Reality check (private colleges & merit aid) & whether it's worth it to research/apply

@Alan/Theoden. I appreciate that information. I have heard of CTCL but will take the next step and look at their web site. I’ve done several NPCs at private schools, until I realized that we were never going to qualify for need-based aid, but perhaps it is more college-dependent than I first thought, so I’ll take a stab at the ones you have here & see where we end up at there.

@College. Ooooh, thanks for mentioning that. We are headed up over spring break to tour Case Western, so I think we will stop at Wooster as well.