I am taking DD '24 to look at some schools in March. She is a solid A- student at an academically well regarded private school and will be applying without scores. Plays two sports but won’t do sports beyond club in college. Isn’t sure what she wants to major in, but probably won’t be science. Maryland resident. We have tours scheduled at Elon and College of Charleston. Also are planning to at least walk around UNC Wilmington and Coastal Carolina. We have a day to visit one or two schools in VA, but am not sure which ones to pick. I think William and Mary and Richmond might be too much of a reach? Roanoke and Randolph Macon are other possibilities, but don’t know much about them. Thoughts?
Your daughter’s guidance counselor at the academically well regarded private school should be able to provide the best advice as to which colleges are in her range.
W&M and Richmond could be reasonable reaches but we don’t have enough information to say for sure.
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I’d see where kids like her go. Your school will know.
But I really think the map has to lay out right.
For example are you going Elon to Wilmington to Coastal to Charleston ? If that’s the case then an NC state might work ( or E Carolina). Go to VA would be out of the way.
Or what’s your path ?
If you’re going to Elon would High Point be of interest? Or Wake Forest. If you lay out the map/days, it’d be easier to guide.
Ps even if Richmond or WMU are reaches it’s ok. You might like reaches and if nothing else you can see if the campus vibe is right.
For example, we found Miami of Ohio to be a larger, less difficult admit to be like W&M. Yet my daughter did not get a good liking of Richmond.
So you learn from every trip and that can help point to other schools later.
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I’m going to be less practical 
and just throw out schools you may want to research. When we did our tour, we planned our route based on the schools we wanted to visit and zig-zagged when necessary, as much as our time would allow.
VA: Hollins (HWC)
I know that Roanoke and Hollins are known for solid academics and good supports for kids who need it.
NC: Wake as a realistic reach.
SC: Wofford, Converse (formerly a women’s college), Furman
I agree with others about discussing these with your private school college counselor as they will have a better sense of the best fits for your D. I also suggest asking this in the 3.0-3.4 GPA threads. Edit: There is a lot a friendly participation there from parents of kids with higher GPAs.
Parents of the HS Class of 2024 3.0-3.4
Parents of the HS Class of 2023 3.0-3.4
Edit: I agree with tsb to not rule out visiting schools simply because they are reaches. Of course, there is only so much time so there will be decisions to make for this trip. Some of the VA schools may be possible on a shorter trip later.
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We did a SE tour with my D23 last year. She had a 3.6UW GPA.
Elon
High Point
Berry
Furman
Wofford
Sewanee
She looked at mostly smaller schools and really liked Elon, High Point, and Furman. I liked Furman, Wofford, and Sewanee 
Nobody cared for Berry. She applied to all of them except Berry and Wofford and was accepted to all with merit.
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A- is what on a 4.0 scale? Has she taken the SAT or ACT?
UNC-W is probably a likely or match. Shouldn’t be too hard for a A- student, but will be harder for OOS than in-state.
I would say UNC and NC State would be reaches, but most other NC publics would be matches or likelies.
Any interest in the mountains? Appalachian State? Beautiful part of the state. UNC-Asheville is also in the mountains.
Near Elon, you could check out UNC-Greensboro and Guilford. Those would be likelies. Probably good chances for an A- student.
William & Mary is probably a reach, but might be worth a visit. James Madison U would be a match.
Seconding Hollins if you are going to visit Roanoke. It’s a women’s school, so not sure if she’s interested in that, but it’s very supportive and focused. Great support for internships and careers. Plus it just got a HUGE $75million gift from an anonymous alumnae a year or two ago, so you know their finances are looking good.
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I think there have been some good suggestions here, but another school your D might be interested in is Christopher Newport in Virginia. It’s a public liberal arts college that’s a bit more accessible than William & Mary, but is still mid-sized and has a lot of attractive things going for it.
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Thanks! This is helpful. I definitely see a few more to consider- I had forgotten about Guilford, but think that is one we might add in. Says she doesn’t want to consider all women. We’ll be driving back to MD from Elon, so VA is definitely not out of the way- but of course not hard to go back and visit schools there another time. I’ll definitely talk to her counselor too, and see what she says.
If you haven’t done so already, figure out what your budget is and run the NPC calculator on some of these before visiting. Merit for the reaches is likely non-existent. If she gets into W/M, Wake or Richmond, is that financially doable? How about the OOS tuition at UNC-W or C of C?
Elon is a great college with a lower private college tuition rate (compared to Duke & Wake, with less competitive admissions) but as a result, their merit awards are on the lower side. Appalachian State (NC), Furman & Wofford are good ones to add, if affordable. If she wants a big sports university, U of SC might also be a good one to check out. Clemson is another but will probably be a reach for OOS.
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