My daughter was briefly enamored with Carleton and was disappointed that they don’t offer merit, so your comparison of Whitman to Carleton is exciting.
Make sure to get a pre-aid review from Whitman - before you go up there, if you haven’t already. Could save you a trip.
Good call on the pre-aid review from Whitman. We will look into it.
Oh, remembered this one. It would be too small for your daughter, but in case others are looking through this thread in the future, Beloit College has a Science Fiction and Fantasy Association dorm, which I find kind of fascinating.
Macalester & Wheaton in Massachusetts are two schools that she should consider (as mentioned by many).
If you had a higher budget, then Wesleyan University, Vassar College, & Skidmore College should be given consideration. All are worth visiting if in the area.
College of Charleston Honors College offers scholarships & is liberal although in a red state. Charleston is a great city (usually #1 on Travel & Leisure’s list of best tourist destinations in the US, however Santa Fe, New Mexico is #1 this year).
Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida should be within your budget & should be a comfortable environment for your daughter.
Sounds like is amazing and wlll have amazing choices!
Popping in to clarify SMC is a Lasallian school, not Jesuit (not at all the same IYKYK). Also pretty much what she is looking for (especially your merit desire) minus the size
Feel free to PM if you’d like to know more. Good luck to her!
Oh, that’s right about SMC being Lasallian. Thanks for the reminder and feedback!
I know you say you are full-pay, but students (and parents) have been surprised before at how generous some of the most highly-rejective schools can be, even for high earners.
One of my kids went to Brown, and it sounds like it would be a good fit for your daughter and she has the grades and stats to have a chance, although of course it is a high reach for everyone. Just wanted to put it out there because families are often surprised at how much need-based aid even higher-income families can receive from the Ivies. It might be worth running Brown’s NPC just to see.
That is a great point. We ran a number of NPCs and our finances are uncomplicated. The results always indicate no need-based-aid, even at the most generous Ivies.
Well more than half of Brown is full pay….so it’s not uncommon.
I wish it were otherwise. But so glad you are getting such good recommendations above!
I’d rather not qualify than qualify. That means you’re better off financially !! I’d rather be better off than not !!
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To clarify, not saying I wish the OP had a lower income so as to qualify for financial aid, just that I’m sorry that the thresholds for need-based aid is such that one school that might have been a good option is off the table. But there are tons of great options and it sounds like the OP’s student will be a good fit for many of them.
I’d check out Oberlin, it will have that liberal quirky vibe she’s looking for and gives merit aid. Very pretty campus and is on the larger size for a LAC. Lots of diversity especially with the conservatory students.
Here is a list of colleges in the East & Midwest + Whitman which have merit scholarships available which can bring the cost into your price range if your daughter can obtain one. She has a superb academic record, so she should win merit at some of these. I include Whitman because you can file your financial information with them right now and they will tell you immediately what your award and your cost will be.
Like beauty, quirkiness is in the eye of the beholder, so it’s hard to say which ones would appeal to your daughter without a visit for her to judge for herself. From personal experience, Kenyon and Wooster are two which jump out to me as places where you can let your freak flag fly.
Bard
Connecticut College
Denison
Dickinson
Earlham
Franklin & Marshall
Gettysburg
Hobart & William Smith
Kenyon
Lawrence
St. Mary’s, MD
St. Lawrence
St. Olaf
SUNY Geneseo
Whitman
Wooster
Vermont
Thank you for weighing in. St. Mary’s MD is one in particular that hadn’t come onto our radar at all yet and looks interesting to investigate.
How do folks feel about fit for Dickinson, Gettysburg, Connecticut College, Franklin & Marshall? I am certain she could thrive at any of these schools and find like-minded peers, but in our research we got a sense that overall fit might be somewhat better at some of the other schools on our list.
I think your current list is a better fit than these additions.
I live near Conn College and have been on their campus several times this year, as recently as yesterday when I was visiting their excellent Lyman-Allyn Art Museum. I have a niece who will be attending next year. From my experience and given what you’ve written, I think it would be sn excellent fit for your daughter.
A friend’s daughter goes to Dickinson and I’ve been really impressed with her academic opportunities, especially their mosaics program. While our friend’s daughter is loving, I can’t really speak to fit for your daughter, but I do think that it would be worth a visit to find out.
With regard to F&M and Gettysburg, I think you might be write about them not being a good fit but I don’t have first hand experience to confirm your impression.