Need help selecting colleges.

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Yo, wat up? Neways, I need help figuring out what schools to apply to. My main concern is the strength of the pure undergrad math department and the undergrad creative writing department. However, very few schools have both. Here's my initial list. Any schools I'm missing that'd be good? I'm also a pretty mellow dude. I'd like to weed it down to <10 schools. Comments/suggestions would be very much appreciated. </p>

<p>Here's my criteria and college list...</p>

<p>Very important
1. Strength of Pure math department (esp. discrete mathematics)
2. Strength of creative writing department (tight knit and lots of 1-1 time with interesting students)
3. Teacher excellence (accessibility and enthusiasm)</p>

<p>Important
1. Cool students (bright, interesting)
2. Strength of school's academics as a whole should be decent (i.e. science and humanities department should not completely suck everywhere else)
Somewhat important
1. Size
2. Strong philosophy, physics, and econ departments is a plus</p>

<p>MIT (how much of a pain is cross registering?)
Stanford
Princeton
Brown
dartmouth
Williams
john hopkins
U. Chicago
U. michigan
Harvard
UPenn (counselor recommended it)
Swarthmore
WASH U in st. louis (counselor recc'ed again)
UC's
Bard (may not like small school)
Columbia (crossed off because my counselor thought I would flounder in NY)
Carneghie mellon (not sure, because their pure math is not very good allegedly)</p>

<p>Thanks, Peace out-TBAO</p>

2

<p>Penn has a great community center/resource for passionate writers: The Kelly Writers House. Ch-ch-check it out Kelly</a> Writers House</p>

<p>It is a great way to get a tight-knit community within the setting of a large university in a major American city</p>

3

<p>FWIW: USNWR ranked discrete math PhD programs...you won't find an undergrad ranking.</p>

<p>Mathematics Specialties: Discrete Mathematics and Combinatorics
Ranked in 2006* </p>

<ol>
<li> Massachusetts Institute of Technology<br></li>
<li> Princeton University (NJ)
Rutgers State University–New Brunswick (NJ)
University of California–San Diego<br></li>
</ol>

<p>For UC's, Berkeley has top math, econ, physics and English departments.</p>

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<p>Thanks. BTW does neone understand the glascock prize nomination process?</p>

5

<p>There's no such place called "Rutgers State University."</p>

<p>Clearly you meant to say, 'Rutgers University,' a.k.a. The State University of New Jersey.</p>