<p>A friend of mine isn't exactly sure what she wants to do in life, but some of the areas she's considering are architecture, engineering, etc -- alongside psychology, business, and law. We agree that LACs are the perfect environment for her to explore all those different interests.</p>
<p>Can someone please suggest some liberal arts colleges that have programs in architecture or engineering? She's got an 88 or so average, but 2100+ SATs, and okay extracurriculars, but nothing spectacular. Tough course load, though. Also, if there are some other LACs that you think she should look into, by all means post them, but priority goes to ones with the programs mentioned above.</p>
<p>I'm guessing Claremont schools are the best choices if you want to explore different majors. For architecture and engineering I'd choose Harvey Mudd specifically.</p>
<p>Harvey Mudd doesnt offer very many majors:
Engineering
Physics
Biology
Chemistry
Math
CS
+ a few dual degrees of the above</p>
<p>However, students at Mudd can take classes at Pitzer, Claremont Mckenna, Pomona, and even Scripps. These are how one could explore outside areas. However, the studies at Mudd are very grueling in engineering/science and if you are pursuing a degree in engineering you probably wont have the freedom to explore outside areas very much. Typically, its suggested you not go to Mudd if you are not 99% sure you want to do any of the above majors.
Note - if you decide to not do the above majors, you are required to obtain a minor in one of them and then obtain a degree from one of the 4 aforementioned colleges. </p>
<p>Going to Pomona College gives you the ability to major in really anything but engineering with decent room for exploring. To do engineering you would have to transfer to Mudd or elsewhere I believe. Of course if you knew you didnt want to do engineering specifically, and were more interested in say physics or math, i would certainly push Pomona for that.</p>
<p>I guess I should've mentioned that we're sticking to the Northeast. And again, you can mention non-techie LACs that will take someone with a high-80s gpa.</p>
<p>Also, aren't the Claremont colleges out of reach for her anyway, GPA-wise?</p>
<p>Well the 88 has to be taken in context. What is her class rank? What is her school rank? How rigorous was her courseload?</p>
<p>Mudd is highly selective. However it has been known to through a bone or two to females wishing to go into science and engineering. We still cant say anything without knowing the specifics of the applicant.</p>
<p>conn college has a great architecture program. i think barnard and mt holyoke also have architecture if she would consider all female schools. smith for engineering
union, lafayette and lehigh are great for engineering</p>
<p>Keep in mind that many architects actually get their architectual degree as a Master's, not undergrad. That's probably the best route for someone who is not sure if they want to be an architect yet. It is going to be very difficult to find both engineering and architecture at an LAC. </p>
<p>I would recommend Lafayette College as a possibility. They have a decent engineering program, and their art department has an interdisciplinary program that allows students to combine civil engineering with art with an eye on going on to grad school for an M.Arch. In the Northeast, some of the other LACs with accredited engineering programs are: Trinity College (CT), Smith, Fairfield, Alfred U., Union, Manhattan. She may also want to look at some smaller Universities, such as Lehigh, Bucknell, U of Rochester, the College of New Jersey, etc. And, she probably should also consider some of the tech schools, such as Clarkson, RPI, WPI as well to see what they might allow her to do.</p>
<p>Another option: many LACs offer 3-2 engineering programs. You do your first three years at an LAC, then your last two years in an engineering program at another school (Columbia, for instance). </p>
<p>A good resource is Welcome</a> to TryEngineering.org which has a searchable database of schools with accredited engineering programs. By working her way through state by state, and checking out individual schools with engineering programs, she should be able to track down some other options that might work for her.</p>
<p>I encourage your friend to look at Smith College. Smith’s Picker Engineering Program has a phenomenal approach to teaching engineering, and its engineering program is superb. Smith is the first and only accredited engineering program in the nation for women. </p>
<p>The quality of the engineering program is such that every Smith College engineering student with a 3.5 GPA is guaranteed admission to the graduate engineering schools at Princeton, Dartmouth, Johns Hopkins, Tufts, and University of Michigan! </p>
<p>Smith provides STRIDE scholarships where high achieving students do research with professors. They have a number of other scholarships and financial aid as well.</p>
<p>Smith has a wonderful supportive, caring sense of community. It’s known for academic excellence and small classes. Students are provided with terrific advising and mentoring and available, committed professors. </p>
<p>You should look into Haverford College and Bryn Mawr College. While you can’t get an architecture degree, lots of students interested in architecture who go own to get their architecture degree as a grad degree have majored in the “Growth and Structure of Cities” (which includes lots of classes in architecture). Technically, the major is housed at Bryn Mawr, but due to a cooperative arrangement students from Haverford and Bryn Mawr can major at either school.</p>
<p>Again both schools send people to grad school for engineering, but the undergrad major might be in another science (physics, bio, chem., etc). See Departments</a> of Physics and Astronomy at Haverford College Haverford also has a 3-2 engineering program, with partner Caltech.</p>
<p>Rice isn't technically an LAC (as it's a research university), but it might as well be--has <3000 undergrads. And some of its strongest programs lie in what you're specifying--architecture, tech, and engineering.</p>