<p>There have been 100 new views since I updated yesterday so I feel like people want this information. If you think I should let the thread die out please say so. If not please update with new info about your favorites like this:</p>
<p>Carroll College, Helena Montana: [Carroll</a> College - A private, Catholic, liberal arts & professional college](<a href=“http://www.carroll.edu%5DCarroll”>http://www.carroll.edu)</p>
<p>pros:<br>
*The campus offers a plethora of activities as does the city of Helena. Loads of things for kids to do. Helena is no LA or NYC but it has some big-city attributes and small city charm.
*38 majors including Engineering and International Relations.
- excellent programs in bio, nursing, civ eng and math<br>
*The only Human Animal Bond program in the country studies the connection between humans and animals (duh ;))participants in the program have the chance to help raise a puppy to be a service dog! This “puppy factor” was a real draw for my girls.
*A fabulous 85% record on acceptance into med and dental school (well above the nat avg)
*a merit aid calculator lets you know ahead of time how affordable it may be
*Spirited sports support for their NAIA teams. Football has won the championship 7 of the last 9 years or something like that.<br>
*national and international awards for service
- outdoor rec opportunities galore!</p>
<p>cons: ie the reasons my daughters did not choose it…</p>
<p>*Helena is a pain to get to. All flights from here routed through Denver with 3-5 hour layovers. It would have effectively cut two days off of every vacation in transit.<br>
*In addition air fare was pricey. Costing about 500.00 per person on avg. Since I have twins, if they had both decided to attend that would have cut down on the visits home. This was of particular concern to my H but I now see how it is a benefit to have them within a days drive.
- Helena is bitterly cold. Sunny and bright most days but bitter. My CA girls opted for a more temperate climate</p>
<p>Still I am making a trip with my son to visit U of M, Boise State, College of Idaho and Carroll College at some point before he makes his own college decision. I fell hard for Carroll and though it didn’t work out for my DDs, my S is a different animal and it may be a great spot for him.</p>
<p>Here’s a dumb question:
Is there a thread for students with a GPA lower than 3.0? I know that some of the schools listed here would work out. ( I’m thinking about the late blooming boys in particular, with a little dyslexia or ADD thrown in…)</p>
<p>Add Utah State (Logan, UT) to the list–it’s actually a pretty solid school from what I know and gives good merit for both IS and OOS students.</p>
<p>For the student that does NOT want the traditional college experience:
Prescott College AZ</p>
<h1>Learning is self-directed and self-designed for every student</h1>
<h1>Class size is extremely small and teaching is very personal with a high level of interaction between students and faculty</h1>
<h1>A Prescott College education emphasizes experiential learning (“learning-by-doing”) and self-directed study</h1>
<h1>Prescott College is committed to the environment and ecological literacy, rather than passive classroom learning</h1>
<p>The college is at 5,200 ft elevation so the summer climate is mild (compared to the rest of AZ)</p>
<p>1098xyz: I remember Prescott sending mailings to my D. Looked very outdoorsy and environmentally focused Thanks for the recommendation</p>
<p>psych can you, or anyone else, comment on the degree of conservatism at the Utah publics? I think that some folks may have misconceptions and lump Utah schools together as being more strict socially. It would be nice if someone who has experience could speak to that.</p>
<p>Karen that isn’t a dumb question at all. Many of the schools on this list are matches for a c+ kid. But there are others that come to mind like Adams State in Colorado and Western Oregon State.</p>
<p>More than 100 visits since yesterday afternoon :)</p>
<p>historymom,</p>
<p>I can comment some on Utah publics. When you say conservatism, just come out and say “mormon influence”. It’s OK. My wife is born and raised in SLC, raised LDS but not devout. I am not LDS. </p>
<p>My brother (not LDS) went to school at Utah State as an OOS. Absolutely loved his time there, so much so that he took about 6-7 years to get out with a graduate degree. The environment at USU was not anything near dogmatic LDS. Obviously the mormons on campus are the majority, but there is room for everyone. My brother was comfortable enough in that environment to come out during his years there without any real or perceived repercussions (at least that he ever talked about). After spending many years moving around the country for different work opportunities in his profession, he moved back to Logan about 5 years ago and has been happy there ever since.</p>
<p>My wife went to UofU. That is a quite a bit more LDS-influenced, but how can it not be due to its location. Its not anything like a BYU, though. </p>
<p>Southern Utah University I am trying to gather information on because on the surface it seems like it might be a good fit for my youngest son (HS junior, and the quintessential late bloomer). It reads on its website that it has a somewhat specialized 4-year degree program in a career that he is expressing interest in. I’ve been doing google searches trying to get a more of a flavor for what campus life might be like (i.e. what is the magnitude of LDS influence). I haven’t found anything that absolutely defines this for me, but it appears that it is kind of the school that the jack-mormon B-/C+ kids gravitate toward to escape the “evil empire” to the north. It is about 20% OOS (we are in CA). </p>
