<p>Here’s some more LAC choices:</p>
<p>Oberlin</p>
<p>Vassar</p>
<p>Reed</p>
<p>Macalester</p>
<p>Some longshots:</p>
<p>Swathmore</p>
<p>Haverford</p>
<p>Those are all pretty “top tier” LACs. Excellent, but a little reachy for the kid the OP described.</p>
<p>If he is interested in Model UN, Hendrix has an award-winning program…but the college that cleans up every year is little Alma College in Michigan.</p>
<p>[Alma</a> College: National Model UN Winning Streak Reaches 17 Years](<a href=“http://www.alma.edu/news/releases/archives/2013/04/02/Model_UN#.UlvbPKVxtUQ]Alma”>http://www.alma.edu/news/releases/archives/2013/04/02/Model_UN#.UlvbPKVxtUQ)</p>
<p>Alma is a good school that gets little or no attention on this site. We had it on my son’s safety list. It has a Scottish heritage and they have a bagpipe band, which I thought was awesome.</p>
<p>OP is also not concerned about the cost. Post #19 is probably for general public, but not for OP.</p>
<p>Couple of additional LACs that are academically solid, but not top tier: St Lawrence in NY state, Wheaton College in Norton, MA (was once a women’s college, so being male is helpful), and College of the Holy Cross–this one is ranked higher than the other two and might be more of a long shot.</p>
<p>Eckerd offers a Model UN Club. They usually offer a Spring into Summer semester at the Hague, and also at the UN in Geneva. The “Writers in Paradise” winter term co-founded by alum Denis Lehane is well regarded. Take a look at the winter term offerings that feature studies in the environment and biology areas. Best of luck, your son is a solid student and would be well served by any of the colleges that you and others listed.</p>
<p>If he’s not interested in frats he shouldn’t consider Washington and Lee.</p>
<p>There’s a good public LAC right under your Delaware nose:
St. Mary’s College of MD (the state’s public “honors college”).
Full-sticker OOS cost is about $40K, which is as good as getting average merit aid from a private LAC like Grinnell.</p>
<p>SMCM has a beautiful waterfront location near the junction of the Potomac, St. Mary’s River, and Chesapeake Bay.</p>
<p>Seconding the Wheaton (Mass) suggestion. They have a nice Biology department in addition to their LAC focus.</p>
<p>Franklin & Marshall does not offer any merit aid (unless they changed their policy this year). You might as well replace them with a college that will give your son some money for his stats.</p>
<p>Another vote here for Dickinson. Also agree that SMCM is a good possibility.</p>
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<p>I know, but others mentioned other top tier LACs like Carleton and Grinnell which happen to be higher ranked than some of the ones on my list. </p>
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<p>Or Union College in upstate NY as it’s known for heavy drinking and hard partying frats.</p>
<p>I second St Lawrence U… I can’t even begin to tell you how incredibly happy my S is there. he also got a VERY generous merit scholarship.</p>
<p>If he is interested in history, check out Gettysburg College.
Also, Lafayette College in Easton, PA.</p>
<p>Another vote for Dickinson. My D is a freshman and is really happy there. </p>
<p>Male applicants have a bit of an advantage in admissions at LACs, since they typically have higher female populations. At NCES College Navigator (unfortunately temporarily closed due to the shutdown), you can find male and female acceptance rates listed.<br>
<a href=“http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/[/url]”>http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/</a> </p>
<p>Not needing financial aid can also be an admissions advantage at many LACs which aren’t need blind. So, don’t be afraid to aim high with a few reaches. U. Richmond, Vassar, Hamilton, Colgate come to mind as realistic reaches. </p>
<p>The schools on your possible expansion list all seem like safeties to me. </p>
<p>Allegheny should be a safety and with good odds of merit aid. (My D was offered very good merit aid with lower stats, and it was very hard to turn down.) </p>
<p>Some match schools: Dickinson, Lafayette, Gettysburg, Trinity, Skidmore, Denison.</p>
<p>Another vote for Gettysburg, Dickinson, U Richmond. Wooster is another great choice where he would get merit aid. Another option - different kind of location, but definitely worth a look from what you’ve described, would be Fordham’s Rose Hill Campus.</p>
<p>OP’s son sounds ideal for St Olaf, and Olaf ideal for him. Great departments, great merit and need-based aid, truly nice town setting (unusual for Midwest LACs), and beautiful campus. We loved Olaf; I wish our DS was there.</p>
<p>Grinnell may have a stronger USNews profile and a group of expensive new buildings, but town setting leaves much to be desired, and Grinnell has become increasingly hard to get in. Don’t expect merit aid with those scores/grades, and Olaf can match whatever need-based aid is offered. Very different atmosphere.</p>
<p>A number of Midwest LACs are experiencing budget and endowment problems, and are often located in “down-at-the-heels” small cities and towns experiencing significant socio-economic problems. For some parents, us included, it was another factor to consider. There was a student posting here about Knox several months ago.</p>
<p>^That might be a bit of a generalization, higgins. Plus, the anti-Knox student seemed to have a host of personal issues leading to her dissatisfaction, if we are talking about the same person.</p>
<p>Here is a list of “financially fit” colleges. There are plenty of midwestern LACs on the list. And there are plenty of “big-name” schools that don’t fare so well–all over the country.</p>
<p>[Forbes</a> College Financial Grades, As and Bs](<a href=“Forbes College Financial Grades, As and Bs | PDF | The United States”>Forbes College Financial Grades, As and Bs | PDF | The United States)</p>
<p>I do agree with you about St. Olaf, though–it is a wonderful school.</p>
<p>Would definitely add Beloit</p>
<p>Colgate, Colby and Trinity University</p>
<p>LACs we liked : Dickinson ; Lake Forest; Goucher ; Oxford of Emory</p>