus and the admissions office to fetch our parking pass. I’m glad he’s going to visit instead of relying on a virtual tour!
Just talked to my D19, she has a rough idea about her studying path. She hopes to study in the social science subject, such as psychology, political science or criminology and would like to study in/near urban city, like NY. However, its seems quite difficult for us to support her OOS tuition in NY, we stay at west coast. BTW, she just a B student with estimate ACT below 30. Welcome any college suggestion that fit her target.