Best Maths and English Programs

[williamsfan]

<p>Hi everyone!</p>

<p>Could anyone help me by telling me which liberal arts colleges or universities offer very strong undergraduate programs in both Maths and English? I have a strong interest in both of these, specially in Applied Maths and possibly Creative Writing.
If possible, please back up your response with some rankings list or experience you might have had attending or just hearing of these schools. </p>

<p>Thanks a lot!</p>

<p>Oh as well, please don't restrict your answers to just the Ivy League. I will of course apply to some of these, but I also want to know of other universities which might not have the same name as these.</p>

[goldenboy8784]

<p>You sound perfect for Williams College. It is world-renowned at the undergraduate level for these two subjects. It is the most elite LAC so admission is very competitive.</p>

[annasdad]

<p>Any college except for perhaps the least selective will have very strong undergraduate programs in math and English for the student who seeks out the most challenging courses and who applies himself or herself fully to the task.</p>

[williamsfan]

<p>Thanks a lot Goldenboy!! I applied Early Decision to Williams so their answer should be coming in shortly! I really hope I get in, but I’ve been planning my applications to other places as backups to be safe. Do you know any other colleges which would be very good in both these programs? If I don’t get in ED I’ll also apply to some Ivy Leagues plus Amherst and Middlebury, but I need help finding others!</p>

[cellardweller]

<p>MIT, in addition to unquestionably offering one of very the best math programs in the country also has a top rated creative writing program. </p>

<p>[The</a> 10 best American colleges for writers | USA TODAY College](<a href=“http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/the-10-best-american-colleges-for-writers]The”>http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/the-10-best-american-colleges-for-writers)</p>

<p>

Most people wouldn’t immediately think of MIT as a great writing school given its enormous reputation for engineering, computer science, and technology. However, MIT offers an extensive and unique writing program that not only produces great writers but prepares them to be competitive in the harsh job market of English graduates. One thing that sets MIT apart from other universities is the fact that, rather than having one English department that covers both writing and literature, they split the traditional English department into two entirely separate programs. Their writing program not only instructs creative writing but also science writing and digital media.

</p>

[ucbalumnus]

<p>

@annasdad

Any college except for perhaps the least selective will have very strong undergraduate programs in math and English for the student who seeks out the most challenging courses and who applies himself or herself fully to the task.

</p>

<p>Not true – some schools have limited depth and breadth in some subjects, so they would be unsuitable for students intending to major or concentrate in those subjects. This has nothing to do with selectivity or prestige of the schools.</p>

<p>It is best to check the course offerings at each school (particularly smaller schools) to see if the offerings are sufficient for the student’s interest.</p>

[williamsfan]

<p>Thanks a lot! I am definitely considering MIT now! Any other suggestions??</p>

[LookingIn]

<p>It’s hard to find rankings of undergraduate creative writing programs, so cellardweller’s list is a good find. Of the colleges on that list, in addition to MIT you might want to look at the following for applied math:</p>

<p>NYU
Michigan
Johns Hopkins
Columbia</p>

<p>I’m not terribly familiar with all of these, but they all have good reputations in both fields. I’m most familiar with Johns Hopkins, which has separate programs for English and Creative Writing. The Creative Writing component, called “The Writing Seminars”, is one of the oldest and most well-known undergraduate creative writing programs in the country. </p>

<p>[About</a> the Writing Seminars](<a href=“http://writingseminars.jhu.edu/about.html]About”>http://writingseminars.jhu.edu/about.html)</p>

<p>In addition, JHU is consistently ranked in the top 10 for graduate-level creative writing (#2 in the most recent USNWR, but that was in 1997). </p>

<p>Undergraduate level applied math is also difficult to rank. The only ranking I’m aware of is the Gourman report, which can be found in this thread:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/680423-colleges-applied-math.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/680423-colleges-applied-math.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>The only three schools that are on the lists of top undergraduate creative writing and top undergraduate applied math are MIT, Johns Hopkins, and Columbia. Of course, as with all rankings, you should take these with a grain of salt. Schools like NYU and Michigan will probably offer very good programs in both fields as well.</p>

[hampster]

<p>It has the 2nd highest number of Rhodes Scholars among LACs after Williams. Check out their ph.d productivity results for math and english:</p>

<p>[REED</a> COLLEGE PHD PRODUCTIVITY](<a href=“http://www.reed.edu/ir/phd.html]REED”>Doctoral Degree Productivity - Institutional Research - Reed College)</p>

<p>For what it’s worth, I once asked a prominent mathematician about which LACs he thinks are the best in math and Reed and Williams were mentioned.</p>