Hello! I’m a senior who is having trouble deciding between five schools for different reasons. I want somewhere where I can get a great science education, but also have a comfortable, nurturing environment, and opportunities for internships and travel abroad. I’m deciding between Caltech, Johns Hopkins, rice, Dartmouth, and Carleton college. Any advice or experience is much appreciated! I’m not leaning towards anything right now and and I need to decide soon! Thanks so so much in advanced!
My DD also had a similar decision to make with regard to Caltech, Dartmouth and Carleton. She was able to visit all 3 schools for visiting days. Caltech was out (was initially her first choice) after she saw that everyone was inside, staring at a computer or working problems sets all day when it was a beautiful sunny day. Also, when asked, students said they did not have time to continue with non-science studies such as violin, studio art, etc. At Dartmouth, it was one big drunk fest so that was out. At Carleton spoke with many science students who studied abroad, continued with music and the arts and stretched into new areas such as philosophy and literature. She attended Carleton; now a PhD student in Physics at an Ivy.
Mom90 – What year did your daughter have those revisit experiences? Thank you.
Great choices! Tough to go wrong with any of them! Obviously, Caltech, Johns Hopkins, and Rice have more of reputation for being “science-y” schools, but that’s completely unfair to Carleton and Dartmouth, both of which have excellent programs. I think that Dartmouth is probably at the bottom of the category for internships (and when I say bottom, I mean the bottom of the some very first rate opportunities) simply because of their location. A lot of people also may dismiss Carleton, but they forget that downtown Minneapolis/St. Paul is only a 30 minute drive away. In all, I think that the difference in opportunities for research and internships is negligible as the only outlier is Dartmouth (in my opinion).
Environment wise, I give the edge to Carleton. People have said it before, but Carls just are always so unnaturally happy. There is a very good sense of community among the students and its certainly “nurturing”. Professors are involved and interactive with students and the same goes for the rest of the administration. Also in terms of setting Carleton is great. It’s in the town of Northfield which is similar to Hanover, NH. The twin-cities are a short drive away and for the nature lover, Carleton has a 880 acre arboretum with the Cannon River flowing through it. Dartmouth (which is also very pretty) has seemed to have a lot of conflict lately, students vs administration, students vs other students (I read an article in the student newspaper where one senior was just ganged up on because of her stance on anti-greek life), and also students vs alumni. If you’re big into greek life that might be the place to go - there is a reason why New Hampshire consumes the most alcohol per capita and it isn’t because of the Green Mountain men. I am more of a causal party person, I go once in awhile and I don’t binge out, so Carleton was a good fit for me in that sense. I have never visited Rice and Caltech so I can’t comment on them very authoritatively, but the graduates from Rice I’ve met seem positive, and I’ll defer to Mom90’s story about Caltech. Johns Hopkins wasn’t very appealing to me and the student atmosphere was somewhat oppressive, like a dark, cumulonimbus cloud that’s been hanging in the sky all day.
As far as study abroad works, I think Dartmouth and Carleton are unquestionably at the top of the list. As I’m sure you know Dartmouth has its “D-Plan” which is touted for its flexibility and Carleton operates on a trimester schedule which makes it very comparable to Dartmouth. I know that Carleton also does some programs in conjuncture with Middlebury and their international schools, so if you’re passionate about studying abroad and learning another language, anything involving Middlebury is absolutely second to none. I’m sure Dartmouth has something similar, but I don’t know for sure (it’s been awhile since I was considering colleges). Either way, Dartmouth and Carleton are open to you pursuing programs on your own if none are available to your liking and they usually reward you credit for it.
So I’m obviously a little biased towards Carleton, but I think the information I’ve given you is pretty solid and reliable. I’m a well-rounded person, I enjoying learning about all sorts of different subjects (science is my focus though), and I really value being able to explore my interests and curiosities through trying out different activities like theater, dance club, sports, literature clubs, and service organizations. For me, Carleton was the best fit. It allows me to do so many different things in a very happy, “nurturing” environment. There is never a dull moment and I just wish I had more time so I could participate in all the great things we have going on here. Good luck with your decision and keep us posted! There is no wrong answer. If you have any questions, please ask. We’d be happy to help.
Go Knights!
Fun fact: Carleton is the ultimate frisbee national champion (other than that the sports are usually not great. Our athletes are nerds first, jocks second)
Have you visited all of them? I think Rice and Carleton are pretty similar of those five schools. Obvious differences in terms of size and locale, but the kids are similar in attitude and quirkiness. You have some great choices.
^ That’s my thought as well. I am a parent, so some of my experiences are older, but I wouldn’t call Caltech, Dartmouth, or JHU nurturing! They are great schools, but not what you say you are looking for.
Between Rice and Carleton…climate? Distance from home? Difference in culture? I think Rice would have the advantage in internships and research since it is in a big city and is a university. Carleton seems to have the edge in study abroad. Which of the two would stretch you more?
My daughter will be graduating from Carleton this June. I can’t compare it to the other schools; instead, I only offer a few thoughts based on her experience there. Study abroad: she did a program through SIT rather than one of Carleton’s and once it was approved, it was covered by financial aid the same as a Carleton program would have been. Carleton has trimesters (as does Dartmouth, I think); for some people, that’s a plus, for others, a minus. My daughter was concerned that the late end to the school year (second week in June) would negatively affect her summer prospects, but it didn’t. After the first year, she attended a program for women considering getting a Ph.D. in math; second summer, she worked at a math camp; third summer, she was an intern (paid) at an economic consulting firm. She also did internships during two of her winter breaks. The winter break is long enough that she was able to earn a few extra bucks by working at a store in our hometown.
Good luck. You have great choices!
I know a science major at Dartmouth who has had classes with over 100 students in them. That would not happen at Carleton.
@Mkubik51 maybe this applies to you maybe it doesn’t, but if you’re really passionate about research and doing that as a career someday, Carleton is ranked sixth in the nation for the most PhD’s produced (I think CalTech might be fifth). If you want to do research, you will not be at a disadvantage by choosing Carleton. Sorry! I hope this helps somewhat!
Correction: CalTech is first, Carleton is sixth and then Rice is not top ten but I imagine they’re not too far behind. I’m not seeing JHU or Dart at all, sorry.
Source: http://www.thecollegesolution.com/the-colleges-where-phds-get-their-start/
What is your proposed major? They are all excellent schools; Carleton and Rice may be better for support and nurturing, but it could be difficult, imo, to turn an offer from CalTech down. My personal choice would probably lie between Caltech and Carleton, for different reasons. I agree with most of the other posters re: Carleton’s excellent reputation and environment. But CalTech offers a wonderful campus, education, and outstanding peers, faculty, resources and career prospects. Rice would be my second choice after Carleton for a nurturing environment, and may offer a slightly more relaxed campus culture paired with excellent academics and resources.
I guess it also depends on the science area of your interest. If it is bio-related, then none can beat JHU.
@truefalse According to the source I listed above, JHU isn’t in the top ten for Life Sciences PhD’s. I was surprised when I saw that.