<p>Im currently a frosh at a large public research university (U of Cal, irvine) studying chemical engineering. im currently in ochem, multi var calc, and calc based physics. for the rest of the year, my classes are basically finishing the class sequences. (math= linear algebra and diff eq, although i may push it back to take another class i really want next quarter)</p>
<p>i dont mind the feel of a big school, but would like to transfer to a smaller liberal arts type college if possible. i dont want to go to a school that focuses exclusivly on engineering. i want a liberal education; more then just science classes. one of the big things is finding kids who want to learn. at UCI, most of the kids seem to be there cause their parents are making them. im not averse to large public schools. the second problem is much bigger for me.</p>
<p>my biggest question is what schools could i consider applying to? i know how good harvey mudd is, although i dont think i can get in. i plan on applying to swarthmore and think i haev a decent chance of getting in (i was waitlisted/not offered final as a frosh admit; ive got a lot of stuff i can add to the apps, considering how they weigh those essays and what not so much). Ive been looking at some other colleges: case western, carnige mellon. im not too sure about boston U. some out of state pubs: u. Michigan and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. in state pub: UCLA, UCSD and Cal (im not so sure if i want to go to LA or SD though). plus USC (i dont know too much about them).</p>
<p>what other schools would you recommend? cost is a bit of an issue, although i can afford to apply and see what aid i get. in terms of publics, i probably wont qualify for any need based from them (makes it hard to go out of state pubs). </p>
<p>note: i dont need to go into engineering. i likely plan to go into some Ph.d program and try and do private research when i graduate. considering this, im not sure if it matters that i get an undergraduate engineering degree- which opens the door to a lot of other liberal arts colleges and great colleges without engineering programs.</p>
<p>im just looking for ideas and recommendations. im willing to do the leg work and figure out if a college is really a "good fit" for me. ignore the issue of cost, cause if it prohibits me, well so be it. i ll figure that out after/if i get accepted as a transfer.
again, the biggest thing is being around kids who actually want to learn. that seems easier to find at a liberal arts college type setting.</p>
<p>if cost is an issue I would stick with the UC's. Although you say you're not eligible for financial aid if you're an in-state applicant the fee's will be a fraction of what you'll pay anywhere else. Consider UCSD... it's somewhat unique of the UCs in that it doesn't have the stereotypical college atmosphere, people are actually more invested in academics than anything else. You will have a very hard time attempting an inter-UC transfer though, half the school is practically trying to transfer up to a more prestigious school as well.</p>
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You will have a very hard time attempting an inter-UC transfer though, half the school is practically trying to transfer up to a more prestigious school as well.
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UC irvine has 130 applicants to UCLA. total amount of intercampus transfer applicants are only 850
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</p>
<p>hardly "half the school".</p>
<p>thanks for the recommendation on rice, washington and tufts.
im intereted in harvey mudd, although it seems too math/science oriented for me (i know, an engineering major saying that... weird)</p>
<p>any real knowledge/opinions on going to a normal liberal arts college and just majoring in the sciences and still going into engineering liberal arts?</p>
<p>perhaps swarthmore.
I had a friend who transferred from Cornell to do engineering engineering there. His reasoning was he really wanted to be in a small liberal arts school, not a larger school like cornell, despite its great engineering program. also have another friend from high school doing engineering there as well.</p>
<p>Some more not mentioned above. See if any of these might fit. All are smaller than UCI. I think all have Chem E. Some should be LAC and research enough. Let us know which fit.<br>
* Beloit C
* Clarkson U
* Duke U
* Florida Inst Tec
* Illinois Inst Tec
* Johns Hopkins U
* Lafayette College
* Lehigh U
* Missouri U Sci/Tech
* Princeton U
* Rensselaer Polytec I
* Stevens Inst Tec
* Swarthmore C
* Syracuse U
* Union C (NY)
* U Notre Dame
* U Rochester
* U Tulsa
* Vanderbilt U
* Villanova U</p>