Hi,
Right now I am debating the use of an ED2 application, but I am torn between Middlebury, Hamilton, Bowdoin and Colby. I am planning to major in economics but my interest really aligns with environmental econ. There a things about each school I really like but I was hoping to share some people’s experiences or knowledge about distinguishing features from each. Thank you!
You may want to check if the upper level economics electives at each school include environmental economics options.
You may also want to check the math prerequisites of the intermediate microeconomics and econometrics courses. If you want to go on to PhD study in economics, more math is generally better.
All of your potential choices offer top-notch environmental studies programs:
For an analysis of these schools’ economics departments based on faculty publishing, see https://ideas.repec.org/top/top.uslacecon.html.
Opinion
Colby. Classic LAC size. Relatively new president has added dynamism. Prominent and popular environmental studies programs. Central campus fairly far from Waterville. Winter cold suitable for the adventurous.
Middlebury. NESCAC in Grandma Moses country. Views of Adirondacks from Bicentennial Hall. Academically notable for environmental studies, languages, economics. Recent vandalism not inconsistent with an entitled segment among the student body.
Hamilton. Legacy of having been two colleges of complementary characteristics and emphases manifests in enhanced academic, social, architectural and spatial dimensions and balance. Access to suburban amenities, proximity to Adirondacks. A writers’ college, for those who wish to enhance this skill. Strong for public/environmental policy.
“Winter cold suitable for the adventurous.” ???
Middlebury might be attractive because it has a larger number of students than your other 3 options. More students might mean more course options.
Vibe-wise, these schools are pretty similar. I’m most familiar with Colby, which has very strong programs in both economics and environmental science. Jan Plan will give you some additional options for hands on, immersive work if you want that. There are lots of opportunities for doing work across majors as well, particularly in upperclassmen years.
I’d definitely recommend looking at the distribution requirements and major requirements at each and trying to map out what your 4 years would look like at each based on your interests and preferences. As mentioned, differences will emerge in terms of how “mathy” the economics classes are, how study abroad works, short term, etc.
These are all rural and northern. Bowdoin and Middlebury have cute small towns that are walkable to campus. (Personally, I give the nod to Brunswick.) Colby is a short distance from Waterville, serviced by a frequent shuttle (because there is a dorm in town). Waterville is much larger and less charming. Students do use the town. Personally, this would not impact a decision for me at any of them.
If you have particular interests, you can see how they fit at each. Skiing, climbing, hiking, art, sports, music. These schools all offer a lot to their students, so it really comes down to how you think you’d like to spend your time in and out of class.
Colby students and Waterville residents have a fairly big contrast with each other. Colby students are mostly from high income families and ethnically diverse, while Waterville residents are mostly lower middle income and predominantly White.
Yes, and Colby students live in town, go out to dinner in town, go to movies and bars in town, etc. The point simply being that Waterville isn’t the charming, curated cute little town that Brunswick is, for example. It’s a bit more “real”.
I’m not so familiar with the environs of Hamilton, but none of those other towns, large or small, have the same demographics at the students at those schools.
Thank You!!
S18 is a Colby senior minoring in Econ. There is a lot going on there right now. New dorms will be added starting next year, the new Artificial Intelligence center that spans all disciplines could be really interesting to someone with Econ/Environment interests, and the new athletic center rivals those at D1 schools. Colby has invested in downtown Waterville and it is starting to make an impact. A new dorm and hotel are complete with an arts center in progress. On the negative side, it can be difficult to get into Econ classes because the major is so popular, it has become harder for underclassmen to have a car on campus (not impossible, but the parking situation is not great) and the shuttle can be inconsistent. However, the administration is incredibly responsive to any concerns expressed by students or parents.
Overall, he has really enjoyed his time at Colby and we have been impressed by the faculty and administration there.
Good luck!!
What are your stats? Your other interests? What atmosphere are you looking for? Did you apply ED1 anywhere? More information will help us give you better feedback.
