I’ve been looking into questbridge colleges (as I’m applying) and have had a hard time telling apart some of the liberal arts colleges on the list. From what I’ve seen they all seem about the same in some ways. So, I was wondering if people could give me advice on which QB liberal arts colleges would be a good choice if I’m wanting to study (probably double major) in music (viola performance) and science (math or physics). Thanks!
Here are the QB LAC’s: (minus a few)
Amherst Bowdoin
Carelton Claremont McKenna
Colby Davidson
Grinell Hamilton
Haverford Macalester
Pomona Scripps
Swathmore Vassar
Wellesley Wesleyan
Williams
You may want to look through each college’s course offerings in your desired subjects to compare what junior/senior level course work each offers, and how often each course is offered.
There are a lot of similarities between top LACs. Not surprising you’re confused!
Note that you might not need to major in music to participate at the level you want.
Look on each school’s website to see if you can get a sense of how the music program works for majors and non-majors. For example, at Grinnell the music program appears to be very inclusive and private music lessons are now offered to every student for no extra charge each semester.
Maybe consider taking Claremont McKenna off your list as they aren’t known for either science or music.
None of those schools offer a performance degree but you can get a BA in music with a performance emphasis. On that list the best known schools for classical performance instruction are Williams, Vassar and Swarthmore. Wesleyan has a fantastic music dept but it’s less classically oriented. Wesleyan offers a doctorate in ethnomusicology which differentiates it from the other schools. Pomona has some strong adjunct music faculty and the music classes and ensembles are shared by all the students of the 5C’s.
I recommend you head over to the Music Major forum and browse through its many threads. Also be sure to read the pinned Double Degree Dilemma thread which addresses the different ways to study music.
Williams is very strong in music despite the number of music majors reported above. It is one of the liberal arts colleges always recommended for serious musicians. In addition to the Questbridge colleges in the OP’s list, if they’re serious about pursuing viola performance in college in addition to science, Bard, Lawrence & Oberlin all have conservatories and offer substantial financial and merit aid including full tuition and more. Again, there’s lots of information on the Music Major Forum.
CMU is not on QB (nor is a lac) but is fantastic in both of your fields of interest. They are known for competing with other schools for students they are interested in (by offering them more merit aid…). It is something I would keep in mind if I was in your position, especially if you are highly motivated.
Though, on paper, these colleges will initially appear similar, their distinguishing attributes should become apparent to you with research. Wesleyan’s smart student body will be notably socially liberal; Three from your group enroll only women; CMC/Pomona, Amherst and Haverford/Swarthmore participate in consortia; Hamilton’s balanced curriculum arises partly from its history of having been two colleges of complementary characteristics and emphases; Vassar’s library represents a collegiate archetype for many. As you look more closely into these colleges, you should be able to establish favorites based on your own impressions.
More technically, Bowdoin, Carleton, Grinnell, Hamilton, Haverford and Macalester appear in a Princeton Review sampling, “Great Schools for Mathematics Majors,” and should be considered to be some strong choices for this major.
Williams doesn’t have a lot of music majors, but it does have a lot of musicians who take advantage of the many performance opportunities, whether they are majoring in music or something else. The department has a large faculty and supports a wide range of ensembles. According to Williams’ website “nearly 500 students participate in music at Williams each year.”
Within the past 10 years, *Wesleyan and Williams *have been awarded two Apker Awards in physics.
Wesleyan’s physics prize was won against much bigger schools since the Apker is divided into two tracks, one for Phd-granting institutions and one for non-Phd-granting institutions.
Colgate 2007
Haverford 2008
Mt Holyoke 2009
Wellesley 2009
Williams 2010
Wesleyan 2010
Augustana 2011
Franklin & Marshall 2012
Wesleyan 2013
Loyola Univ MD 2014
Williams 2015
If you’re interested in pursuing a Ph.D, using data from the National Science Foundation, the following schools produced the highest percentage of graduates who eventually go on to earn a Ph.D. in physics.
Cal Tech
Reed
Swarthmore
Lawrence
Carleton
Haverford
Williams
MIT
CO School of Mines
Grinnell
Amherst
Princeton
Wabash
College of Wooster
Gustavus
Vassar
Kenyon
Rice
Bryn Mawr
University of Rochester.
2017 Best Colleges for Physics in America
Bates
Bowdoin
Carleton
Grinnell
Haverford
Harvey Mudd
Vassar
Wesleyan
Wake Forest
Colby
Brown
Harvard
Stanford
MIT
Penn
Cornell
Princeton
Brown
CMU
Yale
Complete list and ranking can be found on the Niche website.
In terms of math, in a competition known as “the preeminent mathematics competition for undergraduate college students in the U.S. and Canada,” Hamilton’s team often outperforms those from larger schools:
I’m going to throw out another QB option in case it appeals in any way. Have you looked into Colorado College? Does the immersive nature of the block plan appeal in any way? Interested in going to school along the front range of the Rockies yet living in an urban environment? The school just officially merged with the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center (which, conveniently, is already contiguous with the campus). This will open up tremendous opportunities for CC students and will likely draw more students interested in the arts. CC also has an excellent science department so check it out! http://www.csfineartscenter.org/ccalliance/
One factor that might discourage many Amherst or Williams musicians even double majoring in music might be the number of required courses that would necessitate; you figure, at least sixteen within just two departments. That’s nearly half of all the courses required to graduate from some LACs. Also, if you have been playing a Classical instrument to the point of proficiency, you have to wonder how much more there is to learn about Western Music that you haven’t already picked up on your own and whether it’s worth taking classes in ethnomusicology or jazz just in order to receive the extra credential?
@circuitrider - that is a very short sighted comment about the study of music at a collegiate level! Them’s fighting words, for sure Feel free to post that on the Music Major Forum and sit back to watch the feathers fly!
@circuitrider I recall reading that ipeds data doesn’t include double majors which I think many music majors at those schools likely are. Esp Amherst with the open curriculum, a lot of people double.
@OHMomof2 - I think that may explain it. The IPEDS data center appears to instruct colleges how to collect the data, but, there’s no field indicating second majors on the website itself
Haverford should be on your list of schools to look at closely. Strong in sciences and I’ve seen some very impressive music students there who have gone on to do some interesting things.
Feel free to post that on the Music Major Forum and sit back to watch the feathers fly!