<p>Surprised you dismissed Carleton based on financial aid concerns. Their packages are historically quite generous, generally significantly richer by comparison than regional wealthy neighbors U Chicago and Northwestern. The school adjoins a lovely historic small town of ~ 20,000 on one side, an 800 acre arboretum on another, and Minneapolis/St. Paul are only ~ 45 minutes down the highway for city getaways.</p>
<p>I’ll also put in a plug for Vassar. Strong English program, beautiful campus and Hudson Valley location, with NYC not next door, but easily accessible by train, bus or car for occasional weekend diversions. </p>
<p>Swarthmore and Haverford offer academic strength, pretty suburban campuses, and quite easy Philly access. If close proximity to, but separation from, a city is important, these are hard to trump. Pomona’s limitation in this regard is a primarily a function of LA sprawl and resistance to ease of access.</p>
<p>Think about where you believe you’d best feel at home for four years. The vast majority of the top 20-30 LACs will offer great academic strength in your area of interest.</p>
<p>I’ll second GolfFather–Middlebury sounds perfect for you. Its English, Creative Writing, and Comparative Literature programs are among the best in the country, and its location in a small town nestled in a valley between the Green Mountains and Adirondacks is ideal for nature lovers. The link to the Bread Loaf School of English and Writers’ Conference is the icing on the cake. </p>
<p>Sorry GolfFather! I’ll get your username right from now on. :)</p>
<p>In the financial realm, know that my family has negative assets in spite of a middle class income. I won’t qualify for fee waivers or full-ride financial grants, but at the same time my family can contribute very little. Hence dismissing Oberlin (I’d prefer Kenyon anyway) and Carleton (cost of attendance after an average financial grant: $26,000/year).</p>
<p>Still, thanks so much momrath for suggesting Windows on Williams. The priority deadline has long passed, but I’m seriously considering putting forth an application in time for the final deadline!</p>
<p>I’ve gotten a lot of plugs for Vassar, 1190, and from what I understand I have very good chances of getting in. Vassar’s history as an all-women’s college means that many more females apply than males, so men benefit from a higher acceptance rate. As one of the more financially generous LACs, it’s definitely going on my list! Thanks also for your other leads.</p>
<p>Arcadia, I’m sure I’ll find your links helpful when I explore them in more detail. However, I’m favoring some more generous LACs over Middlebury now, but if it’s the right fit then it’s the right fit! :)</p>
<p>Okay, but I’m not really sure where you’re getting your information regarding affordability. None of the NESCAC schools (Middlebury, Williams, Amherst, Bowdoin, Hamilton, etc.) offer merit aid, but all guarantee to meet the full demonstrated need of accepted students.</p>
<p>I recognize that US News has weird methodology for some of their rankings, and this list is no different. That Middlebury’s value is listed as “22nd” means nothing to me, but the final cost after financial grants–$23,500/year–is enough to make me gravitate towards other colleges like Vassar ($20,000/year).</p>
<p>Let me know if you believe the cost calculations are methodologically flawed.</p>
<p>St. John’s College is the best known “great books” curriculum college, and appears to have “great books” as the entire curriculum. Some other colleges also have “great books” curricula, which are not necessarily the entire curricula. [The</a> Great Ideas: Great Books Colleges](<a href=“http://www.thegreatideas.org/schools.html]The”>http://www.thegreatideas.org/schools.html)</p>
<p>You should run the net price calculators on each college’s web site to get estimates specific to your family’s financial situation; using average financial aid grants and net prices from the various ranking web sites may not match your family’s financial situation. A college may have a higher or lower average financial aid grant than another simply because its students tend to be needier or less needy than the other college.</p>
<p>My D was accepted to both Carleton & U of Chicago last year. Her aid offer from U of C was much better than her Carleton aid ($11,000/year difference). U of C has really picked up their game in several ways over the past couple of years in an attempt to catch Yale in the USNWR rankings – possibly improving aid is one of them? Not sure of the overall picture, but can just say that my D was offered a better deal from them.</p>
<p>OP, are you using the net price calculator on the financial aid web page of each college? That is your best source of the probable cost to you for each college you are considering. It can be less accurate if your parents are divorced, if you or your parents have trusts, or if your parents have a small business. But if you are not in any of those situations, be sure you are plugging your information in for each college, not just relying on the best value link.</p>
<p>Another plug here for Kenyon, Hamilton, or Oberlin for you. Great colleges for writers (as much as college can take you down the path to becoming a writer).</p>
<p>“I have to agree with those who miss the connection of college with creative writing success. That seems to be portrayed more in movies than in real life.”</p>
<p>After observing what my daughter did in her creative writing courses, I can readily see the connection. Works that are born in these classes can easily turn into a first novel, if the seeds are promising enough. And this in fact happens.</p>
<p>A college can help concretely in developing one’s craft. And/ Or one’s college experiences themselves can be the source of inspiration for the events and/or background of a work. There are examples of both. </p>
