Southern LACs

College Search & Selection
381

@booajo Eckerd is a unique LAC in the south from my experience. D has visited and we have a relative attending the school. It seems to have a more liberal bent compared to the other southern LACs. Campus is fairly unique (on the bay) and not in an urban setting but near a large city. Haven’t visited this college. Eckerd is much different from Rhodes academically and location-wise. I don’t think Eckerd gives great financial aid, but run the college’s NPC for your situation.

Southern LACs in a suburban location? Rollins, Southwestern (TX), maybe New College (Sarasota isn’t necessarily urban though), maybe Trinity (TX), maybe Belmont (TN), Birmingham-Southern (not downtown but not pretty tree lined suburbia either)

@eli1067 Great news that your S has found his match… Congrats!

382

@dadof1‌ thanks for your insight. Eckerd looks to have better merit aid for us than most of the others–will have to reconsider Southwestern I think. Trinity and Rollins both unaffordable to me. NCF too small for her. Also looking other regions so maybe we’ll find something further north.

383

D was waitlisted at URichmond. I think waitlisting is the new rejection for some colleges.

All the cards are now on the table, and the earnest decision making can begin.

384

@dadof1, if it’s any consolation, last year Richmond waitlisted 3621 applicants. Common Data Set shows only 12 of those students were admitted. Your D has some other great choices, IIRC.

385

@yaupon Thanks for the reply. D does have other great choices! We have no thoughts that D will be admitted off the waitlist at Richmond. Most, if not all, of the very small percentage of students that are admitted from the waitlist will likely be full-pay as well. Not gonna happen.

386

@dadof1 Sorry about Richmond. I think it has been a brutal year for applicants to the LACs in that tier just below the top 25 or so. It will be interesting to see if all of those colleges make their yields.

Regarding the difficulty of getting in to some of the LACs, at Sewanee this past week we met a h.s. senior and her dad. She had applied to a number of excellent LACs, expecting to visit after the decisions came in. Despite great grades and scores she was waitlisted at Sewanee. Very frustrating for her. It was a cautionary tale that demonstrated interest is becoming so important in light of the huge increases in applications.

@Booajo, a great suburban LAC just outside of Columbus, OH is Otterbein University. My brother’s boss has a daughter who goes there and absolutely loves it.

387

@midwestdad3 You’re absolutely right about the importance of showing interest in some LACs. Sewanee blatantly asked all applicants to reconfirm their interest in the college prior to a decision being made. My D received a letter from Furman asking her to contact the university prior to them making a final admissions decision. Richmond gave parents the option of sending a letter of recommendation after the application deadline (we chose not to do so).

From the colleges’ standpoint, it must be difficult to make an algorithm that will accurately fill the available seats with such a large change in applicant numbers year over year. Adding demonstrated interest into the algorithm helps to determine yield and waitlisting a large pool helps to pinpoint the exact number of (full-pay) students to admit.

388

@dadof1 Yes. I’m seeing a lot of frustration over on the Kenyon RD page from large numbers of applicants who were waitlisted. One poster said it is all about yield protection this year.

389

^ You’re right about the frustration on the Kenyon RD page! Wow.

I’ve a new respect for the Early Decision application. Should D2 really want to attend a specific college and the NPC says it’s reasonably priced… she’ll go the ED route.

390

Sorry to hear that news @dadof1. It is a shock after so many acceptances. In our case, I was kind of glad to see a couple waitlists - made me feel like she reached high enough.

It is still really disappointing, knowing that if our Ds had applied ED (and were full pay), they would likely get in at these schools. I think this system is incredibly unfair to people in our position - needing merit and/or need-based aid - and it seriously and unfairly favors the wealthy, who can just write that $62,000 check for the ED school, no problem.

Kids at my D’s HS with similar stats applied ED to Bowdoin, Colorado College, Middlebury, Whitman, Bates. Every single one was accepted ED (all full-pay).

I also think the reality is that virtually every top-50 LAC is very competitive these days, with ridiculous application numbers. The only exceptions in the top 50 – places where “normal” kids with good stats do not have to sweat being admitted – may be Sewanee and Centre! Denison is ranked 51, and received over 6,000 apps this year, and admitted about 2,000. Kenyon received 7,000 apps and admitted 1,689. Etc. etc.

I read somewhere that Richmond once put twice as many applicants on the waitlist as it accepted! Something like 4,000 on the waitlist! Absurd.

