Here are some lists of large merit scholarships. Verify on college web sites since some have changed since these lists were made.
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/20798968/#Comment_20798968 (automatic for stats – potential safeties)
http://competitivefulltuition.yolasite.com/ (competitive – should be considered as reaches)
http://nmfscholarships.yolasite.com/ (if National Merit, includes automatic and competitive ones)
People of traditional college age tend to lean more left than the overall adult population, although there may be a greater percentage of apathetic people and a greater percentage of easily outraged people and extremists in that age group. So it should not be too surprising to find a more left leaning environment at many colleges.
The suggestion of looking at schools that participate in the Budapest semester program is a good one, too!
The school list is huge, so I’m not sure it will help much in eliminating choices
https://www.budapestsemesters.com/home-schools/
When looking at course offerings, see which courses are offered every term, every year, or every other year or less. My older daughter is juggling the “some courses are only offered every other year but I want to spend a semester abroad” issue in planning her major at a small college. There are courses she wasn’t prepared to take as a freshman and won’t be offered her senior year, so choosing fall or winter of junior year to go abroad is tricky.
Skidmore will soon be added to the list.
A mathematics/physics double major might require about 19 of your 32 total courses at some LACs. In principle you could accomplish this while still leaving ~13 slots open for exploration in other fields, or even for additional math and physics courses.
Artificial Intelligence, though perhaps not a staple of LAC CS departments, will nonetheless be offered as a full-term course at those with stronger programs. Actually, since this appears to be one of your clearest interests, you may want to primarily target colleges with this option.
Along similar lines, you should be able to find LAC physics departments with perhaps two upper-level quantum physics courses and a general relativity course in the curriculum.
Physics, btw, can be partly an inter-disciplinary major at some colleges. That is, one or two courses from related sciences can, in cases, be applied toward the physics major requirements.
Looked at the budapest semesters program, I think I heard something about it recently. It looks really cool, but a ton of colleges offer it.
One thing I found is that Caltech offers a 3-2 program with some of the liberal arts schools that have already been recommended (albeit probably very hard to get admitted).
The schools that have that:
Bowdoin College (ME)
Bryn Mawr College (PA)
Grinnell College (IA)
Haverford College (PA)
Mt. Holyoke College (MA)
Oberlin College (OH)
Occidental College (CA)
Ohio Wesleyan University (OH)
Pomona College (CA)
Reed College (OR)
Spelman College (GA)
Wesleyan University (CT)
Whitman College (WA)
I looked at Wesleyan as it keeps coming up, it actually has a ton of the things I’m looking for. The only problem is that they don’t offer Early Action admissions. Not a huge deal but I’d have to decide that if I got in I’d almost certainly want to go.
You’re interested in an engineering degree?
Well not currently, but I also haven’t been exposed to engineering much, and I know a lot of people start going into math/physics and end up in engineering because there’s so much stuff in that field.
Also I’m a bit confused about how the 3-2 program works. It says on the caltech site that your college will let you know what dual majors are available, but that they allow their transfer students to go after any undergraduate option. All of the listings by the colleges I’ve seen are for engineering, but it seems like you can get a dual degree in other things.
3-2, as well as the perhaps more desirable 2-1-1-1, engineering partnerships are available at numerous LACs, though the partner school will vary.
In terms of the Caltech program specifically, you have brought up an interesting question as to whether you would be limited to engineering for your second degree. Perhaps other majors not offered by the original institution would be allowed in some cases. That’s what I’d infer from your wording above at least.
Re: #44 and #45
However, physics majors, with the aim of preparing for graduate study in physics, tends to have a relatively standardized core. Try to find a physics department that offers all of the following upper level courses on a regular basis:
Intermediate and advanced mechanics (Newtonian and relativistic)
Electromagnetism
Quantum mechanics
Statistical and thermal physics
Intermediate and advanced lab
Of course, there may be additional physics electives, and other related courses in subjects like astronomy.
Re: 3+2 programs
Note that it is uncommon for students to actually make the transfer to the “2” school. Factors include not being admitted to the “2” school, not getting enough financial aid at the “2” school, not being able to handle the extra year of cost even with financial aid, and not wanting to leave the “3” school.
It is also mostly aimed at potential engineering majors (at the “2” school). Depending on the “3” school, your major at the “3” school may be restricted (commonly to physics or chemistry, sometimes depending on the intended engineering major), or you may be allowed to take any major as long as you take the pre-engineering course work.
@ucbalumnus yeah it seemed pretty hard to get into. Also high chance I’ll not be in a position where I want to do it or it make sense. It’s just one thing to notice.
Some of the schools have 3-2 programs with other schools, and it says that admission to the other schools can generally be expected with recommendation.
Also, at least for Reed, it says “a student may obtain a bachelor’s degree in engineering (alternatively, computer science or certain earth and planetary sciences)” so it seems like there’s some degree in flexibility for the degree you obtain at the 2 school depending on the 3 school.
Don’t know if this makes a difference, but I have a bit of legacy at Stanford. My grandfather on one side of the family went there. My uncle on the other side went there, and so did two of my cousins on that side of the family, I think my dad also went there briefly for grad school but ended up leaving. I don’t necessarily want to go there, but if having legacy increased my chances significantly it might be somewhere I look more at.
I personally recommend Grinnell University, Emory, Rice or Penn. Great mathematics and all around interesting culture schools.
Caltech said at freshman drop-off that in addition to the 235 freshmen, they had one regular transfer student and 2 students from the 3/2 program. So, not very many.
The Caltech 3/2 FAQ says you can have any Caltech major so long as it isn’t the same major at the other college. I do know that the admissions department would be happy to talk with you and advise you about what classes to take in the 3 part of your degree. You would generally be advised to take the physics for physics majors sequence, the math for math and physics majors sequence, and chemistry for science majors. Look at the sample transfer examination on their website to see what they expect, though it doesn’t look like 3/2 students have to take that.
Also, would you get assigned to a House if you were a 3/2 student? (That is: a House affiliation even if you live off-campus.) That is a huge part of the Caltech undergrad experience.
@Ynotgo: Yeah, I should find out about the house thing, that was one of the things I really liked about Caltech.
@katec19 I’m looking into those some. I’m getting a better vibe from the smaller schools, but I also think that their culture just comes across more on their websites. Also what about Occidental?