Bates, Carleton, Colby, Colgate, Hamilton - Best for Neuroscience?

@Chembiodad I agree that it seems to happen a lot and in fact many of our classmates married other Batesies. I wonder if surviving the long Maine winters is a factor?!

Btw, I wanted to share that we went to our local Oberlin Accepted Students Reception in DC last night and it was great. There were a TON of science focused kids there who were interning at NIH this summer etc and to be honest there were no “alt” looking kids. My daughter also found plenty of creative types as well but everyone seemed to have an open and friendly vibe. Who knows, you could have an Obie after all.

@wisteria100 I agree on the Feb admit possibility. I was a Jan Frosh at Bates after coming off the waitlist and it is not something I would recommend to anyone. That fall was totally miserable as all of my friends went off to college and then I arrived in Maine in the cold when many students had spent the fall getting to know one another and settling into routines. It was hard!

You should keep in mind that she may well change her mind re: major. I don’t know what the true stats are but at least 50% of all the kids I know changed their minds within the first two semesters. My D started as a bio/chem major and has switched to Applied Math/CS. Still STEM I know but I wouldn’t choose a school based on their Neuroscience offerings alone. The schools that have the most well-rounded STEM departments are where I would start and then I’d choose according to location/campus/housing, etc. Goodness knows she can’t go wrong with the schools she has to pick from.

My family and I were just talking last night that it was a good thing D did not choose the school who accepted her into their elite BIO program because it would not have been a good fit for her in other ways.

@NEPatsGirl, agree, that’s why we want to ensure DD2 picks a school that is strong in Neuro/biology, as well as math and computer science as she excels in/enjoys all three areas.

And while on a school trip to Australia she proclaimed that foreign service may be in her future so an LAC is definitely the right spot for both of our DD’s.

Could not agree more with @NEPatsGirl. While there are students who will not stray from an intended path, it is common for students at LACS to discover new disciplines in college and pursue them enthusiastically. And most LACS want (or require!) you to have breadth before pursuing depth.

At several of the schools on this list, we met students who were majoring in something they “met” through a distribution requirement. In one case, it was philosophy (Bates) and in another, it was geology (Colby). Having an intensive term also enables great opportunities in or out of a major by making travel or group collaboration, particularly in performance, possible . Just another complicating thought!

Ok it’s crunch time!! Need last minute advice.

On Monday during the Accepted Students Day, DD1 committed to Hamilton as a student athlete that will likely be studying political science and IR - one done, phew…

We are now down to helping DD2 (identical twins), a kid who wants to study neuroscience. She originally took a shot at her dream school Brown (got to chase your dream) and was deferred ED and then denied RD. She had considered schools that required a plan trip such as Carleton, ND and Oberlin, but she’s decided she’s not a traveler/wants to be closer to family.

At this point, she’s down to the best school in the NE for what she is looking for - great neuroscience program, great facilities, lots of research opportunities (does that require a bigger endowment?). She’s politically liberal (Go Bernie!), socially a middle of the road kid from a fairly wealthy area, but isn’t preppy at all - more of a jock kid. One more point of consideration is that she’s a strong math student who also has a continuing interest in comp sci.

So, of her accepted choices which one does she choose - Bates, Colby, Colgate (too many HS classmates attend for her liking - around 6 per year), or Hamilton (understanding her sister is going to be there so won’t be able to be her own person - not needed, but to be considered). She’s also on waitlists at Middlebury (kicking herself for not going ED2 there) and Wesleyan, but she knows chances are slim.

I don’t think you should overlook Carleton for a woman interested in STEM. She will be at home there.

@ZZdecision2016, definitely a great choice. I forgot to mention that she has a youngest sister who has some physical challenges and spends more time than she would like at Boston Children’s. So while they haven’t said it’s a factor, we think they are taking proximity to home and hospital into consideration.

Of her choices, Colby might most resemble Middlebury.

just opinion: carleton > bates > colby > colgate

All of them should have some form of paid summer research available- it’s usually a somewhat competitive process, so she should investigate it, along with REUs, before the winter holiday (deadlines are usually Jan/Feb). She may get lucky with an REU, but shouldn’t be discouraged if she doesn’t, as they do consider what year you are (priority going to older/more experienced students). If she stays serious about neuroscience, summer research will be the big differentiator for getting into grad school. After that, other than being sure to do well in her major classes (!) she can enjoy all the delights of an LAC- take a class or two every term just b/c it’s interesting to her, get involved in whatever activities, etc.

If your daughter has an interest in applied psychology, she may want to consider Hamilton’s Boston program:

https://www.hamilton.edu/academics/offcampusstudy/necc

@merc81, thx for the suggestion as she does spend a fair amount of free time with younger kids, both as a middle school volleyball coach and a grade school ESL tutor.

@collegemom3717, I see you didn’t insert Hamilton in the neuroscience ranking thread - reason?

b/c I thought it wasn’t in the list of active choices! otherwise I would have put it first…

My kids visited all of these schools except Colgate. They would both rank Carleton and Hamilton at the top, followed by Colby, followed by Bates. They felt the academics at all four would be similar, and their impression was largely driven by the vibe they got of the student bodies, as well as the location and beauty of the campuses.

@collegemom3717, @CodyChesnutt - thx for the feedback. It’s what we felt as well. it just makes the twin issue a more likely one. That said, at the Accepted Students Day they said they admitted a record 17 sets of twins so they could have company.

If Carleton and Oberlin are really off the table, then I’d push for Hamilton since it’s the strongest remaining choice academically. With such different interests, they’ll never get in each other’s way, holiday travel will be easier, but they will have each other for support if needed. If Hamilton is nixed, then Bates or Colby chosen by feel/ fit. Honestly, these are all good choices.

DD2 has decided that short of getting off the waitlist at either Middlebury or Wesleyan she’s headed to Hamilton as well; she said that Hamilton may still be her choice if a waitlist spot comes through, but at least she will have a choice for herself to make - time will tell

My son knows many happy Carleton grads. They seem to do very well in grad school applications

NS ranges from the psychology end to the computational/AI side.