What Colleges would be good for me?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I am looking for recommendations of colleges to check out. I am probably going to major in either applied math or engineering, so whatever college I go to needs to be strong in both, although I don't care if the college has an actual applied math major, as long as they have a strong program withing the normal math major.</p>

<p>I am a good student: 4.00 unweighted GPA, rigorous coursework, IB Program and AP courses, most likely national merit finalist/scholar (224 on PSAT), 35 ACT (8 essay), 2200 SAT, 800 Math II, 800 Physics, 750 Spanish</p>

<p>I have pretty good, but not great extra-curriculars, including captain of the math team and math tutoring</p>

<p>The two colleges that I am most interested at the moment are Brown and Northwestern, but I need colleges that are more realistic, in terms of admissions and money (I am in that lucky category where my parents make too much to get (significant) financial aid and not enough to really be able to afford $50,000/year)</p>

<p>Other colleges that I'm looking at include:
U of Minnesota (safety-too close to home)
UW-Madison (safety)
WashU
Tufts
Case Western
Carnegie Mellon
Stanford</p>

<p>I think I prefer mid-size colleges, but size isn't super important. I would prefer to be closer (but not too close) to home (Minneapolis) but I've come to accept that it probably won't be possible because most of the good schools are on the coasts. I don't really want to go to a "tech" school, but it might happen anyway. What I'm really looking for is a good school, with a good, community environment where the majority of people are smart, but not geniuses. Also, schools that might give me merit-aid would be really helpful.</p>

<p>What other colleges should I be considering? Thanks for the help</p>

2

<p>[NRC</a> Rankings in Mathematics](<a href=“http://www.stat.tamu.edu/~jnewton/nrc_rankings/area31.html]NRC”>http://www.stat.tamu.edu/~jnewton/nrc_rankings/area31.html)</p>

<p>Lucky you. Your safeties have better math programs than most of your matches.</p>

3

<p>^ Or did, nearly two decades ago.</p>

4

<p>[Rankings</a> - Math - Graduate Schools - Education - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-mathematics-programs/rankings]Rankings”>http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-mathematics-programs/rankings)</p>

<p>And still do, despite the crying of WUSTL fanboys.</p>

5

<p>Carelton in Minn. is a terrific top 10 LAC with very strong math and science programs.
Also, you should strongly consider applying to the U.Southern Calif , which has a very strong engineering program, great science and humanities Honors programs, and you will receive an automatic 1/2 tuition scholarship as a NMF. You also have a good chance of winning their full tuition Trustee scholarship. There are a lot of really smart students at USC, and more NMF’s there than at Yale , Princeton, Chicago and Wash U- take a look at these NMF stats from 2007 as reported by the NMS corp.</p>

<p>2007 FRESHMAN MERIT SCHOLARS</p>

<p>2007 scholars</p>

<p>Total</p>

<p>Sponsored by college</p>

<p>2006 total

  1. Harvard U.</p>

<p>285</p>

<p>0</p>

<p>294
2. U. of Texas at Austin</p>

<p>283</p>

<p>232</p>

<p>250
3. Northwestern U.</p>

<p>249</p>

<p>186</p>

<p>198
4. U. of Southern California</p>

<p>231</p>

<p>195</p>

<p>206
5. Washington U. in St. Louis</p>

<p>204</p>

<p>154</p>

<p>241
6. U. of Chicago</p>

<p>196</p>

<p>156</p>

<p>196
7. Yale U.</p>

<p>183</p>

<p>0</p>

<p>186
8. Princeton U.</p>

<p>179</p>

<p>0</p>

<p>153
9. U. of Oklahoma</p>

<p>175</p>

<p>137</p>

<p>140
10. Texas A&M U. at College Station</p>

<p>173</p>

<p>134</p>

<p>134
11. Vanderbilt U.</p>

<p>172</p>

<p>116</p>

<p>134
12. U. of Florida</p>

<p>168</p>

<p>132</p>

<p>257
13. U. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill</p>

<p>166</p>

<p>127</p>

<p>144
14. Stanford U.</p>

<p>164</p>

<p>0</p>

<p>153
15. New York U.</p>

<p>159</p>

<p>137</p>

<p>145
15. Rice U.</p>

<p>159</p>

<p>95</p>

<p>140
17. Arizona State U.</p>

<p>150</p>

<p>127</p>

<p>189
18. Massachusetts Institute of Technology</p>

<p>138</p>

<p>0</p>

<p>135
19. Ohio State U.</p>

<p>118</p>

<p>93</p>

<p>115
20. U. of Pennsylvania</p>

<p>115</p>

<p>0</p>

<p>100</p>

6

<p>mngirl,
Well, for starters, your local state flagship is terrific in engineering and applied math and costs a pittance. I don’t think you should seriously consider any school that’s weaker in those areas than UMN, which rules out most of them. That would rule out most of the schools on your list, with notable exceptions standing in their way. With your credentials, I’d say it’s the usual suspects: MIT, Caltech, Stanford, Cornell, CMU. Just don’t forget the next generation, who are working with You</p>

