I’ve been accepted into a few higher ranked liberal arts colleges as well as my state University. The liberal arts colleges are ranked much higher overall than my state university, but I plan on majoring in Biochemistry/Environmental Science. Would a liberal arts college still be good for science?
How has your science experience been at a liberal arts college vs. a state research university?
Thanks
Check out the range of course offerings and the grad school acceptance rate. They can certainly be very good, particularly for student-prof interaction and mentoring. Depends on the college. If you named the schools that admitted you, folks in the know might have some more specific thoughts.
yes, because the classes will most likely be taught by professors and be smaller in size. LAC’s probably have a much more supportive atmosphere in the classroom. (overall) you will not miss out on any knowledge acquisition.
big schools are for graduate school(IMO)
LACs can be good for science, but it depends on the LAC and the science. One disadvantage to LACs (and I love them) is the more limited course offerings; larger research universities usually have large faculties who can teach a wider variety of courses in their specialty area, whereas LACs typically offer the foundational courses and perhaps a few unique seminars. I agree with @MomOnALaptop that you should check out the course catalog and see what kinds of courses are offered - but ALSO look at the school’s online class listing (most schools have them available for anyone to view). A lot of times the catalog has classes in it that aren’t offered anymore or offered only once every two years or something like that. The class schedule for the last couple of semesters will give you information about what’s offered every semester, what’s only offered once a year, and what’s offered every other year.
If you’re worried about research, professors at top LACs (by which I mean the top 100ish) are still research-active and one of their primary job responsibilities is guiding students in research.
No. I’ve seen even pre-meds (who are at the bottom of the needs chain) get shortchanged at LACs. Going to one for two years to clear your Humanities classes and then transferring to a larger school is not unreasonable, but has other difficulties.
I’ve seen more good Humanities environments at larger schools than I have seen good science environments at LACs.
For a serious science student, I would advise against it.
The data doesn’t support your anecdotal observations. Look at any list of science PhDs ranked according to their baccalaureate origins and you will find that LACs actually outperform all but a handful of large research universities on a per capita basis.
There are many posts about the differences between a LAC and a research university. My D is at a LAC for science and is having a great experience. She is involved with research projects with professors, loves her small classes, and knows her peers and a number of her professors very well. I would check the course offerings at the schools in question online just to be sure they have the type of classes you want but after that it is about the type of undergraduate experience you want to have.
An LAC of 1000-2000 students may have very limited science offerings. Some courses may be offered only once every other year, making scheduling difficult. Even so, some of them still have great professors who spend a lot of time doing research with students. When you get to LACs in the 4,000-5,000 range, typically the science departments are larger, courses are offered with greater frequency, and more esoteric 300 and 400 level courses will be offered. Many LACs have top of the line equipment - not nearly as many pieces as an R1 university, but the competition for time on the equipment and for research positions working with professors - not graduate students - is not as fierce. I agree with Happy1 - so much of the difference is really about the experience a student is looking for - some kids are natural LAC fits, some are natural large university fits. Figure that out, then start visiting some schools. Ask about awards science students have won, national conferences they’ve presented at, how many research hours students can get. Have some conversations about graduate school that go beyond the “100% of qualified students get in” and get a feel for how supportive the faculty are. I know many MDs and science PhDs who started at LACs and then attended R1 universities for graduate/medical school.
@KW1217 Would you be willing to share what specific colleges you are considering as options? It would help folks give you more specific advice on LACs for science majors. Some LACs are very strong in the sciences
LACs seem to hold their own in post-graduate science-related outcomes.
Of the top 50 U.S. baccalaureate-origin institutions of 2002–11 S&E doctorate recipients, by institutional yield ratio, more than half are LACs. http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf13323/ (see table #4)
The higher levels of student-faculty engagement at some of these schools may more than compensate for factors such the number of course offerings or the amount of federal research funding they receive. Compare the National Survey of Student Engagement findings for research universities v. baccalaureate/A&S colleges. Among the Barron’s “highly to most competitive” schools, LACs out-perform research universities in 10 out of 10 “engagement indicator statistics”. The discrepancy is greatest in the “Student-Faculty Interaction” indicator. To the extent science is a hands-on, contact sport, the undergraduate science environments at some LACs may in fact be superior to what you’d find at most big research universities.
http://nsse.iub.edu/html/report_builder.cfm
As an exercise, you can flip your question: “Are large universities a good idea for science?”
At a smaller LAC you will have full access to both the facilities and primary faculty. A major advantage, in my opinion, especially since the science facilities at a top LAC can be impressive. And, as has already been pointed out on this thread, the measurable achievements of LAC science graduates are similarly impressive.
There are pros and cons for choosing LAC over large Uni for science. I would take the emphasis off the big picture, and instead focus on “of the schools I am considering attending, which ones have the best science dept for me?” And Best science dept can mean different things to different people, so you set the factors to judge each one by.
Do you want to do research early on in your college years? If so, determine which schools will let you do that. At some large Universities, you may be shut out of research til your jr/sr years. Again, every school may be different, so don’t assume because one Uni does it this way, that ALL Universities do it that same way.
Does having a more personal interaction with professors (instead of TAs) matter to you? Do you like to “disappear” into a crowded lecture hall of 200 students, or do you prefer the more discussion based class of 20-25 students?
There are the basics mentioned, finding out what your path of courses is going to look like, and how often each course is taught. Have you met the professors, or checked them out on ratemyprofessor.com? In a small department, avoiding a bad professor is harder to do. At a large Uni, you might have a wider range of choices of professors.
Do you want to go to grad school? Having a closer relationship to profs at an LAC may garner better recommendation letters for grad school. Ask about where each college’s students get accepted to grad school.
Lots of choices, no one answer to which setting is right for you. Good luck!
Generalizations about “science” do not necessarily apply to all schools (small LAC or huge university or something in between). A school may be strong in biology and chemistry, but weak in physics, math, and computer science, or vice-versa. Each school must be evaluated on its own.
Since the OP is specifically most interested in biochemistry and environmental science, evaluation of each school should consider its strength or weakness in this specific subjects.