HELP: Vassar vs. Carleton vs. Haverford

<p>Thank you so much for all of your suggestions</p>

<p>First of all I am international student so visiting these colleges is out of question</p>

<p>Wel about my interests as I said earlier acaedemically I would have to go for science with engineering but I have decided nothing yet and I really would like to experiment for the first year. </p>

<p>One of the main things I am looking for in a college is a good social life, not in sense of excessive parties and beautiful town but in the context of people. I would like to be sahring college with people who are laid bakc, have time to talk and help and readily accept international s among them.</p>

<p>Among sports Soccer is the only one play of all the sports offered in the colleges, but it of course is not a big factor for me.</p>

<p>You couldn’t lose with any of these schools. They are all very warm socially. Carleton might be the most laid back, though it’s very rigorous academically. I’d give Carleton a slight edge in the sciences, but you would get a great education at any of these three. I think Carleton sends on more students to PhDs in the sciences for example.</p>

<p>I think both Carleton and Haverford have excellent sciences. I grew up down the street and have a soft spot for Haverford, but I have noticed that former students who went there have mostly not graduated and those that went to Carleton have. Carleton has a stellar record of getting its students out in four years (if you look at their common data set). That’s a big deal!</p>

<p>None of these schools have engineering. Are you sure you will be getting what you need at any of them?</p>

<p>I was also surprised by the engineering component…
If you go to Haverford, you can probably take some engineering classes at Swarthmore, but I am not sure you can major in ingeneering even there.</p>

<p>Most any LAC, I think you’d have to do a 3-2 program for engineering. I think the OP is not sure about the engineering and wants to explore other options?</p>

<p>I know that neither of these three colleges have engineering programs, but I am not very sure that I will do engineering. I chose these because I wanted to experiemnt first. these colleges have 3-2 year programs with great universities, if i finally decide to join engineering I am sure I can take that program</p>

<p>Check out the vassar website because i am almost 110% sure vassar has a 5 year engineering degree with Dartmouth. I think it’s 3 years at vassar, 1 at dartmouth and then back to vassar.</p>

<p>Haverford’s 3/2 engineering program is with Caltech</p>

<p>Carleton’s 3/2 engineering program is with Washington University in St. Louis or Columbia</p>

<p>On one college tour several years ago the guide mentioned that there was a 3-2 engineering program. These are fine in theory, but I asked “does anyone do them?” The answer was no, no one really does them, because after spending 3 years with your buddies at a LAC, no one wants to go off for what would be your senior year to a new school where you don’t know anyone, missing spending senior year and the last chance to spend time with your best friends.</p>

<p>So if anyone is really interested in these programs, you should ask the admissions folks how many people really do it.</p>

<p>dadx3 raises an excellent point. In my experience in higher ed, he’s right. Most kids decide not to pursue the engineering component elsewhere for myriad reasons.</p>

<p>Having mostly worked at universities with highly-ranked engineering programs, where students hit the ground running as freshmen in engineering courses and don’t look back for 4 (or 5) years, I’ve often wondered how the 3/2 programs compare in preparing students for careers in engineering. I haven’t seen any studies, although I’m sure they’re out there. Anyone have any insights??</p>