Bryn Mawr is test optional, a good small LAC that is part of a nice four-school consortium, near Philly (and phila international airport), and I’ve heard they offer good aid.
Whitman In Walla Walla is test optional and with your daughter’s GPA and extracurriculars she will probably qualify for merit money, and they do not consider the primary residence as an asset in financial calculations. My son loved his time at Whitman, it’s a small close-knit community of very smart students who tend to be collaborative. The academics are rigorous but the student body is pretty laid back.There are lots of outdoor activities facilitated by the Outdoor Program. Walla Walla is a nice small city and the campus is 2 blocks from its charming downtown. Clothes stores, groceries, coffee houses (including a Starbucks), good restaurants, excellent student eateries, and other types of stores are within easy walking distance. There is a very small airport in Walla Walla with direct flights from Seattle and an hour away is the Pasco airport with many more flights from other places and service by multiple airlines. It is liberal but not aggressively so. Get the book Colleges That Change Lives, it introduces liberal arts
schools that are doing an excellent job of educating students but are lesser known to the general public.
Another recommendation for Bryn Mawr. You and your daughter should give it a serious look as it has tons to offer.
Agree on Bryn Mawr and possibly Mount Holyoke although both have a fair bit of what could be deemed SJW students. Biology programs at both schools are great. Access to consortium opportunities are fabulous. Bryn Mawr more airport-accessible.
Look at the Fairtest schools. Find those that give good financial aid by checking out their info on the Common Data Run NPCs on them. Have you run any yet to see what you are expected to pay at some schools that interest your DD? Can you work with those numbers? How much can you pay for college each year?
Merit money is tough at Fairtest schools even without test scores.
Bowdoin
Bryn Mawr
Colorado College
Connecticut College
Lawrence University
Mount Holyoke
Pitzer
Skidmore
CTCL schools which give merit awards without test scores: Earlham, Beloit, Lawrence, Knox, Denison.
Wooster, while not test optional, seems to look at the bigger picture and not get hung up on test scores when the rest of the portfolio is strong.
On the other hand, we do know that Dickinson and St Lawrence, which are both test optional, require test scores for either any merit aid or anything more than the lowest tier of merit.
College of the Holy Cross. Strong bio program, close to 2 airports, no Greek life; test optional, generous financial aid, not rural; not a SJW place- so it checks a lot of boxes on your list.
Unless Holy Cross has changed a lot, getting merit there is not easy. Without test scores, the school would really have to want the applicant
Second Earlham. One hour to Dayton airport. The college arranges airport shuttle service for breaks, at a modest cost.
Earlham is FAFSA-only which means housing equity not considered. Colleges that use CSS vary in how they handle home equity and googling might get you more details.
Earlham is very strong in sciences and has a very high % international students, various racial and ethnic groups, and socioeconomic range. They are in somewhat of a financial bind which may affect merit aid in the future, but they have been very generous in the past.
Have you considered Austin College right there in TX?
CTCL schools may be good choices for admission safeties or targets.
However, none of them (other than Reed) even claim to meet 100% of demonstrated need.
Many of them do offer merit scholarships, but with a family income < $100K, you might get a lower net price from a more selective “full need” college.
Run the online net price calculators for any schools that interest you.
For a family income of $95K with commensurate assets, I’d expect “full need” college net prices to be around $20K-$30K per year.
A few people mentioned Mt Holyoke. Just wanted to mention that Bradley International airport (Springfield MA/Hartford CT) isn’t too far from the school. It’s still a long flight from TX, but she would not have to fly in and out of Boston.
Brandeis was also mentioned; it has a lot of similarities to LACs (size, community, values) AND is outstanding in the sciences.
Agree with Southwestern and Austin colleges. A cautionary note-do you have any kind of test scores (AP, subject tests) that substantiate her performance? IME colleges are wary of rural Texas public schools’ performance, and it would help, a lot, to validate that 4.0 with matching test scores of some kind to see if she really is competitive for some of these schools.
Wake Forest in NC is test optional and could be a good fit. It’s more medium-sized than LAC – about 5000 students. Good with need aid but I don’t think w/o test scores merit would be likely.
@itsanadventure Has she tried the SAT? Many students do markedly better on one format or the other. She might try a practice test and see if it’s more in line with her overall academic performance.
Some midwestern LACs have good holistic admissions policies and even offer merit without test scores. And… a few “stack” merit and financial aid.
I encourage your daughter to apply at schools and to visit them even if they don’t meet her ideal location qualifications. I have experienced that, as the process goes on, and students get their admissions notifications, financial aid packages, and do their visits… “location” frequently sinks lower on their list of priorities. ( It doesn’t make sense to eliminate a great school with enough aid, and a good match for personality/student body because it isn’t in an ideal city.) I hope she will keep her opportunities open… she can always cross off schools based on city/location later, after she has her admissions notifications and has evaluated each school for opportunities and personal fit.
Important for her to consider also:
*Grad school placement traditions/ratio
*life-science resources and facilities
*research opportunities as an undergrad
*research mentoring
*funding assistance for research/internships (which really are required for grad school these days… and top grad schools want to see service work and extra curriculars, as well)
*support for grad school/career search and applications
*(if interested) department-related study abroad/travel opportunities (and funding)
*meet the professors/mentors in field of interest – these days, life-science students spend a lot of time with professors… it is good to go where you feel you will “click”.
*meet some students in field of interest – life-science students (especially in collaborative school environments, but even in less collaborative environments) spend a lot of time working with peers… it is important to have a good fit with the student body
For top bio/lifescience experiences, with good need/merit combos for stats that you listed, and considering the other factors you listed, you might check out these Midwestern LACs. (I added a star for the ones that I know are exceptional in the areas of consideration that I listed. The others may have those attributes as well, but I just have not personally had occasion to experience those aspects, yet.)
Beloit
Earlham*
Kalamazoo
Oberlin*
Wooster*
Also – these schools will be stretches, but they have great life-sciences and are need blind with robust endowments and generous financial aid policies:
Bowdoin
Bates
Colby
Colorado College
Connecticut College
Williams
(but she would have to be very good to make the basketball team at any those schools)
Please note that, even within the schools matching the parameters you mentioned, there is a large degree of variance in campus environment. It is so important to find her best fit. In fact, it will be a key to being accepted at many of the schools with liberal holistic admissions policies.
And… have fun going through the process… and don’t stress too much. All she needs is one great school where she feels comfortable and has access the opportunities she is looking for… and that school is definitely out here, and this forum is a great tool for pooling resources to make those connections! There is no “perfect” school, but there will be one that is “perfect for her.” Best of luck in the search!
Williams and Bowdoin seem like good fits, but they’re rural.
I wouldn’t call Bowdoin/Brunswick ME rural but I guess that’s in the eye of the beholder.
Have you run NPCs on some sample schools to find out what sort of financial aid is likely? What can you afford to pay for her college? Will the budget increase once your other student is out of school?
Money is going to be an issue here. Few schools meet full need and with two kids in college, you do have need! Merit is very scarce at the Fairtest schools that do not use test scores. They tend to “buy” high test scores though they will accept applicants without test scores. I also do not know if those that tend to give good aid are need blind for those going in without test scores.
I suggest looking st schools like Duquesne University, Albright College , St Joseph’s and Lasalle in PA. Also catholic schools local to you. Run NPCs for these schools. Iona College in NY also a possibility.
Also, what about the Texas State schools. Texas Tech, UT Dallas, other UTs as well as private Texas colleges.
If you can come up with the amount you can spend for her college while she has her sister in school and when her sister is out, might be able to zone in a bit better.