<p>What are some great undergraduate focused science schools?
My academics probably put me in contention at most schools.</p>
<p>I've been looking around and I've found that these school probably
fit me better rather than large research universities.</p>
<p>I've actually been very interested in Swat, Grinnell and Rice.</p>
<p>What are some other schools (doesn't have to be well known)
that I should look into?</p>
<p>Pomona College and Harvey Mudd.</p>
<p>Pomona is strong in bio, environmental and neuroscience. Mudd is fantastic for computer science.</p>
<p>excellent list so far</p>
<p>Swarthmore
Grinnell
Rice
Pomona
Harvey Mudd</p>
<p>look up a few more here:</p>
<p>[REED</a> COLLEGE PHD PRODUCTIVITY](<a href=“http://web.reed.edu/ir/phd.html]REED”>Doctoral Degree Productivity - Institutional Research - Reed College)</p>
<p>I would add</p>
<p>Reed
Carleton
Haverford
Williams
Princeton</p>
<p>Phillay, you should look at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. It’s the first degree granting technical school in the U.S… It’s more undergraduate focused than say MIT or Georgia Tech or Cal Berkeley. </p>
<p>It’s a smaller school with about 5000 UG and about 2000 Grad students.</p>
<p>[About</a> Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)](<a href=“http://rpi.edu/about/index.html]About”>About :: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI))</p>
<p>thanks for the suggestions!</p>
<p>@rico2- Rather than the RPI or MIT type schools, I was looking
at schools that have a broad curriculum but are especially
strong in the physical sciences/math.</p>
<p>I was also considering Haverford but is it too small
for it to compete with the larger schools listed?
I would imagine that grads from there would have a tough time
getting into grad school or getting a job because no one really
knows about.</p>
<p>phillay, regarding you comment on Haverford, did you not review the link that I provided above which completely disproves your concern about Harverford not getting into grad school?</p>
<p>Oberlin:
[Inspired</a> by Teaching / Oberlin Alumni Magazine / Spring 2010](<a href=“http://oberlin.edu/alummag/spring2010/features/presletter.html]Inspired”>http://oberlin.edu/alummag/spring2010/features/presletter.html)
[A</a> Scientific Culture / Oberlin Alumni Magazine / Winter 2009-10](<a href=“http://oberlin.edu/alummag/spring2010/features/scientific.html]A”>http://oberlin.edu/alummag/spring2010/features/scientific.html)</p>
<p>On the website of the American Institute of Physics, see the report, “Does it matter where I go to college?”. It’s a comparison of the undergrad experience at large and small physics depts.
[Undergraduate</a> Education - American Institute of Physics](<a href=“http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/undergradtrends.html]Undergraduate”>http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/undergradtrends.html)</p>
<p>Integrated Science Program at Northwestern.
