I’ve always liked the appeal of going to a liberal arts/smaller college. But I want to major in a field relating to space (thinking either astrobiology or medical biology)
So I was wondering, is there any liberal arts colleges renowned for science programs?
P.S. Please don’t say Harvey Mudd. I know it’s a great science liberal arts school but it’s across the country from me, a bit too far for me to be willing to go haha
Thanks :))
A school that is good in general for science may not necessarily have much in the specific areas of your interest. You may want to look at faculty rosters and course offerings to see how well each school covers the specific areas of your interest.
I’m sure that sounds reasonable to someone thirty years out of college who has spent most of that time working at a specialty. But, for the average 17 y/o who hasn’t been told they’re a prodigy and with no real exposure to college level research, an open mind may be the best thing they have going for them. LACs are for people who haven’t narrowed their focus too much and are still looking, feeling and kicking the tires. If, Harvey Mudd was a serious option, I’d suggest the OP take a look at LACs that bring in the most tax-payer supported research; they have the most expensive labs and equipment and because they have only the tiniest of graduate departments, are almost always in need of undergraduate help. The top three, last I looked, were Wellesley and Bryn Mawr, if you are a woman and Wesleyan, if you are interested in a co-ed college. Others on the short list would include Williams for physics and math, Haverford for bio, and probably Carleton for all-round strength in science.
Another popular metric is the proportion of students who go on to earn doctoral degrees in the sciences and engineering, a spreadsheet that has been available on the National Science Foundation (NSF) website for quite a while now, but, probably still holds some validity:
https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf13323/
For both of these fields, your undergraduate concentration might serve you best if it were closely aligned with the study of biochemistry / molecular biology / CHNOPS. Your choice of college should include a consideration of which schools might appeal to you based on their programs in these areas. Since exobiotic forms might hypothetically be silicon based, you will want to study inorganic chemistry as well.
Thanks for the info. Still working out the EXACT career field I want to go into, although I know I’d like whatever I do end up at NASA or SpaceX or likewise.
Anyway, the reason I ruled out Harvey Mudd was that of its location. Being from Ohio, I’d rather not go to the other end of the country, lol. Although I don’t mind going out of state, I wouldn’t want to be THAT far away.
I already have a good list of schools I’d like to apply to- mostly private (and some public) research universities. However, I thought it would be a good idea to have a couple liberal arts colleges on my list to add variety, and also because they’d better fit my personality than all these larger, urban research schools I have picked out for my possible majors.
Thanks for the suggestions, I welcome any more as well :))
If you are undecided at this time, chemistry comes closest to being “the central science.” For some program descriptions at liberal arts colleges, you could try “15 Best Value Small Colleges for a Chemistry Degree.” Colleges such as Swarthmore, Union and, in your home state, Wooster receive mentions. Note that the ranking itself pertains to financial aspects only.
What are your academic stats? Do you have any financial constraints? Any geographic preferences? Anything (other than a good science program) that you specifically want/don’t want in a college?
Offhand LACs that were strong in science that my D looked at were Lafayette, Franklin & Marshall, Bucknell, and Union. I’m sure there are many others with both more and less competitive admissions. I’m not sure they offer such narrow fields like astrobiology or medical biology though but at some colleges you can create your own major. I’d suggest you look up the course catalogs as well as the professors in your areas of interest of any LAC you consider (which can typically be found online)
Agree with earlier pos,t recommend “Carleton for all-round strength in science.” In Astronomy, several Carleton profs, alums students were co-authors on the recent Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) publications. There are quite a few Carls from Ohio.
swarthmore, union college (ny), grinnell, davidson, carleton, colgate, dickinson, lafayette, and rice university (not a LAC, but it has the feel of one… rice is kind of the best of both worlds) all have wonderful science programs.
If you are looking for a LAC with strong science programs close to Ohio, Oberlin fits that description.
Kalamazoo (MI) College (a top producer of grads who earn life science PhDs) has an alum that works for the NASA Astrobiology Institute
Grinnell.