<p>There are private colleges that are known for their awesome Merit FA packages. One of them is Case Western. There are also public schools that are medium size. There are choices out there and great reasources on internet to research. Good luck!</p>
<p>Just a word about size, as in size of the campus. He will be there for four years. Believe me, a “small” campus gets pretty claustrophobic after a while. He might come to appreciate that there are different corners of campus to discover. My D wanted a small school but I think she’s getting tired of the tiny universe she’s come to know. And she’s only a freshman.</p>
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<p>In my opinion, the very first thing you need to do is stop taking him to colleges he most likely will not be admitted to until you find a saftey he loves. </p>
<p>The single most important thing in a college search is finding that saftey. From there your son will be able to work from a position of strength, not desperation. </p>
<p>You run the very real danger of nothing living up to “dream school” and then, well, it’s not going to be pleasant for any of you.</p>
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<p>Very well said.</p>
<p>^^Well, yesterday was Indiana, which was meant to be the safety that he loved. (He liked it, but thought it was “big”.) This was going to be the only change to get him to Michigan since they were already out there. The rest of the colleges he is seeing are hopefully more of a match…but who really knows anymore.</p>
<p>BTW, he ran into a classmate on campus that has SAT scores in the 500s and is visiting Michigan, Northwestern, and UPenn…so I’m thinking we’re not too bad off seeing one school that’s a reach…</p>
<p>Wiat a minute - the University of Michigan? As in 25000+ undergrads (and $35000+ for OOS tuition?) I thought we were talking mid-size with merit aid.</p>
<p>Kids…</p>
<p>I didn’t mean to imply that you shouldn’t visit reaches, just that my time here has taught me that the safety really should come first. It’s heartwrenching when a kid falls in deep love with a reach and everything else becomes “second best.”</p>
<p>We did something similar to MissyPie, I recall one DD had about $10-15k annual merit award at Baylor; another DD received something like $11-12k annually at Whitworth, a small private in Spokane, WA (yay, Southwest) which she chose and loves.</p>
<p>Be aware if you pick a school with a $30-40k COA and you get $10-15k in merit aid, you may owe the rest, or if you qualify for need based aid (Pell, etc) you may get that need based aid and still be gapped.</p>
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<p>Right. I think that someone already suggested telling your son exactly how much you can/will pay a year. If the COA is $40,000 and you find schools where he can get $20,000 in merit aid, can you/will you pay the balance? If he gets a full tuition scholarship, can you/will you pay the $10,000 for room and board? I’m highly in favor of being very realistic and up front.</p>
<p>PMK, ds found a safety he really likes. So much so that he’ll say, “I can always go there!” during conversations about dropping grades. Oy vey. I didn’t want him to like it THAT much. :D</p>
<p>Okay…now I have a better idea of what my son meant when he said he didn’t want “big”. What he really meant is that he didn’t like “spread out”…and I guess Michigan seemed more compact to him than Indiana.</p>
<p>As for the tuition…you are absolutely right. This would not only be a reach, but a reach financially for us. But since my husband and I both went there, and met there, and got engaged there, we’d probably stretch to make it work should he get in. We have such incredible memories of the place since it changed both of our lives. And maybe the fact that he has seen a reach he loves will motivate my son to work harder…although there isn’t really any time left to turn his GPA around much.</p>
<p>This is the only true reach school we had planned on visiting, although it’s difficult to know if the others are matches or not. I certainly hope that we can find schools he loves that are safer for him, and maybe where he can get some merit aid. To that end…are there public schools that are large but not as spread out? </p>
<p>Tomorrow is Penn State. I’m really wondering what he will think of that one!</p>
<p>If you don’t mind going in a different direction, William and Mary is one of the best small publics in the country. But it’s not cheap for out of state, nor is it easy to get into.</p>
<p>Thanks Marian, but the GC told us there is absolutely no way my son will ever get in there…they have accepted exactly two kids from our (top 3) public school over the last ten years. And I guess I don’t need him to fall in love with yet another reach. The one good thing about W&M would have been that they do interviews there…</p>
<p>"This would not only be a reach, but a reach financially for us. But since my husband and I both went there, and met there, and got engaged there, we’d probably stretch to make it work should he get in. "</p>
<p>So, if you’d be willing to stretch financially to make a school work that means a lot to you and H; would you be willing to do that for another school that means a lot to your S?</p>
