Thank you for all the great info! Going to have her look into those, there’s a few we hadn’t looked at yet!
She took Colorado off the list already after researching…I think it was thr block system or something else she found out about. As for Grinnell, that one sounded great to me but is that the school with discussion based learning? That one is crossed off too 
Macalester was crossed off because not rural enough.
Thank you again for the great suggestions!
She wants to study Biology because she loves studying how the human body works. She is hoping for Biomedical science but very few schools have it. I think pre med reqs will give her plenty. Her back up plan if she decides against med school is possibly genetics or some type of lab research.
Albion College in Albion, Michigan is a LAC that traditionally has been strong in science programs, and gives good merit aid. Alma College in Alma, Michigan also might be worth a look.
Centre College in Danville, Kentucky may not strictly be rural, but it is in a small town. It is a very good LAC.
Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas is a good LAC with decent merit aid. It has around 1100 students, and probably doesn’t get much snow, however.
Thank you for the link. Many of the schools she’s interested in use the CSS. I’m told that’s much more detailed than FAFSA. I have several friends with the same income and similar assets and they didn’t get any aid. I’m hoping to be surprised and get a little lol.
Some good suggestions, thank you!
And she hopes to be a recruited athlete, she’s been reaching out to coaches. She’s had some interest at a couple of the schools so we will see.
Rather than assuming, go to each college’s financial aid web page and use its net price calculator to get an estimate of financial aid. If you finances are “ordinary” (no divorced parents, mostly W-2 income, no unusual assets like small business, farms, real estate other than residence), it should be a reasonable estimate at most colleges. For more unusual situations, it can be trickier to put the correct information in to get a reasonable estimate.
I’ll second (third) Grinnell. Also, Centre College is supposed to have great pre-health.
What do you mean by Grinnell being discussion-based teaching? Grinnell is like any other liberal arts colleges from that perspective, with round table discussions combined with lectures.
I believe OP mentioned a 2nd home and that usually doesn’t bode well for aid, but agree worth running financials just to confirm on her own.
Agree with both Carleton and St. Olaf. Both excellent for biology. St. Olaf will have better merit aid. Also in Minnesota is Gustavus Adolphus, a doctor friend of mine did her pre-med there and I believe their merit aid is good. University of Minnesota-Morris is a public LAC, and has a good biology program. A biology professor I know did his undergrad there, but it might be a little too rural even for her tastes. U of M Morris, St. Olaf and Gustavus all participate in the National Student Exchange program, in case she decides she wants a break from MN winters.
Something to remember…
Many of the colleges that use the CSS Profile have MUCH deeper pockets and offer need based aid to folks with higher income and assets than you might expect. The colleges that meet full need for all accepted students use the Profile (except Princeton which has its own form, and Chicago which uses the FAFSA only).
The schools that use only the FAFSA tend to be less generous with need based aid…and University of Chicago is the only one that guarantees to meet full need for all using only the FAFSA.
So…it’s very possible you could get some need based aid at a generous college that uses the Profile.
Use those net price calculators for a decent estimate of your net costs.
She has a sound strategy for getting into medical school. Keep costs low, so seeking merit aid would be a great idea. It also helps if she graduates from college at the top of her class. So going to a place where her stats are > 75th percentile will put her in strong standing.
Also keep in mind that she’ll need to get in some opportunities shadowing physicians. Either can be done over the summer, or during the school year. So being near a hospital/clinic is advisable.
UChicago does actually require families to fill out their own FA worksheet. Families can choose instead to complete CSS Profile. UChicago is notable (as is Vandy) because they don’t require NCP financials, whether families complete the UC worksheet or CSS Profile.
Forms required for prospective students: UChicago Financial Aid Worksheet (can be completed at no cost via the applicant’s UChicago Account)—or optional CSS Profile. Please note that you cannot upload financial aid documentation through the CSS Profile IDOC system for UChicago Financial Aid decisions.
https://financialaid.uchicago.edu/undergraduate/apply-aid/2021-22-aid-application-guidelines
@Creekland what is the name of the smaller college near Pittsburgh that you have suggested to others?
The chicago form is VERY brief. Also notable, is the school does not ask for non-custodial parent info, as you said.
But that doesn’t seem to be an issue for this family.
I know someone who liked Franklin and Marshall if that’s the PA school you mean.
Not related to thumper1’s comment:
Note that if OP’s kid doesn’t like the idea of block plan (yet), she should know it’s how many med schools do their curricula in years 1/2. Mentioning because Colorado College does seem like a strong fit.
Also, no snow but merit aid is strong at Soka University of America. Not urban. Only one major (general liberal arts) and I don’t know their med school placement stats. But maybe as a safety?
Probably Washington and Jefferson. We know several doctors that went there for undergrad.
Yes, as @chmcnm said, it’s Washington & Jefferson. Terrific for pre-med, smaller, relatively rural, but not located in western US (though I haven’t followed up on this thread since reading the OP as I almost totally know east coast schools).
Juniata is rural too and good for pre-med IMO.
Chicago offers applicants the option of using its own form or CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA.