<p>Reed is another LAC in the Pacific NW that you might want to consider. As a science nerd, you may prefer its academic atmosphere to Whitman’s.</p>
<p>How big a gap is there (if any) between your EFC and the full cost of attendance? If it’s significant, consider what percentage of determined need each school covers, on average, and the percentage of grant aid v. “self help” aid (work study & loans). This information is in the Common Data Set file, section H. All the LACs you’ve listed offer good to excellent need-based aid, but a few may offer a little less than 100% on average, or cover a relatively large amount with “self help”.</p>
<p>Chicago is the only research university on your list. It meets all your criteria, except that it’s in a large city. In some respects (class size, curriculum) it is the most LAC-like of the top 10 national universities. If you’re looking for strong science programs, with an interdisciplinary bent and lots of research funding, you’ll find resources there that no LAC can match (along with smaller class sizes than some of the LACs on your list*).
[Institute</a> for Molecular Engineering](<a href=“http://molecularengineering.uchicago.edu/]Institute”>http://molecularengineering.uchicago.edu/)</p>
<p>*Average Class Sizes (< 20, >=50), w/rounding of numbers >= 10%
Chicago (75%, 4.9%)
Whitman (62%, < 1%)
Wesleyan (68%, 4.8%)
Bates (67%, 2.7%)</p>
<p>(U Washington (34%, 21%))</p>