Some ideas…
Eckerd in Florida. On the water, good for environmental. Should get merit. Whether it gets it down to $30k, you’ll have to investigate. I like the suggestion of Allegheny above.
Maybe… Denison, Wooster, Susquehanna?? Again, you’ll have to look at merit and NPCs.
Honors College at Maine, Vermont, Wyoming, Montana/Montana State, Utah/ Utah State, Arizona/ Arizona State, Colorado State, as well as your own state flagship might also be worth a look
Too late to edit above…
Our budget was about the same, and many of these same LACs came out on the very stretchy side of what we could afford. It was do-able…just. D chose an Honors College/Scholars program at a state flagship which left money over - and it is surprising how much we have used that flex money to support her. Travel, internships, work wardrobe etc. Not to say, don’t stretch, but be mindful of what isn’t included in that price that you may have to spring for.
You said you have another child going to college a year after your D? Run the NPC with one and two kids in college and get a 4 year cost, as having 2 in school at same time can make a difference.
Any concern about fraternity participation levels at UPS?
It seems odd that Pomona and Haverford have different NPC outcomes then Amherst and Bowdoin. How much is the difference between those estimates? I would double check everything entered just to make sure. Also run the NPCs with two in college, so you get a sense of how things may change in the second year when her sibling attends college.
I would consider UPS a near safety (Some will say if it’s not auto admit (and affordable) a school can’t be a safety. In that case near safety or highly likely work). It’s great to see Truman State on your list. The trick is always having one safety the student would be happy to attend.
For an opinion on a few of your daughter’s schools of tentative interest, see reply #12: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/2123956-differences-between-top-east-coast-lacs-williams-amherst-swarthmore-bowdoin-middlebury-etc-p1.html.
“Not a party kid and wants to attend college with others who are driven, collaborative, and down-to-Earth. Right now her interest is mostly directed toward LACs, or at least smaller schools, …”
Not all STEM directed universities are the same.!
One University in particular is focused on STEM directed students who want to concentrate on interdisciplinary areas and offers a very unique program of studies starting from day one. It is known for environmental studies and overseas undergraduate research projects involving Mandarin in four different locations in China. This involves seven weeks of research to solve specific problems in China.
The average, unweighted GPA of entering students at WPI is 3.89.
What do you want to study as a major? What do you want to study as a minor?
The WPI vocabulary requires the use of two terms “IQP” and “MQP.” Read about it @ https://www.wpi.edu/project-based-learning/project-based-education
See overseas project research in China @ https://www.wpi.edu/project-based-learning/project-based-education/global-project-program/project-centers/beijing-china-project-center-mqp. Up to $5,000 overseas research scholarships are automatic for all participating students.
Reed and Lewis and Clark in Portland both have great academics and fantastic outdoor clubs. Reed is pretty much just need based aid while L&C has good merit aid.
Given that Mac and Carleton have been mentioned above and you are looking for matches, maybe add St Olaf to the list. While I wouldn’t immediately associate St O with “coolness” or outdoor recreation (unless your child likes X country skiing), it checks some of her boxes. It would be more of a match. Top merit will get you up to half of COA and it’s said to be fairly generous with need-based aid. Very strong in the sciences and has good grad/med school placement. Also emphasizes study abroad and sponsors many short and longer term programs. The student body is kind, collaborative, and relatively wholesome. Non-partiers would be happy there.
Macalester’s financial aid office will usually give you more aid if you just ask them (they even doubled one of my friend’s packages after his parents called). For that reason alone, I would at least apply there. It really does seem like a fantastic fit.
Another school that you might want to consider is Lawrence University in Appleton, WI. It’s a beautiful LAC with small classes, excellent grad school placements, solid financial aid, and many merit scholarships. I personally was able to get the COA down to $29,000 through their merit scholarships alone (Maine Hall Green Award, Lawrentian Award, Light! More Light! Scholarship). Appleton is a very nice small city, and there are some great shops and restaurants right outside of campus. It’s no Saint Paul, but it’s location is still a lot better than most LACs. Their average ACT is a 29, so your daughter is probably competitive for scholarships. As far as the student body goes, they seemed pretty humble, collaborative, and hard working when I visited. I’ve also heard that the food is pretty great for what it’s worth.