<p>That’s what I know. If anyone has any direct knowledge about Southern Utah, I’d love to hear it. Hope some of this helps.</p>
<p>I’ve also heard good things about Utah State. They have some good guaranteed scholarships for GPA and standardized test scores - up to full tuition!</p>
<p>[Utah</a> State University](<a href=“Tuition Costs & Financial Aid | Admissions | USU”>Tuition Costs & Financial Aid | Admissions | USU)</p>
<p>RSBuletz: That was fabulous. Thanks for giving me permission to say LDS 
I am Catholic and I don’t get offended when ppl ask about how Catholic a certain school is but I wanted to be respectfully oblique. :D</p>
<p>Utah State sounds great! noimagination I like what you added about the merit aid. It’s always helpful to have an estimate going in!</p>
<p>Thank you for keeping this going! Anyone with other info on ANY of these schools I know it would be appreciated. Next time I update the list I will add the additional schools. </p>
<p>Also if anyone has specific questions about any of these schools PLEASE feel free to ask. People might not think they have anything to contribute to the thread but they may have answers to specific questions that keep the conversation rolling.</p>
<p>Yeah, seen it. Doesn’t reveal much. All those Youniversity videos basically follow the same bland script. </p>
<p>I’m trying to get a first hand account about what campus life is like. Cedar City is a really small town, so is there enough going on at the campus of 7,000 students to keep them shall we say appropriately focused but still having a good time. I came across a video posted on youtube of boys doing stupid stuff in the dorm, but thats what boys do. We’re kind of due for a drive up the 15 to see family up in SLC so a visit is in the near future but would be in the summer.</p>
<p>When my DDs were looking at Carroll they were in email contact with the admissions office and a student blogger who were pretty forthcoming in answering questions. If you can connect with a studet on campus via the website it may be worth a try.</p>
<p>If outdoor activities are appealing and a car is available, Cedar City offers plenty of opportunities for entertainment. Perhaps too many ;)</p>
<p>OK, what’s with the winky. Please elaborate.</p>
<p>^ Cutting class to go backpacking in Zion seems like a dangerously attractive temptation.</p>
<p>I visited the website and my word is it in a beautiful location. Lots of outdoor temptations for sure!</p>
<p>Yeah, my son is a skier, but has lived in SoCal his whole life. Says he wants to go somewhere with mtns. so he can ski in the winter while at college. Brian Head resort is about 45 mins from campus. </p>
<p>Then the next day he’ll say he will just go to a local CC. Its all part of the maturation process I guess. I suspect next fall when his HS classmates start comparing target schools he’ll start to get more focus.</p>
<p>RSBuletz have you looked at Western State in Colorado. My S saw a brochure sent to his sister several years ago and told me that was where he wanted to go. He was in the 6th grade or something then but he still likes it. The list he has created for himself is Western, Cal Lutheran, and Saint Mary’s because they offer (in order) Boarding, diving and D1 Basketball excitement. Now if I can find a school that offers all 3 he will be in heaven.</p>
<p>I know it has been mentioned, but I wanted to give a big plug for The Evergreen State College, for a certain type of student.</p>
<p>I am actually graduating from there next month (yay!) and then will be going on to graduate school. I am a nontraditional student with kids of my own and so I have seen the school from a different perspective.</p>
<p>What it has going for it:
*Small class sizes (25 is the most common)
*One giant class per quarter, and sometimes two or three quarters, allows teacher and faculty to really get to know one another.
*Narrative evaluations in lieu of grades really let students know what they have done well and what they need to work on
*Faculty are not publishing and are there to teach, which I think is kind of rare for a state school
*No majors or requirements so students can follow their interests
*Student-designed independent contracts are encouraged
*The campus is absolutely stunning. Set in a rain forest with paths to beach, it has an organic farm and many of the classrooms are newly renovated.
*Strong commitment to environment and social justice
*Olympia is a great town, as the capital, there are some interesting opportunities for students. I was able to do a legislative session internship with very little trouble, since I didn’t have to relocate for it. Students can pretty easily get internships with state agencies.
*An hour and a half from the ocean, 2 hours to Mount Rainier or Mount Saint Helen’s, an hour and a half from Seattle, two from Portland. It is a good spot to be, I think.</p>
<p>The students who tend to thrive here are self guided, out of the box thinkers. They are often very progressive in their ideals and get very excited to find out there are other people who think like they do.</p>
<p>Captiv8ed: Thank you! That is exactly what I hoped people would do on this thread :)</p>
<p>hmm, does Evergreen have any graduates students? It sounds great for some people I know.</p>