Focus as much as you can on finding a solid group of matches and safeties that your son likes and would be happy attending. If you need to prioritize your energies and efforts, that is where the focus should be as that is typically, although not always, the choices a student will have in the ned.
Yup.
The stats needed from one hs can vary at another. And for most of these colleges, it’s still isn’t really the total, you can focus more on M and CR.
Also, those may be the stats of the average admitted student, but that’s only part of the picture. For our district, it look as if a kid with “average” stats for each of those schools is still more likely to get into Bates with the Bates average stats than into Wesleyan with the Wesleyan average stats. More applicants => pickier.
Totally subjective opinion from the mom of a kid who looked at these three schools last year and is about to enter one this fall-
My D liked Skidmore but was concerned about the gender imbalance (40% men, 60% women). Dickinson felt like the least quirky of these three schools, although we have a slightly quirky relative who graduated from there this past June and loved Dickinson. D fell in love with Bates and applied early. Her brother’s already there. The funny thing is that one of my kids came from a very liberal, artsy, urban, diverse private high school, the other from a preppy, conservative, traditional boarding school and both feel comfortable at Bates.
We have another close relative at Oberlin, which is definitely more quirky/liberal than Bates. My kids’ opinion is that since starting there he has become much more left-leaning than he was when he entered. Can’t say if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, just throwing out the information.
If you’re looking for safer liberal/quirky schools in terms of admissions you may want to check out Hampshire in MA. I don’t know anything about the strength of the physics department so that would be the first thing to investigate.
I second the advice to visit over the Jewish holidays if that’s a possibility for your family. There’s a vast difference between visiting in the summer and when the schools’s in session. It’s hard to get a true sense of what a school is like when the students aren’t there. I’ve been on the Bates campus in the summer twice in the last couple of years. Once it was during the Bates Dance Festival, the other time during the Gordon Research Conference, an international science conference. As you can imagine, the general appearance of the people I saw walking around campus on these two occasions was very different from the more mixed populations I encountered during the school year.
I know you’re not looking to add schools to the list but just in case you haven’t already considered these and discarded them…
Since you will be in Ohio anyway, take a look at Kenyon. It’s between Oberlin and Wooster geographically so easy to add in. I know last summer they had a specific summer visit day dedicated to STEM kids and it was impressive. I think they are trying to balance their reputation as a school for English majors. It’s selectivity skyrocketed this year but that was probably a function of dropping the essay. They do value interest so a visit would be helpful.
St. Lawrence consistently gets raves around here and seems strong in the sciences. Way north but no lobster rolls, I’m afraid. 
Also, Bard. Seems to appeal to the same demographic as Reed and has a quirky, intellectual vibe. Certainly an easy visit and I think would be in that matchy category.
Personally, I would try and visit Bates. It’s just too appealing not to if you have the chance. 
@LeftofPisa We actually already did the trip to Ohio, and did stop at Kenyon, which was absolutely lovely, and isn’t entirely off the list, but didn’t really ring the kid’s chime’s either. It was quite isolated, in what barely passes for a town, and felt a little too preppy/precious. Nice place for a peaceful retreat though…
Actually, I’d be curious how anyone who has visited both Kenyon and Bates would compare/contrast the two.
Bard would definitely be a match academically, but I think skews even artsier than Skidmore, which is already an issue (someone please correct me if I’m wrong).
I hadn’t really considered St. Lawrence, but will have a look. (Though really looking more to winnow than add…)
@Sue22 I agree absolutely that it’s best to visit when school’s in session, and we’re definitely trying to do that with the schools we’re prioritizing. Very helpful to have an opinion from someone who’s visited all three. I’d missed the gender imbalance at Skidmore, but it looks as if that might also be an issue at quite a few other colleges on the list: Macalaster, Muhlenberg, Brandeis and Dickenson. Hm.
I think that Dickinson is a little stronger in the sciences compared to Skidmore. Skidmore is, as you guessed, more on the artsy side. Saratoga has a great downtown, I don’t think Carlisle, PA can compare. However, I think Dickinson might be more what you are looking for. If you do make the trek to Saratoga, I would recommend a stop at Union College. It is much stronger in the sciences, in fact it has an engineering department. It is sometimes compared to Lafayette - both liberal arts schools with engineering. I don’t know specifically about the physics, though.
I think your read on Bard is correct. I have an artsy kid but one who is more hippie than hipster. Bard was deemed too hipster/too angsty/too edgy by my kid.
