Hey, the OP did say location was flexible. Though at the opposite end of the country on a diagonal path, that’s about as flexible as you can get. 
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Definitely flexible on location. We have been looking to expand the options wider to hit our budget and find a good education.
A good education is everywhere.
Than hit Whitman up for the no apply aid estimate and check Hendrix, well respected and will match the in state price. If you like being in the city, Ogelthorpe does too.
You can also look at small publics or even something like Wilkes Honors at FAU but it’s 500 kids.
You can crush the budget at many - and most have good education but that’s also in large part to the students themselves. Many kids skip class bcuz profs set it up so it needn’t matter to pass tests.
Be the kid that goes. Tonight my daughter is one of five who is at a foreign policy and the world of elections. Her prof from last year invited the class. 5 went. She said a glass of wine and interesting discussions. Her prof is a long time diplomat.
Most say they want it b4 going to school. But it’s different when they get there.
Be that kid who wants it and takes advantage.
And then no matter where you attend you’ll likely have a good education.
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Got info from Whitman that these stats are worth $30k in merit which is nice to know before even applying.
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Rollins has a priority deadline of 11/15 where they offer the highest merit including offering 10-12 full rides a year. Application is a super duper easy one and the school is a hidden gem.
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Rhodes has EA on Nov 15th. Your kid 100% will be under 50k in a company of A students.
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Still waiting on most of the results, but looks like St Olaf will hit the budget. Interesting that the give housing money along with scholarship for tuition. Added Purdue which at baseline hits at or around $50k at full cost.
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Thanks so much for the update, @CCdat. St. Olaf is a great option to have in-budget and in the bag! Hope you’ll continue to share as more updates become available!
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St. Olaf is a gem of a school and they have great math program. Between merit and lower full cost of attendance, they were the school to beat for my oldest. Their spring admitted students day sealed the deal for my son.
We’ve been super happy and were relieved that their hasn’t been additional unexpected costs/fees. His sophomore year he received an additional scholarship (in addition to the merit award and housing grant) unsolicited. Also, his first year he unknowingly applied for a campus job that was reserved for work-study. (He did not have work study as part of his package). He stopped by the aid office to ask about it and they ended up granting him $3k in work-study. (He works in ice arena driving the Zamboni and staffing the hockey games).
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My kiddo is a math major and transferred after a semester elsewhere to St. Olaf. Got a $26k academic, $3k housing and $7k dance scholarship. It is an amazing school!
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Got into Purdue with an out of state Trustee scholarship bringing the basic cost down to around $27k. Purdue was a late add, but based on price point and educational value it seems like a good option. Need to plan a visit there to check it out to see if it is a good fit beyond the financials. Its nice to have an out of state option that even without scholarships costs less than a Maserati.
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It’s a GREAT a school but in a world of small school apps, it’s 40k kids.
So yes that would be the thing.
If large was ok, there’s other large publics down south that could get you even less - $20k for tuition, room and board and you can still apply. .
But it’s a fine school. Just not what you initially sought. Hopefully you enjoy your visit.
I agree with Purdue not really fitting the initial list. In general I think there is more value in a small school experience if it fits the student’s interests and it is resourced well. The smaller classes and more favorable student-faculty ratios provide value that can be worth paying for. Purdue ended up making the list being the only Midwest flagship that wasnt otherwise vetoed for other factors and I think I agree that if big schools were a consideration, things would have looked a lot different.
Which other other southern large publics would come it at $20k and still be taking applications?
Alabama. Ole Miss. Ms State - I believe all three.
They have auto merit. So you know your cost up front.
Large school May, but doesn’t 100% mean large classes just like smaller schools have some bigger classes.
Final List of Schools Applied to included:
Miami OH
Furman
Trinity U (Murchison 33k), $41k total cost
Southern Methodist
Grinnell
U of Richmond (Admit, No Merit)
Washington and Lee
William and Mary
St Olaf
Bucknell
Lafayette
Davidson
Purdue
Notre Dame
Kenyon
Boston U
Claremont Mckenna
Emory
Still waiting on the last set of results, but ended up with some good options
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Final List of Schools Applied to included:
Miami OH (Admit $21k merit, $43k total cost)
Furman (Admit $34k merit, $48k total cost)
Trinity U (Murchison 33k merit, $41k total cost
Southern Methodist (Admit, $45k merit, $48k total cost)
Grinnell (Admit, $30k merit, $61k total cost)
U of Richmond (Admit, No Merit, $88k total cost)
Washington and Lee (Johnson, Free)
William and Mary (Monroe scholar, $58k total cost)
St Olaf (Admit, $35k merit, $44k total cost)
Bucknell (Admit, no merit, $88k total cost)
Lafayette (Marquis, full tuition, $21k total cost)
Davidson (Admit, no merit, $89k total cost)
Purdue (Admit, Trustee Scholar, $31k total cost)
Notre Dame (Admit, no merit) $89k total
Kenyon (Admit, 30k merit, $63k total cost)
Boston U Waitlisted
Claremont Mckenna Waitlisted
Emory (admit-full pay)
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That’s great - so a free and a free tuition.
Is W&L in the lead - or Lafayette? Or something else.
Great results.
Managed to get 7 out of 18 under the $50k budget which was good. Would do a number of things differently if doing it again. BU was a bit surprising as our high school has a great track record there, but with 78k or so applicants it is hard to stand out. Claremont ended up being a throw away as the scholar community and videos did not get completed for the application cycle and had to compete with multiple ED applicants who were already admitted from the same high school making a tall barrier to an already challenging RD admission. Though was guessing it was the case, it was reinforced that nothing is really “optional” when you are chasing merit (and probably admissions) at competitive schools and any small misstep can adversely affect the final outcome. It is challenging to manage all the different deadlines and secondary “why X U” essays and all the optional things to show demonstrated interest, be eligible for scholarship X, etc. There is a lot of time management and organization needed and it continues well past the application cycle.
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Best options are definitely W&L and Lafayette. Have not had a chance to visit Lafayette as of yet, but planning to travel out to see what it’s like. Lafayette has a better IDEAS ranking for economics for liberal arts colleges (12 vs 26th), but havent had a chance to gauge campus fit/vibe.
I don’t know what an IDEAS rank is. I think vibe is right. W&L is top notch vs any LAC and you won’t find a nicer campus anywhere.
Best of luck. Let us know how Lafayette goes.
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