We are College hunting for our daughter ; Where did you go to college?

[Danmel]

We'll leave cost out of the equation for the time being (though we took her to look at two SUNY schools this week). Where did you go? Did you live on campus? What did you study? Did you like it? Why?

She is interested in the hard sciences-she is a strong student- not Ivy material but still a strong student.

I will accept all advice and info gladly!!!!

[La Lioness Priyanka]

1. NYU. lived off campus. had i to do it again i would live on campus

aside from that i loved it.

[quip]

2. Check out St. Olaf College:

http://stolaf.edu/

My wife and I are class of '83; my daughter will be '10, and my son will be '12. Very good school, my bias aside. :thumbsup:

[Iris]

7. Do they still require all students to study some sort of music?

I have a friend who is a choral singer and she was talking about St Olaf not long ago. Sounds like a great place.

[quip]

15. No, but the St. Olaf Choir is world renowned. STO does have a great music department.

St. Olaf believes very deeply in the liberal arts. Plus, the facilities are unbelievably nice now; in that sense it isn't even the same school I attended.

[KitchenWitch]

21. I spent a year at Augsburg and man, the St Olaf envy is palpable there.

[quip]

41. A partial Auggie????

:hug:

[KitchenWitch]

49. My husband is a total Auggie!

:rofl:

I am a total Gopher. Who is a Badger fan...

[quip]

52. Both Mstemeah and I are Oles, but she's also a Gopher (PhD, ABD)

Badger fan???? :yoiks:

I like your husband: MIAC 4evah! :hi: :pals:

[KitchenWitch]

53. The MIAC rawks!

Especially if you are a Tommy or a Johnny.

[quip]

57. Egad-- this year Bethel went to the DIV III semifinals! (stomping SJU on the way!)

[KitchenWitch]

59. That is notable!

I bet Gagliardi blew a cork.

[quip]

61. The cork on the bottle of formaldehyde in which he's preserved?

:rofl:

[JVS]

76. GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS 4 EVAR!

Dear outsiders, want to be part of the smack-talking between small schools with German and Scandinavian names, go to http://www.lutherancolleges.org/ and pick yourself a winner.

[KitchenWitch]

91. LOL

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. University of Maine, Farmington. Maybe not the best place for

her interests, but I imagine the main campus in Orono would have what she is looking for.

It's a semi-isolated campus but a very nice one. Not too big, not too small. http://www.umaine.edu/

[hatredisnotavalue]

4. My criteria for looking at a college for my kids

was the school's job placement percentage after college and it's intern programs. Also figured in were ease at getting home for three day weekends and vacations, security, and extra-curricular activities. I also am a bit biased towards Division 3 schools because of the student to teacher ratio. Both kids are extremely happy where they are right now. And the financial aid was outstanding. Good luck!

[mike_c]

5. got my biology degree at George Mason University...

...and my Ph.D. at the University of Georgia. GMU was a good school for my undergrad biology degree, although not much of a live-on-campus school, at least not back in the 1980s. I and about 50 million other students commuted to class and vied for the three available parking spaces on campus each morning. UGA was a fine place to do grad school, but I'd hesitate to recommend it for most undergrad degrees other than some special programs it excels in. My daughter and son-in-law both have undergrad degrees from UGA, however.

[TZ]

11. One of my best friends got a Ph.D at Georgia.

In Population Genetics a few years ago. She seemed to like it.

[mike_c]

14. truthfully, I LOVED living in Athens and grad school at UGA...

...was absolutely one of the best times in my life. The term "fond memories" doesn't do it justice. Life had to drag me kicking and screaming into a responsible profession....

[Parche]

6. Pusan U

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

:hi:

[THUNDER HANDS]

8. Hofstra University

avoid it at all costs.

[Danmel]

43. That's Pretty funny

because I graduated from Hofstra in 1981 and I really would not want her to go there- I had some very good political science professors but itis a typical Long Island thing- lots of spoiled apathetic self absorbed kids- everything she ( & I) want to get away from.

[KitchenWitch]

9. Stanford is offering free tuition for children whose parents make less than $100,000

and free room and board for children whose parents make less than $60,000 per year.

:hi:

[NewJeffCT]

28. I think some Ivy League schools are also doing that

if I'm not mistaken.

[KitchenWitch]

50. I bet they are.

The Stanford thing made big news here today.

[Tektonik]

10. UCSD

It's a great school for biological sciences and engineers. It has a beautiful and ENORMOUS campus on the north side of La Jolla, but to be honest it's a pretty boring uni. I'd much rather have gone to Berkeley.

[rockymountaindem]

12. The University of Toronto

I lived on campus for four years, and it was a great experience. Now that I'm in grad school, I can say that having studied at U of T has prepared me extremely well for the future. The workload at grad school in America, as I've found so far, is way less than that of an undergrad at Toronto, and the standards of grading are much more rigorous in Canada. Basically, I think that if you can do *well* at U. Toronto then you can make it anywhere, and that my degree is as good as any from another university.

As for admissions, Toronto is somewhat restrictive when it comes to international students, but the overall admissions criteria are less restrictive than equivalent Ivy-league institutions in the US. So even if you don't think you can get into Harvard, you might still get into Toronto. FWIW, I got into Penn and turned it down to go there.

And, just because I love to bring it up, U of T has a great campus:







And of Victoria College where I lived:

[lightningandsnow]

31. Standards of grading are more rigorous in Canada?

Interesting. I was looking at one or two U.S. universities (VERY casually, there's no chance of me going there), and I thought, with my grades, no way in hell would they let me in. I'm guessing stuff is graded differently?

