<p>If anyone lives in Minnesota (etc.) - you may understand why my daughter is set on heading south to find a college in a warmer climate.
Since she is currently a sophomore - we are in brainstorming mode ... I will try to include the helpful information:
1. We will not qualify for need-based aid. Let's assume that though we would prefer to keep it lower - we could pay up to 30K / year. So I would say that Tuition+Fees+Room/Board - Merit Scholarship < or = 30K (I am intentionally not including books, supplies,or travel expenses so please use this number). I think this means that we are not looking for super elite schools, but solid schools that may offer merit aid.
2. She is currently interested in some type of health care field (nursing, pre-med, pre-OT), Spanish, or perhaps Education.
3. Geographic preference is ... well ... warm!
4. Her current GPA is a 3.8. She has taken 6 honors classes and 1 AP class in high school so far. Overall - she only plans on taking about 4 AP classes total.
5. She will not take the PSAT as a junior. Her PLAN results predict an ACT score between 27-31.
6. Last - she would most like a school with a student population between 8000-15000. </p>
<p>My problem is that I keep coming up with really small or really big (according to her criteria) schools. If this size (8000-15000) is too constraining, then I think it will be easier to get her into a larger school that "feels" smaller. I don't think she'll go for a small school.</p>
<p>Any wisdom would be greatly appreciated.</p>