I am looking for colleges that I would like, here’s my current list I’m not so sure about: Pomona, UChicago, Williams, Bowdoin, Davidson, a safety (yeah, I need a match or two), feel free to completely change this list
I am a junior/almost senior, 35 ACT, good AP scores, ECs, etc
I like intellectualism, a school that I can talk about a writing style or science topic etc for hours
I also want to be able to talk about/agree with political matters rationally, as a centrist I hate when people ignore viewpoints without first considering their merits
I want a school near nature, trails, etc (one major flaw with Chicago)
Small schools with good science programs but not completely science dominated
I want to be very challenged academically (Chicago, Swarthmore, Caltech style)
I want to be challenged socially, but have a group that I can be with as well, I love to argue/learn of others new ideas, but I would rather not be alone in my views
Lastly, I do not want to be in a school full of one type of student (i.e. not a "jock" or "artsy" school or completely STEM or Arts)
I’m constantly second guessing myself and this is the millionth application list I’ve come up with. I have visited Chicago and that is it. I really need some confidence in my choices so… Thanks for the help
What will your family be able/willing to pay? What are your in-state options? People can’t give you suggestions for safeties without knowing this info since it’s not a safety if you can’t afford it.
Small schools with good science programs, in addition to the ones you mentioned, include Reed, Haverford, Grinnell, and Carleton. (Not sure if Haverford is nature-traily enough for you but it is a very pretty campus.)
Consider honors programs at your in-state U or other public universities as possible safeties…especially the ones that come with guaranteed full rides for your stats. Alabama for example might be a pleasant surprise for you.
@Chembiodad I’ve been thinking about Amherst, I like what I’ve heard about it so far. I don’t know anything about Hamilton. @redpoodles I like Swarthmore but the feel I get from it (mostly from this forum, I won’t name) is a little off putting. I’m not sure how open they are to new ideas, etc. Reed is much the same. Swarthmore was on my list for a while but I’ve had some doubts (and parents) that have pushed it off. Are these doubts founded? Are these schools as close minded as I’ve been lead to believe? @Otterma My parents can’t pay much, $4,000 a year really. I will have a job as well. This is one of the reasons I don’t really have match schools. I’m not sure if I need to add match schools or if I’m okay with have mostly reaches.
My parents are also against traditionally liberal schools so convincing them of that is difficult, mainly a lack of Christian organizations on campus is a concern to them. Personally, I’m fine with a liberal atmosphere, I’d like to be with people of differing viewpoints. But would like to be able to find a community of, I guess more intellectual Christians if that makes sense.
Is your parental contribution low because you are low income (if so you can target full need schools). Either way, you want some high merit schools on your list.
Many of the schools noted above are need-blind and meet 100% of demonstrated need; there are only 40 schools that meet that criteria and most are excellent so that’s a great list to start with.
I am biased now as my DD’s are headed to Hamilton after looking at many of the same schools mentioned above. Nope they didn’t get into some other great schools even though they profiled so maybe they would have picked different school. So while we knew that Hamilton has always been highly regarded/had a high ranking, what we learned was that its a wonderful combination of being a writers college and a great STEM school with a very diverse and accepting population - check it out.
@Chembiodad Thanks, I will @nw2this We make about $65,000 but only recently, lots of money is going into retirement as my parents have basically none right now. @wisteria100 I have looked at Carleton and that is another one I liked but is hard to convince my parents. Same on Kenyon @mom2collegekids I live in Ky. I can go to UK for free and get paid to go to UofL as my mom works there so I’m set on safeties really.
Georgetown may meet your parent’s criteria, it has a strong Jesuit presence on campus (with live-in chaplains for many of the major faiths). Lots of intellectual discussion going on, it doesn’t seem to lean too heavily liberal or republican- the students I know who attend feel the school is balanced that way. DC isn’t “nature” but the area by the monuments is nice to walk along. The only thing is GU is notorious for bad aid (from what I have heard).
Neither Carleton nor Kenyon are need blind, but Carleton has a big endowment so that is a good one to look at as it’s got an amazing STEM program - my DD’s were accepted, but didn’t want to go that far away. Kenyon is one of the better merit aid schools, but not certain how much need based aid they have.
I think you will be able to find Christian organizations on most campuses, including the ones you named. Look under the list of student organizations on the website. A question to ask yourself: Do you need a majority super-religious school, and if so does it need to match your denomination/sect (please forgive me if I used the wrong term- I am non-religious myself), or would you be fine with a school where you could worship with some like-minded peers, but where there also will be students of other faiths, from other Christian groups to Jews to Muslims to Hindus to atheists? I would argue that diversity is one of the best parts of college-- getting to know people from all over the world whose backgrounds and outlooks are different from your own. But others may feel differently and want to surround themselves mostly with people from a familiar culture. Figuring out whether you want diversity or everyone the same may help you to narrow your college choices (something like Messiah or Pepperdine or whatever matches your particular group, or something more like the schools you named, which are very diverse). If you are interested in diversity, as it sounds like you may be, then reach out to the student leaders of religious clubs (and maybe a chaplain or other official in charge of religious life?) to learn more about the sub-community. Maybe you can reassure your parents- and yourself?- that you will be able to maintain your traditions/ beliefs even within a diverse (“liberal”) school.
UAH has a fairly spread out campus, has a number of religious organizations yet is accepting of other than traditional values.
While urban, it’s about 10 miles to a state park with extensive hiking and mountain biking trails. If your weighted GPA is over 4, scholarship would include housing but not food.
Honestly, though, Louisville. Or UK if you really don’t like being that close to the Ohio. Save your money.
Thanks for all the replies, I’ll take a bit to process the information @TheGreyKing You hit it right on I think @merc81 Thanks, I’ll double check colleges using that list @50N40W Yeah I will do UofL or UK if I have to take out loans for the other schools
A concern of mine is my lack of match schools due to finances. My credentials are pretty standard, I am first in my class of 500, 4.00 UW, but I lived overseas for half of my life and I think that could be somewhat of a hook. Do these justify applying to mostly reaches and a few safeties? Will I get into at least one of my reaches? This will help if I don’t have to think about matches as well.
You might enjoy Jesuit schools, but you’d need to run the NPCs to see if they are affordable.
St Olaf is a more politically moderate LAC and affiliated with the Evangelical Lutherans. You would probably be in a good position to get a merit scholarship there - however, I’m not if they would meet your need-based aid - check! Good for STEM. There is an arboretum nearby and good cross country skiing within close proximity. It’s in the same town as Carleton, 45 minutes from the Twin Cities.