Wow–your son sounds almost exactly like mine, although mine didn’t realize archaeology was his passion until second semester freshman year. He started with a strong environmental science focus and then after one archaeology class, he switched focus. He is at Luther College in Iowa which is way too far for you, but just a suggestion to still consider a small school. Although he’s not at a large university, he has found his way with studies–has really enjoyed his classes in archaeology, biological anthropology, and classics and he is going on a one-month dig/class in Israel in May. There seem to be quite a few summer field school options out there to join no matter where one attends college.
One thing to think about is the importance of your son’s love for outdoor activities. My son sometimes looks back with regret about not going to Sewanee, which was a final contender for him. He decided against it because of its distance (and it was more expensive), but even now, he’lll say, “I wish I could be exploring that mountain in Sewanee.”
So my experience is telling me to suggest that you consider Sewanee seriously! Happiness in the physical environment can be just as important as the studies sometimes.
“This new program, DavisConnects, guarantees a global experience for all students, making Colby the first leading liberal arts college to provide funding for every student to spend time abroad.”
It is worth noting that many liberal arts colleges (among others) make study abroad affordable by letting students apply any financial aid towards a semester abroad. Definitely check each school’s policy but it isn’t unusual. I’d argue that any anthro major should pursue study abroad.
True, but often the financial aid received from the college isn’t enough to cover the entire cost of many study abroad programs. To my knowledge, full-pay students are not subsidized for study abroad programs
It appears the even full pay students are eligible for aid at Colby
[quote]
This new program, DavisConnects, guarantees a global experience for all students, making Colby the first leading liberal arts college to provide funding for every student [emphasis added] to spend time abroad.
I wondered the same thing. With an EFC of $30k, I honestly don’t know whether you will find small schools in the eastern US that will cost you $30k or less. We didn’t get close to this but we don’t qualify for need based aid.
There are very good small universities in Eastern Canada with good anthropology programs and a total cost of attendance for international students of less than $30k per year in US dollars. They would however be significantly more than 6 hours from New Jersey. St Francis Xavier has an Archaeology stream in their Anthropology department, and Mount Allison and Saint Mary’s both have Anthropology majors. Saint Mary’s is in Halifax, the other two are in small towns.
If you do study Anthropology at a small school in the US, you might want to look into taking a semester at one of these small universities in eastern Canada.
College of the Atlantic is the other one that came to mind for me, but you would need aid since the total cost of attendance is well over $30k.
You can get merit aid at midwestern liberal arts colleges to bring costs down below $30,000 (even below $25,000). But the distance may be a factor for you. Definitely check out College of the Atlantic–looks good for adventurous people. We hadn’t heard of it until it was too late in the process.
@gardenstategal, @stacyisms, Colby may be a consideration. We are about a 6 1/2 hour drive from there. There may also be options of Amtrak from NYC to Portland (I believe changing trains in Boston). I especially like the Jan-Plan where students can use the time to escape the harsh Maine winter to study/intern somewhere else. He is very interested in studying abroad and it is another requirement he is looking for in a school.
@ZZdecision2016, thank you for sharing your son’s story, his experience sounds amazing! I have a former student (I teach high school) who is a current Sewanee student. She loves it there as well. I had never heard of it prior to her attending but now it seems it is mentioned more and more often.
@DadofTwoGirls, not sure if I am figuring correctly as I am new to this but in completing the cost calculators on several of the college websites has given us this number as what we would be expected to pay. The remainder would be financial aid. I am nervous, however, that after S visits a school and falls in love with a program we will get a completely different FA package than what was estimated on the calculator. I am learning however, through this site that the CSS profile may completely contradict what FAFSA determines. Is there any way one can get an accurate estimate?
Re: Canada. Thanks for the option! Funny you should mention St. Mary’s in Halifax. We know it from watching “The Curse of Oak Island” one of my son’s favorite shows!
@apple23, re: Hamilton Adirondack Semester. This looks amazing and something he would give his right arm for! He is a huge history buff and the connection to history and the wilderness would win Hamilton big points. We visited in November and although his dad and I thought it was somewhat isolated. He really liked the curriculum and campus. We did not venture into nearby Utica, but apparently it is an up and coming town.
@TTG Thank you for the input. After touring Dickinson last summer, we were very impressed with their commitment to the environment. They also have a strong study abroad program. We had found the school by chance in researching Gettysburg (S didn’t like) but found Dickinson a strong contender. Only 3 hours from home, too.
@techmom99, I didn’t know about SUNY Plattsburgh. We did consider looking into New Paltz for the location and size as well as the Anthro dept. They have a field school nearby.
“Is there any way one can get an accurate estimate?”
If you are divorced, own a small business, own rental property, own a farm, or are self-employed, then you should probably assume the worse (full pay). Otherwise, the Net Price Calculators tend to be relatively accurate. Google the name of the school plus “net price calculator” and you should be able to find it.
Plattsburgh is 30 minutes from Lake Placid and is in the Adirondacks. It’s a similar size to New Paltz but my D and son both preferred Plattsburgh over New Paltz when we visited. There’s a field school in Champlain and the school has a good study abroad program. When my D attended, the school had the reputation for having the most international students.
@DadTwoGirls, we have none of those situations you mentioned. Pretty basic, two people working in education (k-12), with an only child. State schools would, of course, be much cheaper, especially with merit, but he will thrive in an LAC if we can swing it.
Hamilton’s Adirondack program is open to students from other colleges, so long term this might be something to consider. The school’s location will appear different if you approach through Utica and the suburban area of New Hartford. Hamilton also operates a shuttle to these areas. In terms of academic programs pertaining to your son, this is something I pulled from their site:
@apple23
“Hamilton is one of the rare undergraduate institutions that offer a geoarchaeology major: As a major, you may conduct field research in geology and archaeology at sites in the Florida Keys, Hawaii or the European Alps.”
My son is very upset that the deadline has passed to apply for the Hamilton Adirondack program. We’ll be on the lookout for next year’s topic. What an amazing program! Does anyone know of other opportunities for study programs combining history and/or archaeology and/or geology and the outdoors?