Safety school match me [IL resident, 3.8 GPA, 34 ACT, 1430 SAT, <$40k; chemistry or physics -> neuroscience grad]

Chance Me / Match Me!
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Posted by parent for D24:
Caucasian girl, IL resident
Public High School
No need based aid expected

Intended Major(s)
Chemistry/physics (interest in neuroscience research in grad school)

3.8 UW, 4.5 W
ACT 34 SAT 1430

Coursework
AP: APUSH, Chemistry, Spanish, Psychology, English Language/Comp, enrolled: calc BC, physics, Biology
Scored 4s on all 5 taken so far

NHS, Swim (not pursuing in college), lots of theater tech involvement: Assistant stage manager, stage manager, student play writer and director

Assume essays and recs are normal

Do not expect to get much need based aid, but don’t want to spend more than about $30k-40k (apparently what in-state UIUC may be) Much less is preferable.

Want schools with strong STEM, strong Theater, and great study abroad

Current reach schools:
Tulane, Wake Forest, Case Western, Swarthmore
Both Wake and CWRU have specific study abroad programs as a pull factors. Swarthmore: toured without knowing much and loved it

Target:
U Illinois @ Champaign-Urbana (too big, didn’t like feel of campus, but good for programs desired)

Current safety
U Mississippi- good size, like campus, great merit aid, but not totally sold on it (a parent went there and isn’t sure the culture is a good fit, but loves the school just the same)

Possible safety:
Loyola New Orleans (lots of family and friends in NOLA, good for arts, not sure about the strength of STEM programs

Providence College (RI) (talked to rep at college fair and liked what she said, haven’t seen it, don’t know merit aid situation)

We want other safety options that may be better fits for academics and merit- strong STEM, strong Theater, strong and accessible Study Abroad particularly Spanish speaking areas.

Appears to want East Coast, considering international

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Have you completed the Net Price Calculators at the schools on your list? The private schools you have listed have sticker prices around $80k. If you are not expecting much financial aid, these will not come close to you preferred price point. Check out the other Illinois state schools(Northern, Eastern, Western, ISU, Southern, UIC) as well as other public schools known for giving good merit. Alabama and Arizona immediately come to mind.

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Thanks. Bama is just too big and has the same “fit” concerns as Ole Miss. She has no interest at all on going West and does not really want to stay in the Midwest without a compelling reason (specific programs and merit aid). She does have friends at ISU.
We have done calculators (but not the CSS yet). The new FAFSA calculator made it so much worse for us (based on estimated numbers)

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The price point of your instate flagship may be a compelling point. Alternatively, she could seek much less selective schools to try to get the massive merit aid she seeks. It is a tradeoff between school selectivity and merit aid.

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Ohio University admission would be a safety.

They offer a Chemistry degree through their Honors Tutorial College, which would require an interview, but comes with scholarship funds if accepted.

https://www.ohio.edu/majors/bs1904

https://www.ohio.edu/honors/tutorial-college

https://www.ohio.edu/goglobal/programs

“Ohio University and the surrounding community is home to a myriad of arts organizations, and unique vibrant opportunities for student involvement.”

https://www.ohio.edu/fine-arts/opportunities-experiences/experiential-learning

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So at a high level, this is a combination of preferences that is making the cost issue fairly hard to solve. Not necessarily impossible, but looking at smaller research universities and LACs like Swarthmore, on the East Coast, often means you are looking at private colleges which mostly focus on need-based aid, because the desirable location means they do not need to offer much if any merit aid.

On the other hand, if she was willing to stay somewhere in the Great Lakes/Upper-Midwest, then way more such colleges offer serious merit aid, because they need to in order to compete with their coastal peers.

So I can’t comment on theater, but in terms of good “science” LACs, with good grad school placement, that offer merit, there is Grinnell, Macalester, Oberlin, St Olaf, Kalamazoo, Lawrence University, Allegheny (technically not Midwest but Western PA), the College of Wooster, Knox . . . lots to look at. I don’t know all those in detail, but I know many have excellent study abroad programs.

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Thanks. I’ll check out some of the MN ones. We have done a cursory look at some of the others. Maybe I’ll get her to re-check them.

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So three’s no point in applying to your reach schools - unless the NPCs show a lower price. ANd you said no need aid expected. So if you want under $40K. So Swat is more than double and has no scholarships.

