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Title pretty much says it all. My daughter is a National Merit Semi-Finalist. We live in the South. She wants to get out of the area. She did very well on the PSAT and we were initially excited for the potential opportunities for scholarships, but it seems that most of the colleges that give big money are in the South. "I don't want to go to Alabama" but if we can save $100K compared to the cost of 4 years at our flagship public university it seems worth it to me. Wondering if there's anything we are overlooking, any good colleges in the NE or NW that would give decent $$. Interested in Environmental Science as a major, although that could change (she's said engineering and then architecture, in the past)
She's brilliant but grades inconsistent. Overall weighted GPA 4.3 but unweighted would probably be around 3.5 (not sure, school doesn't provide). No major activities since freshman year.
Take a look at Whitman College in the interior PNW. It's an excellent LAC that is often overlooked nationally because it is outside the traditional geographic zones of highly selective LACs.
Whitman offers up to $25K per year in merit aid, for all 4 years, has an Environmental Studies program, and is located in charming Walla Walla (the new Napa).
I would have been very happy for my kid (now a sophomore at one of the Maine LACs) to go to Whitman but alas it was taken off the list because my kid is a rower and Whitman does not have competitive rowing.
Title pretty much says it all. My daughter is a National Merit Semi-Finalist. We live in the South. She wants to get out of the area. She did very well on the PSAT and we were initially excited for the potential opportunities for scholarships, but it seems that most of the colleges that give big money are in the South. "I don't want to go to Alabama" but if we can save $100K compared to the cost of 4 years at our flagship public university it seems worth it to me. Wondering if there's anything we are overlooking, any good colleges in the NE or NW that would give decent $$. Interested in Environmental Science as a major, although that could change (she's said engineering and then architecture, in the past)
She's brilliant but grades inconsistent. Overall weighted GPA 4.3 but unweighted would probably be around 3.5 (not sure, school doesn't provide). No major activities since freshman year.
First, most important thing to understand is "what does she want to do?" As in not just college but in life. Understanding that question helps guide the remaining ones. Let's say she wants to be an engineer. That eliminates pretty much every LAC out there and a lot of public ones. Sure, you might find some places to meet it, but program quality makes a difference in the facilities she'll have access to. On the other hand, if she's into recreation and parks, that might be a different set of schools (and coursework).
Talk with her about the programs she's interested in. Then do some online research about the colleges and universities that offer those programs and have solid reputations in them. Don't make the mistake many do of focusing on the Ivy and Ivy like schools on the one hand, and the cheaper local state and small LACs on the other. A lot of state flagships are in fact pretty darn good but not all are equally good in all programs.
Also think big picture in terms of cost -- scholarships, loans and jobs. Our oldest, after we did all the research and visited a number of good campuses, went out of state (to another state here in the South) even though out of state cost more because it was better in her field. That's paid off for her.
Given her interests, one obvious southern option is Clemson.
For what it's worth, many LACs have partnerships with engineering schools that give LAC students a pathway toward an engineering degree as well. For example, Whitman above has 3-2 partnerships with Caltech, Columbia, WashU St. Louis & the University of Washington.
That said, reading the OP's original post more closely, if hoping to find a school outside of the South that gives so much merit aid as to bring the cost below that of the OP's in-state public option, I don't think you'll find that.
OP, you could try Willamette University, in Salem, OR. They have a hefty endowment that they use to attract desirable students that otherwise couldn't afford to attend. As a National Merit Scholar, they might be interested in your daughter. They give very generous financial aid to students they want. Whether she happens to check off their boxes for the kind of person they want to attract is up to them, of course. But it's worth a shot. Usually their bigger aid packages are for the most financially needy. But a Nat'l Merit scholar might be someone they'd be willing to sweeten the kitty for.
I don't know what kind of partnerships it has, but Oregon state universities are big on enviro science, engineering, and innovative related fields. OR State U in Corvallis says enviro sciences are part of its core mission, and they have a graduate program as well as undergrad. Partnerships might be worth exploring if your student is seriously into this field.
Try college aid pro.com
Great tool. You do have to pay to get best use. You input your daughter grades, SAT etc… your finances, pick a school and it will tell you the likely aid you might receive.
Lots more great advice on this site. They also have videos on YT to help.
For what it's worth, many LACs have partnerships with engineering schools that give LAC students a pathway toward an engineering degree as well. For example, Whitman above has 3-2 partnerships with Caltech, Columbia, WashU St. Louis & the University of Washington.
That said, reading the OP's original post more closely, if hoping to find a school outside of the South that gives so much merit aid as to bring the cost below that of the OP's in-state public option, I don't think you'll find that.
That's very true. One of our local LACs has such a program. However, those programs come at a cost of adding an extra year to college (five instead of four) and the OP has indicated cost is a concern.
Also the OP implied they live in Alabama. She might check the Academic Common Market for states with Reciprocal tuition, though to be honest I doubt it will accept the degrees she's considering.
Pitt does a great job with merit aid for in- and out-of-state students alike who qualify for their honors college (gateway admission is based on standardized test scores). This can range from a $2,000 scholarship to fill tuition plus room and board.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Consider you student's comprehensive value of their investment of time and money. For that, (if from the southern USA) I would seek international schools, probably Vancouver BC. Very diverse international populous, strong in environmental science and exposure, very different culture, climate, experience. Eastern Canada would present similar variety, excluding the Asian influence of BC.
Commonwealth Nations would be a second option. (Easier for language) Scandinavian schools are worth a look. You can live quite inexpensively (as a local) in many European university towns (they typically don't have dorms.) A lot of European universities are free, or very low cost. Your career, contacts, and opportunities will be international !!! A great future life.
I was in a similar position (aside from activities - I had a bunch of leadership roles and was involved in the literary magazine and marching band - and I also took the equivalent of 7 years of Spanish and 2 of French thanks to block scheduling) coming from an IB/heavy AP school in the South and got between 50-100% tuition merit scholarships to NYU, Tufts, Brandeis, Goucher, and Connecticut College, plus a few more that I don't remember as well as Rice and Tulane. That said, the lack of activities (does she have a job? other responsibilities outside of school that she could speak to?) is going to be a sticking point for your daughter.
It ended up being cheaper for me to go to the New England small university/LAC that I attended than it would have been to go to UGA on a HOPE scholarship once you figured in the generous support a private university was able to offer for study abroad (I was gone for a full year, spending 3 terms in a different country each) and subsidizing unpaid internships, not to mention the research and mentorship opportunities.
Now that I'm on the other end, I'm involved with the admissions process for my alma mater. I volunteer doing interviews via Zoom in the region I grew up in, and have a pretty high success rate for students getting in. Two things seem to work in their favor - many end up applying early decision (which can be risky from a financial standpoint) and schools tend to like to increase geographic diversity. *Very* few students apply to colleges in New England from the ruralish part of Georgia I am from! If you are from more of a metro area, that's likely not going to work as well in your favor.
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