@natty1988 Any suggestions for smaller schools on the left coast? Especially CA?
@murray93 We toured Butler & Depauw this weekend and had all day Sunday as well to check out the campuses on our own. She really liked Butler but loved Depauw. Butler admission staff was very nice. Our tour guide was awesome, my D really liked her. The campus was nice but just not as “pretty” as some of the other schools we’ve seen. New freshman dorm was amazing, prob the best we’ve seen. Academics and support services seemed really good and the student body seemed like a nice mix of people. D is uncertain about Greek life but the houses were really nice. She was unimpressed with the look of the cafeteria but we didn’t eat there.
@natty1988 We’re in Denver and my S20 and D21 looked into a lot of those schools. S decided on Arizona after seriously considering WSU. D’s top choice right now is NAU and she has a lot of interest in Montana State and Oregon State. We just visited Western Colorado and I was really impressed but it’s too small for her.
I agree there are a lot of really good schools in this side of the country and they are very reasonably priced.
@natty1988 Here are a few more smaller schools in CA that are in this gpa range:
University of the Redlands
Saint Mary’s College of California
Whittier College
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@natty1988 I was going to post about Redlands and Saint Mary’s as well! You said “especially CA” but if you’d look at OR, there’s Willamette, Linfield, and Lewis & Clark (slightly more selective but an excellent school). WA has University of Puget Sound which is, I think a CTCL school.
@MAmom111 thank you for the update on Butler. Sounds like someplace we need to visit in-person if ED choice falls through. Is it still on D’s list? Sounds like she may prefer Depauw,
Thanks for the west coast school suggestions. These are actually for S22 who has worse grades than D20. He is focused on East Coast and CA because he’s cool like that. ? He’s a percussionist soccer player, more artsy than sporty or fratty, and based on his behavior so far needs to be at a smaller school where he feels accountable. Sorry to divert the thread, but just thought I’d ask because western schools came up.
@murray93 I just visited Western Colorado with my D21 and I think it would fit the bill nicely. They really promoted the small class sizes, the professors knowing the students, etc.
It is with a HUGE sigh of relief that I can finally say…I finished the FAFSA for D20 and S20!!! Made it through the hurdles and obstacles 
Hey all, congrats to all those who are starting to have acceptances rolling in! Fun times. And those who have finished FAFSA @scoutmom2002
My son is getting invited to apply for HC at some of his schools, but he isn’t really interested in doing the extra work. The window already closed on his 1st choice school’s HC, and that is one that he hasn’t been technically accepted at yet. Ugg. I hate to make him do all the extra essays and such for his 2nd choice schools but HC does come with money, so I guess I will push.
Is there an end in sight???
@ITBgirl my S20 also was not interested in extra work for HC, even though he too was invited to apply. I tried pushing…because, yes maybe extra money…but I’m actually not sure about the connection between Merit Aid and HC.
In the end I relented and S20 didn’t include HC app.
I was just going to post something about HC apps. My son seems to have zero interest and I don’t know if I should push or not either. I KNOW the one school has a pretty big guaranteed scholarship for study abroad if they are in the honors college, but it’s his 3rd choice school, so odds are he doesn’t end up there now anyhow since he’s been accepted to his 1st and 2nd.
Otherwise I think it’s mostly just the added perk of early registration and honors (smaller) classes plus some added social things that they do to get the students involved the first couple years. I know he’ll never stick with it for the entire 4 years, but I thought it would be good for him at first to get him out of his shell. He’s my kid that I’ve had to push to do EVERYTHING, but then he ends up loving it (marching band and speech team are a couple things that come to mind). I’m just getting sick of cracking the whip and thinking “does it really matter?” Especially if he’s not going to do the entire program.
I don’t know. Maybe I’ll make a low ball bribe offer. 
@cshell2 I totally get that! I am so tired of cracking the whip! We are also trying to wrap up his Eagle Scout Project right now and I am so tired of pushing! I can’t see my son finishing in HC either but it does have some perks. My daughter just graduated from HC at ECU and it had lots of highlights but it ran her ragged, research projects, extra classes, volunteer hours. Granted she loved the smaller school with in the school feeling – but I am hoping that DS20 can find that elsewhere (band, jazz, club swim?).
We did completed one HC app last night, deadline is Sunday, but it was a very weak effort on his part and mine!
@ITBgirl - My son is trying to finish up his Eagle Project too! He did the actual project back in May, but he’s been dragging his feet on the paperwork as he abhors writing. He’s very close to being done though. He was supposed to have a meeting tonight with his completed binder, but we’re expecting a snowstorm so he postponed it to next week.
I’m hoping he gets into one of the LLCs at the schools he’s considering. He’s a small town kid in a high school of 300 kids total and considering schools of 35-50K students. I’m so afraid he’s going to be lost there. I’ve been pushing marching band too, because he loved it in high school and it seems like it would be really fun in a big football school, but he’s balking at that too. That probably would be big time commit though.
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday! Now just need to find some long lost “patience” as we wait to hear from other EA schools who noted decisions would be mailed Jan. 15…which seems like an eternity!
Anyone else waiting on a 12/15 ED date? Hoping to get the good news before Christmas.
We are waiting on Purdue EA, which notifies 1/15. That was always her number one choice. But I do feel like the waiting has caused her to be distracted by, and possibly attached to, other reasonable options.
@Momofmanytoo - same here! D20’s top two choices notify 1/15…but as her boyfriend’s acceptances (which overlap with some of D20’s) come rolling in…hopefully she is not swayed…I do like her boyfriend very much and he’s a good kid…but…time apart at totally different schools will be pushed hard by me.
S20 will however likely have his decision made my Christmas as it’s based on soccer recruitment at either VMI (already offered a spot) or others he is still waiting on – CNU, ODU, GMU. Finger’s crossed he is offered a spot at either CNU, GMU or ODU so that he at least has more options. Although S20 would not mind VMI and after overnight visit said “he could see himself there”.
Congrats to everyone with acceptances already! So exciting!
I feel like I just keep whining about being in California and my D20 only applying to in-state schools. But, I am going to do it again - we have to wait until March, maybe February for her safeties since she is a higher stats kid for those. Ugh! Anyone else having to wait until then for decisions? Sorry, I will try not to whine anymore during this waiting game.
@MommaCat we heard from one CSU already but I know the UC schools are very slow. My S20 only applied to 3 CSUs but is leaning towards community college with a transfer to a UC down the road. Hang in there!