Starting over after terrible semester:help making a new list [3.8 GPA in one semester of college, <$65k]

College Search & Lists
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You are from a WICHE state. One thing that comes to mind is that maybe you should look at the various WICHE/WUE options. I am not familiar with the undergraduate part of this (I am more familiar with one particular professional graduate part) but you should be able to get ideas from others for specific schools.

I am wondering whether Colorado State would be any better fit than U. of Colorado. Your daughter’s stats at least to me look like it should hopefully make CSU a safety, but whether it would be any better fit I have no idea. Finding a good fit is way, way more important compared to the ranking of a school. CSU does at least have some very good programs (one daughter is a veterinarian, so I am aware of how exceptional CSU is in at least one very specific area).

There are some small primarily undergraduate universities in Canada that are very good and would fit your budget and be great on the “liberal LGB-friendly” level. At least two are even in bilingual areas with strong French and great linguistics programs. They would however fail rather badly on the “warmer climate” level. They are also a long way away from Colorado. Let me know if you want suggestions.

To me a 3.8 GPA suggests four A’s and one B, which should not hurt your daughter’s chances for admissions to the large majority of colleges and universities.

Outside of CSU, WUE, and Canada, I am wondering where you are going to meet your budget. I am under the impression that merit based aid is less likely for transfer students, and you might be uncertain about whether any particular school is likely to be affordable until the acceptances come in and you see what they offer in terms of merit aid.

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Thank you so much! Wasn’t even on the radar, but putting it on the list.

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I know, can’t have it all. Hard to find warm, small, liberal, and also under 65k….

I agree, I think she would have done better at CSU. I knew she wasn’t ready and CU wasn’t the right fit, but she was resistant to a gap year.. hence the meandering path.

Thank you all for taking the time to reply- there were colleges on here that were not on my radar. We’ll add a bunch of these to the list to check out.. wish us luck…. :slight_smile:

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This won’t be Cal Poly.

If someone is LGBTQ friendly, there’s enough out there that I wouldn’t venture into states that may not be.

But she wants sunshine - and you know, sometimes transfer aid is less - how about some of the smaller Colorado publics - like Fort Lewis - if she said STEM, I’d say Mines, etc. but there’s others.

Same with New Mexico schools. Maybe not enough warm weather but a Willamette, Lewis & Clark, Puget Sound, Whitman?

Charleston (where my kid went) will likely be too loud because it’s smack in the tourist zone - so not just student partiers but tourist partiers.

The issue is - with LGBTQ friendly, as you go North, the weather isn’t as great. But schools like Pitt (big but not Colorado big), Susquehanna, Juniata, Allegheny, Wheaton in Mass, and more - you don’t have great weather. And DC - American as an example - isn’t going to be great either.

So yeah, Occidental could be great.

But how about a New Mexico HIghlands, etc? Or a smaller Cal State like San Marcos.

I think there’s tons of LACs - even in LGBTQ friendly states - but it’s the warm weather that’s an issue.

I can say an Oglethorpe in Atlanta - liberal city, no issue with LGBTQ stuff - but the state government (as of now anyway) will lean conservative with a conservative governor, etc.

So where does that divide happen for your daughter - as far as the school is great and fair but the state governmenty may not be? Schools like Furman and Rhodes can/will hit budget but then, is the state they are in an issue? Rollins could be another - but it’s in Florida.

If she’s ok with Jesuit, then maybe a U San Diego is another.

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intentionally leaving off “sun” and “warm” but keeping smaller, LGBTQ friendly, liberal, LACish, lots of majors and likely would have come in at your price point as a first-year, I will say I don’t entirely understand the transfer merit situation..

Ithaca College (deaf studies minor so assume ASL classes) (keeps emailing my 25 who got in last year to transfer with their past merit)…
Clark (big international development program which might of interest), has free 5-year MA program
Seattle U
UVM (yes a state flagship but only 12K undergrad, and not very greek) has an ASL minor (does she ski??)
Wheaton (MA)

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Here are some rankings. Most aren’t in warm. Some are in purple or red states - not saying it should matter. That’s up to you. Some are mentioned above, others like UNC are close to home and Connecticut College stood out to me, except for the weather.

Many are freshman generous vs transfer. But the 2nd/3rd tier privates need $$ so are likely more transfer merit friendly. If the 2nd link won’t open it’s College Express + lgbtq friendly

https://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/lists/list/top-50-lgbtq-friendly-colleges-and-universities/3024/

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I was wondering about some of the smaller Cal States, San Marcos specifically. I think Jesuit (Santa Clara?) might be ok (depending), but religious leaning is a likely no (my concerns about some of the southern schools mentioned here) I hope she’ll look at Ft. Lewis (she got into Mines, but it’s pretty much strictly STEM). Occidental a maybe as well (vibe?). She’s going to have to decide what’s most important. I think if the school is the right fit, she can tolerate a less liberal state (thinking Eckerd maybe). I have a friend who’s a professor at U of San Diego… she might like it, not sure we can afford it.