[rockymountaindem]

39. Well, I can only speak for the humanities program

But:

If the average GPA at a US school is 3.0, that's considered to be a very challenging school. At the University of Toronto the average GPA is a 2.3, as it must be by university rules. If a prof. has a class average that's too high, he has to write a letter explaining why, and the administration has the right to lower grades across the board in a class if they think too many people got A's and B's (which I've never heard of actually happening, because the profs follow the rules pretty well). Furthermore, since the number of good grades in a class is limited, you don't only have to do well by objective standards, you have to do better than your classmates. If only 3 people in a class of 30 are going to get A's, you've got to do better than all by two other people.

On the other hand, getting in is relatively easy. For US schools you have to have the full package of grades, test scores, extracurriculars etc. Toronto only asks for your transcript and doesn't accept standardized test scores. I think that if you graduate from a Canadian high school with an average of 78 (?) or above, you can get a spot at U of T. For foreign students the standards are higher, but the school is so big they let in most people with good grades. Toronto follows a different tack than elite US schools, who make it hard to get in but easy to graduate. Toronto lets in most applicants but then makes it hard to graduate. A lot of people drop out after the first year. Also, a lot of people are graduating with GPAs in the 1.5-2.0 range.

But, if you get in and do well, you can definitely know that you proved yourself in a very difficult environment. That's something I didn't realize until I started grad school, but last year at U of T was a lot harder than first year of grad school at a pretty good US institution.

[harmonicon]

46. isn't that normal for undergrad v. grad school in general?

No way could I handle the workload of my undergrad anymore. I think you have to be 18-22 just to have the energy to do the work. Pulling all-nighters would be impossible for me now; I NEED sleep.

As for the grading, I think you're right. A friend of mine teachers at Columbia, and he said they only give A's and B's, but mostly A's - and as the students get into higher classes, more A's are given out, to give the appearance that the higher up lecturers and professors are better teachers, and that the students are doing better, even though the school's chock-full of dolts.

I'm now at a university in the UK, and grading is hard here. Students are lucky to get an 80% - anything higher is almost unheard of, and 60% is completely normal.

[rockymountaindem]

64. Your description of UK school sounds like UofT

The only time I got anything over an 85 was on a map quiz, which is objective and therefore possible to score well on. Otherwise, 85% was pretty much the top of the spectrum for anything else. I calculated that I got an 87 on an essay one time. Actually, come to think of it I scored over 90 on another in-class assignment, but that's a different story.

Anyway, yes. Plenty of people get 60s and don't complain. Grade inflation in the US is a real problem and it's devaluing the degrees people are getting from our top schools. I would say that the administrations should do something about it, but then people who are getting A's and B's now would start complaining if they got C's and D's tomorrow.

[TZ]

13. University of Maryland, College Park

Is an excellent University for the hard sciences. In fact their Engineering School is in the top 10 in the country.
Its one of the better large public Universities in the country. Competitive to get into.
I lived on campus and enjoyed it. If you are looking for the real stereotypical "college experience" thats a good place to go!
I studied zoology and loved it!

[seemunkee]

20. Same here

Lived at home and commuted. My wife lived on campus

[Flaxbee]

16. UCSD undergrad, UCLA grad

UCSD is very strong in sciences and Revelle College is a college within the university that really emphasizes science. But - it isn't really a rah-rah college experience. I lived on campus the first year, and no matter where your daughter goes, I STRONGLY recommend she live on campus, at least the first year. Best way to experience college, get into the groove studying, have access to tutors, school events, etc.

My niece is looking at North Carolina State in Raleigh - very very strong school for math and science. If you'd like your daughter to stay on the east coast, Raleigh could be a nice compromise - she's away from family, but not clear across the country (I'm assuming your mention of SUNY schools means you're in NY state).

Were I able to do it all over again, I'd go to a smaller school just to get a better feel for the whole experience. School was almost like going to a job at UCSD, not a life experience.

[Radio_Lady]

17. University of Miami (hot, humid and hurricanes), Coral Gables, Florida.

I should have gone to an Ivy League school.

But I was in Florida and in love.

For the first semester, I lived on campus, then rented various apartments with other women.

I studied TV, Radio and Film. It took six years for me to graduate.

Your daughter would really have to want to leave home and go to a different climate, and she would be far from home, of course.

PM me for more info if you have questions.

[Sanity Claws]

18. NYU

I commuted from home in Queens because of a lack of money.
I think she would get a good education and be connected to the world.

[Critters2]

19. Illinois State. Best years of my life.

Large public university, with strong undergrad programs especially in education and the liberal arts. I hear all about the impersonality of large state schools, but that wasn't my experience. I knew all my profs well, and liked most of 'em.

Honestly, though, right now I hesitate to recommend a state school in Illinois, for security reasons. I mean, one can't live in an armed camp, but things are a little scary right now.

[Arugula Latte]

22. UC Berkeley.

The campus and surrounding areas are just ... I don't know ... electric. There is such a vibrant energy there. The views of the Bay and San Francisco from campus and adjacent hills are spectacular. San Francisco is a short ride away by Bart or car. There is a creek, Strawberry Creek, that runs through campus. For decades, it's been a fabulous place to hang out at an outdoor cafe and sip a cappuccino. Berkeley has been way hipper than most of the rest of the country for a long time.

