At least one of your current schools of interest, The University of Rochester, made a nice showing on the list, @porcupine98. That’s not bad.
Other lists, such as Fulbright Scholars by undergraduate institution – though not directly related to science in this example – can also be useful to look through.
I think Rochester is a great school. It’s a small research university but still very LAC like in terms of access to faculty.
LOL, great question! I dunno. Maybe.
Yes, Rochester’s a promising prospect. I’m happy to see some of the others we like on the list as well (some of which might be matches), but am now curious about the significance (if any) of the absence of some active contenders, specifically College of Wooster, Denison, Clark, Muhlenberg, Dickinson, Ursinus & Beloit. At some level it’s not surprising that they don’t appear here, since they’re more in the low match/probable slot than most of the others (and honestly, I’m not banking on the kid going for a doctorate), but I wonder if anybody can speak specifically to the sciences, specifically Physics at those schools to help refine our targeting. (Might need a separate thread, but tossing it in here for now.)
Physics is a less common major, so if that is of interest, check the catalogs and schedules to see that all of the usual advanced physics courses are offered at a reasonable frequency.
As you are waiting for replies specific to these colleges, I’ll suggest you consider a holistic approach. For me, for a school to be considered strong in physics, ideally it should show a commitment to science in general. For that, I look to some of the slightly less common majors. I always like to see a full major available in geology – which I consider a core science – and at least a minor in astronomy. Beyond being a great source of electives, majors such as this can lead to an interest in a field a student might not otherwise have been aware of, such as planetary geology. The best liberal arts colleges do not automatically concede this type of breadth to universities, at least as would be relevant to an undergraduate.
Good suggestion, thanks.
I believe that Beloit has been on there in the past, so it’s likely close to the cutoff.
Ursinus is really strong for medicine (which I know isn’t science).
Don’t think the others were ever on there any time that I looked.
Notably missing is Washington University St Louis. It’s hard to argue that it’s not strong in science.
Carnegie Mellon, Brandeis, Tufts, Bucknell, Clark all fine. Wesleyan is not strong in science. How I know. It’s in my backyard. The full curriculum does not go in the sciences. E.g. you won’t see astrophysics or geomorphology. You can get poet physics but it’s not a physics school. I can tell how the courses go by checking out their bookstore.
Is an observatory a common amenity? Denison has one. And a lively music scene. http://denison.edu/get-to-know-denison/swasey-observatory
P.S. I love Wooster. Sounds like your kid does too. Maybe you’ll be one of the lucky one and done families 
“Wesleyan is not strong in science. E.g., you won’t see … geomorpholgy.”
Of course you will. The subject is taught within the Earth and Environmental Sciences department.
@OHMomof2: One and done sounds lovely, doesn’t it?
Oooh. Observatories. One of my favorite topics. Denison’s is nice, but, I don’t think I’ve seen one as pretty (or, as symbolic of the institution’s very early commitment to science) as Wesleyan’s Van Vleck Observatory:
http://newsletter.blogs.wesleyan.edu/files/2015/01/cam_winter_2015-0109025022.jpg
Denison also has a 350 acre Biological Reserve used for classwork and research.
@CORDIE If Wesleyan isn’t strong in physics, then how do you explain 4 Apker prize finalists in the past 8 years? Apker prize is for best undergraduate physics thesis in the country. Wesleyan is in the PhD category because it has a small physics PhD program. This means it goes up against, and beats, all top research universities (including Ivies, Caltech, etc.)
Wes may have its artsy-fartsy humanities side, but it is also one of the best liberal arts colleges for science, hands down. Also pulls in the most funding out of any LAC.
http://newsletter.blogs.wesleyan.edu/2014/09/09/hanakatafinalist/
OK, thoughts on this list?
Starting with the high reaches and working down to likelies (based on kid’s stats / track record for our district) without attempting to cluster them… Is this a reasonably coherent collection? Any serious outliers or gaps? (Will also include a couple of instates.)
Rice
Wesleyan
Oberlin
Reed
University of Rochester
Brandeis
Case Western
Macalester
College of Wooster
Muhlenberg
Kalamazoo
A few notes on others we could add or swap in.
Grinnell has been on our radar, but I think it’s a very long shot. (Along with Rice and Wesleyan, both of which I’d eliminate, but which I don’t think kid will.) For my own nefarious purposes, I’d like to weight this a bit more towards the northeast, so Bates comes and goes in conversation. (I’d slot it as a low reach just above Macalester in terms of viability, but can’t really get a read on whether it fits the larger picture.) Skidmore and Dickinson also seem like they might have a place here as matches (between Macalester and Wooster), but kid not yet sold. Ursinus could round out the likely category, as could not-in-the-northeast Beloit, which just sounds like a place the kid would like.
Anyway, not asking anyone to evaluate my kid’s chances anywhere, just to assess coherence/range of list, and weigh in on whether anything should be added or swapped in/out.
I think the chance of attendance for someone from the Northeast for Reed, Wooster and Kalamazoo is extremely low. All three have low yield rates. Which tells me many decide against them for whatever reason. I wouldn’t bother with them. Did you visit all of them?
I also think that you are overestimating the difficulty of getting into Reed. It has a 50% acceptance rate. It doesn’t receive many applications.
@BatesParents2019: Hm, good point on Reed. Very little info on Naviance for our district, so I just sorta saw where it slotted in terms of stats range generally, but I think you’re right. Self-selecting group of kids?
We did visit Wooster, and liked it very much. I think that stays on the list. And the kid responded really strongly to the reps for both Kalamazoo and Reed at a CTCL event, so I’m trying to honor that enthusiasm. But I think you’re right that Kalamazoo would not rise to the top when compared with other likelies, based on location and limited Northeast name recognition alone. Reed might stick, though. It’s far, but in a place we like where we have friends and family.
Given your handle, how do you think Bates fits into this mix? (I know you’ve weighed in in the past, but memory fails.)
Is the student male or female?
