<p>I can't find any colleges I like. The ones I look like look nice, but that's it. I can't actually see myself anywhere. There was one I really liked, Beloit, but it might be too far away. I live in Virginia. My SAT combined is 1270/1600. I get As and Bs and do tons of community service. I want to go to a SMALL LAC. SMALL! I don't want somewhere where everyone is conservative or everyone is liberal, though socially I lean left, I am by no means an Obama-fan. PLEASE HELP... any suggestions will be much appreciated. I also want to go somewhere that's not quite a traditional LAC... like somewhere they do things a little differently, like on the Colleges that Change Lives. Also the homosexual population must be widely accepted and welcomed.</p>
<p>Are you female or male? There are some women’s colleges that might work if you’re female.</p>
<p>What about finances? Are your parents willing to spend $50k per year for the LAC of your choice? </p>
<p>if you’ll need aid, will you qualify? If so, then you’ll need to look at school that meet need without loans.</p>
<p>If your parents can’t/won’t pay their family contribution, then you’ll need a strategy.</p>
<p>So you’ve read about all the “Colleges that Change…” and none are acceptable to you? I can’t think what to say, except that you might need to reevaluate how important being closer to home is. Since you will be focusing on yur schoolwork increasingly each year, even if you are closer you won’t likely be going home often. As long as you are near an airport you are good to go. From Beloit you’d get to fare shop between Chi and Milwaukee, (my daughter is in Madison and uses both), and a smaller airport in Madison.</p>
<p>I don’t think anyone will care if you like the president or not and I can’t see how that is relevant to picking college.</p>
<p>You’d better try to give something else to get suggestions. Since most LAC’s are small, can you refine what you mean? Around 1,000 or under?</p>
<p>Guides like Fiske indicate which schools people apply to that overlap. Did you try to find overlap for Beloit?</p>
<p>Just look state by state, starting here,
[Virginia</a> Colleges and Universities](<a href=“http://www.colleges.virginia.cc/]Virginia”>http://www.colleges.virginia.cc/)
and pick out the ones that fit, make a list. If you can’t find any you like, you need to reevaluate your priorities and start with academics.</p>
<p>following up a bit on what mom2collegekids said:</p>
<p>Approximately what is your family’s Estimated Financial Contribution (EFC)? Are you eligible for need-based aid? If you are eligible for need-based aid, looking at colleges with good aid policies (a lot in grants/scholarships, not a lot in loans) is important.</p>
<p>If your family’s EFC is over $50,000/year, you won’t be eligible for need-based aid. </p>
<p>Then the question is: Are your parents able to pay the $200,000+ for you to go to an LAC for four years? Are they willing to do this? Find out now.</p>
<p>If they are willing/able to pay $200,000, Beloit is a great school. What is your intended major? Think about geography - do you want access to a city while you are in school? We can help you think of ideas for liberal arts colleges that might be nice for you. If you want a school closer to home than Beloit, how about Goucher or Guilford? Or how about Allegheny? Wooster? Bowdoin, Bennington, College of the Atlantic? (Without knowing more about what you are looking for, it’s hard to come up with suggestions.) If you are a woman open to the idea of a women’s college, that opens up more possibilities.</p>
<p>If they are not able/willing to pay the $200,000:
- you might want to look at in-state public colleges
- you might want to look at out-of-state public schools that will give you in state tuition. If you choose one of the majors on this list, you can get in-state tuition at one of these out-of-state schools. Not many of these are Liberal Arts majors, though - did you want a Liberal Arts major? Which are you leaning toward?
[ACM</a> Programs Available to Virginians at Institutions in Other ACM States](<a href=“http://www.schev.edu/Students/ACMprog4VAtable.asp?from=students&atLevel=1&atState=AnyState]ACM”>http://www.schev.edu/Students/ACMprog4VAtable.asp?from=students&atLevel=1&atState=AnyState) - You can also look at schools that have low tuition or schools will give you a merit scholarship with your grades and test scores. There are multiple threads here on CC about both of those topics; we can help you find them.</p>
<p>Start with finding the schools that are safeties, both admissions-wise and cost-wise. This is “building your list from the bottom up.” Good luck!</p>
<p>I think OP said they want a small LAC like a CTCL school, not that none are acceptable. I can’t advise on east coast LACs though I grew up there - my experience with colleges has all been in the midwest (H and I both left the east coast years ago to attend midwestern schools - so I’m a huge fan) Excellent advice form midwestmom - start your list from the bottom up. Good advice to check out your EFC before settling on a school though I happen to know that Beloit is not $200,000 a year, still the full price is in the range of $160,000 which isn’t peanuts - still Beloit and other LACs can be very generous with merit and fin aid if you qualify. Beloit is especially known for having room for all types of thinking - D, who attends, is happiest to be around a political dialog - not a single minded thought group at all there! With a good financial aid/ merit package a LAC can be less expensive than a state. Our cost is half the cost of S at state U - so don’t be discouraged from LACs - we are total fans of both as both S and D are experiencing the perfect fit in opposite settings.</p>
<p>I’ll add up costs. I think it would cost the family over $200,000 to send the OP to Beloit for four years.