7

<p>To the OP (mngirl):</p>

<p>Definitely consider Rice University in Houston, TX in your college search. Sure, it is far away from home, but that should not deter you from applying here and considering it. When I was at your stage, I was looking at the same schools: Stanford, WashU, Northwestern, Case, along with many others. However, I found Rice University to be a hidden gem among all of them.</p>

<p>“I am probably going to major in either applied math or engineering, so whatever college I go to needs to be strong in both”</p>

<p>First off, Rice offers a strong program in mathematics. They do offer a B.A. in Computational and Applied Mathematics, which appears to be exactly what you are looking for. Check out this website: [Department</a> of Computational and Applied Mathematics](<a href=“http://www.caam.rice.edu/undergrad_program.html]Department”>http://www.caam.rice.edu/undergrad_program.html). Although rankings don’t give a full picture of an academic program, Rice’s graduate mathematics department is ranked 28th in the nation, above CMU. Here’s a link to the ranking: [Rankings</a> - Math - Graduate Schools - Education - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-mathematics-programs/rankings/page+2]Rankings”>http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-mathematics-programs/rankings/page+2) . Keep in mind that Rice is an UNDERGRADUATE FOCUSED university, which could explain why its graduate math department is not ranked higher.</p>

<p>Secondly, Rice is very strong in all engineering disciplines, especially if you are considering bioengineering. Rice’s graduate bioengineering department is ranked 7th in the nation, tied with UPenn and ahead of WashU and Stanford. Plus, we have the world’s largest medical center next door (probably 5-10 min walk from campus) and a new bioengineering research facility where Rice professors and students collaborate with physicians at the Texas Medical Center. Here’s a link to Rice’s engineering school website: <a href=“http://engineering.rice.edu/content.aspx?id=1154[/url]”>http://engineering.rice.edu/content.aspx?id=1154&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>“I need colleges that are more realistic, in terms of admissions and money. Also, schools that might give me merit-aid would be really helpful.”</p>

<p>Yep, Rice University definitely falls in this category. First of all, it is not impossible to get into Rice: it’s acceptance rate this past year was about 23%. Rice LOVES out-of-state students, so living in MN will give you a slight advantage in the admissions process.</p>

<p>Additionally, Rice is more affordable than its peer private universities. In fact, in 2007, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine ranked Rice University the #1 best value private university. It’s “best value” education has also been recognized by Princeton Review, USNWR, and Fiske’s Guide to Colleges. Tuition/Room and board/Fees is about $7000 less at Rice than at schools such as WashU, Case, Carnegie, etc, and that is before financial aid/merit scholarships. Check out the costs on this website: [Financial</a> Aid at Rice University](<a href=“http://financialaid.rice.edu/main.aspx?id=46]Financial”>http://financialaid.rice.edu/main.aspx?id=46). At a school like WashU, the full cost is about $51-52k/year before financial aid.</p>

<p>Rice is also very generous with merit-aid. This year, Rice awarded merit aid to 30% of its incoming freshmen (freshman class size is about 915, so do the math)… very few, if any, of the nation’s top 20 universities offer this many merit scholarships. Because of merit scholarships alone, Rice University is only about $5-8k more/year for me than my flagship state university, Ohio State. The admissions committee automatically considers your for the merit-based scholarships; there are no separate applications necessary. Keep in mind these are still difficult to get, but not as difficult as scholarships at WashU, Northwestern, CMU, etc. Here is a link to some of the merit scholarships awarded: [Financial</a> Aid at Rice University](<a href=“http://financialaid.rice.edu/main.aspx?id=62]Financial”>http://financialaid.rice.edu/main.aspx?id=62).</p>

<p>Finally, to address your other preferences, Rice University is considered to be a small mid-size research university. It enrolls about 3,200 undergrads, although plans are in place to increase enrollment to about 4,200 undergrads. This means smaller class sizes and closer relationships to professors, which are good when you need recs for graduate school. On a side note, 70 percent of the undergrads going to grad school from Rice get into their first choice grad program. The median class size is 15, and the student-to-faculty ration is about 5 to 1 (although it may now be 6 to 1 ). Additionally, Rice is known for its balanced “work hard, play hard environment.” The atmosphere here is very tight-knit, friendly and collaborative-- not cutthroat like some other East Coast schools. Plus, from what Rice students have told me, the Residential College System (i.e. like Hogwarts without the magic and Quidditch) makes the experience at Rice unique and unmatched. Because of this residential college system, Princeton Review ranked Rice #2 in quality of life in its 2009 edition of Best Colleges, behind WashU. Check it out: [Rice</a> University | Residential Colleges](<a href=“http://students.rice.edu/students/Colleges.asp]Rice”>http://students.rice.edu/students/Colleges.asp)</p>

