Whittling down my college list?

College Search & Lists
1

Hello!

As soon as the Common App went online last week, I was immediately thrown the college search process (something I had largely ignored since March). I’m the kind of person who can see the good in everything, so it’s been really difficult coming up with a short(ish) list of the colleges to which I will apply. Currently, I am considering eleven schools, and I would ideally like to apply to only eight. It’s not that I’m worried about application fees (most of them do not charge one); I’m looking ahead to my busy fall schedule, and I’ve realized I simply will not have enough time to manage eleven separate applications (essays, interviews, visits, etc.).

A little about me…
4.00 unweighted GPA, taking the hardest courses offered by my high school. Now, I go to a relatively small private school (which offers only eight AP courses), but I’m going to have taken six before I graduate (the maximum I could possibly take).
35 ACT, 2340 SAT (800 M, 760 CR, 780 W), 800 on three SAT Subject Tests (Chemistry, Spanish, Math II)
Moderate involvement in EC’s (varsity cross country, piano competitions, musical theatre, class leadership)

What I’m looking for in a college…
Relatively small undergraduate enrollment (<8000 students)
Less than ten hours from home by car (I live in Chattanooga, so ideally somewhere in the Midwest or Southeast)
Students who have a desire to learn, for learning’s sake (i.e. Knowledge is the aim, not the means)
Relatively open cirriculum (I want to take courses because they interest me, not because I have to fulfill a distribution requirement)
Collaborative rather than cut-throat
Small classes and accessible professors
Strong math departments (preferrably with multiple courses in Statistics) and psychology departments
Generally supportive of LGBT students (not necessarily radically liberal, just not overwhelmingly conservative)
Social opportunities outside of Greek life
Very good financial aid and/or scholarships (preferrably scholarships because my family is middle class, but we do qualify for limited financial aid)
Large number of things to do (music, theatre, museums) on- or off-campus

Colleges in currently considering (and my comments on them)…

Case Western Reserve University:
Strong science and math departments, in Cleveland (which I love!!!)

Centre College:
Multiple scholarship opportunities, very dedicated to study abroad

College of Wooster:
Small-town feel, close-knit community, beautiful campus, Independent Study

Davidson College:
Small-town, family members have attended, well-regarded in the South

Denison University (have not visited):
Very robust merit aid, only twenty minutes from my aunt’s house

Hendrix College (have not visited):
Generous merit aid, very liberal climate, Odyssey program

Kenyon College (have not visited):
Close-knit community, Statistics major (rare for a LAC)

Knox College (have not visited):
Scholarship opportunities, trimester system

Oberlin College:
Love the overall atmosphere, presence of Conservatory, liberal student body, wide course selections for a LAC

University of Chicago (have not visited):
4 year Bachelor’s + Master’s program for Statistics, advantages of big city living, very academic student body, excellent reputation

Vanderbilt University:
5 year Master’s + Bachelor’s program for mathematics, Nashville, could use TN HOPE scholarship if I got in (3500/yr)

Any red flags (colleges that might not be for me)??? Thank you so much for your help!

2

Anyone have any first-hand experience with these schools?

3

Given your stats most of the colleges on your list are unconvincing in the sense that they’re unlikely to challenge you. i encourage you to rethink your list especially the selection criteria. First figure out your safety. And proceed from there. I encourage you to drop the limits on how many colleges and look further afield from the 10-hour by car rule that you set, and focus especially on academic strength.

4

bump

5

It makes a huge difference to your list if you need $5,000-10,000 in merit aid versus full tuition.

Run some Net Price Calculators and let us know the range of Expected Family Contribution (EFC) that you’re getting. Also, how much can your family pay per year?

6

Our son is a sophomore at Hendrix and loves it. It meets all of your criteria. I strongly recommend taking a visit - it’s a hidden jewel.

7

I think you have an excellent set of schools here under consideration. They offer strong possibilities of great merit aid-possibly a full ride–and our excellent academically.

The Ohio schools have quite a diverse “feel”, so I would strongly recommend you take a trip and visit several of them. Denison is quite different from Oberlin, for example, and Wooster and Kenyon also have their own unique characteristics.

As far as being challenged, you will be a top student at these schools, but that does not mean you will not be challenged and well-educated.

Good luck!

8

I suggest you consider Reed College.

9

I’ve run a number of net price calculators, and the EFC ranges from around 17000 (Oberlin) to 25000 (Wooster). My parents think I stand a chance of earning a full-tuition (or even full-ride) scholarship at a lot of the less selective schools on my list. If I were to get a full-tuition scholarship at Hendrix, Centre, or Knox, would it be worth attending over a more selective school (UChicago, for example), where I would have to take out loans? Would I get just a good an education and/or graduate school placement?

10

My sister is currently attending The College of Wooster and they gave her a fairly decent sized scholarship and they gave her loans to be able to cover the cost of attending (and she only had a 28 on her ACT and graduated from a moderately small public school, however, she was also Salutatorian).

11

Run the NPC for Rice. Rice offers some merit scholarships, so it might be worth your time to apply hoping for a merit award if the NPC doesn’t give you much financial aid.

Rice would seem to meet lots of your “wants” in a university. Houston is a bit our of your 10 hour drive window but flying could be less expensive that a 20+ hour round trip drive.

You need to know how much your parents can pay. EFCs can be much too high for many families to afford.

Are you a possible NMF? Your scores are excellent.

12

Using your list of criteria U Chicago shouldn’t even be a consideration. I know Knox very well and it sounds like a perfect school for you. Extremely bright kids go there to learn for the sake of learning in a very creative and cooperative environment. I think, and there will be some discrepancy here, you need to think about the different environments of North/Midwest schools and Southern schools. I’m not saying better or worse, just different. You should look into that a bit.

13

Perhaps I have missed this, but what are you interested in studying?

As a safety school, you might think about UT-C (their honors program was mentioned in a recent Frank Bruni article: ww.nytimes.com/2015/08/09/opinion/sunday/frank-bruni-a-prudent-college-path.html?_r=0). I realize that you may consider it beneath you, but it’s always good to have an offer from an affordable public university in your pocket.

Also, look at Rhodes College in Memphis; your Tennessee Hope scholarship will work there.

14

Have you considered Carleton?

15

Little to no merit at Carleton.

16

With your stats you might want to give Wash U St. Louis a try. Merit aid is insanely competitive there but it exists. 6.5 hours from Chatanooga. If you want to go a bit farther afield, Lawrence (Appleton, WI) is a 12 hour drive and Macalester in St Paul is 14-15. Miami U has a larger enrollment (15K) but a good honors program and offers merit aid.

17

I like your list, although I am usually in the “less is more” camp. Nevertheless I will add the U of Tulsa. Under-appreciated midsize university. Pleasant campus in a comfortable city.

18

this list will hardly challenge you. go for chicago or vanderbilt

19

I know at least 8-10 kids with stats similar to yours who did not receive significant merit at Centre. The “standard” award for a top student like you is $20,000 in merit. I would also suggest that you review the scholarship brochure from Wash U in detail and assess your chances of getting one. I think the same information exists online.