I’ve been trying to find colleges that fit my preferences (found below, listed in order of importance, first two are by far the most important) but haven’t been having too much luck.
-Strong Math (particularly applied) and Computer Science, preferably with a way to study them concurrently (having some kind of financial engineering program on the side like Rice and Vanderbilt do would be a huge plus)
-Fairly small-medium sized with undergraduate focus and small classes
-Somewhat loose distribution requirements
-Extensive math/CS course offerings (I will have gotten through multivariable calc by the end of HS so this could be an issue at some LACs)
-Laid-back, non-competitive environment
-Not in a big city
-Don’t care too much about location or weather, but I’d prefer the East Coast
I know that I probably won’t find a school that fits all of these preferences, but I’m just looking for some that fit most. Right now the closest two I’ve found are Rice and Brown. HMC would be a perfect fit, but I’ve heard that it’s a bad idea if you’re not on-board with the (very intense) core. I think I’d be a qualified applicant for any school, so there’s no need to consider selectivity for now. My parents have also been saving for a long time, so finances shouldn’t be too big of an issue.
However, some of your wish list items can be hard to find in combination.
You want good offerings of upper level and graduate math courses (and these are usually small in class size even at big schools), but the popularity of CS means that CS courses often have large class size, particularly at the larger schools with greater offerings of upper level CS and math courses.
Make sure you know what your parents are willing to pay – do not assume until you have talked to them about it. Also, some schools that will be named will be reaches for everyone.
Haverford, Bowdoin, Hamilton and Bryn Mawr (if female) are eastern, undergraduate-focused colleges that appear in a Princeton Review category, “Great Schools for Mathematics Majors.” From this group, Hamilton offers the most flexible curriculum. These schools’ catalogs will allow you to review their course offerings in relation to your own level and interests. Should you possibly be interested in spending a semester in Budapest to complement your home college’s offerings, you may not necessarily require graduate level offerings in order to progress in mathematics throughout your four years. If none of these schools have sufficient offerings, then a larger school like Brown may be a good alternative, particularly for applied math.
NESCAC schools commonly have a high percentage of varsity athletes (up to 35-40%) as a result of their wide-ranging sports programs in relation to their relatively small size.
@Salsa2000 - far less than it once did, but yeah, a lot of students play sports. I’d say few of them are “jocks” in any traditional sense, though. The students I know at Williams now (8-10 kids) do not fit those categories and are quite happy there.
Team and individual sports are popular at Williams as are outdoorsy activities that reflect Williams’ mountain setting. The degree to which students participate is variable from varsity to club to casual social events. I would charactize the campus more as active than “jocky.”
Same with “preppy.” This is a stereotype that most academically rigorous northeastern schools have long since outgrown. Yes, there are students from wealthy families at all selective schools, but the overarching culture has moved on from the preppy descriptor of past generations to a diverse and intellectually driven mix.
Williams kids are serious about their academics and come from a range of backgrounds and interests. Having said that, small LACs have distinctive personalities. I hope you can visit to see which one fits your personal and academic style.
The OP mentioned HMC (that is Mudd). They do not have loose distribution requirements (their core is brutally difficult) and it is not laid back. It is actually fairly cooperative, but also very intense. CS classes are also pretty large for the size of the school (popular with students from the other 5Cs as well), although my Mudder with minimal CS background had no trouble getting help with her CS questions for the few semesters when she was a CS major. Admission is also very difficult – it is a reach for everyone.
@intparent I feel pretty conflicted about HMC. I love the school but am not a huge fan of the core. Should I apply anyway? Any stories of people who thought they’d hate the core and ended up liking it?
Mmm… have you visited? I think people who belong at Mudd know once they’ve spent time there. My kid was not well prepared for the core (from a liberal arts type HS), and she worked crazy hard. There were some subjects she was glad to be done with, but she also discovered interests and talents she didn’t know she had going in. Without the core, that wouldn’t have happened. And she feels extremely well grounded in STEM now.
The Mudders I know (10ish kids over the last decade?) had experiences much like that of @intparent 's kid. They didn’t all go in with optimism about the core, but they all report having gained a lot from it and significantly expanding their interests and competencies.
