looking for some parental insight on my (ever dreaded) list

Parent Cafe
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<p>Op, thanks for the very nice pm. You were wondering about the list of smaller schools. Here’s a start: Hamilton, Trinity, Connecticut College, Whitman, Grinnell, Kenyon, Centre, Franklin and Marshall, Gettysburg, Washington and Lee and Occidental (and Macalester and Carleton, although the last two have virtually no merit aid). </p>

<p>Hamilton has just this year closed down some merit BUT they still have merit aid within need and that is what my D got, the Schambach. It’s like the AMS at Colgate (sorta but not really). </p>

<p>Look at all those. I think they run the gamut from lib to conservative rural to city but all are top 50 LAC’s for which I have great respect. BTW having Vassar, Brown on the same list as Penn and Dartmouth, well…you must not be too discriminating on campus political feel. LOL. My D wasn’t either. ;)</p>

<p>All will get you to med school. All will be a blast to attend. You have soooo many choices. Don’t rule anything out just yet. </p>

<p>Some kids would feel stifled at such a small school. Some kids wouldn’t do their best being at the top of the enrolled students, even though their FA allowed them less stress and opened up some opportunities. Some couldn’t run as well from the front, and they’d rather be surrounded by , as much as possible , other top high school scholars (however you wish to define that). Both are very legitimate positions depending on the kid. You just have to find where you fit on that continuum. It’s not always either/or. It’s a matter of degree. </p>

<p>Lots of school’s will suit you very well. Find what you like. What you want. Then make them want you. Gear your app to that. Seems simple enough. </p>

<p>Get moving. You are burning daylight.;)</p>

<p>p.s. I’ll send some more personal stuff by p.m. I just wanted to get this out in front of everybody.</p>

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<p>Add Tufts:
Fits</p>

<p>-lots of fin aid (might want grad school later) -Need based only

  • strong IR - one of the best in the country both undergrad and grad
    -lots of involvement in athletics (good facilities, involvement in IMs, some game watching, etc.) - no major teams, but lots of student involved activities
    -not too cutthroat - not cut throat. Good competition, but more personal than interpersonal
    -more suburban or urban than rural (but you can include all) - suburban with easy access to Boston
    -close interaction w/ profs -VERY
    -on-campus housing - a must for Freshman and Sophomores (guaranteed)</p>
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<p>thanks for the help guys,</p>

<p>any more suggestions?</p>

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<p>Uh – don’t you have about 30 schools to consider now?? And you want more?</p>

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<p>Princeton. Known for the best finaid in the Ivies.</p>

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<p>i should have said any more ADVICE,
not necessarily more schools</p>

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<p>Coolziller2 - there are some 3000 schools in the US. So 30 schools isn’t really that big a list! D started with a list of about 85 schools suggested by folks here. Here is how we did it - perhaps some of our method might work for you:</p>

<p>She and I explored the websites of every school suggested. In her case, since I am on CC and she isn’t, I would do the initial list in a Word Doc, and scan the school’s website for the appropriate majors/minors. I would bold the schools that seemed more likely. She would then explore those websites, and start a separate page for schools that appealed to her. I would add CC comments and reviews to those. </p>

<p>That list ended up with about 25 schools. After exploring websites in more detail, including reading things like the school online newspapers or what grants and initiatives the school was taking, she was able to determine some things that mattered more to her. Last fall, she had the list down to about 10 or 12. After visiting, she narrowed the list further.</p>

<p>Ultimately she applied to six, and was admitted to five (waitlisted at the other) - She ended up with a very good, appropriate list because she didn’t limit herself in the beginning. Most of the schools would not have even been on her radar had it not been for CCers suggestions!</p>

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<p>Cool
If you are willing to consider a Southern U with excellent merit aid possibilities and amazing perks for someone with your stats (note:S is in this program and we’re from NY) take a look at the McNair scholar program for out of state students at University of South Carolina.They award up to 40 a year.You could be at the top of the heap,and thats a nice place to be. And I’ll repeat…amazing perks and full tuition/housing/etc aid.They attract a handful of #1 Fl. students each year who want a different locale than the spots at Fl U’s that the top students would be entitled to.
When you are considering what a merit aid /scholarship entails remember that something described as say,3/4th tuition,as S was awarded at U Miami ,or even the Singer there,which is full tuition,is ONLYfor tuition,and then you must count the other costs…room/board,etc.In some locations,these costs can add another 10,000 a year or more.
Look for merit scholarship opportunities that are for more than tuition only.</p>

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<p>Read the guide books too, not just college web sites. The guides will better describe what types of students you can expect to be surrounded by. Visit as many schools as you can, though narrow down your list first. We felt that each campus we visited had a very distinct personality and my son liked some MUCH more than others. He had similar stats to yours and was accepted everywhere he applied and given good merit aid at some.</p>

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<p>Hello? Excuse me! How come noone has mentioned RICE UNIVERSITY???