We’ve visited both Bates and Kenyon a few times. Solids schools. I’d say both are quite similar - a mix of preppy, jocky, artsy kids. Both a bit of a drinking culture. Both have a beautiful campus although the surrounding area of each school leaves a little to be desired - Kenyon too islolated and Lewiston, ME leaves a little to be desired though I’d take the Maine location over rural Ohio because vibrant Portland, the ocean, and the mountains are all readily reachable from Bates. Both schools were on lists for my kids and wound up being options but other paths were chosen.
For us, Bates was outdoorsy and service oriented- the latter made a huge difference to D1. (Another reason why you have to research the schools.) Skid was high on her original list, but when she asked about service (and yes, there is need in Saratoga Springs,) she got a lot of blank looks.
Frankly, D1 was looking for a work hard/party hard school. How’s that sit with you, porcupine?
@doschicos - Thanks - very helpful to hear about the two side-by-side.
@lookingforward - I agree that traveling to reaches is risky in terms of expectations, but that ship has sort of sailed already. My thought in that particular instance is that I’m optimistic about the fit, and think it would help for my kid to a) see it firsthand and b) thus be in a better position to express interest, if applicable. (Also, we have friends in the area.) But we might skip it on grounds of distance alone, as we are doing for some schools that are more matches/probables. (Can always visit after admission, if applicable.)
I want to add that Dickinson was always a family favorite and wound up on both my kids’ lists. It really has a lot to offer (including merit aid!) and I’d put it at the forefront when compared with other schools in its selectivity range. There’s a lot to be impressed with at Dickinson. I think its well managed and will become increasingly competitive. The other two schools I’d put in the same category but that are in the midwest/west are Lawrence University, St. Olaf. and Whitman. Those are my somewhat hidden gems. All are in pretty towns as well.
My D is also a science person who is interested in the arts and wanted a LAC so we had some overlap with the schools you are seeing. She was quick to dismiss schools during our search, so take her comments with a grain of salt. IMO every school I’m mentioning would be an excellent choice.
We all felt Skidmore had a very artsy vibe. I thought it would be “the school” since I know Skidmore has a solid reputation and I thought my D would like the artsy part. However, my D did not get the sense that the sciences were a huge priority for the school during our tour and was turned off. But since it is easily drivable for you, I’d say it is definitely worth a visit to see what your D thinks. Lovely campus in a cute area. I liked the school more than my D. (My D much preferred Union which was nearby and very science driven).
We also visited Dickinson and that might be a fit but I’d say it felt a bit preppier as compared to Skidmore. Dickinson has a nice new science building which made us think that the school is beefing up its emphasis on the sciences. My D didn’t like that a road and a train went through the campus, – I’m not sure why that was particularly annoying to her but it was. Still, Dickinson was in her top 4.
We looked at Muhlenberg which has a good reputation for the sciences but my D thought their labs looked like her HS lab and we had a particularly bad tour guide so that was crossed off her list. They do have a big theater program I believe but the students I saw didn’t strike me as quirky. I thought my D should have given Muhlenberg a second look (hate to have a tour guide be so influential) but in the end she had enough schools on her list that we all liked and that were solid matches so I let it go.
We did not visit Bates (I was avoiding the Maine schools since they are far from us) but a good friend had a daughter there who liked it – she joked that the school had a lot of “liberal granola-eating kids” if that helps. Again, this is second-hand information.
My D was not as interested in the “quirky” part as your D. Most colleges are pretty liberal because they are filled with 18-21 year old students. She ended up at Lafayette which is fairly STEM oriented LAC (the school has an engineering program) and absolutely loves it. Lafayette probably has a bit more of a pre-professional vibe as compared to many of the schools on your list but if you have any questions about the school you can PM me. My D does theater and is in the college orchestra and her roommate is doing art as one of her two majors. Her other top choices were Union, Dickinson and Franklin and Marshall if you are looking for other ideas of LACs with good STEM programs – but none of those schools are particularly quirky.
Good luck in your college hunt.
We visited 20 schools over two years. It was a lot, but we did them in batches and in the end D seemed to get a lot out of it even though she, too, was a bit burned out by the end.
Bates, Oberlin and Wooster (all of which I’ve been to recently) are three very different schools, apart from the selectivity differences. Oberlin is really quirky–the students there love it, but if you are not into the vibe I think it would be a pretty tough place to be. D knew in 10 minutes it was not for her. Bates has a consistently high-achieving class for 2019: only 17.8% of RD applicants were admitted, and the average SAT was 2135. Wooster, as a CTCL school, accepts a much wider range of applicants in terms of academic stats. Some students are comfortable with that type of diversity and others aren’t. All three schools have a fabulous faculty, and outstanding opportunities in the sciences for motivated students. But they are each quite different. So the more campuses your son can visit, and the more time he can spend in class and visiting with students, I think the more likely that his top choices will come into focus.
