<p>I am not situated in the US so i have no personal experience but thought they may fit your criteria from some of the reading i have done. I have heard that they may have some snotty people though but i dont know how valid that rumour is. I think you may get snotty people pretty much anywhere. </p>
<p>On a side note: Ive been to some of the little islands off sweeden and it was so lovely! I forget the name of the place i stayed unfortunately. It had all these log little log houses.</p>
The only problem with this is weather. I’m from Scandinavia; my body’s not built for temperatures above, say, 85 degrees. I’ve never been to the midwest, though–is it cold?</p>
<p>It sounds like a silly concern, but DC weather between, say, March and October (90 degrees with 90% humidity) makes me miserable and cranky… I’d like to avoid that, if possible. :eek:</p>
<p>sid19: Do you remember what part of Sweden it was? My mom’s family is from the south-east, and my dad is from the west coast. We were in Stockholm when I lived there, though.</p>
<p>Oh cool, yeh this was one of my dads friends summer house. :)</p>
<p>Good luck with your college hunting! Have you thought about maybe trying Canada? I have heard that it is cheaper and you could still get cold weather there.</p>
<p>You might ask this knowledgeable group of parents (momrath, TheDad, caroly) which of these offers the best merit aid vs best fin aid. Also, you might post questions about gettting fin aid–espeically if family owns a summer house. In other words, you might aim your app at merit awards rather than fin aid packages. I think you’d be a worthy candidate.</p>
<p>To put this into perspective, the summer house is (1) small, (2) old, and (3) low-maintenance… not to mention that this is rural Sweden, where a house is much cheaper than it would be in DC. I’ve no idea what it might be worth–does $150,000 sound plausible? It’s been in my dad’s family since it was built in the late 1800’s.</p>
<p>Maybe I should note that we don’t own a house in the United States–the Swedish foreign ministry pays our rent because it’s an employee benefit (translation: it doesn’t pay its employees enough for them to afford their own house). Both my parents come from working-class families; there are no reserves of money to draw from.</p>
<p>TYG, As you can see by the plentiful response, students with good grades and a predilection for snow will have lots of options. Im sure you will find many schools that will be of interest to you and will likewise be interested in you.</p>
<p>Finding appropriate financial support is going to be tricky, however, and all I can say is that its a good thing you are starting early! Financial aid is always difficult for in between families who are neither rich nor poor. Some schools offer need based aid, some mostly merit aid. The most elite like Swarthmore and Yale are need based. There are many excellent schools that do have merit programs. </p>
<p>In either case, those with money for internationals are few and far between. Your case is further complicated by the fact that your parents employer will pay for one year and one year only. After that you will need about $15-20,000 per year (in addition to your loans). If your parents have moved on to another posting youll need transportation funds as well. This is a complicated case!</p>
<p>My advice is to put your wish list on the back burner just now. You and your parents need to get some professional advice on what is a realistic financial expectation. They should be talking to their employer and to a few college financial aid officers, maybe a general financial consultant, since as an expatriate family the employers tuition package will have a huge effect on their tax status.</p>
<p>A lot of kids from middle class families construct financially possibility lists as well as the usual reach/match/safety lists. Youre a smart girl and you have plenty of time. Start doing your research and come back to us with questions. Read through the thread at the top of the page called Schools known for good merit aid. Know which schools offer need based aid and which are merit based. Find out how internationals have fared in the past. Maybe set up a meeting with the financial office of Swarthmore or one or two others that youre interested in. Good luck and let us know how it goes.</p>
<p>TYG, I can attest that midwest has plenty of cold winters and cold weather. My D graduated from Macalester it is very up and coming college, I know they are generous with international students. College is more liberal, lots of quirky, some nerdy people who like to question autorities. Location is great in wonderful city.
As international student you will have great competition, so might take look at colleges that are NOT top 10, this way your chances for scholarships will increase .
I am not sure for citizenship requirements but there is scholarship Daughters of Sweden or something similar, I wonder if you allowed to apply?</p>
<p>My daughter is a first year student at Dartmouth College which I believe also matches your interests. Students are very bright, casual, outdoorsy, and super friendly. Professors care about their students and are excellent teachers. Facilities are impressive and campus is lovely with lots of activities: social, cultural, intellectual. No need to be heavy into the party/drinking scene. My daughter plays violin in the symphony orchestra and is an “Arts” writer for the newspaper. Last night she attended both a performance by the Kronos string quartet and an open house at the Hood art museum featuring Asian Art. Last term she went on a weekend trip to Montreal sponsored by her dorm. There is lots of school tradition and spirit from the very beginning. Winter Carnival is coming next month. Since my daughter returned for winter term, she has been sledding and cross country skiing on campus multiple times (skiing is also her gym class). With 4000 undergrads and a focus on undergraduate education, there is a nice balance between size and range of opportunities.</p>
<p>i cant believe no one’s suggested barnard yet! as a dane from just outside dc who wanted a smallish campus far away from dc with cold weather and who cannot get around without public transportation, i’m kinda similar to what you outlined in this post and barnard is perfect for me. you said that bryn mawr’s single sex bit put you off a little… well, barnard is a wonderful compromise because columbia is right across the street and you cant do better than new york city! and if you’re not so much of a city girl, that’s ok too because barnard is green and tree lined and the river is 2 blocks away and it’s beautiful here. i would definitely recommend taking a look.</p>
<p>coureur: Well, culturally I’m as good as American… it’s just my paperwork that doesn’t line up. </p>
<p>By the way, isn’t Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran? I should’ve mentioned this in my first post… I’m atheist, so going to a religious school probably wouldn’t be such a good idea. I’ll have to look into the other schools you mentioned. Thanks!</p>
<p>Everyone: Thanks for all your suggestions. :)</p>
<p>Hi thisyearsgirl, I just wanted to thank you for starting this thread. I have found the suggestions very helpful as a junior with incredibly similar preferences and stats, minus the international part. I thought I was the only one with such spread out, seemingly idiosyncratic academic interests (chem, art–painting, math, writing) </p>
<p>btW, I am also involved with the newspaper, seeking an intellectual environment and cold weather ;-)</p>
<p>I’m curious. Why are only LAC’s being suggested? I don’t know terribly much about terribly many schools but judging from your prefs even MIT fits the bill. I mean, unless you have an inate adversion to concrete which is perfectly understandable.</p>
<p>My son is also a Junior and beginning this long process. We currently live in Switzerland where he will graduate with an IB Diploma so we understand the “cultural dilemma”. Being from the NE, he is partial to that area, too. Have you looked at Quinnipiac? About 10-15 from Wesleyan. Connecticut is a short train ride into NYC and close to the slopes of Vermont/New Hampshire. Good Luck!</p>
I’ve never been to the midwest, though–is it cold?</p>