<p>I would appreciate some help coming up with list of schools for my DS to consider. He will be HS junior in the fall. He has taking many honors and AP courses and is among top in his class. No ranking done in HS, but his GPA will not be highest as he chose to skip intro science (bio/chem/physics) and directly take AP courses. He is very talented in math and jumped levels starting in 5th grade. For last 2 years, he had taken college math courses (beyond calculus). He's not sure what he wants to major in but definitely wants to continue in Math. FOr now, he doesnt want to consider computer science or engineering. Would like him to be at school that will allow him to perhaps create own major. Other than Ivies, what other schools should we consider? Other EC -- band, stage crew, debate, academic team, class treasurer, tennis, chess and various other groups. Also tutors math for couple of middle school kids -- would like to do more, but not enough hours in the day!!</p>
<p>How do I find out what schools have strong math depts or allow students to create own majors?? </p>
<p>DS thinks I'm obsessing, but I want to make sure that he makes the most of his abilities. Because he is at small HS (150 in class), unlikely that top school will take more than 1 from his school.</p>
<p>I'd apprecaite any help you could give me in compiling list of schools.
[he says he has no interest i visiting schools -- he's seen Princeton, Columbia, Harvard, MIT during debates and/or math competitions and thinks no real difference] THANKS!</p>
<p>Has he taken the SAT, ACT, or any SAT Subject Tests yet? Scores on those tests would be helpful in figuring out what sorts of colleges might be reasonable choices for him.</p>
<p>Also, how does he feel about campus size? All of the four schools you mentioned that he has visited are medium in size (with Princeton, I believe, being the smallest). Does this appeal to him? Or would he prefer to be at a small liberal arts college or, on the other extreme, a huge mega-campus?</p>
<p>I also notice that all four of the schools that he has visited are in the Northeast. Is that where he wants to be, geographically? Or do other parts of the country interest him?</p>
<p>I think it's a little early to be trying to come up with "the list". He doesn't need to start doing this till later on in his JR year. Doesn't his counselor meet with rising seniors in April/ May? So I would relax a bit and just encourage him to continue to do his best next year. No need to start the frenzy quite yet. Visiting various colleges [big, small, rural, urban, etc] is a good idea if you can do so this summer, in order to give him an idea of what different types of colleges look and feel like .</p>
<p>Actually, I do not think it's too early to think of establishing a list, not for the purpose of applying but of considering and visiting. </p>
<p>I don't know about creating one's own major, and of course, there are many factors to consider besides the purely academic one (size, location, finances). But some schools with strong math departments: MIT, Caltech, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Chicago, Rice, Duke, Michigan, Harvey Mudd, Cornell.</p>
<p>He is right to a certain extent that there is truly significant difference between the schools he's visited. But there is bound to be a huge difference between say, MIT and Rice, or between Princeton and Michigan, owing to climate and size. As well, participants in competitions don't really get to see a lot of the colleges where the competitions are held or to ask pertinent questions. He should visit again, talk to profs and to students. He should think about issues of fit, and you and he need to talk finances.</p>
<p>I don't disagree with Marite's suggested list. However, consider also liberal arts collges. while these LAC's may not have strong math recognition due to the absence of graduate departments, they are perfectly fine for undergraduate major. A place like Amherst is full of math majors, many of them double major in economics, a highly prized route for investment banking. A serious math major at Amherst can also do a thesis project, at a depth that surpasses master theses at other places. The math major at Amherst do have the latitude of creating one's own major. Go visit and talk with their prof's.</p>
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For last 2 years, he had taken college math courses (beyond calculus).
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<p>I hesitated to recommend LACs, even though some have very strong math departments, because the student may run out of undergraduate classes to take.</p>
<p>Re-reading my previous post, I realize that I omitted a very important word "no" before truly significant.</p>
<p>Another school to add to the list: Wesleyan. It does have a grad math program.</p>
<p>Good point about Amherst and the 5 college consortium. I'm leery of independent studies. A couple of courses, yes, but a steady dose? Advanced math kids begin taking graduate level classes in their sophomore year at Harvard.</p>
<p>UCLA and UWisc-Madison also have top-ranked math depts. I would suggest that your S start reading the websites for various schools to see how the math departments strike him. At some places, they lean to the finance side, others to actuarial, others to applied/engineering, others to pure math. It may become quite clear which type of curriculum your son likes, and then he can look at other schools that have the same sort of emphasis.</p>
<p>If he's already two years post-calc, having access to graduate level courses will be an important consideration.</p>
<p>However, he has a nice array of other diverse interests -- so he should look at the other things those schools offer, in case he decides down the road to do something other than math.</p>
<p>Another school that might fall under consideration is Hampshire College-- students are required to design their own major and can take courses throughout the Five College Consortium.</p>
<p>I second the suggestion to look at Cornell. </p>
<p>Its math major is enormously flexible, with many different options for students with different interests. See <a href="http://www.math.cornell.edu/index.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.math.cornell.edu/index.html</a> And it's not a huge department (although Cornell is a rather large university). There are also a lot of related departments around campus for those who decide that they want a major that includes math but doesn't necessarily consist of math -- things like "Biometry and Statistics" (whatever that is) and an excellent computer science department.</p>
<p>Full disclosure: My husband got his Ph.D. in math from Cornell.</p>
<p>Yes, if you're looking for a create-your-own-major program, you might want to look at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at NYU. You have to have at least a direction, though, I think, when you apply, so I'd have your son think a little about it in the next year. At least, that's what I've heard.</p>
<p>As for finding the schools with the best math departments, etc., I know you said he has no interest in visiting schools, but maybe it's best if you let him do the research? It's not very difficult... there are lists everywhere, and it builds up independence needed when he's actually at college. Also, if he chooses the schools, they'll probably be better fits for him in the end.</p>
<p>That's what my parents and I did this previous application process, and I think it helped me. :)</p>