Current Beloit costs (from College Board)
Tuition 35,038
R+B 7164
Books 600
Estimated personal expenses 900
Total: $43,700
Three round trip plane tickets home @$470=$1400 if OP only goes home for Christmas break and spring break, so call it $45,100. If OP can get cheaper plane tickets, he can also go home for Thanksgiving or other breaks, but allocate $1400 for plane tickets. That is for fall 2010. Since the OP is starting the college search, I am guessing the OP will start school in Fall 2011. </p>
<p>This year tuition went up from $33,188 09-10 to $35,038 10-11, so let’s estimate tuition will increase $1900 per year.</p>
<p>2011-2012 cost $47,000
2012-2013 cost $48,900
2012-2014 cost $51,800
2014-2015 cost $53,700
Over $200K if the OP is starting in Fall 2011 and not eligible for need-based aid and doesn’t get merit scholarships. About $1900 more each year, so if the OP is starting in fall 2012, costs will be higher yet.</p>
<p>Let me say again:
Beloit is a great school.</p>
<p>Wow - when you put the numbers out like that it is really scary - with LACs like Carleton roughly $10K more than Beloit per year - the total cost could be upward toward $250K for Carleton - ouch!
If you are a full pay/ no merit student a state U is the better choice, unless you have that type of money available to put toward your education.
In our family’s circumstances both kids were awarded top merit but S chose the more expensive option which was the State U and D chose the hands down best financial offer which was the private LAC (Beloit) - for us literally half the cost of the state U - just always good to took at the circumstances that vary from family to family, as I always tell my friends. I happen to know more people who turn away from LACs as too expensive, without looking at final cost after aid and merit. Cast a wide net and don’t shut doors before doing research is the CC motto - right? State U - perfect choice for S, small LAC - perfect chose for D - I’m just happy these choices are available.</p>
<p>I am not worried about cost.</p>
<p>Does that mean your parents have agreed to pay whatever or that you just don’t want to consider bad news?</p>
<p>xcat- I saw you also posted on the Juniata board. One of the reasons my D likes Juniata is that while it is somewhat liberal, it is not an extremely political environment. Unlike her mom (me!) she has little interest in politics. Juniata seems like a good fit for her on that regard. It has a peace and justice program, so there is that element, but it isn’t a rabidly political place.</p>
<p>Erin’s Dad,
I said I am not worried about cost. Therefore, I am not worried about cost and that need not be a factor in replies.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>Erin’s Dad asked for a legitimate clarification. He/we don’t know you. There are many, many kids who write that they’re “not worried about cost,” but that doesn’t mean that they have the funds for college. That often means that they want to pick a college without any concern about how they’re going to pay for it. Some have also (wrongly) assumed that their affluent parents are willing to pay $50k per year - without ever asking them. Then, a year later, they’re crying on CC that they don’t have the money to go.</p>
<p>So, be more polite when someone is just trying to get some clarification. People like Erin’s Dad really want to make sure that you get the best advice possible. You’re the one asking for help.</p>
<p>Educating yourself on the cost of college and how much your family will or can spend ahead of time is just a basic building block of the process, the advice you have gotten is along the lines of - ‘oh great you want to plant a garden, what are you going to put in it? Where are you going to put it and how are you going to water it?’ It is just part of the planning process - same as planning to go to college - the water is the money part. Even if you have unlimited funds - can you be sure this supply will be easily directed toward college? The experienced posters above have seen time and again the shock after all the acceptances come in that after all the funds will not be directed toward college. The cost of college is a moving target - it is just good to be educated, aware, and up on all aspects of the search.
Back to the search - I think you have a good start with Beloit, but if it feels too far away then start a list of smaller schools closer to home - one thing about small schools is that there can be a one size fits all type of thinking whether it be liberal or conservative - Beloit is unusual in that it really does attract a range of thinkers that you would be more likely to find at a university - speaking of which I personally think from your description of what you want that you really should look at universities too. You got 2 great links above and an excellent suggestion of Juanita - keep us posted on what you come up with. I’m interested for one.</p>
<p>Check out Hendrix college. It seems to have everything you’re looking for. And they give good merit aid, too. (I know you’re not worried about $, but your parents might be. Even if they have plenty, it is always nice to save. . .)</p>
<p>In Virginia, with these stats, you might consider Mary Baldwin, Longwood College, or possibly Washington and Lee.</p>
<p>Atomom, thank you. What I mean by “not concerned with cost” is that my family is not limiting my choices with money, but merit aid is, of course, excellent. Hendrix looks neat.</p>
<p>Hendrix is a great LAC; they offer great merit aid. Located in Conway, Arkansas. It is a smallish town, but you won’t be hurting if you want to find malls/shopping. Little Rock is pretty close if you must access something that can’t be found in Conway.</p>
<p>The campus is very tightly packed but extremely nice. Arkansas Governor’s School is held at Hendrix College every year during the summer; that says a lot about the quality of the campus. Besides, Hendrix is the 1/2 in terms of academics in Arkansas (UA and Hendrix).</p>
<p>I second (third??) Hendrix. When we visited in gave a very middle of the road political impression, seemed very gay friendly (I know a gay alum) and is certainly small. It is my impression that they give lots of small merit awards and a few big awards.
You should also look at Rhodes if you want to be closer to a city with all it has to offer, but I have the impression that Hendrix is much more laid back and is probably the better fit.</p>
<p>The first thing that popped into my head was Kenyon College. It’s a small college in Ohio that seems to fit most, if not all, of your criteria. It’s a little too small for my taste, but I’ve heard many great things about it!</p>
<p>I think you might like Juniata.
How about Drew?</p>