While Im glad my suggestion of UPS may be a great safety/match, I would have one other school to consider. UW-Madison. While large it doesnt feel too huge. Sure theres sports but Madison is pretty liberal and has lots of offer. Lakes nearby and the capitol at your doorstep allows for opportunities. I know there are several environmental science study abroad opportunities. I know many who go there who could not care less about football or any sport and they find their people no problem. Very eclectic and diverse group there. If shes into research she might even be able to do so as an undergrad.
Haverford looks smaller than it is. It shares campuses with Bryn Mawr. BMC / H are twin campuses and do virtually everything in coordination. Plus they can take classes at Swarthmore and UPenn.
Women’s colleges vary in how many men they have on campus. BMC clearly has men on campus as its co-campus is Haverford. BMC also has some grad programs which include men. Getting to Philly is easy. BTW BMC’s geology program is well known and remarkable–noting because of the environmental interest you mentioned.
Similarly Smith is in the middle of a cute small town and part of a consortium that includes co-ed schools. Free buses take the students around. Dorms at Smith and Mt. H allow overnight male guests. I personally like Mt. Holyoke a lot, also part of the consortium. I prefer it to Smith.
Barnard’s co-campus is Columbia and there are men there as well. NYC is on a body of water that has a lot of interesting environmental efforts in progress, especially with oysters. The campus of Barnard / CU really is the entire city.
As for Vassar being “not an urban school” --that’s false. It’s in Poughkeepsie, albeit pushed a little to the side in a more suburban-looking area. You could avoid the city part of Poughkeepsie if you choose to, but P-town offers a lot in terms of providing music venues, restaurants and internship opportunities and even real jobs upon graduation. P-town is also on the MetroNorth commuter line to NYC, which means students can go to NYC as a day trip. Vassar has strong sciences and humanities in addition to the arts, as noted. Vassar’s studio arts program is not as well developed as Haverford’s/BMCs (they share an art department). Vassar is also in the Hudson River Valley, which is lovely and offers abundant nature.
I echo the idea of U Puget Sound–it’s an under appreciated school IMHO and about to be “discovered” I predict. I sense that it’s becoming a “hot” school because it offers so much. And it’s more reasonably priced than similar schools on the East Coast. UPS is in a cute town, solid academics that I estimate are on par with perhaps Connecticut College, on a body of water, Mt Rainier visible in the near distance, close to a major airport with transportation to the campus from there. While it has team sports, the student body seems active in outdoor sports - kayaking, hiking, camping, etc. The orientation activities seem to involve these sports–and a few indoor things as well. I personally like the Hawaiian cultural activities, which speaks to its connection in that direction.
Another school that’s often on people’s list, is UVM. It’s a public school, outdoorsy, and larger than some of these LACs. The town is also adorable, with an airport. I want to also then draw your attention to U of Maine at Orono. It has many of UVM’s features but offers a lower price. The campus is attractive, has a nearby airport, offers nearby National Park (Acadia) and other outdoor sports. The school is offering matching in-state tuition for many states and reduced tuition for the others. The school has excellent (excellent) marine sciences and ABET-accredited engineering. In other words, the academics depending on the department can be top notch.
Note that U.S. News, for example, describes Vassar’s setting as suburban.
Colby and Middlebury both have excellent ES programs. Look into them.
Since your daughter is just a rising junior in high school, her interests may change over the next 18 months.
For a student ranked #1 out of a class of 550 students with a perfect 4.0 average GPA and a strong ACT score of 32 who wants to be surrounded by other bright kids who engage in intelligent conversations, she should have plenty of options at LACs, National Universities and at public flagship honors colleges.