I go to a private boarding school as a day student. My interests/ extra curriculars are student government, head tour guide, captain of alpine skiing, Co-head of Therapy Dogs committee, and two summer jobs, one in a local icecream and produce stand and other as a tour guide… My GPA is 92.75 , which is considered honors and in the top 30% of my class. I have taken multiple honors and AP classes including honors and AP french, AP calc, AP Physics, AP English, AP Macro and Micro Econ and Post AP Multivariable Calculus. 1460 SAT. I was rejected from my ED1 choice at an IVY.
I am looking for a community feel, no greek life/ not a super party focused culture. I really like the Nescacs club life vibe. Skiing nearby and outdoorsy atmosphere are perks. The cold is not an issue. My main academic interest is economics with a focus on environment resource economics.
As someone who has met a lot of Colby kids, you sound like you’d be happy there, in and out of the classroom. More than a few kids get season passes at Sugarloaf!
Given that you are at a BS, odds are that there are alums of your BS at all of those schools. Could you reach out to any of them while they are home from winter break to talk about their experience? It’ll be through their filter, but you might be able to understand the filter better than you could with a total stranger. My son found that very helpful, even if it wasn’t someone he’d been particularly close to.
I’m a bit surprised you aren’t considering Bates, which is very much in line with all you’ve expressed here. It has excellent environmental science and economics programs. Aside from that, these schools are comparable in many ways. If I had to choose one, Midd might be the best fit for you.
Your HS curriculum sounds really challenging, is there any chance you’re actually more highly ranked in your class? I’d suggest looking at the data on each school’s website. Bowdoin’s enrolled student profile states that 84% of freshmen were in the top 10% of their class, 97% in the top 25%. The numbers for Hamilton were 86% and 99%. For Colby, 95% were in the top ten percent.
If your HS gives you access to Naviance or similar tools, that can also give you a sense of the stats of students accepted in previous year’s from your school - we’ve just finished the process and it was really helpful. Fwiw S22 looked at all these schools. He liked all of them but opted to apply ED1 at Bates and got in.
I am assuming the OP attends one of the highly selective BS and is being guided by her CC. Most of these BS admit fewer than 20% of applicants, who are also somewhat self-selecting. The result is that kids in the middle of the class at these schools would often be top 10% elsewhere. The colleges know this.
It is not unusual for these schools to not rank students. It is also not unusual for there to be no weighting for more advanced classes. AND it’s not unusual for unhooked students to be at the bottom of the top half of the class (unofficially of course, no ranking) and still be admitted to very selective colleges.
Agree with all of this. Our daughter attended a highly selective high school and the unhooked kids in the second quartile all did really well with the Nescac/LAC schools.
OP, I highly recommend Colby if you’re looking for the chill, friendly vibe. Several of my daughter’s friends attend and are very happy there. They are all outdoorsy, work hard/play hard types, without the interest in Greek life. Midd is a bit more activist in orientation. Good luck!
Our system is a little strange. I am at the top of the second quintile. However my course load is very challenging and they do not separate depending on classes. So my school doesn’t report class ranking, just the transcript and rigor.
Yes exactly. The kids at the top are usually taking the easiest level classes and are sports commits. It is much harder to average higher with AP classes, where the median is often an 89.
Since you have maintained an interest in finding the best economics program available (from among colleges that meet your general preferences), you might consider that only eight liberal arts colleges appear among the universities in the analysis linked below (which hasn’t been adjusted for department size, and therefore favors larger schools and those with graduate departments): Williams, Wellesley, Middlebury, Claremont McKenna, Barnard, URichmond, Colgate and Hamilton. By itself, this wouldn’t represent a sufficient reason to choose Middlebury or Hamilton over Colby or Bowdoin, and therefore may not help you with your decision. Nonetheless, the analysis, when considered with the complementary analysis posted earlier, should provide you with confidence in the quality of the economics departments of all four of your potential choices.
Interesting to note that Northwestern University is rated at #14 and at #95 as the graduate program is broken out from the undergraduate economics program. If I understand correctly, if combined into one like the other universities,then Northwestern University would rank much higher on this list than #14–which is already a very high ranking.