Downside is I recall many huge lecture classes for lowerclassmen ... I really didn't get to interact with many of my professors much...This was back in the mid-80s. Don't know if it's different now.

We had a huge housing shortage, but I visited the campus recently and it looks like they've built and built and built ... including more dorms.

[Mz Pip]

26. Me, too

Terrific place. Very difficult to get into if you are out of state, though. IT gets more competitve each year.

UC Santa Cruz is a good school if you like being out in the middle of nowhere. My younger son went there. I thought the place was wonderful. HE lasted a year and a half and then transferred to a CUNY campus in New York City. HE lived in Harlem, rode the subways and seemed to really like it.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[wiggs]

114. I have two girls going there now....they love it even though it took

some mental adjustments to make the decision to go there (Berkeley is quite different from where we live). They are just in their second semester (twins) and the experience has been incredibly rich and varied. One or the other has:

Run into Stephen Hawking in the halls while coincidentally reading his book for a class

Volunteered for psych experiments

Discovered architecture and committed to practically living in studio, drawing 10 hours a day

Figured out mass transit enough to travel to concerts in SF and San Jose. Attended Power to the Peaceful concert in Golden Gate

HIked to top of adjacent hill for midnight star gazing with internationally recognized astro-physicist

Been in the middle of an anti-islamofascist week protest

Photographed the Berkeley/Marine recruiting office protest and saw it get hairy

Saw Joffrey Ballet

Saw Angela Davis speak on campus

Been to big time football, gymnastics, volleyball, and basketball games

Stayed up all night for sushi/guitar parties

In addition to core classes, have taken smaller classes that explore: South African Linguistics, Unicef, Public art and poverty, physics and photography, modern dance, and more

Made friends with some of the street folks in town

Met people from all over the world just in their dorms


No complaints from them or us....so far so good. They are happy they chose a school that offers a full range of experiences. Many of the UCs are not undergraduate-oriented, but this hasn't affected my kids' experience; they've found ways to make the campus smaller and more personal.

Miss them, though.

I graduated UCLA myself...and that was their first choice until they realized UCLA was too close to home and UCB's history and differences would stretch them further.

[Taverner]

23. Oregon State University

You can get in-state tuition after a year if you sign up for a license and register to vote on day one.

I loved it - you're 1 hour away from skiing, the beach and Portland.

And at the same time, Corvallis maintained a small college town feel.

[democracyindanger]

68. Go Ducks

:P

[northzax]

24. colby college

small, liberal arts school in Maine. Best 500 acres on the planet. Studied government/east Asian history. Masters from johns Hopkins and London school of economics.

Ask me anything.

[av8rdave]

25. USAF Academy. Lived on campus (no choice there)

Son goes to University of Alabama Lives on campus as an RA

Daughter goes to Stephen F. Austin State University (Texas) lives on campus

[lightningandsnow]

27. I'm not there yet, but I'm looking

Here are my top choices. They're all in Canada, but apparently they're all very good.

- St. Thomas Univeristy (Fredricton, NB) - it's a liberal arts college, probably not what she's looking for.
- Dallhousie University (Halifax, NS)
- University of Alberta (Edmonton, AB)
- McGill University (Montreal)

I haven't looked at any U.S. universities, as it would be an impossibillity for me in terms of cost and transportation. Sorry.

[sir_captain]

29. I did my undergrad at Harvard

I majored in American history and was also a pre-med. Pretty much everyone at Harvard lives on-campus in the Hogwarts-esque housing system, and I was no exception. It's not a very touchy-feely school in terms of the teaching environment, but I wouldn't trade the experience for the world--definitely the four best, happiest and most intellectually stimulating years of my life. Doing both humanities and hard sciences there, I can comment on both. Harvard is not a place to do science for the faint of heart--those classes are really, really tough. Enrollment for inorganic chemistry my freshman year dropped from 900 to 200 from one semester to the next because of the difficulty level. So much for grade inflation!

[Fox Mulder]

30. University of Minnesota, Morris

It's a great campus and it was voted one of the best public liberal arts colleges in the US. I lived on campus for the whole time. I spent one year in the freshmen dorms and then the rest of the time in the on-campus apartments. I majored in both geology and chemistry (I still have one semester left to get my degree). I loved the campus. It was really liberal. When I go back to school and finish up, I'll definitely be going back to Morris. Their standards were pretty high. They never accepted average students. They only accepted those who were above average in their high school classes. Here's their website if you're interested: http://www.morris.umn.edu/index.php

[MrsMatt]

87. Go Cougars!

Class of '86 checking in.

It is a great school in a very small town.

By the way, my sister-in-law & her husband were both Geology majors at UMM (Dr. Cotter was the best man at their wedding). They both went on to grad school in Washington, and have both spent time in Antarctica doing research.

[Fox Mulder]

103. Hey...

Cotter was my favorite Geology prof (well, behind Peter Whelan, who passed away in 2004 :(). I know of two couples that went to grad school in Geology, but one I know of for sure who went to Washington. I was at the school from 2001-2005...so if they were there in that time frame, I know who you're talking about.

It's nice to see another (former) cougar here on DU. :hi:

[EstimatedProphet]

32. University of Missouri and Mississippi State

Both are good schools for environmental sciences and biology. Missouri has much more going on than Miss State, which is very much a suitcase school.

[Tikki]

33. UCSB......

Near beautiful Santa Barbara CA



Outstanding Science Department ....

Home of the Gauchos..


