My son has narrowed his selection to the schools above. He has visited all of them at least once, and we plan to go back for admitted student days this month, but would welcome some wider input from the experts here at CC.
My son intends to major in Physics but also wants to study Philosophy, Economics, and Political Science. He will probably go on to graduate studies in one of those areas. He is a serious student and not into drinking/partying/greek activities (but would be OK where they co-exist as long as he is not pressured to join or ostracized if he does not). He loves intellectual discussions and wants to attend where there is diversity of thought and respect, rather than ridicule, for alternate viewpoints. As an Eagle Scout, he has great respect for Honor Codes if they are effective and meaningful.
On the financial side, they are all affordable with little/no debt. The spread between the cheapest and most expensive is roughly $8K per year; so choosing a cheaper option would save some $$ for grad school.
These are all great schools and each one has unique qualities that he would like, along with possible pitfalls. We are having a hard time choosing. Any thoughts or advice? Particularly, how would the academics (difficulty/grades/mentorship/research) differ among these schools? Thank you in advance.
Sounds like a Haverford kid, esp. the Honor Code remark.
Second the recommendation of Haverford based on your description.
Here’s the order I’d put his schools into based on that description and fit: Haverford, Colby, W&M…W&L
@marvin100 @doschicos Thank you for the responses. Anyone have any idea how the academics in general or Physics in particular would compare across the four schools? Any appreciable difference in workload or rigor?
Agree with the general sentiments favoring Haverford, but I do want to point out that, based on number of majors (18 last year), Colby seems to have the most active physics department. William and Mary had more majors (22), but, adjusted for school size, they’d come in behind Colby. Haverford had 8 (which, in fairness, should probably be adjusted up, since it’s so small). W&L, by contrast, seems to have had only 3 physics majors last year.
Source: http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/
Reputationally, I’d say Haverford might be expected to have the most rigorous academics of that list, but I think they’re all very strong, and the differences are probably not great.
You may want to check the catalogs and schedules to make sure that all of the usual junior/senior level physics courses are offered on a regular basis (intermediate/advanced mechanics, statistical and thermal physics, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, intermediate/advanced lab).
W&L is also a very fraternity/sorority heavy school – 81% of women and 77% of men participate.