Yes she crossed Alabama off her list a while ago. Plus she loves snow and cold weather. It’s wonderful what they do with merit aid and seeking out OOS students though.
2 Likes
Is she willing to consider UHawaii Manoa? Also WUE. Not cold…
2 Likes
Sorry I meant that post to be private to relaxmon
1 Like
If Oregon State seems like it might be a fit in other ways, you could contact them and ask about the criteria for WUE scholarships. That was one thing we didn’t ask.
They did tell us that admission to the honors program is holistic with a lot of weight on the essay, and they do consider extenuating circumstances if a student doesn’t meet the posted GPA or SAT/ACT minimum (I would think that a medical crisis would count as extenuating circumstances). If you are curious about the work that honors students do, there is a searchable thesis archive here: https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/collections/47429g339?locale=en
3 Likes
Wouldn’t that be nice? Not cold enough and also her sport isn’t there. She is fortunate to have traveled there a few times and knows it’s not for her. I would have loved visiting!
1 Like
Abortion policy alone would be a reason that would give many women (and others) pause about moving to school in Ohio, regardless of whether there are other Progressive students at the school. That’s more than just a difference of political opinion. The state is heavily gerrymandered and dominated at the state level by one party.
My daughter goes to a progressive-leaning liberal arts college in another conservative-leaning state. She is liberal but not political and non-confrontational. It was a hard transition. While the professors are liberal and there are many liberal student groups on campus, the conservative backgrounds of many of the students seeped through daily life. She made friends with nice girls who seemed tolerant and were Democrats then months later in private conversations they would drop statements like wishing that their mutual friend who was gay wasn’t living in sin and was going to go to hell. It shocked my daughter. It was just one of many examples.
One could argue experiencing that is healthy and gives people better perspective and tolerance and coping abilities. But when you are 18 and trying to make new friends, it’s pretty reasonable to not want to wonder if your friends may harbor intolerant beliefs that are at odds with your moral compass.
20 Likes
Wow horrible. And can you imagine sending an lgbtq kid into that? With their “friends” secretly saying/thinking those things about them? Sad but nowadays there is so much hate you really have to be so careful.
9 Likes
When we visited Northfield, MN (Carleton and St. Olaf) depending on the way the wind is blowing there is a potent smell from the Malt o Meal factory on the side of town there.
It wasn’t unpleasant, but it sure was noticeable! Like a mix of brown sugar and toasted milk? Quite something to experience 
6 Likes
I know you mentioned that she wanted a larger research institution, but I wonder if she might benefit from the care and personal supports of a smaller liberal arts college?
4 Likes
I was going to second the Utah suggestion and then I saw OP’s post further down the thread.
How about Syracuse? It’s got a lot of what you’re looking for. It’s pricey, but not super selective. It’s a decent size with tons of school spirit and friendly students. She’d get the extra support that comes with a private school. It also has 3 hospitals surrounding the campus.
Edited to add: We ran the net price calculator on Syracuse’s website and were surprised at the amount of aid they were offering. Although it may be hard to predict right now without her test scores, they might be able to offer some aid, especially considering your daughter’s unique circumstances.
3 Likes
My thoughts exactly on needing supports. She’s graduating in a small isolated town with a small school and yearns for something different. She was raised in the city until age 11 and so she has some idea of what to expect and that she would like more people. I don’t blame her, I couldn’t wait to get out of Dodge at that age.
I have been slowly shrinking her minimum school size and successfully I think - I think I’ve gotten her down to 10k ish. She wants to study the sciences and go to grad school and into research. No Healthcare career plans. No matter what the school HAS to be larger than the 2k ish students many LAC’s have.
1 Like
My jaw dropped when I saw Syracuse’s price tag but that was earlier in my learning process and I’ll give it another look! I do actually have some inside contacts there with faculty.
1 Like
Thanks everyone, I didn’t mean to turn this into my D23’s personal chanceme thread. Appreciate so much your time and consideration for her somewhat unusual circumstances.
2 Likes
Ran the NPC for Syracuse and the total is $51k annually. They didn’t ask merit questions like GPA or SAT score however.
Also their 4 year grad rate is 73% which is super impressive and a factor for us.
Emphasis added to push back against it, because it’s inaccurate—if the school itself doesn’t allow 9th & 10th graders to take AP classes, then the school profile and/or guidance counselor letter should say that. Rigor is relative to the offerings at the school, not in comparison to Phillips Academy Andover or whatever.
7 Likes
Agreed and many privates don’t permit or discourage early APs with no impact on college admissions.
5 Likes
We toured St Olaf and my daughter loved the smell of the Malt O Meal! The tour guide was saying you can even tell the flavor of the cereal they were making lol.
5 Likes
It was only a 1-year scholarship. My 21 received it. It basically paid for that first year of Honors College
My daughter spent last night making a spreadsheet of the colleges she is applying to and plugging in their deadline dates, application/essay requirements, etc. But she had to google all of it.
7 Likes
I went to SU for grad school and it is an AWESOME place. The only downfall is that winter is very, very, very long.
2 Likes