<p>This is my first post here. I am a parent of a 16 y/o girl, a junior at a private high school in the Atlanta area. I would love some feedback on a preliminary list of target schools.</p>
<p>Based on her work to date, she will be a strong candidate for highly competitive colleges. She is straight A's, takes a tough curriculum (three AP's, two Honors) at a top school, scored 750 on her Math 1 subject test, is a community service leader and varsity swimmer.</p>
<p>She is a closet math geek but also an excellent writer and very social. So, she is looking for a school that offers a compelling program in some form of statistics, but is also a fun place to spend four years. She likes the idea of Div 1 sports and greek life. I'm thinking schools that offer engineering programs with a math focus will increase her odds as a female applicant.</p>
<p>Did she visit JHU? The vibe is very geeky and not full of outgoing folks (not that there's anything wrong with that)...a little like UChicago.</p>
<p>I'd apply to Rochester as an additional safety. Sounds like it would be a good fit, minus the sports.</p>
<p>From collegehelp's list, they're all good ideas though Purdue and Va. Tech might be aiming a little too low for someone as bright as your daughter. As long as your daughter doesn't mind the conservative Catholic overtones, ND is perfect as part of the category of "Strong athletics AND strong school" along with Vandy, Duke, Stanford, UVa, Umich, NWestern, etc.</p>
<p>More schools under this category include UCLA, UC-B, UWash, Wake Forest, UNC, Boston College.</p>
<p>Also, though I visited and am not a fan of the place, Lehigh is another fit in that it is a reputable school with an engineering bent, active sorority scene, and D1 sports. Check it out.</p>
<p>what was her SAT reasoning score?
that kinda seems to dictate which schools are reaches and which schools are solids. </p>
<p>and why not MIT and princeton? if you are looking for a school for someone who likes math.
not huge sports schools but certainly good for math students.</p>
<p>Mikey, I'd suggest that your daughter take look at Williams. It's a small liberal arts college so it's not in the same classification as the large to medium universities on her list so far, BUT. . . it offers many of the criteria on her wish list. </p>
<p>Rigorous academics, excellent math and sciences (but no engineering), excellent humanities (including a writing focus), prevalent sports/active life culture, lots of socializing. In short bright, multifaceted, talented, extroverted kids. Small classes, profoundly good faculty that are there to teach, period.</p>
<p>If she's able or willing to swim competitively in college she should contact the coaches now. I'm sure Williams would consider a female swimmer mathaholic from the South a person of interest.</p>
<p>If she's open to the small liberal arts college I would also look at Amherst, Colgate, Kenyon, Bowdoin. Not an LAC but in the same ambience, Dartmouth. There are others, I'm sure, but those are the ones that come to mind.</p>
<p>The engineering element is tricky as I believe at many (I admit I'm not an expert here) colleges you have to apply separately to the engineering school and begin on the engineering track from day one. So it's not a discipline that you can dip in and out of but need to commit to in advance.</p>
<p>like what momrath said, if she's interested in small LAC's, williams might be of interest.
I have a friend who is majoring in math, and plays Div. I sports, and he loves it.
But it is a whole different environment/location to the schools on your original list.</p>
<p>You've come up with a reasonable initial list. Duke, Northwestern, UVa, Vanderbilt and Stanford probably best fit the bill you present but all may prove a bit more of a reach than "solid" depending on how standardized test scores pan out. </p>
<p>While the sports scene at the other schools you've listed may be less globally/intensely D1'ish, Hopkins certainly can lay claim to great lacrosse, Rice great baseball, and Cornell great ice hockey to liven up student cheering sections. </p>
<p>I'll second 2 iron's and Collegehelp's list of schools with the exception of Columbia (just don't see the fit). Many are less competitive entrance-wise while still offering great programs and should help round out your existing selections. </p>
<p>"She likes the idea of Div 1 sports and greek life. I'm thinking schools that offer engineering programs..." Williams??????? Huh? Sorry, no.</p>
<p>Wow...I'm overwhelmed by your response, thank you! Some comments may help you understand the conundrum that is my little girl:</p>
<p>SAT: wbwa and zfox are right to ask about her SAT1 scores. She takes the PSAT in October and her SAT in the Spring. Here's what I expect: strong showings on math and writing, slightly above average on reading comprehension...not much of a reader :( </p>
<p>Other choices:
-collegehelp: i liked those ideas and will look into them, thanks.
