<p>I'm trying to find some colleges for my list that have strong arts programs or educational majors. The problem is that I am interested in a smaller school, preferably in the Midwest. Right now, my main options are Truman (easy in-state) and Knox College. I'm a strong student and within the top percentile of my class, so these schools are not "reach" for me. I'm hoping to find some more schools that fit my interests, reaches and solid choices. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>Some smaller Midwestern schools that you might check out:
Oberlin, Carleton, Beloit, Earlham, Hope, Lawrence U., St. Olaf, Augustana (IL), and Ohio Wesleyan.</p>
<p>Except for Carleton and Oberlin, I’m not sure if these will be reaches for you, depending on your stats.</p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestions! I’ve visited Beloit, Earlham, and Lawrence. I did not like the campus atmosphere of any of those schools especially (Beloit & Earlham seemed rundown/ Lawrence almost too fancy). Does anyone know anything about Drake University? They seem to have a substantial EDU major and a newly renovated arts building. I’m not sure about the campus atmosphere though.</p>
<p>We visited Drake and it was ok. The scholarships were not spectacular…I think they offered my younger son (33ACT 2280 SAT 4.7 GPA) a $15k per year scholarship…not much. </p>
<p>How much will your parents pay each year? </p>
<p>There are other schools that are strong in Education and Fine Arts that might be better.</p>
<p>What else do you want in a school?</p>
<p>Quiet campus?
Spirited campus with big sports to watch?
Rural campus?
City campus?
warm weather?
cold/snowy weather?
Greeks?</p>
<p>I’ll definitely need a scholarship to any school I attend based on our finances. </p>
<p>I’m not the most social person in the world, so greek life, big parties, and a large emphasis on sports do not interest me. I’d be happy going to any size of town (metropolitan or rural). My only preference for the environment is colder weather, at least colder than St. Louis. I was trying to find a school near or in Chicago because I can easily get there by train. However, I’d also go somewhere in a small, rural town such as Knox.</p>
<p>If you need a merit scholarship, what are your stats? </p>
<p>There are only a limited number of good schools that give big merit for stats. </p>
<p>*I’ll definitely need a scholarship to any school I attend based on our finances. * </p>
<p>Is this because you’re low income or because your family has a good income, but little extra money for college? </p>
<p>How much will your parents contribute each year?</p>
<p>To tell you the truth…**if money is a big issue, then finding affordable schools has to be your FIRST criteria. ** AFTER THAT, then you can shorten your list by determining which schools you like best…even if that means giving up a parameter such as “colder weather than St. Louis”). 
</p>
<p>For instance, I see that you’re looking at Loyola Chicago. It doesn’t meet need and doesn’t give huge scholarships to make it affordable to someone who can’t contribute much. The merit scholarships are low…average scholarship is $8k per year…not much.</p>
<p>Thankfully, there are many schools that are strong in education and the arts and might be affordable, so answer the questions above and then we can better help you. :)</p>
<p>GPA: 4.2 weighted/4.0 unweighted
ACT: 31 (I just took the September ACT and I am still waiting for my new score)
Commended National Merit Scholar
I’ve taken 6 APs.</p>
<p>ECs:
Piano (11-12)
Student Council (9-12) - I have been the secretary for my class all 4 years.
National Honor Society Member (initiated my junior year)
Assistant Coach for Children’s Problem-Solving Team (9-12)- involves working weekly with elementary age kids.
