I was interested in a very good Liberal Arts College, the acceptance rate doesn’t matter much to me, I’ll do everything I can to exceed their expectations.
What do you think is a good LAC for STEM?
A little bit about me:
I guess I’m a diligent student, don’t do parties but I’m sociable so if I have free time and want to make friends maybe I’ll go but I’m not too big on the party scenes but I don’t mind them either. Would like a motivated student body. Smaller class size would be nice, at most 15:1 student: faculty ratio with loving professors. I love orchestra (play 3 instruments), I enjoy doing research and I play Tennis, run Track&Field and Swim.
I’m interested in Physics, Astronomy, Molecular Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, not sure what to major in, yet but I know it will be one of these.
I was interested in Colgate, Claremont Mckenna, and Wesleyan. Let me know what you think about these choices and feel free to add more to the list (after all that’s what this thread is for!)
URM Hispanic if that matters, don’t care about diversity. Living in NYC, had my fair share of it.
Also, I’m male.
@Dolemite <20,000 income in household. Merit Aid would be alright if the college isn’t 100% need met.
If what you say is true, I guess I’ll narrow up my choices. I may be interested in the Columbia 3-2 Engineering Program.
Of the non-engineering majors you list, physics and astronomy may be the most limiting, since they tend to be the least popular and have the smallest departments; check faculty rosters and course offerings at each school.
Would small STEM-focused schools be ones you may consider?
My D is a science major at a LAC and loves it. She is at Lafayette which has been great. We also liked Union, and Franklin & Marshall a lot. Bucknell is another idea. These are a bit less selective than the schools you mentioned but might be worth a look.
Regarding Claremont McKenna, its main emphasis appears to be social studies, including economics with a relatively strong pre-professional emphasis (e.g. physics offerings seem to be incomplete, though missing ones could be taken through cross registration). In its consortium, Pomona is a better fit for your STEM interests for a general liberal arts college, and Harvey Mudd is a better fit for a STEM-focused school (and is the only one in the consortium with engineering).
Also, you might want to spend some time (or visits) determining what kind of campus “vibe” in which you would be most comfortable. Colgate and Wesleyan are very different places.
That’s some incredibly useful information there. I personally don’t mind astronomy too much. In fact, I don’t care. Would be nice if they offered that major as I’m partially curious about it but I definitely wouldn’t exclude a college for not having it. Physics is important to me, though.
Thank you for the Columbia U information. I’m still considering it though but that cleared some things up.
Small STEM-focused schools? Never heard of that before, haha. Just checked Harvey Mudd, very nice but I’m uncertain about a strictly STEM school. Will look into it, though.
@rayrick Oh thanks for that! Didn’t realize a thread like that existed.
@happy1 F&M, Bucknell are great, considering those too.
@ucbalumnus Pomona was on my list, haven’t researched it thoroughly though. Thanks for the suggestion.
Not sure what to think about Claremont Mckenna, it’s highly selective along with Colby and Pomona, do you think it’s worth having on my list? I’m more Biology-oriented and I’d like to pursue a PHD in Biophysics
Nevermind, added Harvey Mudd to the list. Certainly worth considering. So far I’ve got Harvey Mudd, Oberlin, Colby, F&M, Bucknell, Conneticut, Carleton, Pomona and Wesleyan. Questioning Colgate due to their ‘frat atmosphere’ and Claremont due to their concentrations. Thanks, everyone.
CMC does graduate plenty of science majors, even though it is better known for its Govt/Econ type departments. Also if you have any interest in a double major that combines a science with a non-science major, CMC has a great merit scholarship targeted at students from lower income households. https://www.cmc.edu/admission/scholarships/iss. CMC is also a “meets full demonstrated need” school. But overall if you’re focused on science, Pomona and HMC are probably better choices in the Claremont consortium.
Butler has a terrific observatory/planetarium that’s just undergone major refurbishment. They don’t offer engineering except as a 3-2, but do offer a major in physics, a major in astronomy & astrophysics, and a minor in astronomy.
Hamlin I am going to take a totally different approach. If your family income is less than $20 K your concern about finding STEM strong LACs needs to go hand-in-hand with a very pragmatic and extremely realistic financial strategy. Your end result should be not only admission letters but also enrollment at a school which will be sustainable for 4 years.
Be sure to run net price calc’s on each and every school before you put it on your list. Some schools package loans, others do not include loans. Don’t forget travel costs for your budget.Even many of those that claim to meet 100% aid may end up costing much more than you think. In that case merit aid is NOT alright, because even with a FULL tuition scholarship, you still have to come up with room and board, probably over $10 K which is half your family’s income unless the $20 K was a typo.
Columbia would be a tremendous opportunity, and don’t forget that it has HEOP, as does Cornell (not a LAC but strong in STEM) and Hamilton. Those are the ones that come to mind for high stat students, and add Barnard if you are female. There is a lot on info on this website about 3-2 programs, and as pointed out already, you should research how the financing works before you set your sights on choosing a school based on its 3-2 program.
I feel like in another thread you were on Questbridge was mentioned (?) so sorry if I am repeating, but it is definitely worth looking into. Pre-College is open now and the deadline is March 23. Many partner schools are LACs with strong STEM.
Yes, with that low a family income, you are looking at needing almost a full ride from either need-based grants or merit scholarships.
What is probably the maximum realistic net price that you can fund from federal direct loans (up to $5,500) and work earnings (probably $3,000 to $5,000) is in the range of $8,500 to $10,500. Obviously, lower is better. Be sure to start your list with an affordable safety.
LACs can be terrific places to do sciences. The smaller class size often translates into more faculty attention. I also want to second Grinnell - great sciences, generous financial and merit aid and its own observatory (low light pollution!). That said, if engineering is your future, I’d pick a school that offers it rather than the 3+2 option.
^ That is the first place to start, an affordable safety. Look into CUNY and SUNY and be realistic about stats. Do some research in order to figure out your top 3, or even your top 4 because admissions have gotten tougher and your top 1 or 2 may not pan out – it would be nice to count on two to choose from.
St. Olaf College, Juniata College, Ohio Wesleyan University, Wofford College.
Small and midsize STEM universities;
Case Western Reserve University
Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology
U of Tulsa
U of Portland
Illinois Institute of Technology
Colorado School of Mines
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Texas Christian University