Top LACs with Top Notch Chem Programs

<p>Can anyone list some? I'm doing some research and am having a little bit of trouble.</p>

<p>Harvey Mudd, Reed, Carleton, Bowdoin, Grinnell, Haverford, Franklin and Marshall, College of Wooster, Bryn Mawr, Allegheny, Knox, Occidental, Bates, Juniata, Kalamazoo, Williams, Swarthmore, Oberlin, Holy Cross, St. Olaf, Hendrix, Hope, Davidson, Ursinus, Kenyon, Macalester, Centre, Wellesley, Wheaton, Trinity U, Lawrence U, Colgate, Drew, Beloit, Lake Forest, Rose-Hulman, Albion, Amherst, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Mount Holyoke, U Puget Sound, and Wabash</p>

<p>That's a start. Thanks. Can anyone give me some more specific information about some of the programs in the above schools? Like, strengths, weaknesses, etc. I'm especially interested in Amherst.</p>

<p>Bump...this forum moves so quickly.</p>

<p>Bowdoin,Tufts,and Holy Cross. Tufts is not a LAC.</p>

<p>connecticut college produces very impressive chem alumni. here is a sample of some recent alums: <a href="http://www.conncoll.edu/academics/departments/chemistry/alumni.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.conncoll.edu/academics/departments/chemistry/alumni.html&lt;/a> (they havent updated for last year, so add 1 more yale phd and 1 uc san fran phd)</p>

<p>there are tons of opportunities for student research and it encouraged <a href="http://www.conncoll.edu/academics/departments/chemistry/research.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.conncoll.edu/academics/departments/chemistry/research.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Page 40 shows a list of how many chemistry PhDs were produced by LACs over the most recently measured period. It looks like Amherst sends someone to get PhD in chem about once every two years, while the top school on the list, Carleton sends about nine a year.</p>

<p><a href="http://server1.fandm.edu/departments/CollegeRelations/BacOrigins/BacOrg98.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://server1.fandm.edu/departments/CollegeRelations/BacOrigins/BacOrg98.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>If you consider the size of the school, a higher percentage of graduates puts Harvey Mudd, Reed and Wabash ahead of Carleton (using the same document).</p>

<p>I don't doubt it, although I would have guessed that Carleton and Reed were around the same size and had never even heard of Harvey Mudd until this site. However, I am surprised that the Amherst number is so low.</p>

<p>Carleton has about 50% more total students than Reed, a difference of 676 students, using the Oct. 2005 CDS for both. The number of chemistry graduates for all schools would provide a better comparison, were it available.</p>

<p>check out the following for reaches, matches, safeties</p>

<p>school, SAT 75th percentile, total graduates, chem graduates, proportion of chem graduates</p>

<p>Albion College 1220 341 25 0.073
Kalamazoo College 1380 271 16 0.059
Harvey Mudd College 1560 155 9 0.058
Millsaps College 1290 276 16 0.058
Wabash College 1310 163 9 0.055
Willamette University 1340 447 24 0.054
St. Olaf College 1340 689 36 0.052
Centre College 1340 230 12 0.052
Colby College 1430 484 23 0.048
MacAlester College 1450 460 21 0.046
Wells College 1230 88 4 0.045
Grinnell College 1490 319 14 0.044
Bryn Mawr College 1410 320 14 0.044
Williams College 1520 504 22 0.044
The College of Wooster 1330 413 18 0.044
Haverford College 1460 278 12 0.043
Hobart William Smith Colleges 1270 425 18 0.042
Ursinus College 1320 324 13 0.040
Carleton College 1480 500 20 0.040
Hendrix College 1340 202 8 0.040
Allegheny College 1300 381 15 0.039
Hope College 1260 652 24 0.037
Virginia Military Institute 1230 299 11 0.037
Amherst College 1550 409 15 0.037
Hamilton College 1420 423 15 0.035
Pomona College 1530 368 13 0.035
Southwestern University 1360 264 9 0.034
Sweet Briar College 1255 126 4 0.032
Randolph-Macon College 1210 196 6 0.031
Reed College 1460 298 9 0.030
Illinois Wesleyan University 1380 473 14 0.030</p>

<p>So, if you extrapolate this out for 10 years and assume the schools maintained a constant size, it's saying only 2.7% (4/150) of Amherst chem majors go onto a PhD in chem, but that 59% (53/90) of Reed chem majors and 44% (88/200) of Carleton chem majors go onto a PhD in chem. That is an unbelievable difference for three fairly similar academically regarded schools. I wonder why that would be? Do you have the numbers for Wesleyan, Colgate, Oberlin, which are three other LACs I've thought of as having good chem programs?</p>

<p>gellino-
check the thread:
national Liberal Arts Colleges - proportion of chemistry graduates</p>

<p>From 1991-95, 23 Reed graduates obtained PhD’s in chemistry, or 4.6 per year. Reed chemistry graduates per year:</p>

<p>2002 8
2003 6
2004 6
2005 9
2006 11</p>

<p>The BA and PhD years are horribly disparate, but ignoring that gives a 57% average PhD rate, believably close to 59% (53/90).</p>

<p>Some feel that Reed's future PhD rates are high because of the master's level thesis required of all seniors, which gives them an edge in graduate school admission and performance. I think this is part of the explanation, at least.</p>

<p>collegehelp,</p>

<p>Your mailbox was full. I was wondering if you could help settle a debate for me by telling me SATs and acceptance rates for Dartmouth, Cornell, Colgate, Hamilton, Middlebury, Tufts, Bowdoin, Colby, Bates, W&L, Bucknell, Wesleyan, Trinity, JHU, Georgetown preferably for as close to 1989 as possible, but otherwise from that 1993 USNWR you cited. Much appreciated.</p>

<p>Is it an edge in admission or desire for admission accounting for Reed students' very high %s? I would think a lot more than 2.7% of Amherst chem majors could go onto a PhD if they wanted to, but clearly they are not.</p>

<p>On the one hand, I do suspect that there's some self-fulfilling prophecy involved: High school seniors know that Reed produces future PhD's at a high rate, so those who want a PhD tend to choose Reed.</p>

<p>On the other hand, I wonder how many high school seniors are thinking that far ahead.</p>

<p>I even think there's some peer pressure involved. "So many of my friends are planning to get a Phd, so why don't I?"</p>

<p>Maybe Reed's unofficial motto "Atheism, Communism, and Free Love" shows a disdain for money, often leading to a PhD. :)</p>