<p>I'm a high school junior and I need some help figuring out my list of colleges... I have a tentative list but I'm sure there are more that I should consider, or maybe I could eliminate some that I have. I live in California and I would prefer to go out of state- to the Northwest, Midwest, or Northeast. I am interested in the LAC environment but I am thinking about pre-med or maybe public health- so a school with a good science program and opportunities for research or internships. I don't want to go to school in a big city, but I'm trying to decide how rural is too rural... Carleton is the most rural on my list, though I haven't visited. </p>
<p>Here is my list so far: Pomona, Oberlin, U of Puget Sound, Carleton, Tufts, Wash U St. Louis, Clark U, Dickinson College, Denver U</p>
<p>As far as stats go, I have a 4.0 unweighted gpa this year (has varied from 3.7-4.0 unweighted) and I took 3 AP classes this year. I'll take 3 more next year. SAT=2150 (700 writing, 720 reading, 730 math) I don't think I'm going to retake.</p>
<p>I'd like to know about the science programs at these schools (especially Oberlin, Carleton, Dickinson, Puget Sound, Denver). Are there other schools I should check out? I'm thinking of a size limit of around 2000 people minimum, but that limit seems to keep going down... </p>
<p>Also, are there any random negatives about any of the schools I've mentioned? Especially for Oberlin, Carleton, and Wash U, since I probably won't be able to visit.</p>
<p>Wesleyan, Reed, Swarthmore, Lafayette and Grinnell also have excellent science programs. And Grinnell gives merit aid too but you need higher test scores to get the $24k merit. Lafayette has merit aid too.</p>
<p>One thing I would do is to see what your list looks like if you get shut out of the reachy schools and see what acceptances you might be left with. I know a girl with stats like yours, IB Diploma, who was waitlisted at Grinnell and Wash U this year. But it could possibly be affected by other hooked students who did get in from her school. She did get a couple of very good acceptances though. And was very happy to have her UC choices work out too.</p>
<p>“Science Program” covers a lot of ground. Can you at least specify whether you are most interested in physical sciences, life sciences, earth sciences, math, or computer science? </p>
<p>Virtually any LAC will cover the standard pre-med curriculum. If you possibly are interested in pursuing a PhD in a STEM field, one crude metric to consider is the PhD production rate in your field(s) of interest. Reed College maintains lists of the top 10-12 schools for PhD productivity across several broad STEM areas:
<a href=“Doctoral Degree Productivity - Institutional Research - Reed College”>http://www.reed.edu/ir/phd.html</a>
If you want a more detailed ranking (covering more schools or more specific areas) you can build that from NSF data at:
<a href=“NCSES”>NCSES;
<p>A relatively high percentage of Carleton, Reed, and Grinnell alumni earn PhDs in many STEM fields.<br>
A much lower percentage of Dickinson or Denver alumni earn PhDs in these fields.
These differences probably are not solely attributable to differences in admission selectivity.
Some very selective LACs (e.g. Middlebury or Davidson) have relatively low PhD production rates in STEM fields. Some much less selective LACs (like Earlham or Lawrence) have relatively high PhD production rates in some STEM fields. A low PhD production rate may not indicate anything sub-standard about the academic program. However, I think a high rate is a sign that the program is motivating and preparing students well for advanced study in that field. It may also indicate that the school has a relatively wonky, intellectual (versus pre-professional) atmosphere that attracts students pre-disposed to pursue graduate studies. You may or may not want that if you are committed to pre-med.</p>
<p>Can you please clarify your financial situation and also what your parents think about you going farther away to school? Visiting would be strongly recommended. Each school has it’s own distinct “vibe”. You say you need merit aid (implying that possibly your family makes or has too much money for need based aid). Yet you “won’t be able to visit”? If you possibly can, make some visits prior to applying. Some students and families take the attitude that you will visit after you know where you are accepted. But that timeframe between acceptance to the colleges on your list and making a final decision is less than 30 days, and you are typically in school at that time as well. It is a very stressful and expensive approach (plane tix are expensive on short notice), and most students who do it end up jettisoning schools they have never visited that might be a great fit. </p>
<p>Also, what is your cumulative unweighted GPA? It doesn’t matter what it is for one year, it is the cumulative that matters.</p>
<p>To clarify, I am most interested in Biology or Chemistry, possibly Public Health. I am thinking liberal arts though because I also really want a good language program (French and Spanish) and would like to study abroad. </p>
<p>intparent: I already visited Dickinson, Tufts, Clark and Puget Sound. But for the ones in the Midwest I will only be able to visit if I get accepted- just because I can’t justify a trip to parents to go all the way to Minnesota or Ohio to visit one school unless I get in. My cumulative unweighted gpa is 3.85. I know, not great for unweighted, but also- I don’t know how much colleges care about this- my class rank is 9/474. </p>