Tikki

[The empressof all]

34. We're going through the same thing

We suggested that she live in the dorm but live close enough for week-end visits. I think if at all possible dorm life can be an invaluable rite of passage. For my "Only" it will be quite a wake up.

[NewJeffCT]

35. If you're in New York

Check out the state schools in the region - NYU, Rutgers, Penn State, UConn, UMass-Amherst - and some of the good private schools, as there are tons of them.

I know more about engineering & business, though, so I can't tell you how schools like RPI, WPI, Carnegie-Mellon, RIT (where I started), etc stack up in hard sciences as opposed to engineering.

[TheMightyFavog]

36. University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Home to one of the best undergraduate Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences programs in the entire country, one of the best campus radio stations in the entire Midwest, and home to the world's largest media trivia contest every April.

I lived in the dorms all three years I was there and loved it. One problem is that only one of the dorm buildings has elevators, which can make moving in a bit of a hassle, otherwise it's a great place, even if it does have a bit of a reputation as a party school.

[huskerlaw]

37. University of Nebraska-Lincoln

I lived on campus for the first two years, then shared an apartment with my dorm roomie after that. When I went (waaaaay back in 1996-2000), all of the dorms were your typical tiny room with bathroom down the hall setup. Now, UNL has numerous apartment-style complexes on campus. A far superior option!

I majored in Psychology, minored in Political Science. I absolutely loved it. At the time, the UNL Psych Department was one of the best in the country (it may still be, but I haven't kept track) and I had excellent opportunities to do research with some of the best academics.

I highly recommend the University itself, as well. It's a big school, but I was on a first-name basis with most of my professors. It's surprisingly liberal, given its location. And if you're into football, gameday Saturdays in Lincoln are second to none. If cost is a concern...the cost of living in Nebraska is extremely low, so the 2 years in an off-campus apartment aren't going to bankrupt anybody. The tuition is really great for in-state residents, but it is a bit steep for the out-of-staters.

Regardless of where she goes, the college experience is hers to craft. My advice to freshmen always is to introduce themselves to their professors, learn about the professors' research interests. If she's in a major that is conducive to lab/research internships, that's invaluable. I got my internship by simply telling the professor that I was interested, doing extremely well in her class, and demonstrating that I'd taken the initiative to educate myself about her research areas.

Also, the easiest way to make friends is to join groups/clubs that interest her. That way, they've already got something in common and there's a built-in conversation starter. Additionally, setting up study groups in her classes is a great way to meet people.

Good luck!

[TheCentepedeShoes]

38. Texas Tech

Class of '70. Jeeze it was cheap back then.
15 credit hours per semester for $50 total, not per credit hour.
Room and board about $100 or so per month.
Their prices have changed alot over the years but so have their academics.
Lived in the dorm, got a BA in history.
If I had a college-heading kid today I would recommend it, depending on their intended major.

But to get away from me - you must be from the NE. How about Middlebury?
I don't know how strong they are in science though, or in what kind of science your daughter is interested. I had a former neighbor who went to Middlebury, sounds like a good school.
Anyway, have fun looking.
:hi:

[fight4my3sons]

90. My mom and uncle graduated fom there.

My mom probably graduated about 4 yrs before you. My grandmother worked there also.

My Grandparents still live in Lubbock. I remember as a kid we used to go see the basketball games. :hi:

[1gobluedem]

40. The University of Michigan

The Leaders and Best! No better school anywhere; strong in the sciences, liberal arts, engineering...you name it and world famous medical school, law school, business school, dental school. Beautiful campus in a beautiful town.

I highly recommend it.

[ordinaryaveragegirl]

42. Ohio State

It's smack in the middle of Columbus, and a very large school, but it still has that college feel. Fantastic science and pre-med programs, which is great for anyone looking into a science-based field. I was a journalism major, and I loved the time I spent there. It's a very diverse campus, both in student body and coursework. And tuition is fairly reasonable, just below the national average.

[NNadir]

44. I was walking out of the Chemistry building at Princeton the other day as a

class was emptying out.

One of the students was saying to another, "This place sucks."

I had lunch with a Princeton professor a few months ago who pretty much said the same thing.

One can read the posted exams and overhear conversations between students about course work. It's nothing special.

On the other side of coin, they have the pictures and schools of origin of their graduate students posted there, and I can tell you that the students are not all from Ivy League schools. In fact, the majority of them are not from Ivy league schools.

Unless your daughter is exceptionally mature, I would recommend going to a school that feels beneath her for an undergraduate education.

It is the graduate education, and not the undergraduate education that counts.

The SUNY system offers an excellent education, but the freshman class sizes are in the hundreds. Again, maturity is required.

I knew very well a kid who was a high school academic star - in math and the sciences by the way - who went to Cornell to study chemical engineering. He couldn't handle not being the star any more. He never graduated and the last I heard, he has spent the entire third decade of his life in his boyhood bedroom, never holding a job, no doubt crying about how life is unfair.

On the other hand, the Nobel Laureate Bruce Merrifield went to Community College.

[GOPisEvil]

45. I am a graduate of Texas A&M University.

It's fairly conservative but I got a good education there. I was a political science and history major. It's got a nice campus setting and it's reasonably safe. I enjoyed it overall.

[cloudbase]

47. U. S. Merchant Marine Academy.

Like Dave, no choice as to whether or not to live on campus. I like it better now that I'm out; it was no picnic while I was there. I'm an engineer, now retired.