<p>In case you are wondering, I turned down Duke, Emory, Northwestern, Pomona, and WashU for Rice… shows how much I think it is a good school!</p>

<p>Although I am only an incoming freshman, I have already visited campus and gotten to know several Rice students very well, and they can all back up what I said. However, any Rice parent or current student will provide a better perspective since they have experienced life at Rice. Feel free to post on the Rice University board if you want their perspectives. If you have any questions about the application process or any general questions about the school, feel free to PM me.</p>

<p>Besides Rice, I think you should look at: Yale, CalTech, Columbia, Cornell, and Duke. Unfortunately, I do not know enough about these schools to give you a well-developed argument like I did for Rice, but they also seem to be good fits for you. In my opinion, Rice is on the same level academically as all these schools although many of the prestige-obsessed CCers will disagree with me.</p>

<p>To everyone else- I have been accused of spreading “Rice propaganda” by CC posters. I am not spreading propaganda about Rice; I’m merely informing her about a potentially good fit for her-- I feel Rice meets all her criteria, and I have supported almost all of my claims.</p>

8

<p>Rice sounds like a good school, but I forgot to mention that I hate hot weather.</p>

9

<p>so based on all your criteria, you should definitely add Carleton to you list as a match.</p>

10

<p>Your biggest issue is to figure out the money. If you’ve done the calculators and you know you won’t get aid, why are you even applying to $50K colleges if your parent’s won’t pay this?</p>

<p>There are no miracles at need based aid schools. If you don’t qualify, you won’t get aid.</p>

11

<p>Rice students and native Houstonians tell me that it is only hot 3 months while you are there- August, September, and late April/early May. The rest of the year it is really nice, usually 50s/60s… I don’t consider that hot.</p>

<p>It is up to you where to apply, but a factor such as weather should not deter you from applying to a school, especially a school such as Rice or Duke. Once you get all your letters in, you can use weather to eliminate some schools, but in my opinion, it should not be a ruling out factor for where to apply. I HATE cold weather, but I still applied to schools such as Northwestern, WashU, Ohio State, Case, Brown, and Harvard, which are all in cold areas.</p>

<p>Just something to keep in mind.</p>

12

<p>hmom5 has a good point. Wishes and dreams don’t move FA mountains and make the impossible possible. Be realistic and apply to some financial safeties that you would be happy to go to.
you may want to look up curmudgeons posts from 2005-2006. His D was a top student like you, and they were caught in that middle class too-rich-yet-too-poor vice grip.They were actively hunting for very good colleges with great science programs, bright students and opportunities for merit aid to entice the best students. She was accepted at Yale, but ended up happily matriculating at Rhodes college on a full ride scholarship plus additional funding for internships, with the goal of going on to med school. She has worked hard and done incredibly well there and hasn’t looked back.</p>

13

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</p>

<p>Haha. I didn’t even mention WUSTL in my post. Obviously the school isn’t known for its graduate math department, though I suppose we could always game those rankings if we so desired. I was just pointing out the fact that the link you provided is relatively old; the USNWR list is much more recent and, had you posted that initially, I wouldn’t have commented.</p>

14

<p>Yeah, the NRC page loads quicker and the rankings aren’t too different from the modern ones. No offense, I hope?</p>

15

<p>For the people who keep suggesting Carleton, I know it is a good school, right distance from home, etc. It doesn’t have any engineering, though.</p>

16

<p>nrc and the usnwr are graduate rankings. irrelevant.</p>

17

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</p>

<p>A common CC fallacy. USNWR grad program rankings, and especially NRC rankings, are reasonable (albeit imprecise) measures of the strength of the faculty in a particular academic field. That is not “irrelevant” to anyone who cares about the quality of the education s/he will be getting at the institution in question. It’s not the only factor, to be sure; one should also worry about class size, s/f ratio, accessibility of the faculty, and so on. But all these so-called “objective” factors can’t make up for the fact that some faculty are the true leaders and innovators in their fields, and some are back-benchers and second-stringers. Harvard is Harvard, Yale is Yale, and Princeton is Princeton, not because they attract the best students; they attract the best students precisely because they attract and retain the best faculties. This is common knowledge in academia. Some on CC refuse to accept it, much to their detriment and to the detriment of those gullible souls who follow their misguided advise. (And I’m not blaming you, eatsalot; you’re just following the CC crowd).</p>

18

<p>OP, most responders were viewing your first choice as math since you listed it first. If engineering is where you want to head then you would probably be better off at a large U since most LACs do not have engineering (though there are some that do). With your scores you should be eligible for some good scholarships from places like Ohio State which has a very good but not great engineering program. Case Western might also be an option but it’s right in the heart of Cleveland so you need to like city life.</p>