<p>Also, this list does not include my safeties. That’s why I need to eliminate some- I’m also going to apply to the UCs that are easier to get into- Santa Cruz and Merced, probably. </p>
<p>Biology and chemistry are widely available. Biology is the most popular science major, although it is also a very broad field, so if you are interested in a specific subarea, checking the faculty rosters and course offerings would be a good idea. Chemistry majors are externally accredited by the ACS: <a href=“American Chemical Society”>American Chemical Society; .</p>
<p>French and Spanish should be among the more widely available foreign languages in US colleges (whether LAC or otherwise); you can check faculty rosters and course offerings for each college to be sure.</p>
<p>What about public health? I have heard they have that as a major while you are also pre-med, like at UC San Diego. But I don’t want to go to a school that big. I don’t know what area within biology yet… I’m still unsure. I know that most places offer French and Spanish, but the study abroad programs linked to the language programs are what really attracted me to LACs. </p>
<p>Also, does anyone know if Oberlin, WashU, or Carleton really value interviews/visiting the campus before applying? Like, will it really make a difference in acceptance, or can I just schedule an interview close to where I live?</p>
<p>You don’t need to visit to show interest. You could write to an admissions counselor, meet alums in your area (with whom you could interview – you certainly do NOT need to go to campus unless it’s not a financial concern), etc etc.</p>
<p>If you aren’t sure about what kind of biology you want to do, it’s best to see which schools offer the <em>broadest</em> programs. Larger schools typically are good for this, but some small schools do offer a pretty broad range of courses too (for instance, check this out: <a href=“Biology - Catalog - Reed College”>Biology - Catalog - Reed College; under seminars). However, those courses/seminars are not always offered and you may not be able to take them when you want to. </p>
<p>In terms of course offerings, it can be an issue to go to a small school at times. For instance, I’m interested in international relations and the like. Reed has only one professor under political science who specializes in international relations issues (that too mainly in nuclear politics). He was on sabbatical for the last two years. Goodness, if this happens when I’m there, what will I do??? lol (visiting professors may help but I don’t know–very unpredictable). So yeah, although I do recommend that you apply to these schools, but think about the course offerings too. This should not trump the need for fit, but it should be a concern. I would say that Vassar and Wesleyan probably have broader course offerings in biology simply because they are much larger.</p>
<p>Wash U does give merit scholarships, but they are extremely competitive to get, and your SAT scores are not high enough to be a viable candidate for a merit scholarship. Even admittance is a reach. </p>
<p>Dickinson is strong in the sciences, and in foreign languages, and study broad. It doesn’t offer public health. Your stats would give you good odds at a merit scholarship at Dickinson. There is a new science building on campus, so the science facilities are modern. In general, compared to other schools that we visited, I was impressed with how well-maintained and up-to-date the interiors of Dickinson’s buildings were. </p>
<p>Very few small schools would have a public health major, and you would probably need to go to a larger University. However, graduate school in public health doesn’t require a public health undergrad degree, so you wouldn’t be eliminating that as a career path if you attended a LAC.</p>
Oberlin values interviews/visiting campus. Since you are from California, I don’t think that they would hold it against you that you cannot visit before applying. Ask about an interview near where you live to get onto their radar.</p>
<p>Oberlin has strong offerings in the sciences and one of the best science centers I have seen. Your class rank and SATs would make you competitive for a merit scholarship.</p>
<p>Dickinson is a low match for you (my D1 attended there). You are a good candidate for merit aid, and you should be able to pull the grades you need for med school as well. One path to consider if you attend Dickinson is to spend your junior year off campus. Spend one semester abroad, and the other in some kind of public health related internship through the Washington Center program. My D1 did this (fall semester in Finland, then the second semester at the Washington Semester). Her internship was with the Dept of State, but you could certainly look for a public-health related experience.</p>
<p>My daughter went to Reed, majored in Psych, and after her stellar first Semester grades (they give evaluations) had a merit scholarship the rest of her time at Reed. It is a fabulous place to study because you work directly with the profs; no graduate students.</p>
<p>There is little to no merit at any of the NESCAC schools (Bowdoin), although I’m sure someone will be able to come up with an exception. (I think Hamilton has a very few number of merit awards, others schools probably do too, but the number is so small it may as well be zero.)</p>
<p>Consider Rochester and Case Western, both smaller schools with merit. Your grades and test scores make you competitive for both and the merit awards. Rochester has an undergrad public health program, Case offers a master’s. Both are excellent for pre-med, with associated medical schools that offer plenty of opportunities for internships and shadowing.</p>