<p>My daughter must decide between Salem College in Winston Salem, Meredith in Raleigh, Sweet Briar in Virginia or co-ed schools Earlham, Hiram, Knox or St. Mary's of Maryland. We intend to visit the ones that offer us good financial aid packages. Any opinions? Experience with any of these? My daughter is an artist, writer and enjoys sciences.</p>
<p>We aren’t from Maryland, but we loved St. Mary’s College of Maryland when we visited a couple of years ago. Very scenic, almost a summer camp like setting. I visited Earlham and Knox, and definitely would prefer SMCM.</p>
<p>I have friends with kids who LOVE both Earlham and Hiram. I will try to roust them out to give advice.</p>
<p>Rousted. I have a kid at Earlham. Any specific questions? There’s also an Earlham forum on CC with several VERY helpful people. </p>
<p>Regarding the mention of a science interest in your post, the campus is in the midst of updating and expanding the science complex. Phase 1 is now done and Phase 2 will be completed in summer of 2015. <a href=“https://www.earldom.edu/construction-projects/natural-science-complex-phases-2-and-3”>https://www.earldom.edu/construction-projects/natural-science-complex-phases-2-and-3</a>. (Phase 3 is more of a wish list thing for now) They’re also building a new visual and performing arts center right now where all the fine arts departments will move to so that might be another place on campus where she’d be spending a chunk of her time. </p>
<p>My kid has had a lot of good experiences at her college and really enjoys life there. She’s extremely busy and has found lots of outlets for her various interests. She co-leads two campus organizations and really enjoys the academics and fun times with friends. </p>
<p>I have a niece at Sweet Briar. She’s happy there. She’s majoring in biology I think and getting a certificate in equine studies. I think she’ll end up doing something with horses.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry just yet about any of these. Save that until you have the financial aid offers that you are waiting for. You could find the list cut down to one based on affordability. I</p>
<p>Check out the SMCM course in scientific illustration, which might interest your D if she is an artist who enjoys science.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.smcm.edu/art/courses/art390.html”>http://www.smcm.edu/art/courses/art390.html</a>
<a href=“https://www.smcm.edu/art/artisthouse/0304artists.html”>https://www.smcm.edu/art/artisthouse/0304artists.html</a> (see paragraph on Katherine Rizzo)</p>
<p>I know a number of interesting, intelligent people who have gone to Earlham. As a result, I have a high opinion of it. :)</p>
<p>Fiske Guide loves Earlham too. Excellent alternative for those looking for a Haverford-type experience.</p>
<p>My daughter and I just visited SMCM two weeks ago for a second visit. She had gone to their spring open house on a lovely warm Saturday and really liked it. So I wanted to see it on a dreary winter day with classes in session. It held up. she still likes it. she met with an AO and talked for about 40 minutes.While a bit nervous about the interview, it turned out fine. She said it was like two geeks talking rather than an interview.</p>
<p>FWIW, Earlham is on her list as well. Biology is one of her potential majors.</p>
<p>Poulou, when the offers are in, and you take your daughter for those visits, let HER choose. It really doesn’t matter what any of us thinks. She is the one who will be attending one of those colleges. It’s a nice list from which to choose. Good luck to her.</p>
<p>OP, I’m sure they’re all fine schools. I’m only familiar with a few of them, but in terms of academic strengths, Fiske rates St. Mary’s and Earlham higher than the rest (four stars for them; three for Knox, Hiram and Sweet Briar). What really caught my eye was that they gave Earlham five stars for “quality of life.” That’s a rare distinction in their guide book. (Sweet Briar and Saint Mary’s get four stars in that area; the rest get three.)</p>
<p>I am guessing St. Mary’s gets 4 instead of 5 for quality of life because it is not near any stores/coffee shops/etc. You need to take a shuttle to get to those amenities. It is remote, but sits on a bluff overlooking the St. Mary’s River and is a lovely location. But I agree with the academic rankings (Earlham & St. Mary’s above the others). I do know a student who went to Earlham two years ago and was not challenged enough academically, she transferred to Macalester after one year. I think St. Mary’s, as the public honors college in Maryland, may get a few more high end students than the others. But either one would be a very good choice if you daughter likes them when visiting. </p>
<p>Sorry, didn’t mean to be confusing–four out of five stars is VERY high. Three stars is good. Five out of five (e.g., Earlham’s rating) is RARE in the Fiske Guide. The only other LAC I could find that earned five stars in that category was Haverford. (This is based on the 2012 edition.) </p>
<p>Fiske also offers ratings for “social” (and I’ll confess I don’t totally comprehend what the difference is), but I think “social” has more to do with partying/school spirit, etc., and “quality of life” is a more elusive category (and apparently a social science term). In essence, it’s the Fiske folks’ judgment on the “wholesomeness” of the overall experience.</p>
<p>ETA: Davidson is another LAC that earned five stars for “quality of life.” </p>
<p>Thank you everyone. The only rejection in this group was St. Mary’s. Earlham gave us a great grant/scholarship package, but I worry that if the second year aid is much less, the school is well over $50,000/year. She is leaning towards Salem, Meredith or Earlham. Sweet Briar is very remote. Flagler in St. Augustine is beautiful and very reasonable.</p>
<p>I just committed to Earlham the other day! The college also gave me an amazing financial aid package, but I initially had the same concern as you. I asked the financial aid department and a few current students, and they all said the same thing: your D’s financial aid should stay roughly the same for all four years (assuming your financial situation stays the same and she retains merit aid). However, tuition will surely rise a little every year, and your D’s loan eligibility will naturally increase for the second and third years as well. </p>
<p>I’d go with Earlham. I really do not have the impression that Flagler is in the same academic ballpark. Salem and Meredith I know nothing about, but again, I suspect that the academic standard is going to be quite different from Earlham.</p>
<p>Do you know what appeals to your D about those schools? </p>
<p>I agree with your opinion of Flagler.
My choice would probably be Earlham, but they are ridiculously expensive. Even after more than $28,000. in grants, it is the most expensive choice. And there is always the possibility of losing the grants and scholarships.
Salem is a warm, welcoming, serious college. It is now top of Anastasia’s list. (Sweet Briar is great too, but not as generous to us with grants/scholarships).</p>
<p>Thank you everyone for your assistance.</p>