Safeties for an A student?

Schools with 1500-6000 undergrads where you can major in the natural sciences with a liberal arts education.

As others have reiterated repeatedly, what’s the budget? Even if you give a range, like somewhere south of $20-30k or $40-50k or whatever. People will be able to offer suggestions regardless of the budget, but it’s very hard to offer suggestions without knowing what your family is willing and able to pay.

If there are any other factors at play in your choice of college, like states you prefer (or prefer to avoid), climate, religion, importance of Greek life, importance of intercollegiate athletics spirit, types of natural sciences, etc, please let us know.

3 Likes

Miami University of Oxford Ohio is an academic safety for you. You would qualify for possible merit to bring the cost down to just over $40,000 a year. Is that affordable for your family?

SUNY Geneseo is an excellent school that you would likely gain acceptance to. It is approximately $37,000 (before any scholarship) for OOS students. Is that affordable?

I believe you have a good chance of acceptance to the University of Rochester. Cost of attendance is about $86,000 a year without merit. Would your parents pay that amount?

Is there an instate option that meets your criteria? I would begin there.

2 Likes

University of Rochester
Macalester
Hobart and William Smith
Dickinson
St Olaf
Allegheny

2 Likes

If you would like to attend a college strong across the breadth of natural and physical sciences, consider those that include a solid geosciences department.

1 Like

A little below 1500 but look at Juniata College as a safety. Very strong in the natural sciences, especially environmental science and chemistry. Also generous with merit aid. My D23 starts in the Fall and our cost (no need-based aid) will be about $28k.

3 Likes

Among small colleges, the Mine schools have strong geosciences departments, but they are not necessarily the strongest in other sciences.

For targets, Whitman, St Olaf, Denison, URochester.
For safeties, Wooster, Allegheny.
Express interest now (create an email address just for college communication, register at each college with “join the mailing list”, open every email they send, click on the links that interest you; sparingly email them with questions the links make you think of.)

3 Likes

I still think we need to hear from OP. We are seeing a litany of names but other than liking natural sciences, no additional info. So it’s easy to suggest - but there’s little to base it on til he/she comes back with a more targeted response.

The OP has not returned, but I just read something very interesting about SUNY matching instate tuition (not all SUNYs participate, but many do) to students from 8 states: California, Illinois, Pa, Massachusetts, Vermont, NH, CT, and NJ. SUNY will match the flagship tuition from those states. They are using Berkeley for California. If the OOS cost is actually less than the flagship, I assume students pay the lesser cost.

If the OP is from one of these states, and if the OP can afford their instate flagship, then SUNY Geneseo becomes a safety (it is on the list).

2 Likes

This topic was automatically closed 180 days after the last reply. If you’d like to reply, please flag the thread for moderator attention.