<p>I like the atmosphere of an LAC better than larger universities, but I'd like to major in physics. What are some "good" LACs that are very generous with financial aid/ scholarships? I'd like to go to school located in either California or New England. My stats aren't that high, so I probably wouldn't be able to get into a top LAC like Williams which is good at financial aid and the sciences. Asian with a 3.5 UW as of the summer before senior year, 2200+ SAT, few dedicated ECs. I don't have much about me that stands out besides knowing five languages, but I'm assuming that's not uncommon at top schools. Thank you for your suggestions. (:</p>
<p>I think you’re competitive for Williams even though it might be a reach. I’d also take a look at Wesleyan; the two were tied for the 2010 Apker Prize for undergraduate physics:
[LeRoy</a> Apker Award](<a href=“http://www.aps.org/programs/honors/awards/apker.cfm]LeRoy”>LeRoy Apker Award)</p>
<p>Anyone else?</p>
<p>Knowing 5 languages is extremely uncommon, even at top schools, among US students. I would play that up. There’s is no need to be so modest. And what is your background like that you know 5 languages. Surely you have an interesting hook in there somewhere.</p>
<p>New England and California are the most-sought out places to go to college, and are by far the most expensive. You might want to broaden your search. </p>
<p>You sound like a much more competitive applicant than you are giving yourself credit for.</p>
<p>Lawrence does not meet your geographic requirement, but they are pretty good in physics and offer good merit aid. Carleton also in the midwest, but strong in physics and gives good need based aid (essentially no merit aid available except a couple thousand a year for NMF).</p>
<p>If it must be a LAC then in addition to Williams consider Amherst and Pomona (together with Harvey Mudd as part of the Claremont Consortium). These colleges have convincing Physics programs.</p>
<p>What do you plan to do with a BS Physics degree? If indeed you are thinking of a career in physics then graduate study is a likely next step. To be competitive in graduate school applications and to be able to move methodically through a graduate program your undergraduate physics (and indirectly math) needs to be at a very high level. LACs generally cannot compete with larger universities in physics preparation – this in part because of limited faculty and research activities, and absence of a graduate program.</p>
<p>Possibly Reed.</p>
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<p>According to the following page, based on National Science Foundation data, LACs account for 7 of the top 10 colleges for PhD production in the physical sciences, normalized for number of graduating students per college from 2001-2010.
[COLLEGE</a> PHD PRODUCTIVITY](<a href=“http://www.reed.edu/ir/phd.html]COLLEGE”>Doctoral Degree Productivity - Institutional Research - Reed College)</p>
<p>According to my own calculations on data from NSF/webcaspar sources for PhDs earned between 2007 and 2011, adjusted for total undergraduate population size, the following were the leading institutions for PhD productivity in physics:</p>
<p>California Institute of Technology
Harvey Mudd College
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Swarthmore College
Reed College
Bryn Mawr College
Harvard University
Lawrence University
Williams College
University of Chicago</p>
<p>6 of these 10 are LACs. The leader (Caltech, with 978 undergraduates) is smaller than many LACs. Other LACs with relatively high PhD productivity include (in order):
Haverford
Carleton
Grinnell
Vassar
Colorado College
Oberlin
Wesleyan</p>
<p>All of the above LACs have higher PhD production rates in physics (adjusted for institution size) than Michigan, UIUC, or UT-Austin.</p>
<p>If you adjust for program size (number of graduating physics majors) rather than institution size, you’ll get a somewhat different list of top schools. I have not done that because it is harder to look up or estimate the number of majors for each school. According to other data I’ve seen for other fields, LACs also do very well in PhD production when normalizing by program size. I would not expect physics to be different, but it might be. Of course, you might also get different results if you could distinguish PhDs in theoretical v. experimental physics.</p>
<p>holy cross near boston.</p>
<p>Thanks guys, but some of the colleges you’ve mentioned, Pomona, Harvey Mudd, Wesleyan, are tough to get into and I’m afraid my stats aren’t high enough.</p>
<p>Here are some schools that, if not necessarily LACs, are small research universities with a strong physics department.
-Brandies University (a leading cosmologist sent his son there)
-Colorado School of Mines (depends on how much aid you require. It might give you merit but if you can’t afford $30,000 a year, don’t apply there)
-Whitman College
-Case Western (not generous with financial aid)
-St. Olaf College (Carleton College is also very close by)
-Barnard
-Wellesley
-Hampshire College (actually quite weak in physics, although part of the 5 college consortium)
-WPI
-University of Rochester</p>
<p>St. Olaf, Carleton, Barnard, Hampshire, and Wellesley are generally seen as LACs.</p>
<p>Barnard has the convenience of cross registration with next-door Columbia if you are concerned about running out of courses at Barnard. Some other LACs have cross registration with nearby research universities that can help similarly, though many of the arrangements require commuting since the schools are not right next to each other.</p>
<p>I am assuming by your name that you are female. In that case, look into Scripps, a college in the Claremont Consortium (like Harvey Mudd and Pomona). Scripps shares a science dept with Claremont-McKenna and Pitzer. Cross-registration is also available across all 5 undergrad campuses, within certain limits. </p>
<p>Scripps has generous merit aid and need-based aid. It is slightly easier to be admitted to Scripps than the other 4 colleges, I think due to the all-girls aspect. The 5 C’s as they are called, are truly unique in that they are on adjoining campuses, so you get the benefits of a small LAC, along with the social opportunities of a larger university (5000-6000 students total).</p>
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<p>With a 3.5UW/2200+/5 languages, you should have a decent shot (reachy in some cases) at the following schools that have been mentioned:
Barnard (women)
Bryn Mawr (women)
Brandeis
Colorado College
Grinnell
Holy Cross
Lawrence
Oberlin
Scripps (women)
St. Olaf
Whitman</p>
<p>Lawrence covers, on average, 88% of demonstrated need (according to its 2012-13 Common Data Set). I believe all the others claim to cover 90%-100% of demonstrated need. Their formulas for calculating need may vary somewhat. Use their online Net Price Calculators to build your own estimates.</p>
<p>Middlebury</p>
<p>If you are female, you might still have a shot at Mudd. Likely no merit aid, though. But run the net price calculator to see what kind of need based aid you could expect.</p>