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If state laws and policies regarding LGB and T subjects are important, see

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Eckerd is a big party school. Lots of privates need students. You might be surprised at $ thrown your way. But first see if she can deal with religious imagery and priests/nins - not sure - but theologians on campus and religion in the curriculum although more likely from an academic, not religious POV. Some are great. My kids could never.

The Oregon schools might work. San Marcos is a commuter type school so then might others like that work.

Santa Clara is Bay Area so weather is in the eye of the beholder. How about U of Pacific then or WUE Merced ?

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My kid is a Santa Clara graduate from 2010. The school is Jesuit, but it’s not pushy religious. There is a three course religion requirement but my not Catholic kid was easily able to find three great courses amongst the more than 100 choices. She took Women in Religion, an ethics course, and one other. And she liked them all. She also said the Jesuits on campus were amongst the smartest and most intuitive people she has ever met.

But it’s expensive…very expensive.

IF your daughter is willing to go further away…I would suggest University of Delaware. It doesn’t feel big at all. Worth looking at.

Look at the Colleges that Change Lives list. Something there might work.

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The weather there is mild and sunny year round. It seldom rains. My kid said there were snow flurries maybe twice. Nothing lasted past 10 in the morning. She thought the weather was perfect. She wanted to be someplace with a nice, warm, pleasing climate. The location of Santa Clara is not cold like it can be in San Francisco, for example.

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Spent lots of time in San Jose / Santa Clara professionally. I’m from So Cal. Definitely not good weather but that’s why I noted weather is in the eye of the beholder.

Since OP is willing to go far, I wonder if a Dickinson might be a good choice (not easy to get to) in addition to other PA schools like Allegheny to Susquehanna and Juniata, Ursinus and maybe not at budget but maybe close - an F&M or Lafayette. But maybe not Gettysburg.

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you think Santa Clara is definitely not good weather? that is a pretty high bar if we are talking sun?

Then again I like seasons so have no desire to live in LA but wouldn’t call it bad weather exactly.. that would be hot humid places like deep south to me..

Global-Warming-Solar-Irradiance
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As noted to each their own. Cold at night. All good. OP is what matters - not us - if Jesuit works and they like the weather, they can try. It may or may not hit budget. There are other similar in the Bay Area too from St Mary’s to USF that perhaps go deeper $$ wise than SCU.

But if they’re looking to be at CU cost vs the $65k cost, there are other options. They say $65k but I get the sense, maybe wrongly, that they don’t really want to be $65k. When you paid less, it’s hard to stroke the vastly higher check.

Southern Oregon, if into humanities, might be another out if the box thought - and is WUE.

To OP, make sure you click the transfer filter.

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Dickinson isn’t any more difficult to get to than any of the other Pennsylvania schools you mentioned. Easier to get to than Allegheny, Susquehanna, or Juniata. But all are very good schools. Dickinson, F&M, and Gettysburg are in southcentral PA and have a moderate climate.

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I was about to ask this. OP, when you said liberal/lgbtq friendly, do you mean just the campus or do state laws matter as well?

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This may not meet the “warm weather” goal (like some of the schools noted here) but hey- she is from CO so can handle some weather variability! Look at Centre college in Danville, KY. Its quite small, but checks several boxes. I also agree with the Agnes Scott recommendation (I live in Atl) and the colleges in the NorCal peninsula (we spend a lot of time there). Having just spent a month out there, we had some unusually surprising and disappointing weather (rain and I did wear a light jacket several days) in the peninsula, but the area is known for its microclimates. The weather variations are actually fun, IMO.

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No! Not New Mexico Highland. Highlands is basically a jumped up junior college with very limited majors, mainly nursing, education and general business.

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They only offer Spanish so likely wouldn’t meet the academic bar - but just a smaller school in a liberal state. Not sure of the student’s interest - not sure we saw.

@caseyl13 - is a year at a community college and staying home an option at this point?

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about the $$$, so true. Especially since she is super smart, but at present, not committed to a direction (thinking in terms of ROI), but I would dish it out if she found a place she loved with a strong direction. Been looking at the smaller WUE schools (Merced maybe?). As a queer woman, the laws in different states are important, which rules out quite a bit. I love the Pacific Northwest, worried about the incessant rain/cold (again, depends on place).

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