<p>I'm interested in a college with a good biology course, which might help me inter pre-vet. Preferaby it should have high academic standards. I'm also looking for one that has a pretty good social life, and not too rural. How do these colleges fair?</p>
<p>Tufts Oberlin Vassar Colby Colgate Wesleyan Wellesley Smith Hamilton</p>
<p>These are the universities I hae been eyeing, just not sure which one would be more suitable. </p>
<p>thank you!</p>
<p>If you don't want to be "too rural", take Colby off of your list!!</p>
<p>Ah righty ho : ) Gonna add Bryn Mawr, Grinnell, Haverford and Bowdoin to the list. These 13 colleges are ones that I'm eyeing, and I really can't cut them down to the top six. If you could pick six. Good bio course, high academic standards, and good active social life. Which one would you?</p>
<p>Grinnell and Colgate are pretty darn rural, so I would take those schools off the list if that is one of your criteria. Hamilton is in a town of about 4,000, but not too far from Utica. Bowdoin is pretty close to Portland, so I will leave that on the list.</p>
<p>First, all of the schools listed are fine institutions and you can receive a quality education at any of them. Second, I am going to break your schools into two groups -- single sex schools and co-educational schools. </p>
<p>Of the all women's schools, all three have great reputations, with Wellesley probably being the most prestigous, closely followed by Bryn Mawr and then Smith.</p>
<p>Of the co-ed colleges, I would personally rank them in the following order -- Wesleyan, Bowdoin, Haverford, Oberlin, Tufts, and Vassar. However, this is purely subjective on my part and based upon my personal biases.</p>
<p>But how good are they in biological sciences? which would most probably be my major.</p>
<p>Look at this site for schools that have recieved grants to further bio programs
<a href="http://www.hhmi.org/BeyondBio101/%5B/url%5D">http://www.hhmi.org/BeyondBio101/</a></p>
<p>Dalliance:</p>
<p>I would definately keep Grinnell on that list. it has amazing science facilities, including Biology. Bryn Mawr is also excellent for a budding woman scientist, with excellent support from the community. Haverford, being very closely tied to BMC, makes it very attractive from a science standpoint. Wesleyan U in Middletown does have a reputation for being a strong science school with very good facilities. Smith College is good for women scientist, although I would have to insert that Mt Holyoke is more science-y than Smith, although you do have the option to take classes at the Five College Consortium (UMass-Amherst, Smith, Hampshire, Amherst, Mt. Holyoke). Oberlin is also an attractive LAC with a good science program. And, the other women's college Wellesley has always been strong in the hard sciences. Also, Tufts and Bowdoin a great science schools. Colby, Colgate, and Hamilton are great LACs with good science programs, but not quite as strong as the other colleges. This, however, is just my opinion, so use your best judgement.</p>
<p>In my humble opinion, if you need to narrow the list I would Keep six of these:</p>
<p>Grinnell*
Wellesley*
Mt. Holyoke*
Bryn Mawr*
Wesleyan U*
Smith*
Oberlin*
Bowdoin
Tufts
Haverford</p>
<p>*= schools I like, based on admissions difficulty, size, campus ethos, financial aid, science reputations, Biology programs.</p>
<p>Hope this helps a bit. :)</p>
<p>Actually (and it is a little wierd), Smith is much better known and has a stronger faculty in biology, Mount Holyoke in chemistry. There's no particular reason why it should have turned out that way - probably history, and history of the department, and research monies, etc. </p>
<p>For undergraduate research, you missed the best of all. Hope College and Kalamazoo College. Hope has the highest rate of undergraduate research published in peer review journals of any college in the country (including all the Ivies.) Corrected for selectivity, Kalamazoo has the highest rate of students going to Ph.Ds in biology. You might not like the locations, though.</p>
<p>But to be truthful, all the colleges you name are just fine in the sciences. You'd probably be better deciding based on other criteria.</p>
<p>Hamilton just opened a new wonderful science building and also has undergraduate research.
<a href="http://www.hamilton.edu/news/science_center/%5B/url%5D">http://www.hamilton.edu/news/science_center/</a></p>
<p>College selection can involve compromises.</p>
<p>The impression we got during my daughter's college hunt was that the social scenes at Bryn Mawr and Wellesley were perhaps not the strongest selling point for these two schools. In fact, she was strongly encouraged to attend elsewhere by a colleague of ours who is a graduate of one of these schools, primarily for this reason. Of course others may have a different experience. Social concerns aside, these schools have a lot going for them.</p>
<p>A number of your target schools are indeed in rural locations. Some others are in small cities that may not offer much either.</p>
<p>As an additional facet in the culling process, the personalities of the student bodies at these schools may differ somewhat in a way that you might care about.</p>
<p>Would suggest Holy Cross wnich has high academics and good social life.</p>
<p>thanks for your help : ) but it sort of needs to be those schools because i get partial grants from them..</p>
<p>And how do you manage that?</p>