Except for the IR (which can be handled other ways) Rice sounds perfect for the OP. There is merit aid and there is very good financial aid. It’s also easier to get accepted to from out-of-state. Add Rice to your list. :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :)</p>

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<p>With your stats and ec’s, you should consider UNC-CH. Look into both the Robertson and the Morehead Scholarships. UNC is generous with other merit scholarships (and financial aid), too. Strong in all your other requirements as well.</p>

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<p>Keep WUSTL on your list, it meets most, if not all, of your criteria. Great academics in a mid -sized school located in the suburbs of a city. Go visit and see the beautiful suburban campus and the warm welcoming atmosphere. </p>

<p>In response to post #6, all freshman and most sophmores live on campus. Upperclassmen often choose to live in university owned off campus housing which is very close to campus and feels alot like campus housing.</p>

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<p>May want to send an application to University of Florida. It is only $30 to apply and the honors program there is supposed to be very good. Honors classes are smaller than the rest of the courses at UF. It is the same financial safety as FSU. My own daughter had no desire to apply there back in 2006 (was never going to stay instate) but did so on my urging and … she just finished up her freshman year as a die hard Gator!</p>

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<p>Before you think Bright Futures is your only aid at FSU I strongly suggest you call Admissions and run your credentials past them. You will almost certainly be offered a generous aid package in addition to BF. (It may take your personally visiting Admission with copies of scores and transcripts to generate an offer. - by all means ** Go Early** in the Fall admissions cycle. All offerings are first-come, first-served) </p>

<p>Feel free to PM me and I’ll tell you who we worked with at Florida State…we were very pleased. Our older daughter (now a senior at FSU) is presently at U Wisconsin-Madison presenting her undergraduate research - all on the university dime. </p>

<p>With this, your education at FSU could very well be nearly cost free. It’s a great deal.</p>

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<p>Remember: Friends don’t let friends go to Duke.</p>

<p>Fear the Turtle!!!</p>

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<p>Ah, yes…the Turtle. ;)</p>

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<p>I’ll second a lot of previous posters, including the one who suggested Scripps College. It has everything you’re looking for (great premed, access to some of the top IR programs in the country + very good on-campus resources, as well, guaranteed <em>NICE</em> housing for 4 years, suburban with easy access to a bit city, very accessible professors, etc.). You would also be an excellent candidate for merit aid (the half-tuition JES scholarship…the application deadline is earlier than for other applicants). And yes, technically the school is a women’s college, but the consortium really puts it in a unique situation, so don’t count it out for that reason alone :)</p>

<p>Your list does look very good, but like others have said, it appears to lack a pattern (I believe that it’s very good to have some exceptions to your preferences, but I still think it’s helpful to let preferences guide the list). Part of why I mention Scripps is because you express interest in Pomona (which, despite its small size, rarely feels too small for people because of the consortium: <a href=“http://www.claremont.edu)%5B/url%5D”>www.claremont.edu)</a>. So if you’re out visiting, I recommend looking at more of the Claremont schools than just Pomona. Scripps would be a safety or a safe match, but still a challenging and excellent education.</p>

<p>I’m sure that you’ll wind up somewhere wonderful. Congrats on your achievements, and good luck!</p>

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<p>thanks for the help everyone!
for right now i think i’m going on this list
(and yes, i looked at all of the suggestions, just some of them didn’t seem for me)</p>

<p>Brown U
Claremont McKenna C -not sure, i still have scripps + pomona if i drop it
Dartmouth C
Florida SU
Johns Hopkins U -i know it might not be for me, but i’m keeping it just in case
Pomona C
Princeton U -giving it a try…
Rice U
Scripps C
Stanford U
U Miami -i might just go w/ UF and FSU instead
U Rochester
Vanderbilt U
Vassar C
Washington U St. L.</p>

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<p>I see you already dropped UVA. I was going to suggest if UVA was too big that you take a look at William and Mary. It’s only got 5500 undergrads and also has merit aid possibilities. My daughter, who is Pomona-bound, had W&M as a close second choice (we’re in state). With your profile, you should see about applying for a Murray scholarship but at the very least a Monroe (research $ and a smaller community of scholars) would seem well within reach.</p>

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<p>I’m from FL as well as go to Tufts, I think it would fit you well. We have one of the top IR programs in the country (Undergrad always in top 10, and Fletcher is always in the top 3, as the oldest grad school for IR in the country). We also have a top medical school and therefore pre-med and the sciences here are great. Our athletics are obviously D3, but everyone is very dedicated, and our track and field team goes to nationals, our men’s b-ball gets to the sweet 16, and our Sailing and Squash are DI with our sailing continuously beating the naval academy. We have great financial aid, and I speak from experience, as I am currently getting an absolutely full-ride with no loans at all. Good luck!</p>