<p>If your son is taking AP courses in English and history, he may want to look primarily at state universities as possible safeties. They often let students fulfill their general education requirements (aka distribution requirements) with AP credits, where private schools usually do not.</p>
<p>How about RIT in Rochester? [RIT</a> - Rochester Institute of Technology](<a href=“http://rit.edu/]RIT”>http://rit.edu/) It’s not really in the city and known as a geeky/quirky school. There are tunnels connecting the buildings for the snowy winters. I think it’s interesting that they have a school for the deaf integrated into the regular college and LOTS of technical and artsy majors.</p>
<p>I’d second a lot of the recs you’ve gotten here for small schools (Carnegie Mellon, RPI, WPI, Johns Hopkins) BUT if you’re son is really set against cities, hills, and trees, maybe you should be focusing your search somewhere other than the Northeast.</p>
<p>Had never even heard of WPI before. I feel like we have a much better list. Thanks to all.</p>
<p>SubwayMom: we’re not focused on the NE. In fact, his first 2 choices are in greater LA, not exactly a not-city although more suburban, I guess. I haven’t seen either so I’m not sure. We’re just taking a NE tour in a couple of months. I think what’s happening is that he’s having a mediocre gut reaction to a school like Berkeley, and then trying to figure out why he’s having that reaction in response to my ‘what did you think?’. I think it’s easier for him to focus on the physical characteristic of the schools than on the nebulous gestalt. Interesting though, that he has had such strong responses to places he’s visited. There’s been very little maybe’s.</p>
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I suspect this is really a case of disliking certain schools and trying to find a reason for it. Not that some people aren’t made for wide open fields or deserts, but I have my doubts about the terrible scarring from family vacations in forested regions.</p>
<p>Or am I just too much of a skeptic…?</p>
<p>I was going to put in a vote for RPI but it sounds like it got enough votes already? Oh well, here is my vote anyway: consider RPI.</p>
<p>William & Mary</p>
<p>Boston University.</p>
<p>Flat, about a dozen trees, physics…</p>
<p>Colorado School of Mines, New Mexico Tech, Rose Hulman, Michigan Tech. All would be safeties, New Mexico Tech is a great value. All chock full of geeky boys.</p>
<p>Rose Hulman is very nice. No hills, very flat, very small, great placement office. Michigan Tech campus is not hilly but the town is. Very small town, isolated, kids do not go home on the weekends so lots of bonding.</p>
<p>Purdue - some nice trees but they’re old and large so you can just walk under them. Can’t get much flatter than northern Indiana.</p>
<p>University of Rochester which I believe was already mentioned. I would not suggest Vassar for physics.</p>
<p>Another vote for URoch and CMU. UMD has very good physics. A friend of S’s was looking at majoring on physics at Case and was showered with love. UChicago has exceptional physics, and I know you are concerned about the Core for your S. He should read the catalog and see what the HUM/Sosc courses are like. If he is interested in philosophy, he may find the Core a pleasure.</p>
<p>I have a math major S at Chicago who was not crazy about social sciences through most of HS (though he did well in them), and absolutely loves the Core. Turned down MIT and Mudd to go to Chicago. He does recommend that folks sit in on a core course to see if it’s their cuppa tea.</p>
<p>For the record, CMU, JHU, W&M aren’t anybody’s safeties! Brown & Chicago for a humanities-averse science guy doesn’t compute in my CPU.</p>
<p>Engineering BS curriculum will typically require 5-7 Humanities/Science courses. Don’t know about physics majors. I agree with taking the credits for AP english, history.</p>
<p>If his stats are what I gather, then:</p>
<p>RPI (despite the hills), Case, Rochester as possible matches (note the common bad weather). CMU reachy-match, but geographic diversity may help…</p>
<p>RIT, Delaware as possible safeties.</p>
<p>WPI and Rose-Hulman as more hands-on engineering options worth exploring.</p>
<p>The English/Social Studies requirement at MIT are not a “phone it in” part of the curriculum; the English composition placement test before Freshman year was graded very rigorously in our experience and the writing component of even upper level science and math courses was pretty extensive.</p>
<p>So just fyi; if your son goes through the MIT course catalogue and doesn’t get excited by a dozen or so of the humanities courses, he may be miserable at MIT. MIT has very strong programs in music, political science, economics, linguistics; but these are not typically “gut” courses which are easy A’s for the physicists and engineers.</p>
<p>Thanks to all for taking the time. I think I can make some nice lists from all the recs and start from there. </p>
<p>Interesting that I spent 3 years at U of Rochester Medical center, across the street from the U, and never gave it any thought. Now, I’m going to research it from 2000 miles away.</p>
<p>CountingDown: I’d love for my son to have your son’s experience re the Core at U Chicago. That certainly was my experience 30 years ago (has it really been that long?), but I’m afraid to find out the hard way that he doesn’t. </p>
<p>Hard to know how much of an issue hills are. I think moderate terrain, like RPI, likely isn’t a problem. I do have to say, that Ithaca hills were a pain in the you know what, esp in winter (grew up there), which lasts about 6 months.</p>
<p>Dado’2,
If the OP’s S is majoring in physics, though, he would apply through Mellon College of Science – acceptance rate in 2008 was 36% (most recent info available).
<a href=“http://www.cmu.edu/ira/factbook/pdf/facts2009/2_fact-book_2008_09_studentsadmissionfy_webversion.pdf[/url]”>http://www.cmu.edu/ira/factbook/pdf/facts2009/2_fact-book_2008_09_studentsadmissionfy_webversion.pdf</a></p>
<p>Whether or not this would be a likely/target/match depends on info the OP hasn’t provided. If he really wants to focus on avoiding the social science/humanities requirements, pay particular attention to which schools grant generous AP credit for those courses.</p>
<p>ihs, Rochester really wants demonstrated interest. If you can’t get there, be sure your S talks to a local rep or has an alumni interview.</p>
<p>I’ll toss another mention for Rose-Hulman – its reputation over the last decade as increased significantly. Employers look for their grads for sure. South-central Indiana.</p>
<p>No hills at R-H, that’s for sure!</p>
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<p>Agree. Admissions are tough to predict even when you know the statistics. I thought CMU was a great match for my S a couple of years back, both culturally and from an admissions point of view, but we found out that a “match” is not a “sure thing!”</p>
<p>CMU’s lower acceptance rate (28% overall, 36/38% for MCS/CIT) make it a lot reachier than Case & RPI (as my S found out!) and probably Rochester to a lesser degree. The CMU stats are somewhat close to JHU (recognizing the unknowns of different acceptance rates between the CMU divisions). Other than the admissions uncertainties, it seems like CMU is a possible cultural fit for the OP’s S, though.</p>
<p>Rochester certainly does want to feel the love with an interview, as they tell you every chance they get. For engineering, they only require 5 H&S courses (plus freshman writing?) From what I’ve heard, I’m not sure how likely AP credits (English/History) would count, though, given their requirements to take the “cluster” courses at U of R.</p>
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<p>I visited there 30-some years ago when I was applying to college. I seem to recall the highway overpass being the tallest point for 100 miles around, not counting the grain elevators.</p>
<p>As I think to the ‘terrain’ of southern Indiana, or all of Indiana for that matter, my gut feeling is that DS, who has lived near some of the most spectacular scenery all of his life (science field trips to Yellowstone NP) is going to realize that he didn’t know what he had. He’ll be pining for pine trees and something to break up the very far away horizon before Christmas break. Not that Indiana doesn’t have its own special brand of beauty…</p>