<p>on the right track. Top LAC over universities (including Ivies) is a no-brainer if writing is your top priority – the level of attention and feedback you will receive at a LAC is a huge advantage vs. a university where in many cases top professors won’t have the time or interest in providing very detailed feedback on your writing assignments. Across the curriculum, writing is emphasized at the top LAC’s, not just in writing-specific classes.</p>
<p>Regarding financial aid, I would apply to as many schools as you can which interest you, and worry about financial aid after you are accepted. Schools which may rank lower on best value lists may still end up giving you a really great offer – financial aid is idiosyncratic and unpredictable, even from applicant to applicant. Plus, a school may be inclined to match a financial aid offer, particular if they really want you and your better offer is from a higher-ranked institution. So more acceptances may = more leverage in the end. </p>
<p>On to specific schools. Certainly apply to my alma mater, Williams. It’s produced many, many stellar writers, including Jay McInerney, Dominick Dunne, Fiona Maazel, Sonia Nazario, Stacy Schiff, A.R. Gurney, Michael Beschloss, etc. There are several well-regarded fiction writers on the faculty, most notably James and Karen Shepherd, and a well-known poet, Lawrence Raab. The Berkshires in general is a mecca for the arts, so you will be around a lot of creative people. </p>
<p>I would second Middlebury and in particular Kenyon. Kenyon is very, very rural, but really beautiful and hard to top for creative writing, given that it is home to the Kenyon Review, and has also produced many accomplished writers. I think they may give out some small amount of merit aid, as well. Definitely should be on your list. I’d also consider Colorado College which is a bit easier to gain acceptance to (perhaps would offer more aid accordingly?) but is also known for arts in general and writing in particular. Finally, if you do decide to apply to a larger school, certainly add the University of Iowa to your mix. Famous for its writing program and would likely end up being a bargain. It’s possible that they have a more intimate program for undergrad writing than typical for a large university owing to their famous MFA program, but then again the faculty may be more focused on grad students – I’m not sure.</p>
<p>I’m surprised no one has mentioned Bard yet. Amazing writing program and a writing intensive curriculum overall. While pricey “retail”, they offer good merit scholarships.</p>
<p>I’ll second Knox, which got mentioned way too late in this thread. Knox has one advantage over any other school mentioned so far – Creative Writing is the most popular major there. Nothing else can take the place of having a vibrant community of writers around you.</p>
<p>Hey everyone! Sorry that I stopped actively replying, school started back and my six APs (Art History in particular) hit me hard. Thanks everyone for your awesome suggestions.</p>
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<p>One step ahead of you! My friends and family swear I’m crazy, but once I whittled my shortlist down to fifteen schools, I froze it and said I was applying to all of them. Will it cost me $500 more than if I was applying to 7 schools? Yes. Will it save me more than $500 in the long run? Probably.</p>
<p>Also thanks for your specific recommendations. Both Williams and Kenyon did make my fifteen-college list. So did a few universities, namely Emory (great writing program), Vanderbilt (in my state, beautiful campus, I love Nashville), and a few Ivies (great academics and financial aid).</p>
<p>I’m still open to suggestions, but the LACs currently on my shortlist are Amherst, Grinnell, Hamilton, Kenyon, Pomona, Swarthmore, Vassar, and Williams. Everyone’s recommendations on this thread proved massively helpful in giving me leads on these schools. My thanks go out to all.</p>
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<p>I may add one merit-aid-granting financial safety if you guys are adamant that I need it, but I have been under the impression that my merit aid at less selective schools would be approximately equivalent to my financial aid from top LACs. Please correct me if this is not the case. My current financial safety is a public university in my state, which I will get a full ride to, though I’d certainly prefer Bard is I could attend for <$12,500/year.</p>
<p>For the record, the main reason I gravitate towards top schools is not prestige nor even academics. It’s the students. My friend group here is very small because most people can’t relate to me. If I go to a school where 75% of students have ACT scores of 28+, I’ll fit in well. I want my college years to be happy. :)</p>
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<p>My parents are divorced and I don’t live with either of them; this has made running the financial aid calculators prohibitively difficult. Plus, such calculations would return less accurate results anyway, as intparent noted:</p>
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<p>My assumption that I will get an average grant is based on the fact that my mom and stepdad gross roughly $95000/year but have negative assets, while my dad and stepmom will probably not be expected to contribute because they gross about $35000/year and have two small children. It’s a rough but reasonable estimate given the socioeconomic profiles of those receiving grants at these schools.</p>
<p>Thanks again to all who posted; even if I didn’t respond to you individually, I still found your feedback helpful! :)</p>
