I know that it’s a little late to start picking new colleges, but I realized recently that I really want to go to a LAC instead of my big state school (UMass). I’m looking for a school that has a good neuroscience and pre-med program as I would like to be a neurologist. One of my biggest passions is community service and I want a school with a strong emphasis on that, BUT I don’t want the community service to be the “condescending we’re going to save the world” type of service. My family lives pay check to pay check and I don’t want to be in a place where the students are doing service for the wrong reasons. I hope that makes sense. Additionally I want to be at a school with many theater opportunities, I’m heavily involved in tech theater right now and I want to continue to pursue that. I want a school that is diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, religion, political views, sexuality, etc. Finally I’d like to be at a ‘quirky’ school, but not one where people think they’re better for being quirky - for example I do like talking about fashion, makeup, etc. and I’ve read posts about LACs on these boards reassuring people that the students didn’t care about shallow things like fashion. I’m also part of the LGBT community and would like a school that is accepting of that.
Now here the limiting factors: 32 ACT (36R/35E/30S/28M), 3.65 GPA, my family can pay less than 20000. My mom’s credit is really bad because my father (her ex-husband) financially abused her and now she is unable to take out loans.
Also check out the Bonner schools. Several of them are quirky (e.g. Earlham).
The Bonner Program provides a scholarship to students in exchange for weekly commitment to intensive and meaningful service with a local community organization over the four years as an undergraduate student with our campus partners.
You should look at Muhlenberg. First, need based aid is very good there. Second, it is among the best in theater, Third, with your stats you can get a nice merit award and lastly the campus is very, very nice.
Since its Lutheran, the campus ministry is probably very active in the community.
First of all, you’ve got the advantage of having a number of things you’re specifically looking for in a school. That is really helpful in narrowing down the field. For instance, if you really want to have the option of doing neuroscience, that will eliminate a bunch of schools right off the bat, because not all LAC’s offer it as a field of study. You’ve also got financial constraints, which will narrow it further. I think with some careful research, you should be able to come up with a pretty manageable list of schools that seem like they might be a good fit.
You’ve got two potential routes for making a private LAC affordable to you: get accepted to one that meets full need and offers great aid, or go to one where your 32 ACT score will nab you a nice, fat merit package. Your gpa’s a bit low to get into some of the most selective full-need colleges, but there are still a good number that would be well within your reach. Check out a school such as, say, Oberlin’s website and see if the net-cost-calculator works out to make it affordable. If that doesn’t look promising, then you might want to think seriously about schools that are a notch or two further down the selectivity ladder that might give you a sweet merit package. For those, check out the Colleges that Change Lives at ctcl.org. Lots of cool, quirky schools on that list, and I’m sure many of them have a lot of kids interested in service.
Another resource you might find helpful is the Dept. of Ed’s College Navigator site: http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/. If you enter the name of the school and then click on programs/majors, you can see how many students majored in neuroscience (if any!) and theater in the previous year. Figuring out about commitment to service will probably involve surfing school’s individual websites.
Leaving the service part out, but just considering quirkiness, theater and neuroscience, here are a few schools in the little-to-no-merit but meet full need category:
Is your bio dad still alive, and what is the status of your contact with him? What is your mom’s actual income? These questions affect whether you can get need based aid, which in turn makes a big difference in the types of schools that may work for you. Even with merit, the schools listed above are going to be well over $20K per year, even if you take out your student loans ($5,500 limit your freshman year).
Bates is notable, in comparison to some of its LAC peers that offer neuroscience as major, for having a full neuroscience department as well. This doesn’t necessarily make the Bates program better, but it does make it a school that should definitely be considered.
Intparent’s questions about your financial situation are key here. Get those answers up front so you can make good decisions before you start building a list of schools.
If the $$$ work, add Grinnell to your list as it fits your other criteria. One of the largest endowments of any LAC in the country which translates into great merit and financial aid - your scores are in range - beautiful facilities, the smallest class sizes of any of the top LACs including the intro classes, and lots of funding for student activities. Superb sciences - S was premed there. Neuroscience is a concentration, not a major. Quirky not preppy (which is pretty much true of all the midwestern LACs). 12% of the student body is international. Strong social justice orientation: https://www.grinnell.edu/about/social-justice
Run the online net price calculators on these (or other) colleges, using your father’s as well as your mother’s income & assets. If the resulting estimates are not less than your budget limit, then you may not be able to afford the kinds of colleges you’ve described. You can try also running the NPCs on less selective LACs (such as these: http://www.ctcl.org/colleges/list). They will tend to be less generous with n-b aid than the “full need” colleges, but some of them may offer enough merit aid to get close to your price point.
Otherwise, you may need to focus on colleges that offer big merit scholarships for students with your stats (statshttp://competitivefulltuition.yolasite.com/). Or else go back to focusing on in-state public institutions, including state schools within commuting distance of home. If your Mom is already living paycheck to paycheck and your Dad is not supportive, then a $20K budget may be unrealistic.
Are you willing to go out of state? Ripon College in WI sounds perfect for you. It’s pricey but if have good stats you have opportunities for decent merit aid. Plus, if you’re a Star Wars fan, Harrison Ford went there.
They win the most active student body in service almost every year.
They are terrific for pre-Med, with close working relationship with St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, 5 minutes away.
You fit academically.
You should receive Merit aid, but get cracking on application.
Quirky? How about an annual re-enactment of the Harry Potter Wizard’s Duel on top of the lunch tables every year? How about the Class of 2012 Class Gift, a glass encased armored mace, with a plaque that reads “Break in case of the Zombie Apocalypse”?
I second the Grinnell and Kenyon recommendations. Both give merit aid (though Kenyon doesn’t give out a ton). I’d also add Denison-it has a great theatre program and students are heavily involved in community service. Tons of merit aid, too. Only thing is it’s more preppy than quirky, though not overly so.
@warblersrule Thank you for the suggestions! I had never heard of the Bonner program before and that sounds like something I’d love
@TurnerT Do you know if Muhlenberg is LGBT friendly?
@rayrick Thank you very much for the detailed post and the suggestions!
@intparent My bio dad is still alive. He does not have custody of me, but I see him every other week or so. My mom’s income is 29,000 before taxes and 25,000 after. My dad will put forward some money, but I don’t know how much.
@Badgers21 Yes I am! I’d like to go out of state if financially possible, so thank you for the suggestion.
@Ironmom1 Thank you for the suggestions, but I’m not particularly interested in women’s colleges.
@ColdinMinny I looked at Rhodes, but my concern is that it sounds very much like a bubble. The campus is gorgeous, but I dislike that it’s gated.
I’m definitely going to go through all the colleges you all suggested! I really appreciate them If anyone can give me more personal information about any of them that would be awesome! Thank you!
@DreamingofLACs Muhlenberg has a very friendly, easy going reputation. It isn’t far from where I live and its only about 90 minutes or less to Manhattan. Best for you to determine is LGBT friendliness but I am guessing it will be fine.
It has exactly what you want, it is heavily pre-med with excellent facilities and heavily theater. Theater is a big major there and the summer productions are supposedly fantastic. Princeton Review has Muhlenberg at #6 nationally in theater.
So pretty much all the schools mentioned will take your dad’s income and assets into account, along with that of any new spouses either parent has when determining your financial aid award.
Don’t judge Rhodes because it is gated. It is in Memphis, in a nice area, and I suspect the gates were put up many years ago. Worth checking out, based upon what you are interested in, but obviously your call.