<p>I’ve come to realize that…surprisingly…after going to a high school with less than 400 kids (82 in my class)…I actually wouldn’t mind going to a large public university. I mean, have 25 or less students per class sounds nice…but then again…it’d be the same old same old. I’ve never had more than 25 kids in a class, most of my classes are less than 15. </p>
<p>And because I’m not a “stereotypical” teenager like many of my peers, the small classes make me feel isolated. I’ve realized I actually want a larger social environment. I want a place where I can be known to all 100 kids in one class and be completely anonymous in another. </p>
<p>It’s foreign to me, but it’s not the bad kind of foreign. </p>
<p>It’s why I’m considering crossing William and Mary, Longwood, and Mary Washington off my list. I’m thinking it’s not worth it. W&M is small and known as one of the best small publics there is, but it’s small and it’s in a small community. And I keep wondering if working my butt off to get in there will only result in me ending up in a copy of my hometown. </p>
<p>Same with UMW and Longwood. They’re nice schools. Both of them. But, the atmosphere is just so similar to my hometown…I wonder if it’s going to suffocate me.</p>
<p>I’m starting to realize that the equally-well-priced larger VA publics probably have more to offer me than the smaller ones. </p>
<p>I know my parents want me at a smaller, closer college. They’re afraid of what happens if something happens…and my dad has the whole “daddy’s little girl” complex. But it’s my life, not theirs. </p>
<p>What I’ve realized is that this is an important time of discovery, and your son is probably thinking very hard about how he wants to spend the next four years of his life. I guess a really good start would be to make the most precise list possible for what he’s looking for and do a massive search for colleges that fit.</p>
<p>Point is: There’s a school for everyone. A middle-sized public is probably a good type to search for. There are many well-priced middle-sized publics out there. And I’m sure that with some careful searching you’ll find the perfect school. </p>
<p>Some people want the same kind of environment they had in high school, some want it differently. Some don’t know what they want, and some are faced with all sorts of financial challenges.</p>
<p>But with all the colleges in the world, there’s has to be at least one that fits your son. Don’t give up searching, because for all you know, the answer is right around the corner.</p>
<p>[/unhelpful rant]</p>
<p>Um, 1moremom…that school <strong>does</strong> mean a lot to my son. Did you read too fast or are you one of those “fly by fight pickers”? ;-)</p>
<p>P.S. I see you are a Penn State fan. Maybe he’ll love that school too.</p>
<p>Rix…Personal stories are always helpful and yours was to me. Good luck in your search!</p>
<p>I don’t think she was picking a fight. More like, if, for example, your son goes to a college football game and is absolutely blown away by the school spirit, the team, the band, etc. such that the school comes to exemplify what college is all about and he can’t imagine going anywhere else…would that rank with the legacy school in meaning?</p>
<p>:) Aww…it wasn’t that inspiring, if you ask me. =P</p>
<p>But, just a thought, if prestige isn’t a big factor, I’d actually check out Longwood U and U of Mary Washington. </p>
<p>It might be a long shot from your son’s point of view, but both colleges are beautiful and have a very welcoming small-college feel, but they have plenty of resources around their communities. I think they’re both around 17-18k for OOS tuition. Actually…what state are you in again? xD</p>
<p>I know they’re probably not what you’re looking for, but they’re worth checking into. =)</p>
<p>The nice thing about applying to Michigan is that your son can apply early in the fall, in fact it seems they encourage students to apply really early. Then he can get his decision early and apply to other schools if necessary. In our case my D was accepted there in early December. The application process was very smooth and easy. I personally would encourage him to apply if he has other safeties lined up. But my D applied to 10 reaches so we’re not the best role models in this respect.</p>
<p>Yes, I meant what Missypie said. I know from experience that it can be easy to forget it’s your son’s college search. (My S1 turned down H’s alma mater. Happily, he is headed there for grad school.)</p>
<p>Actually, I’m an Illinois fan. ;)</p>
<p>missypie…that’s a very hard question to answer. I would never want to put my son in a situation where he completely falls in love with a school, it’s a perfect fit, and we just say, “Sorry, no can do”. The only way I can think of to avoid that is not to visit some of those schools. (He’s not really traveling to schools to see football games!) But since he has been relatively apathetic about the whole process until recently, I guess I was just so thrilled that all of a sudden he is excited about something. </p>
<p>OOS tuition at Michigan is high, but it’s not as high as, say, American University…where his GC wants him to look.</p>