<p>Maybe, but it depends. Need based aid is the college’s calculation of what THEY think you need to attend (not what YOU think you need). Colleges have tried to de-mystify their need calculations so you can get a fair indication of what to expect; however there is still a range and some negotiation is possible.</p>
<p>Merit is more of an incentive award which is separate from personal financial need. They want you to attend and will make it financially attractive for you do so, but the actual amount that you’ll get is more difficult to predict than need based aid.</p>
<p>Since your financial situation is complicated applying to 15+ schools is not unreasonable. Good luck and let us know how you do.</p>
<p>I second applying to more schools. Financial aid packages vary a LOT. I went to Hamilton. Middle of nowhere, gorgeous campus, excellent writing program. Most classes are quite small. They gave me a chunk of aid. Hamilton is known for being generous.</p>
<p>You could “see” the campus and the environs by looking at “google maps” street view:
<a href=“Google Maps”>Google Maps;
then drag the little yellow guy in the upper left hand corner of the map to a road. </p>
<p>FWIW, my ds applied to only 6 schools, and the financial aid packages varied greatly. He received packages from $12,000 to $35,000. You are not crazy for applying to so many schools. As you can see, that extra “$500” spent on more applications can be very worth it. I wish that he had applied to more schools. He may have received an even better package from another good fit, though I am very glad that he chose where he did.</p>
<p>I do disagree: “I may add one merit-aid-granting financial safety if you guys are adamant that I need it, but I have been under the impression that my merit aid at less selective schools would be approximately equivalent to my financial aid from top LACs.” This may sound cynical, but less selective schools may give more merit, because your stats would boost their stats, and they want that, so they want you, and so would give more aid in the form of merit. </p>
<p>I didn’t read super carefully, but was Colgate on your list? We just visited, and while it is not a good fit for my dd, it may be for you. Quite small near a small town, very beautiful, and their alums really love it, (excellent help from them after graduation) - there is a strong connection between the students and faculty, and they meet need. It is a well regarded school. They are also consistently on the “colleges that guarantee the highest salaries” lists - many lawyers graduate there, and while you may not want to be a lawyer, you would make good alumni connections for your future. At this point, you are not at all thinking about this, I am sure, but your very expensive education is an investment in your future.</p>
<p>What a wonderful journey you kind folks led me on. Without you I would have been lost in the college search jungle. Your guidance led me to apply to Kenyon, Grinnell, Vassar, Swarthmore, Pomona and Williams. I have not gotten a packet back from Swarthmore yet, but Williams, Pomona, and Vassar have all sent me word of acceptance. Williams has cast a particularly attractive lure: a free campus visit, and a tentative financial aid package so comprehensive that I will be left paying only $4,000 a year. I should note that my mom and stepfather are separated now, and Williams seems to have taken this change into consideration. Perhaps Pomona has too, but their award would leave my family paying some $11,000 out of pocket each year. Vassar has yet to send me its financial aid package.</p>
<p>On top of these great offers come three surprising decisions. The first two: Grinnell and Kenyon waitlisted me. Perhaps I should not be too surprised, because it is a habit of second-tier to reject their top applicants in order to protect their yield. But the Kenyon rejection is especially painful because I found its campus absolutely magical. I visited in the autumn when its trees were dressed in beautiful yellow and orange, and I even interviewed while there and made my interest clear. I would honestly have turned down higher-ranked schools to go to Kenyon if only they had offered me a scholarship.</p>
<p>The third surprise is that I have been offered a spot at Princeton University. On a college tour last week I stopped by Penn, Swarthmore, Vassar, Harvard, and Yale, and I agonized over which path of education was better: the liberal arts college with the tight community, the committed professors, the beautiful campus and the quaint town versus the sprawling university with rich history, jaw-dropping architecture, grander opportunities and greater prestige. In my heart I liked the small colleges best, but my mind salivated at what universities had to offer. When I visited Princeton I learned that I could have both. Its residential colleges provide a strong community; the University focuses its greatest resources on undergraduates; the campus was gorgeous and unbroken by city streets; and the town was quiet and quaint. I walked away from Princeton knowing it was my top choice, but I felt a twinge of sadness after leaving because I did not think I would be back. I am extraordinarily humbled to be part of its 2018 class.</p>
<p>My commitment is tentative, for a small snag has caused my aid award to be delayed. But given Princeton’s endowment and history for financial generosity, I expect its offer to be workable. My thanks go out to everyone on this board who has lent me their help and their heartwarming care. Your encouragement, across my many threads and at multiple stages in my process, pushed me to pursue the wonderful opportunities that I now have today.</p>
Great colleges for writers (as much as college can take you down the path to becoming a writer).</p>