Maybe see how she reacts to SCU and LMU. Pepperdine perhaps.
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I think I get the vibe of Christian the OP is looking for (it sounds very much like what we are looking for too) and I don’t think Hillsdale is a good fit.
Wheaton (IL) could be a decent fit. It is probably a little more conservative than they would prefer but might be okay.
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Thanks so much for tagging me. You may be feeling stressed and overwhelmed, but I think you’ve come up with a very thoughtful list of schools for your D to consider. I would probably separate them into buckets for likeliest schools for acceptance to least likely and give her the bucket of likeliest schools to start researching and considering first.
With 13% in sororities and 14% in fraternities, I don’t think that Emory would be too Greek.
Have you seen this thread? Colleges with dance for non-majors Looking at your list, you probably did, but if not, I thought I’d mention it.
In terms of finding strong psychology departments, I do think they tend to be bread-and-butter staples across most universities. You may want to look at which schools are producing the most doctoral students in psychology, and you can limit it by state, type of college (liberal arts college, master’s, doctoral, etc), religious college, etc. So I’d limit the field to psychology and also select the timespan that you most favor (I usually use 2000-2018…the latest year this data set has): Baccalaureate origins of doctoral recipients
Connecticut College is one I didn’t see on your list but that you might want to give her for consideration. If she’s interested in staying out west, Lewis & Clark might be another option to suggest. Trinity U. in San Antonio might be another possibility.
Will keep my thinking cap on.
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You have some strong ballet schools on there (Utah, Indiana, Arizona, Oklahoma). D18 was a ballet major at Utah and loved it there. She applied to the others as well as UCs (we are in the Bay Area) and various other schools, though the UCs don’t provide particularly strong preparation for a dance career (UCI followed by UCSB are the best). Utah was her top admit and cheapest (she got a large academic scholarship). It was also very accommodating for a double degree (BFA and BS Hons, a classmate did ballet + psychology). Having said that, attempting a dance career post-college is very hard, and rarely succeeds because you are much older than the other trainees.
But she really does need to decide if she wants a BFA or just wants to dance for fun. At the top dance programs (and some other publics) non-BFAs won’t be able to take the high level classes or be in the performances. On the other hand, T20 private schools with great facilities are often very accommodating to dancers who major in something else and just take classes/audition for performances.
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I think your daughter might be a great fit for the culture of St. Olaf. It seems to have everything she is looking for, she’d receive merit, and I’d place it as a likely for her. If you do a search you will find my comments about it’s collaborative culture and high community standards. They do have a dance program and a thriving Christian community.
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Seems like her friends have taken “Christian” to mean how noisy right wing politicians and the like have taken over the word, rather than just meaning religious beliefs or observance.
But it is not like there is an absence of churches in the region of various denominations of Christianity.
However, it does mean that the student may want to see if Christian organizations and churches at or near colleges (or a college’s affiliation with a Christian religion) are just about religion, or are more politicized.
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@2Devils , I remember your D as well, as I’m always looking for insight from dance parents! To answer your question, she has taken the hardest courses the school offers in all core subject areas. She does like the challenge of difficult courses in all areas. Her friends at the studio aren’t focused on academics, so she constantly is having to say “no” when they invite her to social activities, bc she has work to do. I asked her if she wanted to change what she was taking, and she said, “No. I want to do both–dance and take rigorous classes.” She’s top10%–I’m making some assumptions here, bc the school doesn’t rank, but I’m 99% sure that’s true.
Senior year courses: AP Calc AB, AP Eng Lang, either AP Physics 1 or DE Physics, H Gov/AP Macro or DE Macro/Micro, Neuroscience?, and then some “life skills” classes that her school requires.
I have Princeton listed, and would consider it winning the lottery if she or S27 gets in, but I’m not sure that without more ECs with nat’l/int’l awards that she has a chance. My husband is more of an optimist than I am about this. I think she has the academic chops, but so do 90% of the applicants. D25 is happy to apply, but does not have her heart set on it. I suspect that is the only Ivy she’ll apply to–it’s a good fit for her personality/interests and, assuming legacy doesn’t go away, it’s her best shot. And would D25 prefer the Goldilocks size school (4-9K)? Yes, but those tend to be the hardest to get into, so…some of the publics remain.
I really like the way you’ve broken down the academically intense schools. I think she’d be ok, but that’s something to talk about more. I really appreciate your thoughts.
@Malsandhuskies , I won’t cross of W&M, but will at least be more aware of the challenge of an OOS female. Thanks for the encouragement, though!
@merc81 , Hillsdale is too conservative for our family. Thank you for the suggestion, though!
@tsbna44 , big publics are there if she can’t find a critical mass of Christians at a smaller school that feels like a good fit and/or she decides she needs higher level dance than they can provide. If she goes somewhere like Utah, she will likely double major, but if she isn’t going to a school that is turning out pro dancers (there are very few!), she will likely be ok with just being involved in dance.
@roycroftmom , I’ll add those to her list. Thanks!
@bigelom3 , I agree re: Hillsdale. My husband somehow got on their mailing list and the publications they send are not our views.
@MAmomto4 , I remember when you first started posting about your son. However you described your family’s faith resonated with me, so I agree, I think the Christian vibe we’re looking for is similar. So feel free to chime in with any places you feel fit the bill, even if our kids are looking for different things aside from that!
@AustenNut , you are so gracious, always. The private school list above was from least to most selective, but the public one isn’t. I need to figure out the OOS admission rate and just haven’t gotten that far. I’ll add Conn College. I’ve heard mixed things re: Lewis & Clark, but will reconsider. I had Trinity on the longer list, but thought people might start to get a little overwhelmed if I wrote all 100 of them! Thank you for your thoughts!
@Twoin18 , I’ve loved hearing about your daughter’s experience at Utah and beyond. I know D25 has to make the decision re: BFA or for fun. At this point, I’m only willing to let her do a BFA if it’s at a school that reasonably often turns about professionals (so, for ballet would only consider the four you mentioned). I don’t yet understand much about contemporary/modern, so if her interests turn, I’m at a loss, but will attempt to bone up as quickly as possible. If she can handle it, we are likely to let her do some auditioning for trainee programs, audition for the 4 BFAs above, and apply to schools where dance is for fun next year. I know it’s kicking the can down the road to try to do all three, but I suspect doors will open/close and she’ll either move forward with ballet or say she gave it her best shot. Does that seem reasonable?
I hadn’t thought about not being in a BFA preventing her from taking high level classes/performing at other programs. Hmm. Will need to do some more research into this once she starts winnowing the list. If she can get into T20 schools, that would be great, but I realize that that’s a big ask. She’ll apply to a couple(?) but needs to have solid plans B, C, and D. I appreciate your input!
@vwlizard , I think she’d be great at St. Olaf. I fear I may have mentioned this too many times over the last couple of years and am doing my best to not mention its name for the next few months. Can you come over and mention it to her? 
@ucbalumnus , I agree with you. I’m hoping college visits will help us suss this out.
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As an opinion on the LACs on your list, I’d say that Carleton, Vassar, Hamilton, Bates, Holy Cross and Puget Sound would represent a nicely diverse range of schools — by geography, selectivity, and other aspects — to consider for the study of psychology. Regarding the Claremonts, perhaps add Pitzer. With respect to women’s colleges, consider Smith College and Mount Holyoke.
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I like all these ideas. Thank you!
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Have you visited any of the CA schools? If so, what did she think of UCSC compared to UCSB? UCSB has more of the “look a certain way” than UCSC does. SDSU might as well.
Based on everything you have said, I would eliminate USC (too urban, big Greek life, large Dornslife classes).
Have you looked at LMU’s honors program? She would need to apply EA to be considered for it.
Don’t let the OOS deter you from Wm&Mary, my D18 got in and we are OOS. Also got into UVA. Those schools just have very limited opportunities for OOS because public schools in VA (Wm&Mary is actually a public/state university) are required to accept 80% in-state candidates. UNC schools are similar although UNC Chappell is the only one that is tough to get into as OOS.
Rhodes is a great school and the campus is beautiful - old Ivy League feel with great traditions, but it is in the heart of urban Memphis. It is also fairly Greek although the focus is more on community involvement. However, we have several friends who attend or are recent alumni and they all LOVE Rhodes. WashU (StLouis) and Rice are the same - beautiful campus but also in a rather urban area (but oh it’s such great campuses!) you don’t really notice it as much because their campus is so well designed. Vanderbilt is the same way; you should add it to your list. My D18 attended there and it was a great experience… Greek but not too Greek, MANY great Christian groups as well as community service groups. It’s a fabulous bubble of a campus, much like WashU… you just don’t realize you’re in the city until you go a several blocks to downtown.
Emory is in Atlanta but also definitely not urban and also not overly Greek at all. My S23 is attending Emory, currently at the Oxford campus (which is about 35miles south of ATL), and he is really loving it. Can’t speak to anything dance related but Emory would be a great fit for psych/behavior sciences/neuroscience. Also boasts one of the top medical schools in the country.
You may consider adding Wake Forest, Furman and University of Richmond you your list.
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Even then don’t get your hopes up. Of the 36 or so in D’s freshman class, I think 25 stuck it out to get a BFA. Only 12 continued and auditioned for ballet jobs after college. A year later that’s down to 7 or 8. Only 1 is self-supporting from a paid company position (the one guy in their class), none of the rest are getting paid more than a nominal amount if anything.
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Just a clarification on one of the schools on your list. Miami of Ohio is a public school in Ohio. It is also heavily Greek. They have a dance company that is separate from there Dance minor and requires an audition to be accepted to it. Most mid to larger schools will have active Christian organizations. Assuming she doesn’t end up working to be a professional dancer what are her plans for the Psychology degree? Is she interested in a professional degree either in Psychology or other field? Psychology is one of the degrees used to apply to Physical Therapy, PA schools etc.
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Hope might fit the bill although they do have sororities. We didn’t get the vibe that they were a huge part of campus at all. They do rush (more like come visit the houses and see if you’d like them) in January (we visited in January of this year and they were holding rush and all we really saw were some banners in front of the houses). They are investing in their dance program, building a new dance center.
