Whatever the budget is - and I don’t know - OP is going to need to find an assured to hit, not a hopeful to hit.
So hopefully OP comes back and gives a target price.
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I agree with the others that it would help so much to understand the budget ballpark, say, 50k but prefer 20k, or 20k but prefer 0k.
I get that some kids are reluctant to consider Alabama (mine are), but if money had been tight, I would have dragged my NMSF there kicking and screaming for a visit. My other kid’s high school buddy is there right now on the NMSF full ride. Relative attended, very happy with the experience and outcome. At this juncture in January and on a space-available basis, I’d suggest submitting the app to Alabama just to have it as a potential option when all the cards are on the table in March and costs can be compared.
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Louisiana Tech seems another giving - in their case - a 4 year full ride…for Finalist.
For semi, Bama is $28K off. Not sure what Tech is - but that brings Bama to $22-23k-ish.
But hopefully they get finalist.
Tulsa may be too small - but the other year, 25% of their class was at least NMSF- so another school with strong academic heft. But sounds like OP doesn’t want small.
But near free is near free. If that was the hope with the TE…
National Merit Semifinalist Package - The University of Tulsa
Colleges that Change Lives ctcl.org Check deadlines. Lots of great schools; Clark, Goucher, St. Olaf, I could go on…..
SUNY schools are indeed relatively affordable.
Bennington is expensive. Love the school and we got aid but not sure if your kid would.
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I know everyone is focused on budget, but also what is your son looking for in a college? Are LACs ok?
Personally, I think Bennington and Goucher are shooting too low for this student, even as safeties. Plus they aren’t in the best financial shape.
I would think more along the lines of GW, American, University of Rochester, SMU, Union, Connecticut College etc
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There are students at Bennington who chose it over Ivies. Independent, cross-disciplinary work, winter internship anywhere, personal attention, artsy. It’s a fit for some.
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Probably exactly what you don’t want, but university of Mississippi will give at least free tuition and may stack additional merit and their deadline for merit is 1/10. So all you would have to pay is room and board.
Have you looked into the Canadian schools? They tend to be less expensive than their comparable US schools. My kids applied to U Toronto, McGill and UBC. Note of course that the costs are in Canadian dollars, which can be favorable. Also they tend to have different price points for different majors, so be aware of that as well.
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If he does apply to Alabama and / or if it’s the instate football/ Greek school mentioned, he could look at Blount Scholars which is a liberal arts living, learning community with an emphasis on reading, writing and critical thinking. Open to all majors. Lots of intellectuals, nerds, not very Greek. Good prep for law school! Not sure about deadlines tho….
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I don’t know this precludes certain schools - because like everything OP has said, there’s no specificity but they said:
“not too small”
The University of Chicago takes kids like this, orders of magnitude more frequently than the ivies and similar schools. Obviously it’s not a safety or target and almost certainly doesn’t have merit. But it’s kind of a much more likely admit for the top student, just as SMU is a more likely admit for students a level down.
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I think it would help if we knew your budget.
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Yes. And home state.
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OP said no need aid.
Given the comments about football schools I’m guessing this isn’t a fit
Davidson and Elon would be worth a look. Elon should be a safety/low target with those stats. Davidson would be a target.
But it would REALLY REALLY help us help you if you would give us more info. What state are you in? How far from home does he want to go? Does he prefer urban, suburban, rural? Does he want a large school or a small school or the elusive medium sized school.
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@agnesflack I sent you a DM. Look for the envelope icon in the upper right near your avatar.
Rhodes college? Very strong pre-law. Will provide merit. Many strong students. One of the best in the country Mock Trial team (actually they have 2 teams per year.)
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Rhodes is amazing!
With your kid’s stats Rhodes will be most likely under $40k all in. There are students there (including mine) who passed on top state flagships like UMD, UIUC, and William and Mary. For you info one of current Supreme Justices graduated from Rhodes. Also look at profile of current president. She also has JD from Harvard. In addition, Rhodes as far as I know participate in Tuition Exchange. One of my kid’s friend has it.
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To me, this is the suggestion that seems best to fit the limited info given. Canadian admissions are more straightforward and stats-based, which plays to the student’s strengths. Most schools are on the larger side, but don’t have the rah-rah football culture that OP finds off-putting. They don’t care about “demonstrated interest” so nothing will be read into a hit-and-run application near the deadline.
UBC is too far west, but U of Toronto and McGill both have international reputations that rival top US schools. Dalhousie in Nova Scotia could be worth a look, especially if the King’s College Foundation Year Program would appeal - could be great for a pre-law student, and gets around the first year giant-lecture-class problem. Queen’s, Western, and York, all in Ontario, could be worth a look also.
Several have recommended Pitt, which I think is a great suggestion but should be submitted ASAP - deadline for Honors consideration is 1/15 and the 12/1 priority deadline for merit already passed. But “sticker price” isn’t outrageous and the Politics & Philosophy major offered by the honors college (but not restricted to honors college students) is terrific for pre-law, especially given the international reputation of Pitt’s philosophy department.
How about UMass Amherst? (1/15 deadline) Ohio State (also 1/15) is a football school, sure, but it also has plenty of academic strength and an excellent PPE Program. William and Mary deserves a look too, if 3 days is enough to get the application in.
As you say, if it turns out that your son’s application strategy has been poorly calibrated, a gap year is an option. But it makes sense to add a few backups now; then you can wait and see what options he has, and whether a gap year and an admissions do-over should be considered. It’s hard to tell whether he has really overshot, or if you’re just experiencing a wave of last-minute panic… but make sure he knows that he will be okay no matter what happens. He could apply to AFS for a “super-senior” gap year abroad - that would allow him to add rigor and also add another dimension to his life experience. I wouldn’t suggest doing that just for college admissions reasons, but if he would value the experience, it could be highly worthwhile - in many ways I think it can be better than the “semester abroad” experience at the college level, because the student truly becomes part of a community.
Good luck to your son!
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