Aid to Elementary Girl Scout Troop (10-12)
Various smaller volunteer activities (art gallery greeter, festival aid)
Job as Camp Counselor (summer of my Senior year)
I enjoy working on my artwork when able. (have portfolio of sketches and complete pieces)</p>
<p>I am not entirely sure of our financial situation at the moment, and I am not considering schools based on that at the moment.</p>
<p>Well, if you want a comparatively affordable school with old weather and a good education department, you might want to check out the University of Maine at Farmington. It reportedly has a very good rep in education circles, it is cold, and I know that there is creative writing and music. Maine in general has a vibrant arts scene, particularly in painting and the more tactile arts and crafts.</p>
<p>A friend’s kid transferred there from a well-known and prestigious LAC and was very happy. The student then graduated from a top 20 U graduate program.</p>
<p>That sounds like a great school, but Maine is too far away for me. I definitely want to stay in the midwest.</p>
<p>I thought it might be a bit too much off the beaten track… :)</p>
<p>I googled the subject and came up with a list of “top” education schools, and it included a lot of midwestern Us, including Michigan State (#1), U of M Ann Arbor, Ohio State (I think. It might have been Ohio U, I’m not sure.), and UIUC. Any school that size is likely to have a good arts scene, too. </p>
<p>I’d give you the URL, but it is at a rival site. I’m sure you can find it. Their criteria for selecting schools seem sound, to me.</p>
<p>Huge schools like Michigan scare me! My max is around 10,000, but I would prefer around 5,000 or less.</p>
<p>How about Vanderbilt? The rest of them are all quite large.</p>
<p>Have you looked at Illinois Wesleyan?</p>
<p>They have a highly regarded education dept. and a school of Fine Arts, but I can’t seem to figure out if you want to teach Fine Arts. I don’t know if IWU could prepare you for that, but it’s worth a look.</p>
<p>I’m not sure if I would teach fine arts or not. When I’ve looked up Illinois Wesleyan before it seemed really preppy, as did Lake Forest and Kenyon. Are these stereotypes correct?</p>
<p>I don’t know what others will say, but preppy never came to mind for me when thinking of IWU. Lake Forest, yes. A former student of mine attends IWU, and he is in no way preppy. He likes it there, too. IWU offers academic scholarships up to $15,000, and Fine Arts up to $12,000, I think. In the midwest and south schools cost less than on either coast, so one way to look at it is: $15,000 at a school of $45,000 v $15,000 at a school of $55,000 is like giving onself an extra $10,000/y.</p>
<p>You are wise to consider finances, as too often they are ignored until it’s too late.</p>
<p>*I am not entirely sure of our financial situation at the moment, and I am not considering schools based on that at the moment. *</p>
<p>You are wise to consider finances, as too often they are ignored until it’s too late.</p>
<p>Yes…it is very wise to consider finances. Those of us who’ve been on CC for a few years have seen waaayyy too many kids spending hours creating lists of schools only to find out that none are affordable. What a WASTE of time and lost opportunity to find affordable schools.</p>
<p>If this was last spring and you were a junior, then it would be ok to ignore finances. </p>
<p>HOWEVER…you are a senior and this is the application season NOW…so unless your family can pay $55k per year, it would be very UNWISE not to find out what your financial situation is, how much your parents will pay each year, and what schools will be affordable.</p>
<p>You need to find out what your financial situation is because that will determine which schools will work…</p>
<p>For instance…</p>
<p>if your family has an unaffordable EFC, then choosing schools that give mostly need-based aid (like Vandy) won’t work because they will expect your parents to contribute a lot more than they can. Instead, you would need to choose schools that would give huge merit for your stats.</p>
<p>However…
If your family has low income/assets and a very low EFC, then schools that give awesome financial aid would be best for you.</p>
<p>Don’t be afraid to find out your financial situation because with your ACT 31 (or higher) there are schools that will give you good merit scholarships. </p>
<p>BTW…also sign up for the Nov SAT…some do better on that and many schools just use the M+CR sections on the SAT for scholarships.</p>
<p>That’s why you need to find out what your financial situation is.</p>
<p>When we looked at IWU last cycle for oldest DD, I thought IWU was a great school. The financial aid advisor said the top students would get about 14K in Merit aid. The school was approx 42K to attend. Still not the most affordable school. Preppy is not a word I would associate with the school. I thought the school was great. DD not so much (only because it was in state for her. She wanted to go AWAY)</p>
<p>Drake’s website says it is in the upper 30’s to attend and merit scholarships are up to 15K. Better deal is you are only thinking of finances. I plan on heading to Drake in Feb. with DD2 to look around. DD2 has no desire to travel too far :)</p>
<p>Northern Michigan University is in Marquette MI. Its in the Upper Penn so its fits the cold climate requirement, It has 9,000 students, it is attached to a quaint artsy town. The schools is the longest education program in MI. They recently added (maybe 6 years old) a brand new well lit, open and designed art building. They have a art museum on campus. Art and Design is the largest group of students, then education and nursing. From what I have heard the education program is difficult and challenging. There is only a bus line to connect you to Chicago. Based on your ACT you would qualify for an automatic housing scholarship and that would make it very affordable. The have a tuition calculator on the web site. It’s arounf 12K to 15K per year.</p>