No. 1 son went to Caltech and loved it, though it was rather rigorous. No. 2 son is a senior math major at the U. of Houston, and lives on campus because the damn commute in this city is a real killer.

[harmonicon]

48. Northwestern University

I studied music, but I started there as a dual major. It was really good. I knew I wanted to study things other than music, and thought about changing majors a few times (I did change majors within the music school). I got to study literature and anthropology and probably other things that I drank away. Just because your daughter likes science now doesn't guarantee that that will be her major interest in 1 - 3 years, especially if she gets to study other topics at a high level.

I lived on campus for one year, and it totally sucked - a rip off too. The next 3 years I lived in an apartment that was across the street from the building where most of my classes were - that is, closer than the dorm. I guess I made some friends living in a dorm, but I met most of my friends (some people who are still my best friends ten years on) from classes or at the coffee shop that I studied at every day.

I think I got a really great education. I also lucked out and got a sweet spot in the faculty time-line in my department: the old guys hadn't retired or died yet, and the young guys hadn't been offered better jobs yet. When one of my teachers left, I went to the school where he now works to get my master's, and we're still really good friends and work together.

As for getting jobs.... jobs in this economy? ha! That's why I live in England now.

[MassLiberal]

51. I went to Middlebury College

Absolutely beautiful campus, on the edge of the Green Mountains of Vermont. I lived on campus, as almost all students do (not a lot of other options in the small town of Middlebury). I majored in American literature; the school is very strong in the humanities but also excellent for sciences. The best thing about it, aside from the fact that it's in Vermont, was studying with amazing professors who got to know me and my work well. It was a fairly laidback place when I was there 25+ years ago and has gotten more slick in recent years, a trend I do not care for. It's also harder to get into than it used to be. But if I had the chance to go back and do it all again, I'd go back to Middlebury.

[1gobluedem]

85. Middlebury is beautiful

I've been there a couple of times.

[StrongBad]

54. Rutgers University - loved it

Being an NJ resident I got reduced tuition as well. The thing about Rutgers is that because of its size the school is what you make of it. There were so many great resources to explore but it sort of had to be found out on one's own volition.

Plus it has a decent reputation.

If you're in the NY/NJ metro area check it out.

[LiberalEsto]

112. Another Rutgers grad

I graduated from Livingston College - Rutgers in 1975. I loved it when the university was broken up into small colleges, because we got to know the faculty, the administrators and other students. Classes were smaller.

My daughter went to Livingston for two years a few years ago. She's a bit shy and was pretty much lost there.

I don't think I'd go to Rutgers today because it's just too huge and impersonal.

[Cabcere]

123. What - not Crazy Go Nuts University?

;)



Go Dumples! :rofl:

[StrongBad]

132. LOL CGNU is tops! :)

[supernova]

55. University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC

It used to be a "women's college," founded in the late 1800s.

I lived on campus and studied English. My advisor at the time is now a past Poet Laureate of North Carolina. :-)

Wouldn't have traded that experience for anything. :-)

http://www.uncg.edu/

[NYYFan]

106. Me too

BA in Spanish. Great Liberal Arts school !

[July]

56. Lots of good choices -- check out my alma mater, U. of R.

That is, University of Rochester. It is very strong in science. I have to say that it was a wonderful school when I attended (long, long time ago, in the mid-70's).

What I enjoyed about it was that it was a medium-sized school (at that time about 8,000 students, grad and undergrad) in a lovely self-contained campus with truly excellent faculty members who took a personal interest in their students.

The U of R really afforded a student who wanted it the type of education everyone dreams of -- mentoring by professors, high-level classes, a comfortable environment. For this South Buffalo girl, it was both an eye-opener and a blessing.

It's expensive, but there is aid. I never would have thought I could go there, but my Regents scholarship, the U of R's scholarship, and my busting my hump made it happen. It was a fantastic experience for me.

What sciences interest your daughter? IIRC, U of R is strong in optics, physics, and psychology. Can't go there very well, since I was an English major (English was also a strong department).

[ileus]

58. Concord University- Great Liberal Arts College.

[Rabrrrrrr]

60. For hard sciences, I would suggest only MIT or CalTech.

For grad school, she can pick one of those two, or a few others can be considered at that point - Harvard, Princeton, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Ann Arbor (at least, it used to be good, not sure any more), a few others.

Although I might be reading you wrong - when I think "hard sciences", I think particle physics, quantum mechanics, that kind of stuff; the stuff that's all math and theory and experiments, though I also include chemistry. But I don't think of stuff like biology or geology.

[LuckyTheDog]

62. OK, this will seem like an odd choice

Wayne State University in Detroit. It's a unique place. It's a very nice campus in the heart of a very troubled city. It's a great place to get a real insight on the world as it is -- and to observe class differences up close. It's also a very "working class" school. Classes run till 9:30 p.m. to accommodate working students. It's also a place where a good number of students are the first in their families to go to college. There is a good "campus scene," but not so much that it classifies as a party school.

Academically, it's uneven. Some programs are top-notch. Some are just OK. But I liked going to school there.

[Robeson]

63. MTSU.

[RainDog]

65. as in chemistry hard sciences?

I attended Indiana University, Bloomington. The CEO of Dow Chemical also attended IU and the chemistry dept gets biiig bucks. And they have a strong program. Since I'm not a hard sciences person myself, I can't comment about other depts. Douglas Hofstadter, who wrote "Goedel, Escher, Bach" is at IU and he has a group that works across disciplines... cognitive psy, logic, computer science, math.

