Match Me - Small LAC, Political Science

Chance Me / Match Me
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I am really struggling to advise my daughter.

Junior at excellent public high school in Michigan.

I am not certain of GPA, but she has had one B for one semester. All the rest are As. She is a junior. Has taken honors whenever possible and AP.

1470 SAT. Will take again.

6 AP through junior year. Will take 5 first semester of senior year.

Varsity athlete (lacrosse), holds a state wide position in a service club, Model UN, student council, multiple honor societies, orchestra honors, theater honors, lots of volunteer hours.

Solid writer, should have great essays and teacher recommendations.

We can afford to pay the cost to attend our flagship U of Michigan, $38,000. Anything above and beyond will be loans she will need to take.

Given that she may want to attend law school, I am trying to steer her towards schools that offer merit.

She would love to attend school on the east coast, but I am coming up with blanks.

So far, this is her list:

Lawrence (WI) - Safety

St. Olaf (MN) - Match
Macalester (MN) -Match

Carleton* (MN) - Reach
Bates* (ME) - Reach
Grinnell (IA) - Reach

Tufts* (MA) - High Reach
Wesleyan* (CT) - High Reach

The astericks are schools that do not give merit and are unlikely admits.

Please help me add to this list. Schools that I have not yet gotten a sense for where they stand in terms of likelihood or affordability are:

Bryn Mawr
Holy Cross
Mount Holyoke
Davidson
Denison
Oberlin
Kenyon
St. Lawrence
Union
Trinity
Hamilton
Connecticut College
Dickenson
Gettysburg
Bard
Hobart

Would really appreciate more ideas.

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Is she being recruited for lacrosse?

What is her class rank? (approximate it even if the school doesn’t divulge that info)

What draws her to the east coast?

Generally, students can take out $27K ($5.5K yr 1, then $6.5K/$7.5K/$7.5K) in total undergrad loans from the government (accessed by filing FAFSA.) Loans above that will be on the parents, either directly or as co-signers. Some companies will give un-cosigned loans to undergrads, but interest rates are often in the mid-teens for those.

How much debt a student/their parents take is unique to their situation. For a poli sci major, especially one who wants to go to law school, it likely makes sense to minimize loans. You can run some loan repayment scenarios here: Student Loan Repayment Calculator - Mapping Your Future

Why apply to these schools if they are not potentially affordable without huge loans?

For the schools on the list, run the Net price calculator at each (accessed on each school’s financial aid page.) Some NPCs don’t show merit, so you have to apply before you know if the school could be affordable. Here’s Bryn Mawr’s: Net Price Calculator

Regarding the current list, I don’t think many schools are going to get to $38K.

Is she interested in Michigan State? MSU has very good poli sci and is near the state capital.

I don’t disagree that Lawrence is a safety academically, but because affordability is not assured, it can’t be a safety (although I do think this school may very well be affordable.) She needs an assured safety (highly like admit plus affordable…maybe that’s Mich State?)

Some of the schools on the list are what I call ‘fit’ schools, and I wouldn’t recommend applying unless she visits. These include Bard and Oberlin…I would hesitate to send a CIS athletic female who is not playing a sport to either of those schools (not sure if all of that describes your D.)

Other ideas (many may not hit budget, all are not in East):
-Wheaton Mass
-Brandeis
-Simmons
-Elon
-Kalamazoo
-Willamette (In Oregon, but in the state capital of Salem, across the street from the Capitol building)
-Drake U (In Iowa capital of Des Moines)

You can look on this chart to see what the average FA is for students without financial need. The source data is the CDS, and these data are for the class of 2027, not this year’s class of 2029…meaning it’s a couple of years old. Once you narrow the list, you can look at the recent CDS section H to get the more current numbers.

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So I know your looking for a Lac but if she doesn’t get into Michigan (what is the history of her current school with students getting in with her GPA. Is it a feeder school), MSU is really a great school for Polisci as mentioned. You can always make a large school small and she would get honors and merit there.

But if you want a great Lac that she might get a free ride to then check out Beloit college.

https://www.beloit.edu/academics/political-science/

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This aggregator, updated November 2024, is a quick way to check out the percentage of students without financial need that receive merit aid and the average amount: Merit Aid by Institution – College Transitions. Of course, the best source to verify these figures is from section H2a in the college’s Common Data Set.

Does your family qualify for any need-based aid? I would run the Net Price Calculator at Grinnell or Carleton to get an idea. If the NPCs are not coming back as affordable, then I would eliminate the schools that don’t offer any merit aid.

You’ve gotten some great suggestions already, but here are a few more options that I think would stand a good chance of falling within budget:

  • Agnes Scott (GA): About 900 undergrads at this women’s college in Atlanta which is in one of the most walkable parts of the metro area. It’s also part of the consortium that allows students to take classes at other area schools like Emory, Spelman, and Georgia Tech. 16m from the GA State Capitol. Agnes Scott College – Colleges That Change Lives

  • Allegheny (PA ): About 1200 undergrads; Allegheny College – Colleges That Change Lives

  • Randolph-Macon (VA): About 1500 undergrads; located about 25m from VA State Capitol

  • Saint Anselm (NH): About 2100 undergrads at this school 29m from the NH State House. Like Drake in IA, there are lots of presidential candidates who come through and set up campaign infrastructures.

  • Siena (NY): About 3500 undergrads; located about 11m from the NY State Capitol (and not far from Union, to pair up a visit)

  • St. Mary’s College of Maryland: About 1600 undergrads at Maryland’s public liberal arts college (no religious affiliation).

  • SUNY Geneseo (NY): About 3900 undergrads at NY’s premier public liberal arts college.

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You’re welcome to repost under your original account. However, since Terms of Service prohibits multiple accounts, I am closing this thread

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