<p>Maybe look at Swarthmore as well. It is not an engineering school, but they are small, have a good engineering program, and a nerdy/quirky vibe.</p>
<p>Sorry for my earlier multiple choice quiz. Bucknell just seemed like such an outlier.</p>
<p>When I think quirky tech schools, I think MIT, Olin, Mudd, Rose Hulman. Not Bucknell.<br>
CMU, Case, RPI, WPI–these I think of as super techie but maybe less quirky. </p>
<p>Bucknell is an excellent liberal arts school with a strong engineering program, but it doesn’t seem like the bread-baking quirky kind of atmosphere. A socially well-adjusted techie (my D) could have a great time there, but there would be fewer non-partying geeks (not Greeks) to chill with.</p>
<p>I have one kid at Case and one at Bucknell (both engineering), and the schools are very different. Interestingly, their undergrad programs are about the same size (~4K), but Case seems much bigger with the graduate programs and professional schools on campus. I think Bucknell provides a more nurturing atmosphere for the kid who doesn’t necessarily seek out the resources that are available.</p>
<p>(BTW, I toured Rose Hulman 33 years ago. Suspect it has changed since then!)</p>
<p>Olin is also my son’s first choice (we visited last year). He is also applying to Cornell, Lehigh, Rice, Rose Hulman, SUNY Univ. @ Buffalo, and RPI (he is an RPI medalist).</p>
<p>Thanks to all for the Case Western info. We are definitely going to take a look at it. He really needs to decide whether he is heading the physics or engineering way because if he prefers engineering we should remove Williams and Lawrence and Allegheny from his list and keep Rice, Olin, MIT, Case (maybe), and University of Rochester on it. He should probably add University of MASS/Amherst on his list as a financial safety. He just received the abigail adams scholarship which allows him to attend tuition free. (based on mcas scores). The bummer is he is a commended scholar having missed the next level by one point! I am assuming there are no scholarships for commended students!</p>
<p>I think he is going to remove bucknell from his list. Anything to limit long drives at this point. 
This is a tiring process. Fun, but tiring. </p>
<p>Thanks to everyone.</p>
<p>Shelldemeo and Susgeek - Olin is still on my son’s list of potential schools. (we did not tour) I am having trouble dealing with the whole concept of a small student body. What are your thoughts on this?</p>
<p>^^Please don’t make him decide whether he is interested in physics or engineering before he enrolls in college. It is so important to try out different classes within these two areas before making an informed choice. They attract similar types of students. If he is truly undecided make sure he enrolls in a school with strong programs in both.</p>
<p>Agree, don’t make him choose now.</p>
<p>Kajon–have you visited Olin at all? I urge you to do so, if you have the chance. Your son will get a better idea of how the size feels to him. Some people know right away that it won’t be an issue, while others worry about it all the way up to and through Candidates’ Weekend! But it does seem like the students at Olin have very little problem with it–if they want to get out of the bubble, they take classes elsewhere, study abroad, take a leave to work on a business idea, or simply get off campus a lot, which is easy.</p>
<p>Shelldemeo, the Adams Scholarship only covers a small part of the cost to attend Umass (looks like $857 per semester). Most of the cost is in the form of fees, which are not considered tuition, and are not covered by the scholarship. Still a bargain for instate compared to private tuition, especially if you’re full pay.</p>
<p><a href=“https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://umass.edu/bursar/files/full-time%2520ugrad.pdf[/url]”>https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://umass.edu/bursar/files/full-time%2520ugrad.pdf</a></p>
<p>Have an S at Williams. Feel free to PM me.</p>
<p>@Kajon</p>
<p>We visited Olin last year in October (he is a senior now). My younger S really preferred the smaller student body he saw there. I don’t want to put words in his mouth, but it seemed to me to be a lot like a family there. His older siblings all are at / were at much larger schools, but he seemed to like the smaller school.</p>
<p>Visit it, and see what you think.</p>
<p>Of course it remains to be seen if he is actually accepted this spring… but he really likes it.</p>