<p>Hello, I'm looking at the Liberal Arts colleges as possible destinations for my Study Abroad year. I currently study Mathematics at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland and am looking at some of the liberal arts colleges in the US. The ones which have interested me are Rhodes College, Haverford College and St Olaf College.</p>
<p>Haverford seems to be the most prestigious of the three and is in quite an attractive location next to Philadelphia.</p>
<p>St Olaf College seems to pride itself in its reputation in mathematics and seems to offer quite an attractive course. But I don't think it's as prestigious as Haverford or Rhodes, and it's located quite far up North in Minnesota.</p>
<p>Rhodes College struck me as having the most beautiful campus of the three. And I'm always a sucker to a bit of architectural eye candy. The location also seems quite nice, next to the city of Memphis in a fairly warm and humid environment. It seems to be quite prestigious, but I'm not sure of it's reputation in mathematics as it seems to perhaps specialise in other fields.</p>
<p>I'd appreciate any sort of help or advice. Thank you.</p>
<p>If you’re only going to be in the U.S. for a year, I would focus more on the available courses and study the course catalogs of each school. St. Olaf is larger than the other two and, while I haven’t studied the course catalog, does have a good reputation in mathematics and probably has more courses to choose from. It also has a interesting 4-1-4 calendar under which you take only one course during the month of January.</p>
<p>It’s true, Minnesota has cold and snowy winters, but many Minnesotans actually enjoy the climate and do outdoor activities all year round. Also the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul are less than an hour away and are just as attractive as Memphis and Philadelphia, in my opinion.</p>
<p>If you have further questions, I am sure you could contact the head of the math department at each of those schools and they could advise you.</p>
<p>St. Olaf is probably the most religious (Lutheran) of the three, but academically it’s doing pretty well. It has taken to turning out a surprising number of Rhodes scholars in recent years. </p>
<p>And the winters there will certainly be cold, but I wouldn’t think that would scare anyone from Scotland.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry about reputation or prestige at all. The small LACs are not well-known outside of academic circles. Within academics, I believe each of these schools are well respected.</p>
<p>My question is, why are you studying abroad?</p>
<p>If it is for academics, take John2698’s advice and review the available courses.</p>
<p>If it is for sightseeing, then I’d choose Haverford as most easily accessible to major US cities (access to Philly, NYC and DC via Philly and Boston not too far). I don’t know your age, but car rental is usually restircted to age 25 or older, so public transportation to travel destinations should be considered. If travel is in your plans, I have found google transportation maps to be a good source.</p>
<p>Because I’d like to see what it’s like studying and living in the USA, as it’s where I’d like to do my Masters as well. Plus, it would also be a very nice addition to my portofolio and CV. I’d just love to be able to say, ‘I studied in the US’.</p>
<p>I’m also the sort of person who doesn’t like staying in the same place for all of his life. Hence why I moved from London to Aberdeen for university, and it’s also why I’d like to spend a year abroad, studying in America.</p>
<p>It’s unclear why you’re choosing among these three, they’re good, but not the best LACs. I believe Haverford is seen as a significant cut above the other two though.</p>
<p>Because my options within Aberdeen’s study abroad program are somewhat limited, and I need to choose out of a list they’ve provided based on the institutions they hold agreements with.</p>
<p>In the United States, my choices are the following:</p>
<p>Clemson University
Haverford College
Rhodes College
St. Olaf College
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of New Mexico
University of Oklahoma
University of Oregon
University of Washington
University of Wisconsin, at Eau Claie, La Crosse, or Stout
Washington and Jefferson College.</p>
<p>The universities which had originally attracted me most were Illinois and Washington. But they’re very competitive to get into, and I have to put down 5 choices. So it makes sense for me to look at the Liberal Arts colleges, as there seems to be quality among them.</p>
<p>At the moment, my list would go something like Illinois, Washington, Haverford, St Olaf, Rhodes (in no particular order) thus far.</p>
<p>I’d appreciate any comments or suggestions. Thanks.</p>
