A @Ghostt point well-taken. What about the intensity reputation?
When I think of LACs for science I think of Allegheny College in PA. Would also recommend College of Wooster. Honestly, all the schools listed are great. Really a matter of getting on campus. Visits will be important.
Nice article on the subject:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/chadorzel/2015/04/10/why-small-colleges-are-great-for-science-students/2/
@4kids4colleges I think Reed is pretty intense, yeah. I can’t really compare it to any other US university, though I spent a year as a visiting student at Oxford in the UK, which was also pretty intense. Based on what my friends at other US colleges have told me–and I’m not sure how valid this conclusion is–I think you could find demanding classes at most good universities, but you can also find a lot of fluff. At Reed, fluff courses are much harder to find and relatively harder to pass. Intense courses, conversely, are not reserved for honors students/the academic crème de la crème, but are the norm rather than the exception.
Not sure how accurate/clear this is, sorry.
Further to original post … do either American or Skidmore (both of which seem to come up amongst people we know) belong on our list? Somehow they’ve never quite come into focus for me relative to the other schools, but maybe I’m missing something?
“Initial impressions from afar of Colgate, Vassar, Hamilton & Skidmore didn’t make them seem like matches”
I think your understanding of Skidmore will depend on perhaps taking a closer look at all of these colleges. They are really quite different. I’m reluctant to type them, but would say if you research or visit them the differences will become apparent.
I wrote a little about the sciences at Hamilton in a Colby thread, “What Liberal Arts College is Right for Me?” Hamilton’s physics department has produced a Nobel Prize winner and an Apker Award winner. An astronomy minor is available. The school’s percentage of math majors (10 %) is among the highest for colleges of any type. Hamilton is nationally recognized for writing, but that should not overshadow the excellent balance in its underlying curriculum. Regarding your son’s preference in setting, Hamilton is either village, rural or suburban, depending on which direction and how far one goes from campus; all three environments can be found within a few miles.
The University of Rochester should definitely stay on his list.
Regarding Skidmore in particular, would the absence of an astronomy major or minor be a deal-breaker for your child?
Matching Skidmore to your stated preferences, I think the school has a strong enough quirky element, less so a geeky one.
Good question. Not sure about the astronomy piece. (Will inquire.) But geekiness is required.
Then, despite what I wrote about the school’s sciences, you should probably rule out Hamilton. The college is intellectual enough, and maybe even quirky enough, but probably not geeky enough.
OK, further investigation suggests that while American & Skidmore might be matches academically and socially, their strengths really lie in areas other than the sciences – in all conversations I’ve had about them, the sciences always seem to be an afterthought. Hamilton looks interesting @merc81, but it looks like a reach, and I think we have other reach schools on the list that are better fits in other ways.
I jus got back from visiting Skidmore with my son. For a small school, they are pretty serious about science. I was impressed with all the research posters lining the halls presented at conferences. We took a science tour and were shown some fairly sophisticated equipment. I am a former university chemistry professor and I was impressed. There were some astronomy posters. There is no astronomy major. My son is interested in geology/astronomy. They do have a geosciences major.
@LBowie Interesting, thanks. The rep I spoke to barely mentioned the sciences, and did discuss pretty much everything else (arts, writing, creative interdisciplinary majors) at length, which is what gave me pause. Perhaps it’s worth a second look (as eager as I am to refine rather than expand the list). FWIW, an Astronomy major is not a requirement for my kid.
@porcupine98 I too had a different impression of Skidmore before actually visiting. I expected it to be a lot quirkier, but it seemed more mainstream than I expected. Maybe that is not what you are looking for. I am glad you started this thread, since it is going to give my son some more ideas of places to apply. For example, I think Hamilton is worth a closer look, though I don’t think the writing-heavy curriculum would appeal to him. Still, it was not on my radar before.
If you want something more geeky, then check out RPI in roughly the same geographical area as Skidmore.
RPI has bounced around on our (mostly my kid’s) radar, but I think it skews too far in the geeky direction. Although my kid is sufficiently interested in the sciences to make that a factor in school selection, I think RPI tilts too far in that direction. I’m hoping for more balance overall.
(And on that note, maybe it’s too early to rule out Skidmore…)
Go to this site
http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf13323/
and scroll down to Table 4.
This marvelous list ranks the top 50 schools in the nation by the portion of their graduates that eventually get a STEM PhD.
It should give you a great list. Google around, the list is revised periodically and some are added and some fall off.
Generally these school have a track record of producing scientists.
Some open-minded posters on this thread … Colleges often get typed too early. Everyone seems willing to “untype” them for as long as possible before applying their own meaningful criteria.
@LBowie: You may want to read through, “Reading/Writing Intensity … in Liberal Arts Colleges,” in this forum. I happen to particularly like what @ucbalumnus wrote. Most colleges require writing to at least a fair extent. The “writing intensive” colleges may require it somewhat more, but what they really are trying to do is teach it more effectively and, along those lines, more seemlessly.
Some people may have begun to associate colleges like Hamilton almost too much with writing. The overwhelming majority of students there are decidedly not walking around with a manuscript for a novel in their backpacks. That simply does not fit their academic/creative/career interests.
Looking at admission stats for our school, Hamilton would likely be a reach anyway, but perhaps worth looking into. I don’t mean to hijack the thread, but so far my son has liked Skidmore, Wheaton (MA), and Bennington. He also liked RPI but waffles on that one (I know, I know, polar opposite of Bennington). St. Lawrence might be a match if it wasn’t so hard to get to.
St. Lawrence may be more challenging to visit than to attend. It seems far for a look at “one more” prospective school. But for the actual few-month stretches that your son (or the OP’s child) would be there, I think it’s a reasonable trip. (I’ve assumed you live near a major metropolitan area.) SLU is a cool “ski lodge” alternative to colleges like Wheaton and Connecticut College. (Curricularly these colleges both differ and overlap.) I would not rule out St. Lawrence.
@LBowie - No worries, it’s not a hijack if we’re kinda looking for the same thing (and welcome to the “it’s a reach from our school” club). And funny … RPI vs. Bennington … hmmm…
@ClassicRockerDad - Interesting list, thanks. I’ll hold on to it as a reference point in recognizing some places with surprising (to me) science cred. Of course my next question is whether I should worry about the science cred for places NOT on that list …