Current and former a-hole James Watson (Double Helix) studied biology at IU. David Starr Jordon, a biologist at IU, went on the be prez or whatever at Stanford. Bloomington is NOTHING like the rest of Indiana. It's very liberal. There are about 40k students, and probably 30k of those are undergrads.

If she wants to live on campus, the best dorm, imo, is Collins Living Learning Center. (you, of course, can google Collins and IUB.) There are some dorms that are geared toward girls who want to rush for sororities... one of them is known as McSlut. Collins is "alternative" except not, and you pay an extra fee to live there, but they have some great opportunities and do a lot of activities to create a sense of "home." It's also the oldest dorm on campus... really beautiful. Foster, Teter and Read are also good dorms... avoid McNutt (see above) and Briscoe.

IU is considered a public ivy. It's a big campus in a small town, and the campus is ranked as one of the most beautiful in the country. It's one of only 5 universities in the U.S. that teaches Dutch. The school of music was endowed by Leonard Bernstein and they put on full-scale operas... the SoM is well-known among music students - Joshua Bell studied with a prof. here (and Bell's family lives here.) there are lots of musical events - not in bars.. and a big 3 day world music fest in Sept. when they shut down some streets.

It has the 13th largest library system in the U.S. (with libraries located around campus for math or biz, etc.) -and the largest folklore collection in North America. Well-regarded poets have been faculty members here (not that she would care about that, but there are readings, etc. too if she doesn't wanna go get blotto at a bar -- sorry dad... just kidding...) The Fine Arts Museum was designed by I.M. Pei and has work by Picasso, Des champs, antiquities... Like I said, I know more about the arts side of IUB than hard sciences.

You can go to the school web site, then go to the depts she's interested in and see faculty members bios - what they've done, what they're interested in. The School of Biz is also ranked in the top 10 of the nation. There are ppl at IU from around the world (both profs and students.) When my kids were in elementary school (in Blmgtn) they went to school with kids from 39 diff. countries - and everyone got along, as far as I ever knew.

The city of Bloomington has a town square and is small and manageable (you can drive across the city limits in 15 minutes.) You can walk downtown from campus - in fact, the campus gates open onto a street that goes to the courthouse - something like five blocks from the gates. Blmgtn is a designated "tree city" and the U. has an arboretum of native trees by the gates.

The biology bldg is Jordan Hall (after David Starr Jordan) and has really interesting displays of weird animals in jars and bones and that sort of thing. And a nice sun roof and a separate greenhouse. A hub/wife anthropology team discovered handedness (right, actually) as part of their research in which they replicate conditions for early humans, etc. - by examining the shapes of flints created by one hand or another. A bioanthropologist there studied with Jane Goodall.

um, what else...

-- All a bunch of factoids in my head I've known for a while. Have more in there probably. Any errors in this post are not a reflection of IU. Instead they demonstrate my lack of proof reading and largess of scattered brain. I'll try to remember to spell check.

U. Mich is also a public ivy and has a higher ranking than IU. Same with UT Austin. Austin also isn't like the rest of Texas - but it's quite a bit larger than Bloomington, esp. since Dell headquartered there.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

133. Don't forget the famous Alfred Kinsey, Ph.D. and expert in gall wasps!

Played by Liam Neeson in the movie.

And then there's the movie Breaking Away.

[Redneck Socialist]

66. I went to University of New Hampshire

They have a very good oceanography dept if she's interested in that at all, as does University of California, Santa Cruz where I also spent some time.

One of my best friends went to the University of Montana, Missoula. They have an excellent wildlife biology dept, and some of the best fly fishing in the world not far from campus.

[Wetzelbill]

67. Art Institute of Seattle, and the University of Arizona...

The U of AZ is awesome in sciences. One of the top research schools in the country. I was an older student, so I didn't live on campus and I studied Creative Writing, Political Science and American Indian Studies. The price is pretty decent, it used to be better, but Bush is Bush and our state lege is completely nuts, so tuition had some big hikes in recent years. Still good though, but when I came down here it was rated number one in the country for best education for the best price. Still get a good bang for you buck though, especially in sciences. Weather is awesome. And for young people the atmosphere is great, lots to do, has a good artistic community, it's a largely Blue community in a Red State, and there is no shortage of beautiful people around these parts either. But then that might not be what you'd want to hear since it's your daughter, haha. Hey you might get a good son-in-law though.

[mcctatas]

69. Ripon College...

and UWOshkosh (after I had my daughter and couldn't justify the 20,000 a year in loans I had to transfer)

[Skittles]

70. could not afford to go to college

so I enlisted

[puerco-bellies]

71. New Mexico Tech.

Very good school.

[PittPoliSci]

72. i went to penn state.

lies. all lies...

pitt was great. political science turned out to be my second major, i also majored in history. i didn't live on campus, but it is a safe campus in a big city, so it has that appeal to it.

i loved it.

[JVS]

79. LOL! I looked over at your name and nearly shouted LIAR!

[elleng]

73. Daughters at West Virginia univ., and

St. Joseph's Univ. (Philly); I attended Miami University (Ohio).

[pstokely]

74. Liberty University, couldn't get into Bob Jones (jk)

Just kidding

[FunkyLeprechaun]

75. Boston University

Great liberal arts programme, their science programme is on the up and up.