Personally, I would add Skidmore (which we also visited) and Dickinson before Macalaster, Carleton and Grinnell. At D’s high school, 15 of last year’s 90 seniors are transferring after their first year of college. This seems astounding to me, but the GC said that in many of the cases it is a desire to be closer to home for a variety of reasons–cost, the hassle of travelling back and forth, and missing family & friends.
Of all the schools on your list, I think Case looks the most interesting in some respects. It’s an LAC attached to a medium-sized university, located in a vibrant section of a big city. Somewhat selective, but definitely attainable for a good student who shows interest. Great facilities–a brand new student center and a recent announcement of a new performing arts center to be built. Located next to one of the best symphony orchestras and art galleries in the world. IMO Case should get some extra consideration by your son.
Good luck with the visits!
Edit to second @VMT’s suggestion of Union. Very strong in the sciences and engineering and a beautiful campus (not to mention a sushi bar in the cafeteria!). It was very high on D’s list, and ultimately was her second choice behind Sewanee.
We liked Dickinson too. D would definitely have applied had Bates not worked out, despite a terrible Dickinson info session. The kids we know at Dickinson are very happy there, they have solid programs, and the town’s cute. It is a bit of a pain to get to from where we are so that was a small minus for us. I would visit if possible.
Visited St. Lawrence with S and he ended up taking it off his list, primarily because it felt isolated and with too little to do in the community. He immediately felt it wasn’t for him but I insisted that having done the long drive we stay for the tour. After a solid interview but a tour with a very jocky guide there was no reversing his decision.
Both Dickinson and St. Lawrence have frats and sororities but I wouldn’t call either fratty.
Perhaps this interest is of a casual sort and that it is unlikely to become a primary consideration from a career point of view. But if it is in fact a critical consideration in college selection many of the colleges suggested and those that you have visited or plan to visit are poor choices. With some limited exceptions best for someone with deep interests in the “hard” sciences is a mid-size or even large research university. These often include your public state universities.
The undergraduate physics curriculum is fairly standardized, although there can be additional elective courses beyond that (e.g. astronomy and astrophysics). The core of the undergraduate physics curriculum starts with calculus-based frosh-soph physics courses, followed by junior-senior level courses in the following:
Intermediate Newtonian and relativistic mechanics
Quantum mechanics (often two semesters)
Electromagnetism (often two semesters)
Statistical and thermal physics
Junior-senior level physics lab
Math courses are required as well.
Because physics is not that popular a major (compared to biology, for example), some smaller schools may offer the more advanced courses infrequently. Check catalogs and schedules at each school to see whether the physics offerings are sufficient. A course offered once every two years is barely sufficient, but gives the student no flexibility in when to take the course (and if it has a time conflict with some other desired course, too bad); offerings of the junior-senior level courses at least yearly would be more desirable.
@porcupine98, that gender disparity may give your S a bounce at LACs. At my D’s school, girls tend to be wait listed while boys with similar stats are accepted. Just sayin.
And yea, Kenyon looks like the perfect summer camp doesn’t it?
@porcupine98, you might want to check out my new favorite thingy: http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/
You can enter a school, and then click on Programs/Majors and get a complete breakdown of how many kids graduated in each major. I’ve been finding it quite revealing. For instance, I think you can get a surprisingly good quick read on how artsy relative to sporty a school is just from looking at the fraction of kids who majored in the category of Visual and Performing Arts, which is even nicely broken down by sub-discipline. You can also get a look at how many physics majors graduated last year, which might serve as a rough proxy of strength of that department.
By the way, my son sounds similar to yours in terms of vibe of school he prefers (quirky), a strong interest in a technical discipline (CS in his case), and a desire for a happening music scene. He’s also got a comparable mix of match/reach schools. He loved his visit to Skidmore (it’s a top contender at this point), so I think it’d be worth a look. Someone above mentioned Union, but PrincetonReview has it on their list of top 20 “Jock Schools” and “Lots of Greek Life”, and the link I provided above shows a miniscule fraction of majors in the arts. I’m doubtful it would be a good cultural fit for your son, but maybe their strength in sciences would trump that. Your call.