Have you looked into the University of Central Florida? Might be a little big for her specs, but NMF’s get a full ride. University of Texas - Dallas has a similar program. Be nice to save the $30-40k/year for something else, no?
Thank you for the suggestion of Scripps but the goal is to have the option of within a days drive or a flight. That is how my DD set the state parameters.
@RockySoil we are working on selecting a NM big merit school to include in the list but not pushing it too hard yet since nothing will be certain until next September anyway. Yes we would love to save the $s but we will not force that route. This spring is about shopping for best fit and watching her definition of fit evolve, just as it did for DS16. I see the NM big merit school as a likely that we can add once her status and that definition is clearer.
Any additional ideas from those that have been off enjoying the holidays? Jesuit schools are being considered but do not quite fit her wish list.
Definitely consider Rhodes. I had never heard of it before this college search and found it to be lovely, strong in the sciences, with supportive community and great internship opportunities. It’s smaller —about 2000 students.
Tulane and University of Rochester are both right-sized and are R1 universities worth a look.
All three appear to offer reasonable merit aid. So far, we’ve been offered merit aid at Tulane and Rhodes. Haven’t heard from U of R yet.
Bryn Mawr is in a consortium with Haverford, Swarthmore, and University of Pennsylvania. It seems most closely allied with Haverford. The three LACs are small but are all lovely and on Philadelphia’s Main Line. Not sure about merit aid among these schools, but suspect it to be more need-based and/or competitive.
Thank you @mommad23 ! Rhodes does keep coming up.
If Bryn Mawr is still on the list, I can say that it ticks a lot of your daughter’s boxes but is also way off on others (mostly cold weather and very small student body.) @mommad23 is right that the relationship with Haverford is seamless - the schools are 1 mile apart, can easily cross-register for classes and even major on the other campus. Haverford is co-ed and the two schools together have about 2500 students. Swarthmore is more like 25-40 minutes away and a little trickier to enroll in classes. Penn is a very easy 20 min commuter train ride away but a heavier lift to take classes there – some limits on what you can take, how many classes you can take, and the schedules are harder to harmonize. All that said Bryn Mawr is fabulous for STEM and has pretty good merit aid – average award is $16k and about 15% of first years receive a merit award.
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Bryn Mawr did not make the spring break list. We have 2 reaches, 2 matches, and 2 safeties scheduled for tours between now and the end of March. We will see what sticks and add more tours later, if need be. I think the weather will be the compromise if these do not make the application list. Thanks to all for your suggestions!
Rice is an increasingly tough admit, but it sounds like a good fit for your daughter both socially and academically, and the school’s new financial aid initiative might work out for you even in the absence of merit money.
Rice does sound like a great school. Not sure I can sell her on Houston. She spent some time there last summer and was amazed by the temperatures in July and the damage the hurricane left behind.
If she doesn’t like Rice then that’s one thing but hurricane and July shouldn’t be the reasons for not considering it. That sort of Hurricanes are once a century thing and she doesn’t have to be in Houston for summer. She can spend summer at Switzerland if she wants, Rice is closed for more than 3 months of summer. It’s not like cold area schools where you have to endure winter hardship and only get 2 weeks break.
UCF, FSU, Alabama, UTK.