<p>We just returned home from a campus visit trip to Earlham College, Beloit College, Denison University, and Kenyon College. My son's favorite was Earlham. Although the campus was empty of most students (it is summer, after all), the combination of the tour, meeting some people, having an interview, and reading LOTS of online information has really given us a positive view of the place.</p>
<p>Any comments from others about the science program at Earlham? We are thinking that our son is leaning towards the Environmental science program, with a possible emphasis on environmental geology. We hear that the sciences are especially good there...</p>
<p>I have 2 kids there both majoring in biology. Earlham excels in the sciences. Both kids love the challenging classes. The professors (who all go by their first names) work right with the students and do as much to help them when needed. The classes are small and the professors know each student personally. My dd who hated high school and is rather shy is flourishing at Earlham I think mainly because she gets personal attention from all her professors especially the science ones. This spring semester she’s going to New Zealand for a biology/geology/environmental program. They don’t go to another University but have their own classes and a lot of hands on learning. For pay off the trip they live with host families and volunteer in the community. Over all it would be a great choice!</p>
<p>I meant part of not pay off</p>
<p>That sounds great! My son is high-functioning autistic, and has done well in high school, but not AP class super great – but honors level courses. I think he would do well with the smaller classes and the helpful professors – and he wants to go to grad school for sure. I think I’ve read other posts that you have written about your daughter being shy, and flourishing at Earlham – which really makes me smile. My son is a friendly soul, but hasn’t been inclined to reach out to people throughout his high school years. I would love it if Earlham is small enough to maybe promote more activity for my already friendly son. I think he just needs the right environment.</p>
<p>Any other info you can provide about Earlham would be WONDERFUL!</p>
<p>I just saw this. Sorry I’m responding so late. Not sure if you made a decision yet or he’s not already there or somewhere else. Nothing has changed at all. My daughter has blossomed there which I never thought would happen. She loves her teachers and works very hard (very little social time). Plus, she’s having the time of her life in New Zealand! Forgot to mention my son who has taken 2 years off for severe depression (should have graduated in 2012) and just returned this semester… His adviser in biology encouraged him to come back. When I ran into him in September he said he was reading his students files and ran across my sons. He kept saying that he definitely had to come back since he has such great potential. He’s back now and is doing fine and has old friends there and is making new ones. No one asks him why he took time off they just accept it… He’s also very shy and not very social. I remember his first year a friend of his had a problem with his food on his plate touching other food. No one cared or said anything. He also had his roommate do his laundry because he hated to touch dirty things. Of course there are the partiers like at any other school, but at least at Earlham there are all types of kids and very accepting. My son was also accepted at Beloit, but his deciding factor was that all they talked about there was drinking and drugs, but not at Earlham. Also, their science department is very well known in the science world that is! They do things that kids normally don’t do until graduate school. Whatever choice your son makes I hope he enjoys and excels there!!</p>
<p>I just read your post utzybuzzy … SUCH a nice post. So happy to hear about your daughter [in New Zealand!!! Yay!!!] and your son returning to Earlham. His story gives me so much hope for my son, who was accepted!!! He has made the decision to go to Earlham – it wasn’t a hard decision, because everything we hear is so positive about that school. My son applied Early Decision, just to make sure that he DID get in … and it worked!</p>
<p>Your story about how accepting everybody is at Earlham is so wonderful. I have heard the same type of thing so many times about that school, but I never get tired of hearing new stories. I keep wanting to pinch myself – feeling like my son may have found the perfect school for him. </p>
<p>My son went to a preview weekend at Earlham, stayed with a Geology student (who is currently being highlighted on the Earlham website!) and had a seriously GREAT time. He visited one of the Geology classes, along with a couple other ones, and totally loved the small classes and how interactive they were. We happened to go up to the Geology floor when he was in a class – didn’t know that’s where his class would be – and overhead him talking with the professor and the other students… and they were laughing, and being super friendly, and our shy son was interacting the way we hoped he would. It was a surreal and wonderful experience for us, and that experience definitely cemented our son’s desire to go there.</p>