Interesting. I know some people in Denver, too. Might be a good area for me.
If you would like an undergraduate focused school with the availability a long-established term in D.C. â with associated internship opportunities â look into Hamilton:
Note, however, that Hamilton would not offer the day-to-day urban experience of, say, Trinity (CT).
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Your big issue is budget.
Make sure you apply to schools that have at least a chance to hit budget.
Some schools - Hamilton is one - have no merit aid - so great schools to look at but make sure the $$ work.
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I think Iâd love Hamilton. Looked into it pretty seriously for a while. Unfortunately, the location is a hard no (no associated church nearby).
Look into the requirements for auditioning for the music minor. Some of these schools could offer a scholarship but during some of our own tours discovered a couple schools only offered scholarships when you apply for admission.
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Well thatâs too bad! In case you missed this in your research, Hamilton offers this information:
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Donât count out Oberlin. My kid was admitted with just 2 years of world language.
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Interesting. What major?
My daughter got into W&L with two years.
Schools need butts in seats.
But a need aware school may not love you.
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I encourage you to apply to any school of interest since you already have an affordable and âacceptable to youâ admission at a very good school. Assuming the application fees are not a burden. If so, hopefully you are requesting waivers.
I know people sharing anecdotal information about FL requirements are trying to be encouraging, but it is important to have context. Did their studentâs high school only offer two years of their language? If so, no college will hold that against them. If they had the opportunity to take additional years and chose not to, that would be interpreted differently by admissions.
For students who choose not to continue with FL applying to schools that recommend 3-4 years, it is important to craft an application that highlights ways they challenged themselves academically and extracurricularly that justifies what may be seen as lack of rigor. So, how do kids do this? By emphasizing how they âbetter usedâ that time. Were they working to help their family financially or to care for family members? Were they deeply involved in a time-consuming activity (in school or not) that enriched their life (music?)? Did they dive deeper into another academic subject or research?
My point is to be realistic about how your transcript will be viewed and to craft a narrative that puts it in the best light, especially at reaches where on first pass you may not meet the recommended requirements. If youâre willing to spend the time and money to give it a try, be strategic with your application package. 
Best of luck!
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Undecided. They could have taken more language but chose not to so they could pursue other challenging classes of interest. They did not address the language deficit in their app but probably should have.
My kid was not lacking in any other way like GPA, test scores, etc⊠unless you count no APs. They chose to do dual enrollment community college courses instead.
Last I checked, Oberlin does not charge an application fee, and there is no supplemental essay, so itâs an easy app. Good luck!!!
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Not sure how Colby got on your radar, but Wesleyan University (CT) (a competing NESCAC college) didnât? Not talking about Ohio Wesleyan, but the one in Middletown, CT.
Both Colorado senators graduated from there and are loyal alum. Wesleyan is also the alma mater of the publisher of Politico magazine; there is a public policy center named after him Welcome, Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life - Wesleyan University. And, every four years its Government Dept. participates in an extremely well-respected political ad monitoring service called, the Wesleyan Media Project https://mediaproject.wesleyan.edu/
Itâs probably one of the most politically active small colleges in the country. Even the Mayor of Middletown is an alum.
Middletown itself is not a big city. But it could be big enough for most purposes. The campus is two blocks from downtown; it is replete with churches of all denominations; take-out food galore; and a robust bus system with regular routes to Hartford and a nearby Amtrak station.
I think a male student from Texas with your stats would have a decent chance at Wesleyan - the one in Connecticut.
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My kid is a musician who continued to play her instrument in college and take lessons not as a music major or minor. BUT this was THE hardest criteria to satisfy when she was doing her college search. She reached out to the orchestra director, head of music departments, and private applied teacher on her instrument. At some places, she was simply told that they could not accommodate non-majors in their small or large ensembles. At other places, she was told she had to audition and nothing was guaranteed. At other places, she was told that their ensembles were open to all students regardless of major with an audition for placement.
My kid only wanted to play in an orchestra, not a wind ensemble/band. And she wanted lessons. She found four colleges from her initial lengthy list where this could happen, and applied to those. The rest got dropped from consideration.
I would urge you to contact the music folks at your colleges of interest.
Thanks for this piece of advice! Iâll get in touch, although itâs a little late (Iâve submitted a lot of applications); probably will try to get in touch once I have admissions decisions. Iâd enjoy playing in an ensemble, but itâs not a deal-breaker if itâs not possible.
You can reach out so you have the information. My kid was also able to take a private lesson with the teachers at her top three choices. Coincidentally, the teacher at her school of choice was a CC member at the time!
AnywayâŠitâs always good to know the lay of the land.
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Also, I donât know what instrument you play, but my kid also played in some civic theater orchestras while she was in college. She plays an endangered instrument and the orchestras were very happy to have her.
Theyâve been on my radar. As with most top LACs they highly recommend the foreign language that I just donât have. Think itâs worth a shot anyway?
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I actually play in a local theater orchestra! I play clarinet. I donât really have the experience playing full reed books, but Iâll do it if thereâs an opportunity/if I end up somewhere where they need people badly enough to accommodate my rather poor saxophone playing 
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Iâm pretty sure Wesleyan is a ârecommendâ not ârequiredâ college. And you can afford to be a little reach-ey with your list.
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In consideration of your religious beliefs and practices, you may benefit from thinking about whether you would feel comfortable at a school at which the students are predominately nonreligious.
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