^Yes. St Olaf has music, math, and an increasingly strong CS program. If you do the semester in Chicago (with a tech internship) and use the STEM-networking opportunities, or add a semester abroad at one of the UK’s programs, you’d be very, very competitive. (I know a CS student there and what he’s been able to do is impressive and certainly well above anything I imagined possible. He’s only a junior and already has jobs lined up from a college-sponsored CA tour, internships, and networking.)
Thanks, all.
Lawrence and Willamette all seem like schools we should add to our “consider” list. My kid’s not super interested in southern schools (with one notable exception) or particularly focused on bio, so some of the other schools fall off as a result. A couple of others are just too far off our particular beaten track for now.
@bopambo When you describe Reed as “hipsterish and intense” would you be putting it in the same boat as, say Oberlin? Bard?
I’m quite biased, but The College of Wooster is great for students interested in science and fits the bill for your child socially. There are many students in the Class of 2019 going into science fields this year which may or may not be related to the new science building that is under construction. Additionally, Wooster is branded as “the premier college for mentored undergraduate research” and is often associated with Princeton in that regard. Grad schools and employers alike are very impressed with the research that students do as part of their Independent Study.
Kalamazoo College may also be a good fit for your child; an admissions rep told me that chemistry was their most popular major this year. I got to walk through a lab that was going on and it seemed very hands on and group oriented. They also have an “independent study” type research project as part of the K Plan.
I really don’t know enough about either Oberlin or Bard to compare the three. From what I’ve read the dress, musical tastes and general cultural outlooks are similar, so they all may be hipsterish. What makes Reed intense is it’s academics. Reed is perfect for the true intellectual that seeks the life of the mind, many (many) hours are spent poring over original sources in the library. Reed sends exceptionally high numbers of students on to pursue PhDs. The 6 year graduation rate is 78%, quite a bit lower than most other highly ranked LACs, and I’m guessing that some people don’t adjust well to the depth and demands of the academic rigor, but for those who find intellectual inquiry to be the air that sustains them, Reed is heaven.
Useful, thank you, @bopambo. Not sure if that makes it a match or not – kid is still evolving – but will keep Reed on our list.
@minohi: Wooster made a great impression. Not sure how we missed the pending new science center, but looks as if it will be focused on life sciences and construction wouldn’t begin for quite some time.
I agree with those upthread about Rhodes, though it’s admittedly more preppy than quirky. (That said, there’s definitely quirky, nerdy kids around.) It has long been excellent in the sciences and is improving its already very respectable facilities.
I would check out Lewis & Clark if you visit Reed. Allegheny and Colorado College are certainly worth a look. Possibly Macalester as well.
Macalester is also on our short list – just not part of the CTCL group, so didn’t mention it in the context of this thread. Colorado College likewise – it’s part of this group http://8ofthebestcolleges.org/ and we’ll try to get to one of their events.
Reed’s a bit far for a pre-application visit, so we’ll just have to go by remote resources for that and Lewis & Clark.
What, in your opinion, are the relevant strengths of Lewis & Clark and Allegheny relative to the other CTCL schools in play? (Wooster, Ursinus, Clark … Reed, St. Olaf … and maybe Lawrence & Willamette?) Trying not to spread ourselves too thin!
Also, re Rhodes, I think the percentage of kids involved in Greek life pushes it off my kid’s list. He vastly prefers schools where the Greek thing is minimal to non-existent.
Take a look at Trinity University, as well. They just opened a $230M science building that is absolutely astonishing. We visited many of these same schools, and S was fortunate enough to have many options, and selected TU.
Runner up was Denison, which is also very strong in CS, but probably a bit too much Greek influence for you, although less than Rhodes, in our opinion.
All fine schools you are considering.
Good luck!
Narrowed the field of schools to focus on the following ten: Beloit, Clark, Denison, Earlham, Kalamazoo, Lawrence, Reed, Wooster, Ursinus & Willamette.
Any ringers in there? (Wondering about frat factor at Denison; Not sure I saw a strong vote for sciences at Willamette.)
On reflection, I couldn’t see any strong reason to keep Willamette on the list, so we’re down to nine. (That’s nine to focus on at an upcoming roadshow.) Although I’ve done a fair amount of research at this point, if anyone with firsthand knowledge of one or more of these schools wanted to weigh in with quick impressions/pros/cons for any of the above relative to quirky, curious, mellow, STEM-ish, not terribly sporty kid with interest in (but not great dedication to) music, I’m all ears, since it will help inform any questions. (Already figuring Reed, which is the one reach in the list, might be a little intense for the kid’s current demonstrated work style, though I suspect it will be attractive nonetheless, thus worthy of further investigation.)
For a curious, mellow, science-y kid into music, definitely look into St Olaf.
Reedin general (but you’re right, very intense), Lawrence for physics but good for science in general, Beloit for math, Wooster and Denison in general.
Wooster and Denison have similar vibes to Willamette (have many family connections at the first two and S is going to attend Willamette this fall so we’ve had lengthy visits); btw, I think Willamette is very strong in the basic sciences and applied math, but I don’t have in-depth familiarity. Denison has slightly higher academic stats than Wooster and Willamette, but all are good places that provide their ~2K students with much personal attention, and pull widely from across the US. Compared to Denison, Wooster would be more tolerant of lower interest in sports and frats (it has always had only local “sections” or clubs that are much more low-key that the national frats), and has more international students. As far as the “quirky” factor, if Reed has potential for you, Earlham would feel similar (partly rooted in its Quaker history of tolerance), as well as Oberlin in Ohio.
Oberlin’s high on the list (but not part of the CTCL roadshow).
@porcupine98 I know it was mentioned before, and I know it’s in Arkansas… but Hendrix has a lot of the qualities you seek in a college. Newer science facilities, undergrad research opportunities, pretty campus, no greek life, quirky compared to other LACs in the south, and not sporty. The college very recently added a football program, but only after protesting against the decision by the student body and coming to an apparent consensus with the administration.
Thank you. I’ve heard very good things about Hendrix, but it seems as if there are enough match/probable schools with similar qualities that are more geographically compatible that we don’t we don’t need to cast our net quite that far.