<p>If you are considering a masters in the US, then I would take the opportunity to go to a Uni or a region with many schools in order to get a broader picture when deciding where to study for masters.</p>
<p>For me, this would rank WA (I love Seattle), Haverford, Ill, Rhodes and Olaf. But I am biased and couldn’t take Olaf’s winter.</p>
<p>The LACs are a love/hate for many. I really believe Haverford’s location would permit you to see various cities, however take into account it is a strong school and the work aspect would not permit travel every weekend.</p>
<p>Honestly, I think all your choices will offer a great experience for someone who doesn’t like staying in the same place.</p>
<p>I can’t think of any specific questions, other than those I’ve asked in relation to the aforementioned universities. Do you think you could ‘sell’ the university to me, as I quite like the warm weather?</p>
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<p>Illinois on average usually accepts only 4 students from Aberdeen per year for the Study Abroad scheme. And given how popular it is, it can prove to be quite competitive being one of those four or so students who manage to get in.</p>
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<p>Yes, it’s based on the footballer, and I realise the mistake in my spelling. Oh well…</p>
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<p>Is the location of Haverford the reason why you’ve ranked it above Illinois?</p>
<p>One important advantage of Haverford is its consortium relationship with 3 other strong schools (Bryn Mawr College, Swarthmore College, and the University of Pennsylvania). Be sure to check out what courses would be available to you at these schools.</p>
<p>If you go to Haverford, you will miss the quintessentially American experience of football (not soccer) games. On the other hand, Haverford is perhaps the only US college with a varsity [url=<a href=“http://www.haverford.edu/athletics/cricket/]cricket[/url”>http://www.haverford.edu/athletics/cricket/]cricket[/url</a>] team. If you are a good cricketer, Haverford might see that as a significant plus.</p>
<p>Haverford would be a terrific choice if you want top-notch academics and an eastern location. University of Washington would have weather most like Ireland and Seattle is an incredible city. Depends how much change you want from what you have now. Rhodes and St. Olaf would definitely be a change, but both schools are good.</p>
<p>I go to Carleton College, which is in the same town as St. Olaf. I can’t really confirm much about Olaf’s academics, obviously, but I do know that academically it isn’t ranked as highly as many of the other schools where you’re looking. It’s also (somewhat) religious. However, Northfield is a great town, and the people in Minnesota - and the Midwest - are amazingly friendly (I come from a grumpy East Coast town, so this was pleasantly surprising). the town is cute, you’re close to the city, and the weather isn’t too unbearable - we’ve actually had a very mild fall.</p>
<p>Alright, I admit, the last post prompted me to act! St. Olaf is a very friendly (but not cliquey) school with extremely high academic standards and a wonderful math program. They pride themselves on the percent of students who study overseas, and you would feel very welcome on campus and in the classroom. While the school is Lutheran (the vast majority of LACs have some sort of religious affiliation), many students are not and religious participation is completely optional. Relative to many schools, St. Olaf seems religious because it puts religion on the table as a subject worthy of discussion, but in a moral/spiritual/academic sense, not in a dogmatic sense. The winters in MN are not that different than the winters in Illinois, except that MN schools have connecting buildings and with a smaller, tighter campus, you will not have to be outside too long if you choose not to be. Larger campuses mean you get more face time with the elements! St. Olaf also has great food, great facilities, a fantastic indoor athletic facility, tons of activities, etc.</p>
<p>Good luck with your application and decision!</p>
<p>Haverford is by far the most academically rigorous of the schools you’re considering; better, IMO, than U Illinois or U Washington, though you could certainly do some serious math at either of those two schools. Haverford’s consortium relationship with Swarthmore, Bryn Mawr, and Penn is also a huge plus. Your academic opportunities will be greatest there, by far. </p>
<p>As for location, I personally would pick Haverford (20 minutes by train from center city Philadelphia and as little as 90 minutes from New York City) over Seattle (rain), Champaign-Urbana (cornfields), Northfield MN (cornfields and frigid winters) or Rhodes (Deep South, not my cup of tea).</p>