@Bobarlette, what schools are already on her list?
If she is interested in a women’s college do take a look at Agnes Scott. It’s very diverse (just no guys). They do a lot to help their students rise up. Everybody gets a scholarship, literally. I don’t know if they are Questbridge or not but in addition to the scholarship that everybody gets they do offer full rides. Undergraduate Scholarships & Financial Aid | Agnes Scott College
Agnes Scott was the most diverse school we toured. It is about 40% white with the rest students of color with a large percentage of black and Latina students. It is very diverse in terms of economic backgrounds too. Also has a welcoming LGBTQ scene but plenty of straight kids too.
Decatur is walkable from Agnes Scott (we walked to the tour from our hotel in downtown Decatur). Decatur is super cute with lots of shops and restaurants and cool bookshop. There’s a MARTA stop nearby which gives car free access to the rest of Atlanta.
Agnes Scott is also part of an Atlanta Higher Education consortium that allows students to take classes at other area universities like Emory and Georgia Tech.
A college that doesn’t check the “cool city” box but might check all the others (especially for a potential Questbridge candidate), is Berea. It is in a lively town with a lot going on, if not a big city. Worth checking out.
I thought of lots already mentioned (Macalester, Oxy - though far, Davidson, Richmond). But also you might consider SMU - in a nice area of a big city (University Park, Dallas). Not a liberal arts college only, but Dedman School of Arts & Sciences very liberal arts focused.
Bard? It’s near NYC (about 40 minutes I think), I think they have very generous packages for students in need, not so much outright merit. But I don’t know driving distances from Nashville so it is probably and hour or two too far off the top of my head. But that might be a compromise you are are willing to make
Bard seeks to assist qualified students who might not be able to attend a private college because of the cost. Bard will meet 100% of the full demonstrated need (Tuition, Food and Housing, First Year Academic Programming if applicable and Required Fees) for U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens* admitted in the early rounds (Early Action I and Early Decision I). The College makes every effort to meet demonstrated need, no matter which application option students choose. In recent years, almost 70% of all Bard students have received financial support from the College.
@anonuser1234 its way further to NYC than you think…like more than double.
The best way to get from Bard College to Manhattan is to train which takes 2h 13m and costs $60 - $150. Alternatively, you can bus, which costs $85 - $130 and takes 2h 28m. Can I drive from Bard College to Manhattan? Yes, the driving distance between Bard College to Manhattan is 106 miles.
To the OP…there are a LOT of LACs in Ohio and Pennsylvania that would be worth checking out.
Oglethorpe (Atlanta)
Southwestern (outside of Austin, TX)
Rollins (outside of Orlando)
University of Denver
I have no clue how generous they are, but they are urbanish small liberal arts colleges. Also - you say you are looking for targets, but you are likely to get more money from safeties.
I’ll add another +1 to Denison, Columbus is a city that could offer a lot to a college student (with the full disclaimer it’s not going to compete with a “big” city. The setting that Denison is in is pretty idyllic and while small, it seems like almost every kid can find their people.
Southwestern University is in a cute walkable town, close to a very cool city (Austin), about 12 hours to Memphis, residential with 4 year housing, progressive and generous with merit. They punch way above their weight with grad schools, have an enviable student/teacher ratio and freedom to explore for a kid not sure on what non-STEM Major to choose.
Macalester, Butler, Wash U. (Reach), Oxford at Emory, Rhodes, Drake, Tulane, Trinity (TX), SMU, TCU, U of OK (honors college), Davidson, Case Western, Denison, Grinnell, U of Iowa Honors program. Note, WashU meets 100 percent of demonstrated financial need for all admitted students. Admissions is very holistic. Other colleges listed above meeting 100% of financial need: Davidson, Emory, Grinnell. Also Berea College, but that is more remote.
The likelihood of LAC in PA being in a city offer slim pickings. The LAC’s closest to or in Philadelphia for example, have religious affiliations which is non-starter for the OP - eg Villanova, LaSalle, Saint Joseph’s U. In Pittsburg area, you have Duquesne U (Catholic), but there is also Robert Morris.
Schools like Susquehanna, Juniata, Bucknell, Lafayette, Muhlenberg, Dickinson, Gettysburg are not near cities really,
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The Oxford campus of Emory has only 1000 students and is truly in the middle of nowhere. There is not even a small town, let alone a cool city! There’s nothing but houses within walking distance. Atlanta is something like an hour away, but I cannot imagine Oxford’s setting is what the OP is looking for.
Looking at this description of a target, I think OP might really be looking for schools where a 3.7/4.1 GPA and a 32 ACT would be competitive for a really good financial aid package (whether need-based or merit aid). So, looking for financially generous schools where OP’s D has a good chance of acceptance, even at a need-aware school, and/or schools with BIG merit packages.
And if we think of a safety as a school that is extremely likely to admit a student, BE AFFORDABLE FOR THE FAMILY, and where a student would like to attend, then the vast majority of schools outside of Tennessee are likely to only be affordable with big merit/need-based aid, if this family is likely to be QuestBridge eligible.
Run the Net Price Calculators (NPCs) to see if the prices would meet your family’s budget. If so, the focus for these would be on admission:
Bryn Mawr (near Philadelphia, PA), women’s college, and one of the most generous schools in this bunch
Denison (OH)
Dickinson (PA )
Franklin & Marshall (PA )
Kenyon (OH)
Lafayette (PA )…one of the most generous schools in this bunch
Lehigh (PA )
Macalester (MN)
Oberlin (OH)
Trinity (TX)
This next set of schools would probably need a combo of need-based and merit aid, or a really big merit aid package:
Illinois Wesleyan (in Bloomington, IL)
Lake Forest (near Chicago, IL)
Grand Valley State (near Grand Rapids, MI)
Capital (in Columbus, OH)
Ohio Wesleyan (near Columbus, OH)
Otterbein (near Columbus, OH)
Southwestern (near Austin, TX)
Baldwin Wallace (near Cleveland, OH)
College of Wooster (near Cleveland)
Augustana College (IL…in the Quad Cities area)
Bowling Green State (near Toledo, OH)
Drake (in Des Moines, IA)
Eckerd (near Tampa, FL)
Goucher (in Baltimore, MD)
Guilford (in Greensboro, NC, Triad Cities)
Hamline (in Minneapolis, MN)
Ursinus (by Philadelphia, PA)
Lawrence (WI…small city plus 35m from Green Bay)
Loyola New Orleans
McDaniel (43m from Baltimore, MD)
Millsaps (Jackson, MS)
Moravian (PA )
Oglethorpe (Atlanta, GA)
Saint Edward’s (Austin, TX)
U. of Houston (TX)
U. of Nebraska - Lincoln
Virginia Wesleyan (in Virginia Beach)
If you can give us a better idea of the budget, we can fine-tune and provide better suggestions. Also, not all of the schools I mentioned are in a “cool” city, but they’re all in civilization and have the potential to get to a good price point…what the budget is will determine if any of these schools can hit it.
ETA: Correction, I meant to say Ursinus, not Juniata, as the school near Philly.
Several of the schools mentioned here are on that site (Agnes Scott, Clark, Bard, Goucher). College of Wooster is another one. It is a great website/list.
Will she do a music supplement with video/recording, music resume and music letters of recommendation if allowed?