<p>Inquiring: List of LACs that highly focus on science</p>
<p>Holy Cross is currently building a 60 million dollar science building because of their strong science program (esp biology and chemistry due to their well regarded pre-med program.)</p>
<p>Which science? Male or female student? What environment (urban, suburban, rural)? What do you mean by “highly focus”? </p>
<p>Your question is too broad.</p>
<p>I agree with Chedva. There are LOTS of LACs strong in science and many have brand new, wonderful facilities. So give a little more info. (You might want to also eventually consider your stats and whether or not you need merit money…)</p>
<p>Holy Cross and Davidson have great reputations in the sciences.</p>
<p>How highly focused in sciences should it be?</p>
<p>How do colleges like Harvey Mudd that do not even offer non-science majors sound to you?</p>
<p>I was curious about this as well. Thanks for posting =)</p>
<p>This comes up a lot. One of my old responses-</p>
<p>Biology
Swarthmore, Reed, Haverford, Kalamazoo, Mount Holyoke, Carleton, Oberlin, Earlham, Harvey Mudd, Wellesley, Amherst, Lawrence U, Grinnell, Bowdoin, Pomona, Hendrix, Davidson, Williams, Bryn Mawr, Bates, Allegheny, Smith, Occidental, St. Olaf, Hiram, Beloit, Macalester, Knox, Hampshire, Bucknell, Colorado College, Juniata, Franklin & Marshall</p>
<p>Chemistry
Harvey Mudd, Wabash, Reed, Carleton, Bowdoin, Grinnell, Haverford, Franklin & Marshall, College of Wooster, Bryn Mawr, Allegheny, Knox, Occidental, Bates, Juniata, Kalamazoo, Williams, Swarthmore, Oberlin, Holy Cross, St. Olaf, Hendrix, Hope, Davidson, Ursinus, Kenyon, Macalester, Centre, Wellesley, Wheaton, Trinity U, Lawrence U, Colgate, Ripon, Drew, Willamette, Beloit, Hiram, Lake Forest, Gustavus Adolphus, Rose-Hulman, Albion, Amherst, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Hamline, Bethel, Puget Sound, Goucher</p>
<p>Physics
Harvey Mudd, Carleton, Reed, Swarthmore, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Haverford, Grinnell, Williams, Whitman, Amherst, Marlboro, Rose-Hulman, Stevens Institute of Technology, Oberlin, Wabash, Gustavus Adolphus, Colorado School of Mines, Bryn Mawr College, Lawrence U, Wesleyan, Bethel, Pomona, William and Mary, St. Olaf College, Beloit, Bates, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Kalamazoo, Earlham, Kenyon, Rhodes, Macalester, Franklin and Marshall, Bowdoin</p>
<p>Geology
5 College Consortium, Hamilton, Bates, Williams, Occidental, Bryn Mawr, William & Mary, Sewanee, Caltech, Franklin & Marshall, Carleton, Earlham, Beloit, Wittenberg, Albion, Juniata, Macalester, Pomona, Bowdoin, Whitman, Puget Sound</p>
<p>Geology is one the strongest depts at Colgate (probably stronger than chem) and is a top 10 LAC in sending its grads onto a PhD in geology.</p>
<p>Yes, I accidently left out quite a few geology schools while copying and pasting. Colgate, Colorado College, Cornell College, Hope, Vassar, Allegheny, Dickinson, Bucknell, Middlebury, Lawrence, and Wesleyan should have been listed.</p>
<p>Plug first:</p>
<p>“Carleton ranks first overall among liberal arts colleges for PhD graduates in the sciences and mathematics, including first in physics and astronomy, fourth in biology, first in chemistry, and first in geology.”</p>
<p>“Carleton is ranked second among all undergraduate colleges in the number of its students awarded prestigious National Science Foundation Fellowships for further study during the past five years.”</p>
<p>“Carleton has long upheld a tradition of excellence in the sciences and mathematics. The faculty’s investigative, collaborative approach to science has proven popular: In the past decade, more than 30% of students have received their bachelor of arts degrees in biology, chemistry, computer science, geology, mathematics, and physics and astronomy.”</p>
<p>Geology, most remarkably, contributes more PhD’s to the field than any LAC OR University in the country - quite remarkable given Carleton’s size. The near 1,000 adjoining acres in its aboretum and the school’s commitment to sustainable development certainly fuel this.(<a href=“http://www.endowmentinstitute.org/sustainability/)%5B/url%5D”>http://www.endowmentinstitute.org/sustainability/)</a>.</p>
<p>Other standout broadly strong science offerings – note personal bias once again: </p>
<p>In the midwest at Oberlin and Grinnell - Harvey Mudd, Pomona, and Reed out west - Swarthmore, Wesleyan, Williams, and Haverford out east.</p>
<p>
I agree that Carleton has a fantastic geology program, but I think that’s a misleading measure of quality. You can easily get a well-paying job with a BS or MS in geology, far more so than in the other sciences. The only people who really need a PhD in geology are those interested in college-level teaching or research at a major research institute (WHOI, Lamont-Doherty, etc.).</p>
<p>
Like PhD production, I think fellowships can be a misleading measure of quality. For example, if you look at the Goldwater Scholarship, the premier undergraduate science/engineeering fellowship, Carleton has only produced one in the last three years. Oberlin produced eight, and Mount Holyoke produced six.</p>
<p>Ummm…warblersrule, Caltech isn’t an LAC. Not like it matters, but I like to nitpick.</p>
<p>I’m not a science kid, but I gleaned from the visit that Oberlin has absurd facilities and a heavy focus. They recently put in an envisci building that’s completely self-sustaining, which impressed me a whole lot.</p>
<p>EDIT: To clarify, by “absurd” I mean “absurdly good.”</p>