I’m hoping we don’t have to really start over with S22s list. He is very particular. He wants a school that has an excellent math program, math research opportunities for undergrads, and I’m guessing a very defined campus. I think he might have a preference against urban campuses, but mostly if the campus isn’t cohesive? Do most LACs have well defined campuses where you don’t have to cross streets to get to buildings on campus? I think he is torn. We had our first visits this weekend. He likes Amherst’s campus, but thinks the math and research looked better at Brown.
Do Haverford, Swarthmore, Pomona, Harvey Mudd, and Carleton have contained campuses? Does that make sense? Like Penn and Brown have streets through campus, but I don’t think Wash U does.
So super mathy LAC or smaller university where you can do research as an undergrad and easily chat with professors on a very defined campus.
Stats 4.0 UW (school doesn’t weight or rank), 36 ACT, NMSF, USAMO and USAPhO qualifier. No cost restraints.
For any college, try a web search for “[college name] campus map” to see what streets may run through campus.
Many college campuses, even small ones, have access roads on their campuses so that delivery and maintenance vehicles can get to the various buildings.
But also, if he enrolls at a LAC and runs out of math courses there, the commuting to a cross registration school (e.g. Amherst → UMass or Haverford / Swarthmore → UPenn) may completely negate the desire for a compact campus.
That is very true. Maybe he just doesn’t like urban schools as much? Or wants a well defined campus?
He does want a LAC that is in a consortium if they don’t have “enough” math classes. That’s why Haverford, Swarthmore, Amherst, Harvey Mudd, and Pomona are on the list. He currently plans to do the Budapest math program for a semester.
Personally I would choose Harvey Mudd for him, but the extensive core turns him off. I’m not sure how Pomona, Swarthmore, and Haverford compare to each other for math.
Is there a reason that your son is not considering Williams? Among the top LAC math programs and a beautiful self contained campus. Excellent overall academics including physics and CS. Notable track record in PhD admissions.
Although in the city of Chicago, the part of campus that undergraduates spend their time on is very self contained at UChicago. If you live in the north dorms, you only have to cross one small street.
Your son might want to talk to the folks at Williams before drawing that conclusion. Harvey Mudd is in a category of its own, but among liberal arts colleges Williams really is a math powerhouse.
Williams’ mountain village location isn’t for everyone and as you mentioned in another thread there already may be too many reaches on your son’s list; however, for a “supermathy LAC or smaller university where you can do research as an undergrad and easily chat with professors on a very defined campus” I would give Williams high marks.
Swarthmore offers an essentially contained campus (although, interestingly, it’s bordered by an interstate). This site recognizes it for its beauty:
In general, consider that older colleges, those at which foundings date to the 18th and early 19th centuries, often arose and grew with their surrounding communities, and therefore may not be technically fully contained (excepting those that moved from their original sites). However, these schools tend to represent some of the most historically interesting colleges in the nation. You will see this difference related to founding dates appear in boarding schools as well (with, interestingly, “academies” often having different physical characteristics from “schools”).
Duke’s campus is large and spread out, but it feels very much like a self-contained bubble. Too much so, some would say.
Though East and West are often considered separate campuses, Duke’s campus is contiguous, and one can walk between the two along a relatively leafy and quiet street without ever setting foot in Durham. It’s a popular jogging route, and many notable buildings like the Nasher and the Freeman center are located between East and West.
University of Rochester-- pretty self contained campus adjacent to the city of Rochester. Bordered on 3 sides by a river, and the 4th by a large cemetery.
Can’t speak to the math dept but the school is best known for STEM. Plus it would definitely not be a reach!
Check out UChicago. Incredible math program and equally strong in the core. Campus is gorgeous, with a very cohesive feel. My child is incredibly happy there and loves the campus feel.
Seconding the University of Rochester. It sounds like it checks all of his boxes from a contained campus to undergrads usually doing research (somewhere between 75% and 80% are actively involved in research, including math).
So if he decides that he loves Haverford or Swarthmore, would either of those be fine for getting into math PhD programs? Like he wouldn’t be at a disadvantage compared to students at schools like Brown or Chicago? Thanks.
You may want to do a search for posts by @b_r_um, who did her undergrad at Bryn Mawr before pursuing a PhD in math. Her experience is a few years old at this point but may be useful nonetheless.
She always wrote positively about the math programs at Haverford and Bryn Mawr, although she noted that taking courses at Penn gave her a tremendous leg up over other LAC students.
Pomona and Harvey Mudd are part of the Claremont Consortium, where the colleges fit together sort of like puzzle pieces. Each campus has a distinctive feel. There are a few small roads through the campuses but nothing that interrupts the campus feel. A quaint commercial area (the Village) borders the campuses bud doesn’t interrupt them.
Both schools have a strong reputation for placing qraduates in top graduate programs. Harvey Mudd does have some core requirements, but I think this is because the school is aiming to provide a solid base in order t best prepare their students for top graduate programs.