<p>Hi, my daughter is a rising junior. Very smart, great grades, all AP and Honors courses, etc... She wants to go somewhere where there are few dumb-dumbs, to put it bluntly. She has little tolerance for partiers and wastrels, etc... She is definitely liberal, but she is not a hippy, so not into Birkenstocks, etc...(She loves bands like Panic at the Disco and Brand New.) For her, it will be really important to go somewhere with like -minded students, but definitely not a huge school. Suggestions please.</p>
<p>You’ll have to be more specific about grades and test scores. If she has no test scores yet, given her age, then the conversation is premature.</p>
<p>Her grades are all in the 90’s and as yet she has only done the pre-ACT and got the highest category. It isn’t too early to start thinking about it. There are many great schools out there, but she is going to be very picky. The goal is to get a list going so she can research this summer. Again, she will be a junior. All AP and Honors classes. I don’t know if she will get in, I would at this point just like suggestions.</p>
<p>So let’s assume she gets a 32+ on the ACT. You might start with the USNews list of [Liberal</a> Arts Colleges.](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-liberal-arts-colleges"]Liberal”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-liberal-arts-colleges)</p>
<p>An important early step is to find out if a school is even within your budget. That means you are your family need to make at least some ballpark decisions now. And any time a school looks interesting, have your D run the net price calculator. Investigating the possibility of merit scholarships may also be a good step. Or if your budget has no limit, make that clear also.</p>
<p>The point is, it’s painful for a teenager to get emotionally psyched for a certain kind of experience, or even a list of schools, that turns out to be unaffordable. Most kids won’t take this step on their own; they need some nudging.</p>
<p>Probably Brown because Emma Watson went there. That is cool enough for my daughter, but she didn’t apply. What about U of Chicago?</p>
<p>Dr. google, thanks. Your suggestions are a start. Wasatch, we are lucky, at the moment anyway, (long may it last) that we should be able to afford most schools. She might also get scholarships, etc… We will certianly look at lists, and she does already have a few ideas. but there are so many good schools out there, it is mind-boggling. It doesnt have to be Ivy League, and in fact, we both know that she will have a hard time if she goes that route. She is a good student, but her EC’s will probably be good, not spectacular. More suggestions anyone? </p>
<p>Maybe you could narrow it down by academic and EC interests. For example, some schools have a good selection of creative writing courses, and other schools don’t, or they’re open only by application. Some schools have good orchestra opportunities for non-music majors, other schools don’t. Some schools have no jouralism classes at all. Etc.</p>