Hi everyone,
I am a senior that wants to major in biology/biochemistry, and I am looking to refine my regular decision list. I am looking at the following LACs:
Amherst
Bowdoin
Vassar
Williams
Wesleyan
Connecticut College
Wellesley
Barnard
Tufts
I know that all of these schools are relatively strong, but I wanted to know which school had the best resources, labs, and research opportunities for the biological sciences. And if anyone has any insight on the social science and diversity at the schools, please let me know!
@Musicgirl134, You will see differences in facilities and staffing levels, so both a visit and spending time exploring faculty, on campus internships and facilities/resources should be insightful. I’ll throw Hamilton into the mix!
Building on @Chembiodad, when checking out individual LACs, be sure to look at more subtle things than just the who has the shiniest new labs (lots of them have/are building new science facilities). I think all of the LACs mentioned on this page have some sort of paid summer research option. This can be a valuable opportunity, especially summer after first year, so ask about how many first years gain places. Also ask which about REU involvement.
You have Wellesley and Barnard listed…perhaps you should consider Smith, too. Smith has a merit scholarship called STRIDE that comes with guaranteed research opportunities for the first two years: https://www.smith.edu/academics/applied-learning-research/stride-program
My daughter LOVES her lab. It has been such a great opportunity that she was able to begin the minute she set foot on campus her first year. Her college list had a lot of overlap with yours.
I agree that if you’re looking at women’s colleges and interested in biology/biochemistry you might look at Smith, especially if you’re possibly STRIDE-eligible. It’s a great program and my D and I talked to a STRIDE biochemistry major who was very impressive. Opportunities will definitely be there. In a tough decision, my D wound up turning down her STRIDE to attend Hamilton (her first love is math and that tilt seemed stronger there), but Smith and Vassar were her 2nd and 3rd choices.
Please do also note that most of the schools you listed are not slam dunks for admissions -many of them are very competitive, so please do have some genuine safety options on your list as well.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions! @Springbird@thermom the STRIDE program at Smith sounds amazing! I see that there is no separate application for the program-what are they usually looking for in a candidate? I’m a minority and first generation student and I have done cancer research at a local hospital-will this give me a leg up?
Also, @thermom I applied to my instate publics (UMass) and a couple other safeties/matches early action, and so I decided to apply to my reaches for regular decision. Thanks for the advice!
@Musicgirl134 Correct, there is no separate application for the STRIDE, they evaluate all applicants for it. Smith definitely focuses on diversity as well. I’m sure your background won’t hurt! I would spend some time on their web site and if possible try to visit (hopefully do-able if you’re in Mass already.) Smith is also part of the 5 college consortium with Amherst and UMass/Amherst.
@Musicgirl134
Ah, if only we all knew the secret workings of the admission counselor mind!
Smith values diversity, so I would imagine that can only help. First generation as well. They like it if you can interview…not sure how feasible it is for you to get to campus for that, but if you can, then I would recommend that you do. Demonstrate interest by signing up for mailings, perhaps emailing an admissions officer a question (a good one that can’t be answered from their website), that kind of thing.
Like all of the other excellent colleges on your list, they are going to want a high GPA with a challenging course load, solid test scores (although Smith is test optional, I imagine they would want to see test scores for a scholarship, but again, I don’t know for sure), strong recommendations, and quality essays.
One more thing: I’m pretty sure Wellesley and Smith do not have an application fee, so it might make it easier for you to keep them on the list. Not sure about the others. Smith’s single additional essay is pretty brief, too.
@Chembiodad Sure! My stats are:
3.98/4.0 unweighted GPA
4.5/5.0 weighted GPA
Scores of 5 on three AP tests
710 US History subject test (taking two more in December)
1330 SAT score (waiting for November SAT scores)
Science related ECs, one research internship at local hospital
Regional and state science fair awards
Various leadership positions (NHS VP, etc)
First generation college student, underrepresented minority
@Musicgirl134, congratulations on your accomplishments and your passion for science as we need more women in the Sciences! Always hard to tell about admission to the tippy top schools as even hooked applicants likely have 1400+ SAT’s; that said if you apply to a good mix of targets, reaches and safeties I’m sure you’ll have good choices - I think your list is reach heavy, so keep looking for some more matches and safeties.
You definitely can’t go wrong with science at Williams – Bio, Chem, Physics, Geology, and Astrophysics are all very strong; the Math department is also top-notch. And the school is in the middle of a massive upgrade (two new buildings, one of which opens next fall) to its already-stellar science complex.