I lived on campus on Bay State Road, which is one of the most desirable places to live at BU IMHO. I lived in three houses on BSR: the CGS House (Gilbane House) which I regard the prettiest house I lived in (loads of original features), 190 BSR... not as pretty but it was close to Fenway Park, and Shelton Hall (used to be the Sheraton Hotel in its heyday) where Eugene O'Neill took his life. I lived in Myles Standish briefly, it was nice but I liked Shelton Better, I had the most fantastic view of the Charles River when I lived in Shelton, I would watch the boats go by instead of focusing on my schoolwork!

I also lived in the three towers of West Campus (Sleeper, Rich, and Claflin Halls) and I regard their cafe as the best I've been in.

[Lady Freedom]

77. Missouri Southern State University

I studied Mass Communications, but it has a great Science Department. Lots to do if you live on campus or not, there is even a trolley system to get you to the mall and stores. And you can even get jobs on campus for extra spending money. I worked part time as a Mater Control Operator for the campus television station, KGCS.
There is a strong 0 tolerance policy on alcohol. That makes caffeine the drug of choice on campus. There is even a coffee bar in the library!

[Lady Freedom]

80. They also have a book rental program!

It saves a lot on book prices!

[Lady Freedom]

81. Here is their web site!

www.mssu.edu

[YankeyMCC]

78. Northeastern U in Boston

Really great science and engineering programs. And a pioneer in Co-op programs which I took advantage of and gained great experience.

I commuted to school and worked part time (in addition to co-op jobs which paid) and did 'work study' for the school, like working in the mail room.

Things have changed there since my time, the new Prez trying to make NU more like an IVY league and a little less 'blue collar' like in my day but the programs are still as solid as before and they get more grants these days, though the tuition is more expensive.

[One_Life_To_Give]

86. Same here

Great Engineering and Criminal Justice school.

I lived on campus. Which wasn't much in those days of 60% commuters and night school students. But it's Boston so campus size doesn't really matter.

FWIW Engineering (With a BS in Engineering your daughter will be prepared for whatever life brings her way.) (P.S. Not my specialty but ChemE's will do really well.)

[Barking Spider]

82. SUNY Binghamton

for B.A. and M.A.
now at the University of Kansas.

[PRETZEL]

83. Penn State University

I was one of the few fortunate ones that was admitted to the main campus as a freshman. They are required to live on campus for the first year. Well at least that was a rule back in 1977. I think that that was a great rule. Eighteen and nineteen year olds gain a vast amount of life experiences learning from other kids in their age groups that come from diverse backrounds and socio-economic situations. It's a great way to gain maturity since they are for the first time in their lives (for many anyway) on their own and responsible to no one but their roommates, dormmates, and of course the resident advisor.

As for the school itself, I'm pretty sure their science departments are top notch. I don't know for sure since it's been so long.

As for myself, I graduated in 1981 with a BS in Public Service.

[SacredCow]

84. Louisiana State University....

Just because it was close to home and cheaper (in-state tuition).

[IndianaJones]

88. Virginia Military Institute. They allow women now. nt.

[fight4my3sons]

89. Radford (VA), SUNY New Paltz (BA & MS)

I went to Radford first, but failed out after hanging out and skipping classes way too much. I was gong ot Rainbow Gatherings, Dead shows and really having way too much fun. It is a great area down there and I had the best time. Not sure it is a science school, though Virginia Tech may be and Blacksburg is a wonderful small town. I know that there was that horrific shooting last year, but it really is a great school and lovely town.

SUNY New Paltz was great for me. I loved going there and I love the town. I lived off campus, commuted from Poughkeepsie. I met my husband there. Got my Bachelor's in Sociology (1997) there and later my Master's in Education (2001) there. I'm not sure of the Science Dept, but my professors in both departments were awesome. I think there is a diverse population there and the surrounding environment is beautiful. If you are into the outdoors you can't ask for more with the Gunks right there. My husband and I got married at Mohonk, we spent a lot of time hiking there during our college days.

Good luck with your search!

[NewWaveChick1981]

92. UNC-Chapel Hill.

:bounce: :toast: I lived on campus for the first two years and then off campus in an apartment the last two. I majored in psychology, which I loved.

I have worked in higher education since my graduation from UNC-CH in 1985, and I recommend checking out your state schools (as you have done) as well as private schools, both in state and out of state. You'd be surprised at the small difference in cost between some in-state schools in the Northeast and some private schools in the Southeast. We have a lot of students from north of the Mason-Dixon Line because our costs (I work at a private college) are actually lower than some in-state schools those students could attend. When you are reviewing financial aid offers, make sure you know what you are looking at. A $20,000 total award at one school might mean more out of pocket than a $15,000 award at another, so make sure you are comparing the bottom line.

[Cabcere]

124. Go Tarheels!

:hi: My mom graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in the late '70s, and she really liked it there. (She was a journalism major, though, so I don't know too much about the science programs, although I'm sure they're very good.) I visited the campus when I was looking at potential colleges, and it is really beautiful there. :)





In the interest of fairness, though, I should probably also say "Go Wolfpack!" point out that North Carolina State University is supposed to have a pretty good science program - I seem to remember particularly hearing good things about engineering there, although it's been a while since I visited. (My dad graduated from NCSU, also in the late '70s, with a degree in Parks & Recreation Management & I think a minor in Wildlife Biology, although I'm not entirely sure about that - I know he studied it pretty extensively.) So as you can see, I'm clearly unbiased when it comes to these two schools. :P

[driver8]

93. SUNY Fredonia

I loved going to school there. I think they have pretty good programs in the sciences.

