My daughter is just starting her college search and saw that Smith offered physics and astronomy- her areas of interest. Anyone have any thoughts on those programs? We are trying to figure out which direction is best. A liberal arts school, technical school like WPI, RPI, etc. or a medium/large research university.
It’s a hidden gem. But so are the physics departments at many other liberal arts programs. If you are looking at Smith for physics and astronomy, I suggest you also consider Mount Holyoke, Bryn Mawr, Kenyon, Carleton, and Colby.
Also, I think the following two articles are required reading for parents with daughters who are thinking of pursuing physics:
- Science at Liberal Arts Colleges: A Better Education? by Thomas R. Cech
https://www.grinnell.edu/sites/default/files/documents/cech_article_0.pdf
- "Mentoring the Whole Life of a Physics Major: From Recruiting and Introductory Classes to Research and Careers" by Neil Abraham https://www.aapt.org/Conferences/upload/UndergraduateEducationinPhysics_97-Conf-Summary.pdf
These articles are both dated but they make excellent points that are still true today, imho.
Yes, I was also going to mention Carleton. They have excellent grad school placement results, too, which is important in those majors. You can’t do much with just a BS.
My D2 is a physics PhD student, although not in the Astro area — but PM me if you want to chat more. 
Thanks everyone! I will read those articles. My daughter would like to stay within a reasonable driving distance from home (Western Ma) and we will be needing merit as we don’t qualify for financial aid. smith and Mt. Holyoke are closer than she would like, but we are definitely going to check them out. Looked at WPI today and it was a no.
I’ve heard really good things about WPI (better than RPI) Curious why a no at WPI. WPI’s relatively new President is a top Space Scientist.
@CollegeGrad79 My daughter didn’t like their 2 biggest features which are semesters (7week semesters) and the project based learning. They also told us on our tour that because of the projects there wasn’t much opportunity for research. So, she just didn’t feel it was a fit for her, but we know someone there who loves it and I’m sure it’s a great fit for many.
@travelfamily I understand. A lot of liberal arts colleges get 1st & 2nd year students involved with research, as they have no grad students and they are focused on getting students into graduate programs.
@travelfamily I know quite a few kids who participate in undergraduate research at WPI. WPI has substantially ramped up its research funding over the last few years. Having said that, opportunities are still somewhat limited compared to large universities. And yes- the 7-week term isn’t for everyone.