<p>Very few LACs offer strong, diverse engineering programs. The most obvious exception is Harvey Mudd. A few other LACs (Swarthmore, Trinity) offer general engineering programs, but these schools generally don’t cover the gamut of engineering specialties (chemical, electrical, mechanical, etc.) As for LACs with strong science programs, are you interested in any fields in particular? “Science” covers a lot of ground. </p>
<p>For science I’d be interested in physics, bio, maybe neuroscience? I’m not sure which, I’d prefer a well-rounded science department so I can try different things.
I’m not interested in a 3-2 program or really an engineering program. From what I’ve learned from visits/asking questions, engineers have to specialize earlier than other majors, and there doesn’t seem to be much room for other interests. I also want to take some classes in humanities, psychology and art, maybe double major? Not sure if that’s possible.</p>
<p>Lafayette and Lehigh are both LACS strong in engineering and have it as an undergrad major. However, I’m not sure about their proximity to hiking spots. Take a look</p>
<p>Google “Baccalurate Origins” and you’ll see a list of schools in which a very high percentage of their students go on for STEM PhDs. You are already on the right track because Reed and Swarthmore are very prominent on that list. </p>
<p>You should choose your LACs from that list. </p>
<p>The University of Alaska, Fairbanks, which is a tiny university with small classes and very good science and engineering. I’ll guess it has about 5000 full-time students on campus. Definitely a lot of outdoor activities. I went there.</p>
<p>Do we know what the OP’s stats are? OP, what’s your GPA and SAT?</p>
<p>at Lehigh and Lafayette, you can get your hiking just walking down to town and back. All kidding aside, both are near the Delaware Water Gap Natl Rec Area, and there are tons of hiking opportunities all over that part of PA.</p>
<p>I spent a couple years at Muhlenberg, not far from these schools. I spent some time on Lehigh’s campus, and visits to the campus with my kids have not disturbed the idea I have that in some ways Lehigh is an engineering school that wants to be a liberal arts college when no one’s looking. On the other hand, Lafayette is a liberal arts college that wants to be known for its engineering. I found some of Lafayette’s course offerings in the sciences to be thinner than those at Lehigh. </p>
<p>Harvey Mudd: “… Within the engineering major, you will have three upper division electives …” How incredibly diverse! Each engineering student takes exactly the same engineering curriculum, except for 3 elective classes.</p>
<p>They also take a very rigorous core STEM curriculum as well. Mudd students are very well prepared for the working world or grad school and have no trouble getting jobs. There is a reason they are #1 on the Payscale ROI report.</p>
<p>I have no doubt Harvey Mudd grads are dynamite, but it’s ludicrous to call their engineering “diverse”. It’s one of the least diverse and most invariable in the country, practically zero variation in the curriculum for graduates. That may actually be something the employers like - the uniformity of what the grads have studied.</p>
<p>@BobWallace: In a sense, HMC engineering is diverse because it is not specialized. Engineering students at HMC study many aspects of engineering instead of focusing on, say, electrical or chemical engineering.</p>
<p>As I indicated above (twice), LACs that have any engineering programs at all generally don’t cover the gamut of engineering specialties (chemical, electrical, mechanical, etc.) Let’s agree to strike the word “diverse” in characterizing HMC’s engineering program. Call it “broad” or “general”. It is after all a LAC (or at least that’s what they call themselves).</p>
<p>Does it expose engineering students to a variety of engineering problems in enough depth that they are well prepared for careers in different engineering specialties? Do HMC alumni (without any post-graduate training) design bridges, pharmaceutical manufacturing processes, integrated circuits, and robotic arms? I don’t know. Some of their most accomplished alumni seem to be concentrated in information technology, if the following list is any indication: <a href=“List of Harvey Mudd College people - Wikipedia”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Harvey_Mudd_College_people</a>.</p>
<p>Anyway, if the OP cannot make up her mind whether she wants a LAC or an engineering school, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to at least check out Harvey Mudd.</p>
<p>Yes, they do work in a variety of engineering specialties. Here is a link to a list of just engineering major and where they have gone in the last 5 years. Remember that Mudd graduates less than 200 students/year, and maybe 30% of those are engineers, making this list quite impressive.</p>
<p>Mudd students get a lot of hands on experience. Research positions are easy to get (including summer positions), they have a lot of internship interview opportunities due to strong recruiting presence on campus, and the clinical relationship that Mudd has with many external companies and organizations gives students a great opportunity to do a significant project while at Mudd as well.</p>
<p>Well, no, that’s really not true. You can take an even more diverse program of engineering at most strong engineering colleges by majoring in the equivalent of Mudd’s BS Engineering, often called Engineering Science or General Engineering. The program can be more diverse at a traditional engineering college because there are so many more disciplines and classes available in engineering.</p>
<p>Where Mudd would be different is in the non-engineering coursework required.</p>
<p>The following comment was made about Mudd a few years ago by a poster who attended another well-regarded school:<br>
“I know at Mudd, they literally teach you <em>all</em> of engineering (I was a huge skeptic before my [sibling] got [their] engineering degree at Mudd)… and then you focus on one area more than the others when you get towards your senior year.”</p>
<p>Folks: on page two, OP clarified that she is not actually interested in an engineering program. It is a good science program with close advising so she can pursue post-grad (i presume) study in that area. </p>
<p>OP: I’d like to add Skidmore and Bard to your list. In wonderful regions for outdoor activity, fit your desired profile (by and large) and bonus: both offer merit aid for students who plan to study science.</p>
<p>In terms of the school selectiveness: for the schools you’re interested in (and which people are suggesting) you might want to try to get your Math SAT score up, and your success will also depend on what level of accomplishment in your EC’s you’ve been able to achieve, and also where your GPA puts you in terms of class rank – even if your school doesn’t rank, it should have a profile that helps you see where you fit in. </p>