Help finding safety and target schools that are a good fit [English/psychology major; 3.9 UW/4.5 W GPA, 33 ACT, IB DP, <$50k, DE resident]

College Search & Lists
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I am helping my kid with the college list and would love to add a couple more safety/target schools to it that would offer good merit aid (we will have two years with two kids in college and will likely qualify for a small amount of aid, and then will have two years with just this kid). Stats:

GPA: 4.5 W / 3.9 UW
ACT: 33
IB Diploma Program
4 years two sport varsity athlete, plus off season training
3 years part-time jobs, one directly related to an academic interest
Some volunteering, one unique philanthropy project designed and run by student, also related to academic interest

Looking for a school with a minimum of 2,000 students but would prefer something between 3,000-20,000. A college town is ideal, but open to a quaint suburb; does not want an urban campus, nor to be in the middle of nowhere. Wants a temperate climate (not too hot, not too cold), preferably within a 3-5 hour drive of the ocean, and a traditional campus feel: green spaces, old buildings. Plans to study Psychology or English. Open to a Greek system presence, but not so much of one that it be would weird if they didn’t join. Sporty kid, really likes to be outdoors.

COA cap: $50k / year

Kid visited and applied to:

Pomona College - applied (thrilled with academic reputation, location; long shot for admission and affordability)
Occidental College - applied (a little small, but vibrant culture and location; may be too expensive)
Elon University - applied (LOVED campus, programs, and NC; town is tiny, so not ideal)

Applied or planning to apply to but hasn’t visited:

University of San Diego - applied
Oberlin College - applied
Miami of Ohio - applied
Chapman University - applied
Denison University
Cal Poly SLO
Tulane University
Gonzaga University
Wesleyan University
Loyola University - Maryland

Please share any options that we might have missed!

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University of Vermont UVM. Checks a lot of boxes except the weather.

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Yes, the weather will be a non-starter. I know what you mean though: I visited there with one of her siblings and loved it.

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Whitman, Furman, William and Mary?

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State of residency?

It is likely that there are one or more in-state public universities which would be safeties for admission and within your budget limit.

For the colleges already on the list, have their net price calculators given net prices within your budget limit?

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Delaware

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Delaware has two state universities, both of which look within budget at in-state list price.

Neither seems to have stated assured admission criteria, but they do not look particularly competitive for admission relative to the student’s stats.

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For the study of psychology, consider Pitzer.

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Check Seattle University, another Jesuit school.

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What can you pay for this student to attend college?

Santa Clara University is another Jesuit school that sounds like it would fit. Yes, it’s in the greater San Jose area, but the campus is a gorgeous self contained campus. But is pricey (but no more pricey than USD). Worth checking.

What about Loyola Marymount?

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So big picture, I think merit plus temperate plus nearby ocean plus pleasant setting is the tricky bit, since Big Merit is often being used to attract great students to great colleges in not the most popular locations.

Indeed, I like this resource scraped from CDS data for a quick look at some merit options, understanding it could be outdated or have data entry errors in individual cases:

If you sort by Average Merit Award then scan for ones with a decent percentage receiving aid as well, you’ll quickly see a lot of Upper Midwest and Upstate NY sort of options.

That said, there are some exceptions, which you might want to check out.

I won’t belabor Richmond since it is more a Reach than Target these days, but I would still think about it as a possibility anyway.

But what about Dickinson? Carlise is a pretty nice town, and county seat, then Harrisburg is close, and Philly and DC are not very far. I think around 2400 undergrads.

Connecticut College is actually in a small coastal city (New London), which might be fun. Maybe a little on the small side and I don’t know if merit will get you all the way to your budget, but could be worth checking out.

Other coast, Lewis & Clark is a cool college, and the setting is very pleasant, basically in the middle of a big estate up on a hill, adjacent to some nice residential neighborhoods but then not far from Portland proper. I think for your kid, Big Merit might be a reasonably strong possibility.

And then the OTHER other coast–is Trinity University in San Antonio a possibility? Only like 2 hours from the Gulf, and I don’t think the setting reads as too urban. A little Reachier again, but pretty robust merit. Not sure if San Antonio qualifies as temperate overall, but to me it has maybe the best overall climate of all the major Texas cities, and you don’t have to be there in summer . . . .

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An under the radar for many out of staters, this excellent college is located in an area perfect for outdoor enthusiasts and is about $50k a year for out of state students (and also offers some merit scholarships):slight_smile:

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If you are considering schools too far away to drive, I highly recommend prioritizing locations that are accessible via nonstop flights.

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Are they anpplying instate? I actually responded with Delaware (UDel) before noticing you are a DE resident. It seems to check a lot of boxes.

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I was also going to say Pitzer, if you apply to Pomona and you like the area, why not?!

Also perhaps Whittier, since it seems like this student is open to the SoCal region.

And Willamette, which is generous with merit.

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If you are looking at Denison and Oberlin and will be visiting Ohio, you might want to consider Kenyon as well, it’s only about a 45-minute drive from Denison. A little bit more isolated, however. My son, a sporty IB DP kid, was a psychology major at Denison and loved everything about his time there.

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Coincidentally at beer night discussion with friends, Denison was mentioned. Years ago a mutual friend sent daughter there, recruited by swim team.

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She must have been an excellent athlete - Denison’s swim teams are first rate and have won national championships.

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Sort of random but I grew up in SE Michigan and now live in SW PA, and if you drive between those (as I have so, so often done) it goes through NE Ohio.

So I have been hearing positive things about the LACs in that part of Ohio for a long time. But I don’t actually think that is pure regionalism, I think they are objectively quite good options, and in fact have been for a long time.

And for “proof” I often like to cite this 1960 Life Magazine article:

Lots of pretty tongue-in-cheek commentary in that article, and some institutions have changed their nature since then, or at least shifted in relative standing for a variety of reasons. But I do think LACs like Oberlin, Denison, and Kenyon can rightly claim a long history of being desirable places to go to college, which continues today.

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James Madison University seems like it checks the boxes shared. Also UNC- Asheville and Appalachian State might.

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