With just a month to go, D is still considering Centre, Southwestern, Denison (visiting this week), and Sewanee if FA appeal goes anywhere. Such a hard decision.

I must say, I am so glad we are not a part of the drama of “Ivy Day” happening tomorrow. Admissions rates of 5-6%? Insane.

Keep up the updates and good luck everyone!

391

Oh I just read @midwestdad3’s post about the disappointed student who was waitlisted at Sewanee. I guess Sewanee is moving into that more competitive tier as well. And I agree about demonstrated interest being so important. After her app to Grinnell was complete, D was offered the opportunity to write a supplemental “Why Grinnell” statement. She did do it, but was waitlisted along with hundreds (thousands?) of others. The week after D visited Southwestern, she received a letter saying her merit scholarship had been increased.

Centre, a top 50 school, remains much more accessible than every other top LAC (something like 60% acceptance rate), no doubt because of its location and lesser name recognition. As D’s Centre admissions interviewer commented, “The top 50 LACs you’ve heard of, you can’t get into. The top 50 LACs you can get into (ie Centre), you’ve never heard of.”

392

@4kids4college‌s - Agree with your comments. I also think applications have increased at the #20 - #50 LACs because more top students are chasing merit money. And several schools, like Kenyon, have reduced or done away with supplemental essays to attract more applicants. Hope you have a great visit at Denison.

@dadof1‌ - I too was sorry to read of your D’s waitlist at Richmond. Richmond has gotten so competitive. I know your D has lots of acceptances to other wonderful schools. Looking forward to reading about the trip to Rollins. Is Rhodes still in the running for her?

393

Hey, SLAC folks. Going to pick up my kid at Sewanee in May. Don’t feel like staying in Monteagle. Can anyone recommend anywhere else to stay – up to 45 minutes away? Ditto on the eating options.

Went to an accepted students event for Hollins parents last night, and it was funny because this is our second child going away to college and I watched all the parents of oldest children trying not to cry and thought “That was me last year.” How time flies!

394

^ Depending on where you’re coming from, downtown Chattanooga is about a 45 minute drive from Sewanee, with some hotels there near the aquarium; and some good restaurants (Big River, I think one is called; there is another next to it that is also pretty good).

395

On our various trips we’ve stayed at the Marriott downtown Chattanooga (easy access to I-24 and about 45 min from Sewanee), the Sewanee Inn (wonderful and super convenient, but not inexpensive and often limited availability), the Hampton Inn in Kimball, and a B&B in Monteagle. The Hampton Inn is only about 20 min. away. It’s right off I-24 and affordable. A good place to stay if you’re making a quick trip there and back. If you’re planning on doing anything else while you’re in the area, I recommend staying in Chattanooga. If you stay in Chat, I recommend the Public House for dinner.

396

@4kids4colleges I can’t say for sure Rhodes is still under consideration. However, until D signs the “letter of intent” for Rollins, I suppose Rhodes is still an option. D holds her cards pretty close to her chest on this decision but seems to be more interested in discussing Rollins than any other college, by far.

There are some recent comments about Rollins in the Rollins CC forum that are extremely positive of the college. I will be very pleased if D decides to matriculate there.

397

My D has made her decision, and she will be a Rollins Tar this fall! She is extremely excited and can’t wait to find her roommate for next year!

My wife and I are very pleased with the accommodating financial aid staff at Rollins. Just great people.

Thank you to all the CCers who have taken this journey with us via this thread. I hope your sons and daughters are as happy with their college decision as is my D. Best of luck to you all!

398

That’s great @dadof1!!! So happy for you all! Next up, your reports about D’s freshman year!

We are in the exact opposite position. D is at Denison this weekend, and loves it – just like she loved Southwestern, Sewanee, (and maybe Centre? - she is visiting again in 2 weeks). She says they all seem great to her and more similar than they are different (except for the weather!)

I am working with FA at all of these choices, so it may come down to $ in the end. Or the weather in Austin vs. Granville, OH? We will see! She may not decide until May 1.

Congrats again and thanks for all the great info along the way.

399

About a month ago, I thought we would be in your position @4kids4colleges. If your D continues on this course, I think the choice will the the last one she visits… Centre it is!

400

I am fairly new to CC and this is my first post. Thank you to all of you for your thoughtful, informative, honest posts on this board. My D will graduate next year and has her heart set on going to an LAC in the South. I greatly appreciate everyone’s time and candor, and I wish all of your graduating seniors the very best as they begin the next chapter of their lives.