<p>I had a list of private LACs/small universities to which I was applying. I told my parents I was applying to no public schools as none that I found met my needs. Apparently, my father never heard me and now wants me to apply to some publics. We're from Florida, so I said I'd apply to New College (though I'm not a fan of the school). He wanted me to choose another in-state option, but all of the other schools are much too big (he wanted me to apply to UF, where everyone else in my family went, but I conveniently missed the deadline...oops!). He said, then, to apply to another smaller public OOS. I know about William & Mary, where I'm positive I would not get in, but are there any others? Here are some things I'd really like:</p>
<p>Strong liberal arts curriculum (particularly English/Poli Sci)
VERY academically rigorous.
Intellectual student body.
politically liberal
affordable/financial aid
Northeast/Midwest/Northwest</p>
<p>UMBC is a public honors university that would be worth looking into, as well, though I admit it is more scientifically bent (as opposed to humanities and social sciences). </p>
<p>Assuming you have the stats, you may be interested in FAU's Honor College. It's small, and somewhat segregated from the main campus, but not too far away, and it fully retains all the benefits affiliated with a large university. I think it's one of the best deals going in FL for the right type of student. </p>
<p>St. Mary's College Of Maryland
The College Of New Jersey
New College Of Florida
University Of North Carolina At Asheville
Truman State University
College of Charleston
State University Of New York At Geneseo
College Of William & Mary</p>
<p>Look at St. Mary's College Of Maryland and UNC-Asheville or New College of Florida. Other than William And Mary,they are the best small publics</p>
<p>SUNY Geneseo sounds absolutely perfect for you. I live in NY, and it has a reputation as the liberal arts SUNY and the SUNY for an English major. It's considered one of the best public colleges in the US. It'll be very cost-effective too, even for an OOS student.
Quite honestly, it sounds like the perfect school for you. Definitely look into it. I have a friend who's a freshmen, so if you want any specific questions, PM me and I'll talk to her for you =).</p>
<p>Depends on your definition of small. Truly small public LACs (<3k students) are difficult to come by, but there are several small universities that might fit. I believe most of them have already been listed--personally, I second the recs for UM-Morris, St. Mary's College of Maryland, and TCNJ. SMCM doesn't have the best merit aid for OOS, though; Morris is probably the cheapest you'll get, with in-state tuition for everyone.</p>
<p>I'll second Sabster's suggestion of SUNY Geneseo. The student body is very talented and the school offers an excellent student experience.</p>
<p>I'd also suggest the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA. There were several comments about it on the recent "Schools in the D.C. Area" thread.</p>
<p>Check out this organization of public LACs. Many more choices than one would think. UNC Asheville really impressed my S, after visits to other, "better known" LACs. It's UNC's "Liberal Arts College" with about 3100 students. It matches OP's list except for location. But Asheville is a very hip city, in a beautuful region.</p>
<p>Georgia College & State University - Georgia's version of a public LAC. Very popular with students; so much so that it's yield rate would rank in the middle of the Ivies'.</p>
<p>For the benefit of those following this thread and wondering what kind of bargain theses public LAC's can be, here is a comparison of costs among COPLAC members. These are (certainly not guaranteed) calculations of 2008-09 out-of-state annual tuition and universally-applicable fees (*not *room and board, books, supplies, transportation, incidental expenses, and special fees) for full-time attendance. Credit allocations vary, so I have used what I took to be a reasonable full-time load in the case of hourly rates. In some cases fee structures are difficult to calculate so I made an estimate. Henderson was particularly difficult to calculate as its cost structure is somewhat obscurely presented.</p>
<p>$(c)17,033 Alberta-Augustana (International rate in Canadian dollars)
$20,418 Charleston (Tuition and Fees)
$16,543 E CT (Tuition and Fees)
$16,450 Evergreen (Tuition and est. fees)
$16,512 Ft. Lewis (Tuition and est. fees)
$17,380 Georgia (Tuition and fees)
approx $13,000? Henderson (calculated costs for 18 hrs - room/board + est. fees )
$14,450 Keene (Tuition and Fees)
$15,113 MA CLA (Tuition and Fees)
$15,982 Maine-Farmington (Tuition and Fees)
$17,942 Mary Washington (Tuition and Fees)
$7,218 Midwestern SU (Tuition and Fees)
$10,006 MN-Morris (Tuition and Fees, $8082 for WI residents)
$14,950 Montevallo (18 hrs/sem @OOS hourly rate + est. fees)
$22,988 New College of FL (Tuition and Fees)
$17,475 Ramapo (Tuition and Fees)
$18,669 S OR U (Tuition and Fees)
$14,442 Sonoma (15 hrs/sem @OOS hourly rate + est. Fees)
$23,454 St. Mary's (Tuition and Fees)
$11,810 SUNY Geneseo (Tuition and est. fees)
$11,536 Truman (Tuition and est. fees)
$10,873 U S&A Of OK (15 hours/sem @OOS hourly rate +est. fees)
$15,585 UNC-Asheville (Tuition and Fees)
$18,313 UVA-Wise (Tuition and Fees)
$13,932 UW-Superior (Tuition and Fees)</p>
<p>In some cases rates may be cheaper for residents of bordering states.</p>