<p>I've long disliked my in-state flagship safety, UDel, because of its size (~15k) and a notable lack of "this is good" in the humanities or social sciences. My top choices for college are almost all LACs, and that is my preferred size: 1-3k students, small campus, intimate community.</p>
<p>With this in mind, should I bother to consider any OOS public schools? My EFC is ~20k, so it must meet full need for OOS students or the price must be reasonably reduceable to <20k with merit aid. I also definitely don't want a school any bigger than 20k students--in that case, I'd be better off at UD, which I can afford without FA and to which I am guaranteed admission. Obviously, any OOS public should also be at least equal in academic quality to UDel in the humanities.</p>
<p>What choices do I have, given these restrictions? W&M and St. Mary's of MD are not affordable. UNC--worth the premium, when I'd probably attend an LAC like Macalester over it if FA was comparable? Are there other small schools that I've missed? Sports/school spirit is not a criteria; in fact, the less "sports-crazed," the better. I don't know much about the SUNYs, which fit my size criteria but FA? and the student/faculty ratio seems awfully high in comparison to peers.</p>
<p>According to a list of flagship state school tuitions posted recently, the University of Minnesota charges OOS students about $15K for tuition, significantly less than comparable schools. That would probably be your best bet for financial fit, although I’d guess it is larger than you want.</p>
<p>The other place you might want to consider is the Honors College at Pitt, which does have scholarship money for OOS kids. (Applying early would undoubtedly help.) Again, the school is larger than you want, but the honors college reduces the size in some ways.</p>
<p>I’ve visited Pitt, for which I had high hopes, but I found the campus too urban for me. I don’t like cities very much. UMinn is in the heart of the Twin Cities, right? With a similarly urban campus? I don’t mean to be negative. UD’s campus setting is pretty nice, but I have doubts about its academic strength in my interests.</p>
<p>Anyone have a good grasp of UNC-CH’s OOS selectivity? More/less selective than say, Macalester or URochester?</p>
<p>I have a friend (from NJ) who is very happy at TCNJ, but they cap merit awards at 10k. I’d rather not pay 20k+ (with tuition increases) for TCNJ when I’ll almost certainly receive merit aid at UD off the base price of 16k, unless the education is appreciably better. (Is it?)</p>
<p>I’m attending an OOS public school (live in NJ, go to school in PA). </p>
<p>And I’m recommending against doing this not for $$'s sake, but because of the stuednt body. Kids at OOS publics are almost all from the state. Less chances to meet new people from Cali/NY/other countries /being stuck with this many pennslylvanians (esp when I plan on moving farr away after graduation) isnt fun.</p>
<p>My daughter applied OOS to U.Va. last fall and was admitted with a package that would have been just a couple thousand dollars more than the in-state flagship. It only has about 13,000 undergraduate students. That’s probably the only OOS public I’d suggest to my son when he puts together a list next year.</p>
<p>I’ve heard very good things about SUNY Geneseo, often called the “honors college” of the SUNY system. It’s very LAC-like, and OOS tuition is a relative bargain.</p>
<p>I’d also take a look at the University of Iowa, particularly for English and humanities. The Writer’s Workshop brings in hundreds of writer types, who really leave their mark on the campus and town. Iowa City is a great college town, and although the U of I has its greek scene and sports nuts (though not nearly as much as UNC-CH; but then, Hawkeye fans usually have a lot less to cheer about!), the place is big enough that no one group dominates the campus culture. Don’t know about OOS tuition, but my guess is that it is relatively cheap, and merit aid is definitely available. Another plus is the undergraduate honors program, which provides separate dorms and smaller classes.</p>
<p>sunmachine, can you elaborate on the good things you’ve heard about Geneseo? All I hear is “this is good” but the only details I’ve found are negative–budget cuts, overcrowded dorms, ballooning class sizes. 16:1 student/teacher ratio is very high for an LAC and higher than UD, even, which I think is 12:1. These numbers can be manipulated, of course, but that’s a significant difference.</p>
<p>UVA is probably more selective than UNC, which is no where near ivy selective for OOS. Since it meets needs it’s one of the few I’d bother with if you like it.</p>
<p>Sorry, K, I don’t have any stats or personal experience with Geneseo, but I know a few graduates who went on to top 5 law schools who thought they received an Ivy quality education at a public school price - said they had small classes, great profs, engaged, intelligent classmates. That said, budget cuts are a force to be reckoned with indeed.</p>
<p>If you would consider Macalester, then there is no reason not to consider U of Minnesota (at least not based on location)–the campuses are barely 5 miles apart.</p>
<p>I’m fine with Minnesota and the Twin Cities, but I’ve been told that Mac has a distinct enclosed campus (with green space where I can sit and not hear any traffic going by) and UM does not. True/false?</p>