Last-minute LACs

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi, I'm a senior and maybe because of my deferral from MIT I started to get antsy/insecure about getting into college. I had a really nice interviewer for one university and over the past few weeks he's been telling me about how much his daughters enjoyed going to LACs, and he's recommending that I apply. Now I want to bump up my college list by one or two schools. Here's what it looks like right now:</p>

<p>MIT
Harvard
Princeton
Cornell
URochester
UF
Amherst (just sent in CommonApp, doing supplement)</p>

<p>Pertinent information: Hispanic, female, low income, 2330 SAT, SATIIs kind of suck (690 physics, 710 chem, retaking MathII in January), 3.9 UW, large public</p>

<p>What I want out of a school:
- good hard sciences (esp. physics, what I want to study)
- research, connections if possible
- East Coast (relative proximity to family necessary b/c medical issues)
- not too isolated (again, medical issues. why Williams is a dealbreaker)
- I'd really like it if they had a variety of study abroad programs but it's not necessary.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>What about Wesleyan University in CT, Vassar in Poughkeepsie, NY (accessible via train to NYC), Haverford (outside Philadephia), Boston College?</p>

<p>Would you consider women’s colleges? Smith and/or Mount Holyoke are also part of the consortium with Amherst. Bryn Mawr with Haverford and Swarthmore. </p>

<p>I don’t know about physics departments particularly - you would have to check/research that aspect.</p>

3

<p>Look at Reed, Carleton, Lawrence. [The</a> Colleges Where PhD’s Get Their Start | The College Solution](<a href=“http://www.thecollegesolution.com/the-colleges-where-phds-get-their-start/]The”>The Colleges Where PhD's Get Their Start)</p>

4

<p>Barnard</p>

<p>Core physics courses appear to be offered at least yearly (as opposed to once every two years); there is also convenient cross-registration with next-door Columbia.</p>

<p>[Courses</a> for Physics And Astronomy | Barnard College](<a href=“http://barnard.edu/catalogue/department/PHYB/courses]Courses”>http://barnard.edu/catalogue/department/PHYB/courses)</p>

5

<p>Note that if you want to study abroad, you may want to make sure that core junior/senior level physics courses are offered more often than once every two years. Otherwise, there may be only one chance in your four years to take them, which can make doing study abroad during a fall or spring semester hard to do.</p>

6

<p>NOTE: Reed, Carleton and Lawrence are not East Coast (OP needs proximity to home due to medical issues).</p>

7

<p>OP, the East Coast is a big region. I don’t think a student from FL studying in Maine will have a much easier time getting home than if he studied in Michigan. Does your medical condition require you to frequently go home or does it “just” necessitate that you live near a major hospital?</p>

8

<p>Well, a good hospital is a necessity. The east coast thing is more so my parents can come visit me in case of an emergency, and not the other way around.</p>

9

<p>Maybe Johns Hopkins (not a LAC) and as LACs Barnard, Haverford, Vassar, Wesleyan, Smith, Trinity, Holy Cross. Most LACs want “demonstrated interest” so if you just throw in an application with no interview/visit/contact with admission counselors it may not be worth your time – if you are serious about a particular LAC I’d try to at least arrange for a local alumni interview. You can have a great experience at either a LAC or a university so pick what suits you best.</p>

10

<p>Carleton and St Olaf are good at science (St Olaf also for study abroad) and the Mayo clinic is not too far.</p>

<p>Look into Dickinson (very good for sciences and study abroad)</p>

11

<p>Oberlin is another LAC that is one of the better ones for physics. It is about 35 miles from Cleveland – not sure if that meets your location criteria.</p>

<p>Reed was mentioned above; it is another LAC that is one of the better ones for physics (it has a nuclear reactor if you are interested in atomic physics). It is in Portland (Oregon) – not east coast, but in a major metropolitan area with a major airport and medical services.</p>

12

<p>The Philadelphia consortium colleges (Swarthmore-Haverford-Bryn Mawr), or Barnard, would be good if you want a small college with strong sciences, an East Coast location, and proximity to good medical services.</p>

13

<p>I’d look further into how Williams could accommodate your medical condition, as it seems otherwise a good fit. I’m sure they would consider you a person of interest.</p>

<p>The Berkshires are not that isolated from standard medical services. It’s a sophisticated community. Albany is nearby and Boston is just 2 hours away.</p>

<p>At this point you have nothing to lose by applying. If you’re accepted, you could visit and see how you could work around the problem.</p>

14

<p>Williams’ physics department does not seem to be as big as those at some other schools (including other LACs); some courses recommended as pre-PhD preparation, like second semester quantum mechanics, advanced E&M, and advanced mechanics, are offered only once every two years: [Physics</a> Major Requirements | Physics](<a href=“http://physics.williams.edu/programs/physics-major-requirements/]Physics”>http://physics.williams.edu/programs/physics-major-requirements/)</p>

15

<p>Holy Cross might be a good choice-top25 LAC WITH GREAT COMBINATION OF academics and athletics. Holy Cross has nice campus 1 hour from Boston and HC has fantastic school spirit and alumni network for jobs. Holy Cross is also need-blind for admissions-meets 100% of demonstrated financial aid.</p>

16

<p>colgate is another possibility. you can still try for their ed 2.</p>