Ha! Thanks for that!
My D also looked for STEM oriented LACs.
āShe ultimately attended Lafayette and LOVED it. Lafayette was strong in both STEM and in the humanities which worked well for her (she ended up with a theater minor).
āUnion was a close second choice although she didnāt love the trimester system.
āFranklin and Marshall was another top choice (she didnāt like that three semesters of foreign language were required but that was a few years ago).
āBucknell was excellent educationally but she didnāt love the location and emphasis on Greek Life.
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Sounds like your D and mine are very similar. In HS mine hangs with the creative arty kids (lots of died hair in her crowd, and many LGBTQ kids), but her academic interests are in science, math, and technology. Havenāt been to Lafayette yet, but planning on it. Any other impressions about the school culture?
Canāt say enough good things about my Dās expereince at Laf. IMO the school found that secret formula which allowed students to feel challenged academically while still having time to do activities they cared about. For a LAC the student body seemed to be to be pretty well rounded (no one ātypeā). My D spent two summers on campus doing research with a professor. She was a STEM major and worked hard but also fund time to be involved in theater productions, played in the orchestra, joined a low key sorority (a surprise to us ā lots of theater kids in it), did some community service etc. Feel free to ask any questions I may be able to help you with (although she did graduate a few years ago).
Another college you may want to check out is Muhlenberg - for my D it was a case of a lousy tour guide kind of ruining the visit but people do like it, it is a bit less competitive for admissions as compared to Laf, and it has a good reputation for STEM (and theater). You can probably visit Muhlenberg and Laf in one day if you want as they are close by.
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Thanks again! Wondering if your D also considered Lehigh, which I know is not an LAC but has lots of STEM, isnāt huge, and has some programs that combine engineering/science with the arts. But I wonder if it would feel too intense.
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My D was set on attending a LAC (and it WAS the right option for her) but H and I did insist that she visit a mid-size college just to see something a bit different. Because it was close by other schools we were visiting and in her academic wheelhouse we did go to Lehigh and take a tour. Unfortunately the moment we got to the parking lot she said āI am NOT going hereā so it wasnāt our most productive afternoon college hunting LOL. But if your D is open to mid-size schools it is worth a look.
Just want to second College of Wooster. The Williams Hall of Life Science is absolutely beautiful and I think they are particularly strong in STEM majors.
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