Hillsdale has some VERY nice students. Honestly the nicest students we encountered so far on college visits. There is a Christian presence on campus but no particular dominant denomination present. Very much in the middle of nowhere campus. Kids dressed pretty preppy. Pat Sajak is on the board. lol
Wheaton I would put in the more conservative category, has required chapel. Very nice suburban location. Plenty of choices for churches there. 30ish minutes to Chicago. We haven’t visited the campus yet but from the videos we’ve seen there is diversity in the way the kids dress.
60% of students at William & Mary are from Virginia.
My D19 graduated with a BS in psychology and D21 is there now. Feel free to message me if W&M stays on your list! D21 has moderate Christian friends at school, and one lovely gay Christian friend. They feel supported in their faith on campus. D19 is very progressive politically, but part of why she chose W&M is because she didn’t want to be in a bubble. She found W&M to be liberal, but more open to diversity of thought and faith than the small New England schools she looked at. We are out of state.
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Lots of good input here already, so just a few thoughts.
Not Greek-life heavy could mean focus on the formerly women’s colleges (and some current) which don’t have it – Skidmore, Vassar, Connecticut College, plus Mt .Holyoke, Bryn Mawr.
The non-urban preference could pull a few off the list – U MN for instance, Case Western, Marquette, though maybe midwest cities are less “busy” than NYC so would work still. I agree that Miami of Ohio is not a great fit for someone who leans no-Greek.
Schools with reputations for all around “nice,” kids with a campus culture which encourages dialogue – Dickinson, Rhodes (may be too urban), Denison, Conn Coll, St Olaf, and College of the Holy Cross.
I’m guessing that Indiana and Butler are on there for dance reasons, we know alums from both those programs who have gone on to successful professional careers. For what it’s worth, IU has a reputation of preferring taller female dancers.
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In the larger public catagory you may want to have her look at James Madison University (JMU) in VA. Approximately 20,000 students. Strong psychology and a strong contemporary/modern based auditioned BA in dance. Many dance majors double major. The BA in dance has strong opportunities and pre-professional training, but is flexible and customizable enough to fit nicely with a double major.
The university has an undergraduate focus, many smaller classes, and opportunities for undergraduates to participate in research. If she were to apply and be accepted to the honors college there are even more small class options, and structured research opportunities.
There is greek life, but it does not seem to dominate the campus culture for those who choose not to be involved. Through the honors college and the dance major there are also opportunities to live in learning community dorms for the first year, which can help make the larger university feel smaller and help with finding community outside of the greek system. There are also many service focused fraternities and groups on campus, as well as Christian orginizations on campus that students can be involved in if they choose.
Outside of the dance major there are dance clubs on campus, a dance minor, and a dance coop (formed by former dance majors [from JMU and other schools] who now work in other fields and professional dancers amd choreographers in the area) within walking distance to campus.
Since she has other VA schools on her list, JMU may be worth her looking at to see if it could be a good fit in terms of environment and her educational goals.
OP- on the Christian group dynamic- I would encourage you to pick up the phone.
My kids were looking for a robust and active Jewish presence on campus-- and I gotta say, relying on the websites, “what you’ve heard”, etc. is not terribly helpful. If you have specific criteria you will do MUCH better discussing your D’s needs/wants/preferences with an actual campus Chaplain than you will relying on Facebook etc.
We found the Chaplain’s offices (even the non-Jewish Chaplains) to be much more accurate in “pegging” the frequency, religious orientation, focus, and headcounts of various activities) than anything else. In most cases, the Chaplains are paid employees of the university; they meet frequently and know each other very well, brainstorm on ideas and trouble-shooting, etc.
If the religious component is important to your D, it’s worth relying on real info, not reputation. We visited one university which on paper would have been perfect for one of my kids and the Hillel Director said flat out- “we aren’t for you. Not yet at any rate. Come back in 10 years”. I hadn’t thought to schedule a phone call ahead of time- the website and the campus buzz looked perfect-- but it would have saved us a visit (and a night in a hotel) after a 20 minute phone call.
In the same vein- take “nice” off the table IMHO. At least in my neck of the woods, many of the colleges with the most “cut throat” reputations are the ones where some of the nicest, kindest, chillest kids end up. This is another one of those “check it out for yourself” elements which in my mind get completely overblown by HS kids.
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She sounds a lot like my D23. We were also looking for a politically moderate school away from the west (we live in Portland), that would be accepting of moderately religious students. She’s not a dancer though and her gpa was only a 3.7UW. My daughter also wasn’t as particular about greek life but she didn’t love the idea of it.
In any case, she wound up at Trinity U in San Antonio and it’s been a great fit. She made the Cheer team and is super busy and happy. Her final list had many of the schools that you have as well. Hope and Butler were way up there. She also applied to Furman (but pretty Greek), Miami of Ohio, Baylor, Elon, Creighton, Gonzaga, and U of Arkansas. She didn’t want the cold but I think St Olaf would have been a great fit as well.
Butler and St Olaf seem like a great fit to me. Hope too. I wonder if some of the schools on your list would be too progressive for her? Vassar, Whitman, Carleton, Brandeis, Scripps, Wellesley?
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