I’m trying to decide between the two. I’ve been accepted as a transfer student to Hamilton and Stony Brook is request a spring transcript before they make an admissions decision (my grades are consistent A’s so I’m fairly confident I will be admitted). I’m unable to visit either. Hamilton wants a deposit by the 20th. I will be studying math and physics (Either double major in both or Math major, physics minor).
Hamilton:
Pros:
It’s small
It’s close to home (an hour away)
It’s a top LAC
I feel like I know the most about Hamilton
I’ve heard good things about the math program
Cons:
The school I’m transferring from is a LAC and my main reason for transferring is that the STEM programs were lacking (granted it isn’t a top LAC…unranked I think)
Stony Brook:
Pros:
Amazing programs
It’s near the city (a good way to make connections)
A lot of research
It’s cheaper
Cons:
It’s big
It’s far away (4 hours at least)
I don’t know as much about it…I’m hesitant
It’s near the city (I don’t really want to be near the city)
Please help…any info/opinion you have to offer will be greatly appreciated
Well, those are 2 very different college experiences. What made you apply to each in the first place? Why were you looking to transfer? What kind of career are you aiming for?
Hamilton students have received recent national recognition for their work in physics (note that the Apker, the highest award for undergraduate research in physics, is limited to just three LAC finalists annually):
I applied to Stony Brook because they have great programs (ranked 23 in physics and 26 in math by U.S. News & World Report). Since Stony Brook is a lot different from what I’m used to, I planned to visit. Life got in the way of that and now I don’t have the time. I applied to Hamilton because it is a top LAC (my boyfriend actually recommended applying).
I am looking to transfer because the college I attended for Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 had programs that were lacking. Few course offerings, few professors, few resources. Actually, the math program is going to be gone in 2 years if they don’t hire a new professor. I also heard from other students that studying both math and physics together was nearly impossible since the school is so small and they can’t offer every class every semester and such. The programs also weren’t strong. I didn’t feel challenged (and I started out taking sophomore and junior level classes).
I’m not entirely sure what I want to do careerwise. I’m thinking of teaching (collegiate level), but I’m not sure.
My immediate reaction is Stony Brook. You’ve had the small LAC experience ( and I do love LACs), and your ready to move to a school with more options. SB has it all, yet isn’t a huge school. Perfect next step. Also close to NYC for the next step, not that far from home but further than an hour. Also the price is right.
These rankings refer to Stony Brook’s excellent graduate departments in these fields. Relying on them as a resource with respect to evaluating undergraduate programs would be counterproductive to your interests in my opinion.
It’s hard to say. Full disclosure, I’m a Hamilton alum, so I’m partial. (And I’m not sure I would agree that a year at a school They do have an excellent math department and a beautiful new science building. But will you find it isolating? And how much is cost a factor? I would imagine there is a pretty big price difference between the two.
What year did you graduate? I’m really just concerned that the STEM programs will be lacking. I can do small and rural. My previous school was and I didn’t really have too many complaints about that (I would at least like access to a grocery store). With grants and scholarships, it will only cost about 1k a year more than what I was paying at the old school. Stony Brook’s price is better, but Hamilton’s isn’t a large issue.
U.S. News does not rank undergraduate programs in your fields of interest. The sources in reply 2 are specific to undergraduate programs and can be found in your library, but are not rankings as such.
More generally, it seems you’ve gotten into (or will get into) two schools with highly dissimilar student profiles. With respect to academic atmosphere, this might represent the most obvious difference you may want to consider. As simplified by ACT score middle ranges from their Common Data Sets, it appears you would feel much more comfortable at one of these schools than the other:
Does Hamilton have the courses you are seeking at the levels you want?
Are you ready for a larger school like SB?
There really aren’t rankings for the liberal arts departments on the undergraduate level. You have to look at what courses are available, how often to what level. If you are truly advanced to the point that you are spilling into graduate level courses, a university might be a better choice.
But Hamilton is top level school. Rare that you’d hit the ceiling in math and physics. I know a young man who graduated from there(i know several actually) who is working at Microsoft directly from there. Brilliant young man who didn’t feel limited there.
Look at the course offerings at the two schools, and think about the difference in atmosphere
If you think you’d be prepared for the depth and rigor of Hamilton’s math and physics courses, then I think the opportunities you’d find there would be difficult to match elsewhere.
@S4mI4m - my apologies for the incoherence of my earlier post. My internet is down and I’m having to post from my phone wherever I get enough connection. I think I got distracted and posted not realizing I hadn’t cleaned up my paragraph yet.
So, my ex husband and I are both Hamilton alums. We would have been thrilled to give our son a Hamilton education had it not been for the $300,000 price tag and/or if the kid had any idea what he wanted to do with his life at this point (We went shopping for merit aid). If you can afford to go to Hamilton, do it. You will get an excellent education.
I was a political science major, so I don’t really have personal knowledge of the STEM depts beyond my 1 calculus class and my environmental geology class (taken over 25 years ago). My ex, who is an IT consultant, took ‘Physics of Architecture’. He said it was by far the most difficult/demanding course he ever took. Statistics class for him was demanding but fun - the professor took the class to the racetrack and doled out his entertainment budget to the students so they could bet on the ponies. Friends who were biology majors became doctors and medical researchers.
When my son and I were on campus this summer we happened upon the chair of the Math department while trying to get into the dining hall. Had a very nice chat with him. He said it was an excellent dept and he could say that because he had hand-picked every professor there. He also noted that the percentage of math majors at Hamilton is quite a bit higher than the national average - I think he said about 10% of students are math majors.
Here’s the thing about Hamilton. You will leave there not just with a well-respected degree (should you desire to go on to graduate school), but you will have also developed strong communication skills. And, if you decide you want to take that math degree and go into business or finance, you will have the alumni connections to do so.
I don’t have a horse in this race, but if you do go to Stony Brook and you run across James Simons or one of his disciples and get his secret sauce, can you please send it my way? He is without peer as the greatest investor in the world. Professor James Simons is the cog behind the intersection of the Math and Physics Departments at Stony Brook too. Must be some special stuff going on in those two departments.
You may also want to be somewhere else than 1 hour from home.
Look at the courses in each.
If you can get a good education in math/physics are Hamilton and cost isn’t a factor, I’d say go there. Excellent reputation, great experience, nicer campus.
If you would like the opportunity to take courses in an undergraduate-focused environment in advanced, fascinating topics such as general relativity and mathematical physics – which would seem ideally suited to you in that they reside at the boundary of math and physics – then your chance for this will not be one you will encounter again. As you consider costs, I’d advise you to consider this as well. If you would like additional support for a more expensive education, then this Forbes article should be of interest: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nataliesportelli/2017/04/26/10-expensive-colleges-worth-every-penny-2017/.
As a general comment based on your goals to pursue a career in academia, potentially in mathematics, you should consider a term in Budapest as well as a summer REU under the guidance of your academic advisor at whichever school you attend.