So Bama and Ms State (vs. Ole Miss) are the easy to know ones - but you say Bama is too big - but then why look at UMN?

So for much less - you can try - a UAH (Bama’s much smaller and as inexpensive cousin), a Truman State (midwest), a Kalamazoo for LAC since you have Swat. You might try Depauw too in Indiana as well as Juniata, Ursinsus, and Susquehana in PA
 The Florida Schools would also be less expensive - but are big - but so is UIUC.

W Carolina is $20K all in - it won’t have the “quality” of student you might want.

Miami of Ohio and Ohio U would likely make budget. Millersville in PA would most certainly but is very local. Salisbury and Christopher Newport would be two more to hit target - more local. Like Truman State, CNU has a very good rep. College of Charleston may - if you went for the Charleston Fellows Program. Tennessee Tech might be another that could work for you.

UAH would be worth a look - very strong in engineering - so likely decent in sciences too. Like Bama, they have automerit. You’d be about $18K-ish. It’s surrounded by defense companies in a city deemed one of the best for young people

Good luck

Charleston Fellows Program - College of Charleston (cofc.edu)

UAH - Admission & Aid - Freshman Out-of-State Academic Scholarships

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Pitt may be worth a look. But UIUC has what you are looking for:strong in STEM, good theater, and on budget. It’s too bad your kid didn’t like it.

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I totally get kids wanting to go away for college (having been such a kid myself), but then you can really run smack into sharp tradeoffs between what will be affordable and what would be your ideal experience. For some kids/families, this is a solvable problem once they really learn what options exist, but for others . . . it is a real challenge to give the kid the specific going-away-for-college experience that they want at an affordable price.

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While neuroscience wasn’t something any of my children were particularly interested in, there were some LACs we looked at that seemed to have pretty strong departments.

One school that leaps to mind for your daughter is Lake Forest College. Pretty sure she would qualify for their top automatic merit aid and would be in the running for their competitive merit aid as well. When we toured the campus - the neuroscience program was highly touted and really impressive. They have very strong placement in neuro and a lot of ‘extras’ for those interested.

Not sure about their theatre programs but you are relatively close to Chicago so you do have the Chicago theatre scene as a draw.

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Sometimes Catholic schools can provide more affordable options with good study abroad programs.

Have you looked at the NPC for Loyola in Chicago?

Or if it must be out east, maybe Loyola Maryland or University of Mary in Virginia?

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Academically, Union College would represent a good school for a student with these interests and goals.

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College of Wooster. I was really impressed with their info sessions.

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Washington college in Maryland. Amazing STEm program: great professors who really get to know students, river and field campus for biology, Cater Society that gives money to students to do their own research, opportunities to be a TA for study sessions as an undergrad, and over a 98% acceptance rate into med, dental, vet, law schools (so really good at preparing students and good at recommendation letters).

They have a very active theater department and you don’t need to major in it to be a part. They have study abroad opportunities for semester long, or just MayTerm or in January.

They give really good merit and used to have a free common app.

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I haven’t heard of that school before. Thanks, I’ll check it out

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TCNJ (7,000 students) is around $40k full price for out of state and would be a target. It’s a public LAC very strong academics in both the sciences and the arts. Actually I believe all the NJ publics are in that price range for out of state. Look at Rowan University (15,000 students) $45k full price oos. It has 2 medical schools and is building a veterinary school. Very good for arts and sciences as well. Safety for admission and I’d be surprised if she wasn’t awarded some merit. TCNJ gives merit but not as much. Add Elizabethtown College to the list of PA LACs to research.

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The most famous universities in Canada (McGill, Toronto, UBC, 
) are likely to cost more than US$40,000 per year as the total cost of attendance. However, there are quite a few very good universities in Canada, and some of the less famous but still very good ones may cost less than this even for an international student. In the east, you might consider Dalhousie (in Halifax), or a smaller university such as Acadia, Bishop’s, or Mount Allison. Concordia in Montreal might also be in budget. There are quite a few very good universities in Ontario which would be closer for you, but I am not sure what they cost and I mostly only know the most famous ones (Toronto, Queen’s, McMaster).

If you check out prices at any of these, do not forget to take the exchange rate into account.

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