-2-iron: interesting comments on JHU. We haven't visited yet, but they have an applied math and stats program that looks perfect for her. You're right, though...if she doesn't see what she describes as "normal people" she'll be out of there in a flash. I also liked your idea on Rochester and will put it on the list. We are avoiding schools with any kind of religious affiliation (ND, BC, Gtown) and are trying (short of UVA, which she loved) to avoid the mega-publics (especially UGA). Lehigh is still on the list to look into.
-zfox/bruno: MIT/CMU seem too narrow for her interests, and though i love Princeton it just seems so out of reach (as Stanford probably is, but one can dream).
-momrath: Williams? Hmmm...we haven't had any LAC's on her list, but I have always been impressed with the WC grads I have met. We will look into this some more, thanks for that idea.
-ticktock...your comments suggest Williams has a very different vibe vs. the larger schools on our list. Would you elaborate?</p>
<p>Engineering: this is more Dad's thing than the kid's. Majors such as Management Science, Op Research and Applied Math can fall under an Engineering school and, in my opinion, increase her admissions chances as a female applicant. At the same time, momrath hit the nail on the head...she does not see herself as an engineer and really wants to use her undergrad years to broadly explore; not get stuck on a restrictive technical track. Applying as a straight-up A&S math major puts her in among the multitudes.</p>
<p>Mikey, Going by the students' general personality types there's a lot of overlap between kids who apply to Williams/Amherst/Bowdoin/Colgate and some other LACs and big to medium sized universities like Duke/Cornell/Rice/Vanderbilt/Dartmouth.</p>
<p>Students at all of these schools are bright, talented, multifaceted, active, extroverted, social. Sports and phyical activity are an important part of the culture.</p>
<p>That describes the kids. The description of the colleges themselves would be very different if you were to compare a university of 10-20,000 students to an LAC of 2,000. </p>
<p>I went to Michigan and my son is a graduate of Williams -- so I understand the differences quite well. The choice between big and small is really a matter of fit. You can get an excellent education at either. Explore both and pursue whichever feels right.</p>
<p>what about bucknell for another safer option? (i would have also recommended lafayette but it does not have a very robust statistics curriculum.)</p>
<p>somewhat similar feel to richmond with a much larger math/stat faculty, options to take courses in engineering and business, d1 sports and greek life.</p>
<p>
[quote]
A Non-Traditional Approach
A central feature of modern social, behavioral, managerial and policy sciences is the use of mathematics and statistics, both as languages and as methods of abstraction and analysis. The faculty at Northwestern use a mathematical approach to social science in their research, and mathematics is a major component of graduate programs in the social sciences. However, most traditional undergraduate programs in the social sciences do not incorporate mathematical approaches in an organized and consistent manner. Consequently, undergraduate students in traditional programs do not receive systematic preparation in mathematical modeling.</p>
<p>In the MMSS program, students receive the training needed to build and analyze mathematical models. Graduates of this program have been extraordinarily successful as graduate students and professionals because of their rigorous preparation for examining situations with mathematical analysis
[/quote]
</p>
<p>This is an adjunct major that needs to go with another major. The management sciences department there is ranked in the top-10. This program would complement that major (in the engineering school) very well.</p>
<p>Hi Sam. Thanks for that! Funny...we just ran across NWU's MMSS program last week and it looks right on target for her, you're right. Now, all she needs to do is get in and convince herself she can handle four Chicago winters! What else can you tell me about the program?</p>
<p>Mikey, Another thought would be to apply early to Michigan. They have a non-binding rolling system. You can apply as early as September (I'm not too clear on the details.) and get accepted within weeks. If successful it would make a great "surething" as it's also in the same ambience group.</p>
<p>MMSS is a pretty rigorous program and you can tell it is well-respected among those in the know when you see prestigious firms like Lazard or research organizations like National Bureau of Economic Research go there to recruit them (under Current Recruiters). The alumni newsletters give you a rough idea of what kind of work/profession the graduates get into.</p>
<p>Here are two recommendations: Kenyon College in Ohio, and Bucknell University in Pennsylvania. Kenyon has a good math program, great campus atmosphere. They are DIII in swimming, but have won many national titles. Bucknell has an extremely strong math program that is joined with a top notch engineering school. Also Bucknell has merit-based aid specifically to math majors. Beautiful campus! Division I in swimming with an amazing student-athlete model. Both also have strong, but not overwhelming Greek scenes. Visiting is a must. I didn't see an SAT critical reading listed, but your D seems to be very solid.</p>