[Integrated</a> Science Department](<a href=“http://www.isp.northwestern.edu/]Integrated”>http://www.isp.northwestern.edu/)
This past year, the program produced three Goldwater winners.</p>
<p>Holy Cross has strong reputation in sciences and just completed $70 million science addition. Among its alumni is a Nobel Prize winner in Medicine. HC is need blind for financial aid and nice campus 1 hour from Boston. F&M in Penn. is another good science school.</p>
<p>Rice, Duke, and WashU.</p>
<p>from #8 above:</p>
<p>[Physics</a> PhD Students - Types of Financial Support - Figure 5](<a href=“http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/highlite/bachplus5c/figure5.htm]Physics”>http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/highlite/bachplus5c/figure5.htm)</p>
<p>correct me if I am wrong, but according this survey, students that had higher student/facuty ratios in the Physics department were, in general, happier with their physics undergraduate education. This goes against what would be rational.</p>
<p>Agree with most of the above. Among small schools my top 10 would probably be:</p>
<p>Carleton
Grinnell
Haverford
Oberlin
Pomona
Reed
Rice
Swarthmore
Wesleyan
Williams</p>
<p>Harvey Mudd, CalTech</p>
<p>John Adams and 1190 have given you a great list.</p>
<p>Haverford is not too small if being part of a three school consortium with Swarthmore and Bryn Mawr (so you can take classes at these two schools and participate in their social activities) meets your needs.</p>
<p>“I was also considering Haverford but is it too small for it to compete with the larger schools listed? I would imagine that grads from there would have a tough time
getting into grad school or getting a job because no one really knows about.”</p>
<p>1) The Churchill Scholarship funds post-grad education at Cambridge in math, physics and the natural sciences. It ranks at the top in terms of scholarship prestige for study in the sciences. In the last 3 years, a Haverford grad has won it in 2008 and 2010, both times being the only LAC representative among other winners who were from large research universities. [Winston</a> Churchill Foundation](<a href=“http://winstonchurchillfoundation.org/index.php?hide=1§ion=Scholars&type=php]Winston”>http://winstonchurchillfoundation.org/index.php?hide=1§ion=Scholars&type=php)</p>
<p>2) Haverford is #1 among LACs in terms of absolute funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Given that it’s smaller than the others, that’s really a commentary on the strength of its sciences. [HHMI:</a> Science Education Grants for Institutions](<a href=“http://www.hhmi.org/grants/institutions/]HHMI:”>Inclusive Learning Group | HHMI)</p>
<p>Howard Hughes Medical Institute Grants to LACs 1988 - 2009. </p>
<p>Haverford…7,250,000
Swarthmore…6,571,000
Wellesley…6,400,000
Carleton…5,512,000
Bryn Mawr…4,800,000
Wesleyan…4,790,000
Williams…4,760,500
Grinnell…4,312,009
Amherst…4,300,000
Pomona…4,007,000
Bowdoin…3,250,000
Middlebury…1,050,000</p>
<p>3) Regarding whether grad schools are familiar with Haverford grads, heres a grad who is in the MD/PhD program at UCSF Med School (which is as selective or more that HMS) who won the Hertz foundation award. [UCSF:</a> Synapse: Current Issue](<a href=“http://synapse.ucsf.edu/articles/2010/May/6/grant.html]UCSF:”>http://synapse.ucsf.edu/articles/2010/May/6/grant.html)</p>
<p>UCSF Grad Student Wins Big Grant</p>
<p>By Sachi Jain
Staff Writer
Melanie H. Smith, a UCSF MD/PhD student in the Biophysics Graduate Program, is one of fifteen recipients of the prestigious Hertz Foundation Award this year. Valued at over $250,000, the fellowship is the nations most generous award for young leaders and innovators pursuing graduate studies in the fields of applied science and engineering. </p>
<p>When did you first become interested in science?
I had an amazing biology teacher in high school. He was a very animated person, and he had a wealth of knowledge. Two friends and I TAd for him, and one time we somehow convinced him to buy us a gel electrophoresis kit to run experiments. He would also bring in animals for us to dissect, some of which Im sure were roadkill. </p>
<p>What kind of research experience did you have prior to winning the Hertz Fellowship?
I went into my undergraduate program at Haverford College thinking that I would study biology, since the school is known for its molecular biology department. But after taking more chemistry classes, I became interested in biochemistry specifically, protein chemistry and started a protein aggregation project. Towards my senior year, I realized that many of the scientific questions I wanted to answer were better tackled through biophysics rather than molecular biology. After college, I followed my interest in biophysics with a year-long research project using protein NMR in Sweden, funded by a Fullbright scholarship… </p>
<p>4) Regarding strength in the sciences, you should consider location of the college. Especially for LACs that have limited # of professors, location allows visiting scientists, acadmeics and physicians to bring additional perspectives to students and can provide examples of real life applications to one’s studies. You should look at the roster of guest lecturers that visit a LAC as that is an important resource to consider as well.</p>