OP wrote:
“Not a party kid and wants to attend college with others who are driven, collaborative, and down-to-earth.”
While it seems clear that some schools suggested above are not the most appropriate suggestions based on your daughter’s profile & interests, your daughter’s “parameters” are quite broad in terms of location (other than rural) & in terms of academic interests.
Pomona College (& Amherst College) seems like a suitable starting point based on your daughter’s preferences. But it gets a bit difficult recommending other LACs when your daughter does not want too small, rural or a drinking/partying culture.
Carleton College, Grinnell College, Macalester College, Haverford College, Davidson College and Barnard should be considered by your daughter in order to further refine her preferences and likes & dislikes. Her current preferences eliminate many of the top LACs.
OP shared:
“Her current interests are in environmental / life sciences and in international studies.”
“Her dream career as of now would be something in diplomacy, working with foreign countries on environmental policy–but she’s also interested in pure research and/or public health.”
In my view, this description seems more suitable for study at a National University than at an LAC.
@merc81 That sounds like marketing “branding” because most people think of Poughkeepsie as gritty, which is somewhat accurate but also sells the city short. It has plenty to offer as I described above. I’ve known Vassar grads who stepped from graduation into positions in Poughkeepsie that people coming from grad schools were competing for–mainly because they had internships while at Vassar. That sort of thing. New Haven is also gritty and has its lousy aspects, and similarly it offers Yale students opportunity for internships etc. There are a lot of great schools that have been or still are in gritty areas: UPenn, Columbia; Yale; UChicago, etc.
This is what came to mind when I read OPs description.
Thanks for all the suggestions! As someone else noted, she is still young-ish and her preferences may change in the next 18 months. She is using part of this summer to become acquainted with colleges and refine some of her interests - she is not married to the idea of an LAC and that could change. Money will also play a key role in her options, so I’m also using part of the summer to also conduct some research, especially with the NPCs. I don’t want her to get too excited about any school I’m sure we can’t afford.
Along those lines, I have thee questions:
Thanks again - I’m making a list for her to research and I really appreciate those who have taken the time to respond!
I’m here to suggest TCU! I think she would love the Honors College, and there are opportunities for various scholarships. Very friendly people. I haven’t seen her stats, but she sounds like she could be a candidate for the full tuition Chancellor’s Scholarship. Good on you guys for starting the search early 
“1. Some schools seem to give significant bumps to ED applicants. Is this mostly because of athletes, legacies, etc? Or does an unhooked student have a much better chance when applying ED?”
Generally ED will give a bump to any candidate, although different candidates might experience different bumps. ED allows the school to be that much more certain about their entering class, both in terms of who is attending and financially. Each school does ED differently. Some say (Vassar in one presentation about 5 years ago) that they do NOT give a bump to ED candidates. Others are explicit that it does. YMMV. Note that some schools have different ED deadlines. I think that at Skidmore their second one is slightly after (if I’m remembering correctly) Vassar’s and so theoretically a child could do EDI at School X, EDIIa at Vassar, EDIIb at Skidmore, that sort of thing and get 3 EDs. So look at the deadlines for each school carefully.
“2. Do schools ever do an “early read” for financial aid if a student is considering ED? Or are the NPCs generally pretty accurate and an early read isn’t necessary?”
I think that you would need to contact the school directly to see their policies. My gut tells me that the more competitive the school, the less likely they will be to early read. But it’s an empirical question on a school by school basis. That being said, ED contract allows you to withdraw if you cannot afford the FA package. That’s the only time, I’m pretty sure, that it’s okay to withdraw.
Re: reductions for more than one in college… I get the impression it all depends on the school(s) financial aid policies. If a school doesn’t meet full need they won’t necessarily care you have 2 in college. However, a meets full need school likely will.
None of my three overlap (poor planning!) and we don’t do ED as we need to compare financial aid offers.