Would love feedback on my kid's list [MA resident, 3.9/1500, prefers small schools but needs big merit to get cost <$45k]

Chance Me / Match Me
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Good list.

For some of these schools you may have the reverse problem. With scores like that you’ll need to make sure they understand the student would attend. Some of these programs are often safeties for the most ‘desireable’ programs and from time to time kids will be rejected. So just talk to admissions.

I think you’ll be fine at Clark. My S24 got $30,500 this year with 1380/3.7UW. Brought cost to ~$40k. And he didn’t even apply for the Presidential scholarship. That 5th year free (or half) is crazy.

Another group of LACs that are less-Greek and give large merit are the other Catholic-lite city schools not-named-Fordham like Manhattan College, St Joes in Philly, or Loyola Maryland. In this cycle, we saw merit from $30k-$40k. Not Catholic at all anymore, but you could include the similar school Marist which also gives very good merit and is closer to home. Really excellent experiential programs there.

It’s not small and not a LAC but would they consider UDel? Again, gives merit, chance for top merit and honors, lots of interesting majors/minors, and really doesn’t feel big at all. With all the brick and quads, it has an old timey college feel (which it is…)

Every single school I mention above came to $30-45k tuition/fees/R&B for my S24 after merit.

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Good catch, thank you! Bard’s scholarship process is pretty opaque (I have emailed with their financial aid office & not gotten much clarity), so we’ll just have to take our chances there, I guess.

Thanks–it sounds like showing interest will be important at several schools. I will stress that to him.

I have UDel on our list as a possible, if he ends up deciding UMass is too huge. Right now he thinks he’d rather go to UMass & stay close than go to another state school that is 6 hours away, but of course so much can change over the next year. I don’t want him to apply to 20 schools, but I would kind of like him to have a choice between different kinds of schools next spring (big, small, near, far, university, LAC) in case his priorities shift. We’ll see how much stamina he has for applications in the fall.

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Good news is Delaware doesn’t require extra supplement and they are sorta rolling admissions, so most hear back pretty early

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Washington College in Maryland might be a great fit, if willing to drive a little further. They give great merit.

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Washington College has the small LAC feel he’s going for and will come in under budget.

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Wanted to circle back & thank everyone for their feedback & suggestions–so helpful to have you all as thought partners! Here’s his EA list; I think he has more likelies than he needs, but we haven’t visited all of these & he is nervous about cutting any of them at this point. RD list is still a work in progress.

EA:
UMass
UVM
Fordham
Clark
Wheaton (MA)
Muhlenberg
College of Wooster
St. Olaf

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Thanks so much for circling back and providing an update! I agree that I think he will have several acceptances here. Looking forward to hearing how the college applications go!

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