Sounds like you’re on the right track- I would check out F&M. And maybe reach out to Centre one more time- it’s a great school that may give you a nice financial aid package. I live in KY and we know lots of bright kids who attend. They’ve all had amazing study abroad experiences, too. I know you all want to stay fairly close to home, but checking out some Canadian universities might be well worth it. My son is currently an engineering major, but will probably double major in French- he studied abroad in Paris last spring and he loves foreign languages. We went to Montreal last week and we were blown away by how pretty McGill was and what a cool city! My friends who did undergrad in Canada all say that even though they are large schools, they feel much smaller. My son spoke French the entire time we were there- Montreal is fall less bilingual than I thought, as everyone was speaking French. Just something to consider, it might be worth tossing in a couple apps to Canadian schools just for fun.
Excellent point.
No real help just a one off comment- my daughter is in the process of applying to Centre and has gotten response for some specific questions that required the admissions rep she emailed doing a bit of digging and she felt she was dealt with in an attentive manner. I don’t have any real experience and we haven’t even visited yet just I maybe wouldnt write them off as non responsive for that one thing they dropped the ball on. Good luck to you!
Great to know! My husband reminded me that was just one person. 
And sometimes things fall through the cracks!
Yeah, you might write the director…or send to the general address or call.
Admissions (sales is what they are) often create the love - which is nice - but not representative of the four year day to day.
But they also could have the opposite effect - also not the four year day to day.
If the school is of interest, reach out again and for any school, given the high level needs, talk to the department chair - so you can find out the level of rigor, quantity and frequency of offerings and all that.
You likely have to give things up given your strict needs - but you want to get as close to your desires as possible…and you can’t tell that from admissions or a website.
My s’s hs gf went to Centre. I believe she had a good experience.
We are taking a closer look at F&M And Furman. I don’t think we’d have time to visit either and talk to the French dept before applying, as we’ve done with other schools, so we are looking at their faculty and course offerings online. We may also look into scheduling a call with the department heads, if they’re open to that.
If anyone has firsthand experience of the French departments at either of these schools, I’d love to hear about it!
We are now at the point of deciding how many schools make the final cut. I am leaning to 9-10–2 likelies, 2-3 reaches, and the rest matches. My husband thinks this is a lot and wonders if it should be 5-6ish. Seeing as how this is our first rodeo & our son is homeschooled—so that already feels different/non-traditional—I would rather cast a wide net.
I don’t think 9-10 apps is a lot, especially if you’re looking for specific strengths and want to make sure you’ve got good choices. A lot of kids apply to 20 (which is a lot, and it’s one of the trends that has made college admissions so unpredictable, but my point is that you’re certainly within a normal range). As long as there are a couple of likely/safety schools your kid would be happy to attend, you can load up the rest of the list with whatever you want.
I’m with you in regards to wider net. I’d cast even wider myself.
Others are like your husband.
Some apply to one.
You just need one - but because your focus is so specific, if you apply to less, you need to ensure one assured so you are not left shorthanded.
in your case likelies are far more important than reaches but are there enough likelies to meet your needs?
It’s the assured that matter most. Reach schools are nice to haves but you need those two assured to meet your academic and cost needs, plus other things that matter like distance to home.
After the assured, the rest of the list can be however you deem fit . A reach isn’t better just bcuz it’s a reach. In your case, fit is far more important than selectivity.
Some kids stress at 5 apps. Others think 15+ is too few. Depends on the kid and essay requirements, if any.
But when you have a tight budget, if you have the right schools on the list, more is better. Better to have too many possibilities than too few. Abd make sure you are applying to schools that can make budget. May not but can. Some apply to schools that 100% won’t and they hope but that’s silly and wasteful…like schools with no merit where the NPC shows too much.
Good luck.
Great, thanks!
We now have 3 likelies that we are both happy with—they’re both likely for admissions and great financial safeties. This has been a relief, as I have viewed these schools as the most essential ones to “nail down”, but it has been hard to lasso my son into talking about them.
I also ran the NPCs for our list a couple of weeks ago using 2024 tax returns and getting downright granular, and we were happy with the results. Only one potential school was too $$ & my son wasn’t interested in it anyhow, so that was ok.
It has been an interesting process. It’s true that we are far more interested in the academic fit for him than in selectivity because they don’t always match up. In some ways this has been challenging, but it has also been liberating, in that as we have started to articulate with more specificity what would be great for him, we’ve been able to look at schools through a different lens—beyond selectivity or name.
Miles to go before we sleep, though! 
That you have 3 likelies (hopefully safeties) that work, you are good.
5, 9, 29 - whatever you choose is great.
Best of luck..
Please come back once he’s made a decision (or is working on making one). I have found his journey so interesting and exciting that I’m really rooting for him and invested now. (I am also hoping that didn’t sound really weird and stalker-y coming from an internet stranger.)
Yes! I shall! And thank you for the chuckle!! 
And even more, thanks for rooting for him. He’s a sweet human and enthusiastic learner. Hoping for a great & happy outcome for him!