<p>Son (HS senior) is a solid although not stellar student (4.00+ weighted GPA, 31 ACT). Does not know what he wants to major in--one day he thinks bio, the next day English. At the top of his "wish list" are schools like Davidson and Haverford. </p>
<p>He also has some other LACs on his list including Muhlenberg and Franklin & Marshall. We are looking to add more schools like those two--solid LACs where he has a good chance of admission (and some merit aid would be nice--it's not essential but it would make both him and me happy).</p>
<p>Some schools that I have come across as possibly worth adding to the list are:</p>
<p>Allegheny
Coe
Eckerd
Goucher
Marietta
St. Olaf
Rhodes</p>
<p>Geography-wise, we are in DE, and preferred locations are Mid-Atlantic to Mid-South, with the Mid-West as a possibility.</p>
<p>Is there a set of majors that he is undecided between? It can be hard to find smaller schools strong in everything, but if there is even some set of majors that is smaller than everything that he will realistically choose from, that can make finding suitable schools easier.</p>
<p>Also, do you mean that you are able and willing to pay list price at any of the schools in question?</p>
<p>Some of the COPLAC schools have relatively low list prices, even for out of state students.
[COPLAC</a> | Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges](<a href=“http://www.coplac.org/members/]COPLAC”>Members – COPLAC)</p>
<p>UCB: He has a wide range of interests–science, English, and history especially. Can rule out art, music, and foreign languages. He has yet to find his passion. </p>
<p>And yes, we could pay the full cost of these colleges–about half through his 529 savings and half through current income/loans.</p>
<p>You’ve got some solid choices above. I’d also consider Centre in KY and Trinity, Southwestern, and Austin College (all in TX). He’d have a decent shot at merit aid at most of those.</p>
<p>It may be worth it to check the course catalogs and schedules for each college to see the offerings in each of his possible majors (yes, can be tedious if he has a lot of possible majors).</p>
<p>Perhaps make a spreadsheet where the columns are majors and the rows are colleges. Each box can indicate whether he finds the offerings of the major suitable if he majors in it.</p>
<p>That way, he can apply to a large selection of colleges (such that each possible major is represented by at least one safety school with good offerings in the major), but if, in April, his has a more firm grasp on his academic interests, he can consult the spreadsheet when deciding between his acceptances.</p>
<p>Unweighted GPA will be more helpful in letting others help you, since his high school’s weighting method is unlikely to be the same as some other high school’s weighting method.</p>
<p>If your looking at St. Olaf, you may wish to add Adolphus Gustavas, which is also in MN and ranked well above Coe College, IA. He has a good shot at Grinnell based on his 4.0+ GPA and ACT score. Grinnell accepts roughly 42% of all applicants and meets 100% of demonstrated need. The school offers some merit aid, but not much. I’d also look at Case Western, as they offer nice merit aid to top students in the range of $18-$22K per year. </p>
<p>And a hidden gem of the south is Hendrix College in Conway, AK. If your son has Goucher, Muhlenberg, St. Olaf and Coe on his list, have him read and research on Hendrix College.</p>
<p>Also, you have several schools that lean far left of Rhodes (Goucher, Muhlenberg, St. Olaf & Coe), which leans right along with Franklin & Marshall. What type of Environment is your son looking for in a college campus?</p>
<p>What about Elon University in North Carolina or Skidmore College or Union College in NY? I know Skidmore, like Goucher, is in need of males, so may be a “hook” for your DS.</p>
<p>Has he thought about Oxford of Emory? Though merit aid is quite competitive (google Oxford of Emory scholars for more details), the financial aid is generally superior to most of the schools listed. It’s one of the most racially, geographically, and socioeconomically diverse LACs out there and it’s affiliated with Emory University. I’d argue it’s much academically stronger than many schools previously suggested.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the suggestions. There are some I had heard of but forgotten and even a few, like Oxford at Emory, that I had never heard of.</p>
<p>I am going to have to start a spreadsheet for sure (but I actually like spreadsheets). </p>
<p>A few more details. Someone asked about campus environment. The kid is pretty moderate about most issues. Not at all interested in joining a fraternity; I suspect that he will find his “tribe” playing intramural sports (he was a three-season athlete through middle school but did not like the competitiveness of high school varsity sports), or maybe mock trial or model UN. </p>
<p>Driving distance is a plus, but not strictly necessary. I think the final choice will come down to the best mix of attributes, so trying to be more flexible now. The idea is to apply to a good number of schools (I am thinking 12 - 15) and see what the options are.</p>
<p>For a spreadsheet, the following items can be added to each row, in addition to check boxes for quality departments in each of his possible majors:</p>
<ul>
<li>Net price from net price calculator.</li>
<li>Estimate of reach/match/safety for admissions only.</li>
<li>Estimate of reach/match/safety for merit scholarships needed to be affordable, if necessary.</li>
<li>Whether fraternities or sororities dominate the social scene (looks like he would prefer that they not dominate the social scene).</li>
<li>Intramural sports and other extracurricular or social activity availability.</li>
<li>Travel time.</li>
<li>Travel cost.</li>
</ul>