<p>Looking for a small midwest school that provides options for female student strong in math/science. I don't know exactly what I want to major in...maybe architecture, some type of engineering or something in health care like physical therapy, pharmacy or even medicine. Just not sure yet! Don't want to be too far from home... probably no more than 5 hrs from Twin Cities. Have 3.96 GPA, take all AP and Honors, no ACT or SAT yet, top 10% of class, several varsity sports and lots of community service. Any suggestions on where to start looking? Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>Macalester. </p>
<p>Or Carleton. Although I'm assuming you've already looked into them since you're from Minnesota? Other than those two I'm not so sure</p>
<p>Yes, have been talking with both the academic and sports coaches at those schools. Also looking at preprofessional programs that tie to Wash U (St. Louis) at some of the smaller Iowa schools. Just don't know anyone who has done that. Have also talked with Emory but that is too far for me.</p>
<p>Beloit and Grinnell are also excellent small schools with good programs.</p>
<p>Beloit, Kalamazoo, and Lawrence. I believe they all have pre professional programs that tie into WUSL.</p>
<p>Grinnell is amazing. And it's far enough from home, but not too far. </p>
<p>Also look at Case Western. It's one of the top small schools for math and science in the midwest. It's pretty impressive nation-wide, actually.</p>
<p>Have you looked at St. Oalf? Not the fanciest but a good all around school. </p>
<p>If you know what Math League is, the (now retired, there is a new guy this year) professor who did the packets taught math at Macalester.</p>
<p>Carleton or Grinnell (I perfered this one) are both good bets.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! I have been looking at all of these except for the Wisconsin schools and Case Western....just because of distance. I am also looking at Augustana as they seem to have many of the options I'm interested in. Does anyone know much about the pre professional programs?</p>
<p>NM, Kenyon is a great liberal arts college in Ohio. Good science, good art, good sports. Ohio may be beyond your geographic range, but there are several other LACs in Ohio that you should take a look at -- Dennison, Oberlin, Wooster.</p>
<p>If distance is really the big thing here, I'd definitely suggest going to one of the Iowa schools. Iowa is probably as close as you can geographically get, but still provides the benefit of being able to move out of state and try something new. </p>
<p>Again, Grinnell is tops, but also look at Coe, Cornell College, Drake, etc.</p>
<p>Augustana?? I can't say I ever toured it... but I haven't heard that good of things about it..... although apparently they have a good physician's assistant program or something.</p>
<p>Oberlin, if you like quirky, intellectual and liberal kids.</p>
<p>Having such a wide variety of interests makes it impossible to satisfy all your criteria. Programs in physical therapy and pharmacy are offered at a limited number of schools, most of which are large and state-sponsored, although there are exceptions.</p>
<p>In addition, you aren't likely to find engineering or architecture programs at a small school. Starting at a smaller school and transferring is possible, whether it's a program like Wash U's or a regular transfer. However, this sort of plan puts a lot of pressure on the student, who must adapt to a new school just as she is going into the hardest courses of her school career. Be sure to talk things over thoroughly with an advisor and program veterans before deciding on this type of experience.</p>
<p>If you're a sophomore, you still have a year to explore your options. If you're a junior, you need to use the next six months to focus on what school and major would suit you best. Look into career counseling and job-shadowing. Talk to professional women about their job flexibility, something pharmacy and PT offer, engineering and architecture less so.</p>
<p>Do you mean the Augustana in SD or the Augustana in Rock Island, IL? The one in Illinois is very nice and supposedly has a very good graduate school placement record.</p>
<p>whoa, I just realized what I did. For some reason I confused Augsburg with Augustana. Augsburg is a small school near me. I have nothing against Augustana other than a couple of my high school friends have transferred away from the SD one.</p>
<p>"I am also looking at Augustana as they seem to have many of the options I'm interested in."</p>
<p>My graduate school roommate went to Augustana and had a great experience there. IMHO, it's a little more...I want to say culturally conventional than places like Grinnell and Macalester, which have a bit more of a crunchy-intellectual vibe. They have a huge emphasis on study abroad.</p>
<p>Good things to think about Midwesterner! I am very intriqued by the dual degree programs available through some of the small Iowa schools. There are 4-2, 3-2, and 3-3 options available for engineering and transfers to IOwa State, U of MN and Wash U.</p>
<p>Most of the small MN schools are close and have tons of kids from my very large HS. I had hoped to find someplace with not so many familiar faces but still close enough for my family to attend my games. St. Olaf and Carleton are strong contenders at the moment but just not sure. Have been contacted by Emory Univ but Georgia is just too far for me even though it's a wonderful school. I have a family member who teaches at Grinnell but I'm concerned about the size of the town...really small. My dream school would be a small private surrounded by a medium sized city.</p>
<p>Lawrence U is a small private in a medium sized city (or, perhaps, metro area) within 5 hours of the Twin Cities and matches many of the criteria you mention. Strong science programs, too.</p>
<p>Not sure how small you're looking for, but Creighton is only about 4000 undergrads and very strong in math/science (congruent with its reputation for turning out pre-meds).</p>
<p>St. Olaf...very good math.</p>
<p>And Gatsby went there!</p>