[madinmaryland]

94. Ohio Northern University. Wife went to Marist College.

Since you are a New Yorker, you might want to check out Marist College.

[BreweryYardRat]

95. University of South Florida. Current student. Do NOT send her here.

The dorms suck (lived in them for 2.5 years now -- couldn't find anyone to room with me off-campus this year), off-campus apartments are ludicrously overpriced unless you want a room in a 4/4 place, and the campus is in a bad area.

What do I mean by bad area?

Let's see: Car break-ins are through the roof and have been ever since I started. This fall, there was a serial rapist going around for a few weeks, and one student living off-campus was shot in the neck by burglars (didn't die, returned fire with a rifle). Spring of '06, a student was murdered in my dorm's parking lot for trying to stop three guys breaking into a car's trunk.

This place is a shithole. Decent History/English (my majors) departments, though.

[flvegan]

100. The immediate USF area DOES suck, I agree.

You have to go a mile out to get any kind of secure housing/neighborhood (just not due west or southwest). The dorms do suck. They haven't changed them much since I was there ('89-'93). Parking was a joke when I was there.

Good business school, though. The only reason I went. Well, that and a lack of snow.

[Deep13]

96. For me cost was the only factor.

I went to Worcester (MA) State College. It was 20 minutes from home and cheap.

[CottonBear]

97. University of Georgia. Top notch public university and a great football team & mascot!

I lived on campus for two years (in old dorms) and loved it! Now the kids have these great brand new dorms, renovated older historic dorms (all updated and expanded), the nations biggest university student athletic center and great dining halls.

We have a huge number of science programs as well as a vet school and a pharmacy school.

We are the home of the Institute of Ecology, the world's premiere school of ecology (founded by Eugene Odum, the father of ecology.)

I attended the School of Environmental Design (a five year professional program in Landscape Architecture.) We are ranked #1 in undergrad and #2 or #3 for grad schools nationally!

The arts and liberal studies programs are excellent.

I believe that we had two Rhodes scholars last year!

UGA was named best mascot and made the cover of Sports Illustrated!

Athens, GA is a beautiful blue college town. The arts and music scene is incredibe (There are all kinds of music and theater and film performances and art shows and museums and all kinds of venues.)

Go Dawgs!

[LibertyLover]

98. University of Chicago

I loved it. Life of the mind. We used to have some of the best discussions in the dorms. I did live on campus because my home at the time was in New Jersey. A very good school for the hard sciences. I did Ancient Near Eastern History and Culture and had the best time.

[rug]

99. Iona College until I dropped out senior year.

I finished the bachelor's by examination here:

https://www.excelsior.edu/

[A-Long-Little-Doggie]

101. Worcester Polytechnic Institute

I was one of the first women who graduated from WPI, and had a great time there! I still go back to campus now and then, and I can tell you that they continue to make the school more appealing to women. Your daughter would find a very supportive environment there.

WPI is also high on US News & World Reports college surveys.

[WinkyDink]

102. PSU (East Halls), University Park, PA. Loved every minute.

[Adsos Letter]

104. Sonoma State University, BA '91, current MA....

More of a Liberal Arts school, plus a strong Nursing program. Beautiful area, good campus environment.

My eldest daughter went to UC Davis for Neuro-Biology and loved it; she is at Drexel School of Medicine now and thinks UCD did a great job of preparing her for it.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

105. Attended 3 state universities in Illinois >>>>

ISU (hated it, lived on campus)
SIU-C (liked it, lived mostly on campus)
NIU (liked it, commuted for grad work)

[UndertheOcean]

107. Any College that requires out or state tuition is a waste of money

I suggest the closest local public university.

I am a Ph.D. , and from my experience its how good the student is that determines the outcome rather than how "good" the school is.

[Zoigal]

108. Washington U (St Louis) undergrad

U of Oregon (Eugene) grad. Off campus both. z

[taught_me_patience]

109. University of Hawaii

local, in state school. Not the best education but I'm going well now. Best part NO DEBT. I believe living in the dorms is an essential part of college life.

[Shine]

110. UC Santa Cruz totally rocks!!!

I was a Politics major. I lived on campus for two years and loved it. The 2000 acre campus is nestled among redwood groves and on a hill overlooking the picturesque beach city of Santa Cruz, CA. It's absolutely gorgeous. VERY left-wing, progressive liberal politics vibe here. They really foster individual thinking. :thumbsup: I got a great education and loved the town so much I'm still here, 22 yrs after graduating!

:hi: Good luck, it's a big decision.

[Redneck Socialist]

118. 22 years, hmmm that puts you there in '86

The year before I dropped in for a semester on exchange.

Go banana slugs!

[Shine]

122. Cool!

Here's a cool story: I was actually living with the guy (Marc Ratner) for a while who designed the cute cartoony Banana slug logo that's become so famous over the years. We were just housemates, not romantically involved. It was back during the time that the Univ was resisting the students' desire to take on the banana slugs as their official mascot. It was a big-ass deal in the news for a brief period of time. Mostly for amusement's sake...but I do remember fielding phone calls at our house from the NY Times and the like. :thumbsup: He and another college friend of ours formed a successful biz (Oxford West) out of it and it's still going strong, all these years later.

:hi: Go slugs!

on edit:
http://www.slugweb.com/history.html
check this out! :D

[Redneck Socialist]

128. I remember that

They wanted to change it to sea lions. Boooorrrring!

It's cool that your friends were able to turn it into a business.

[Pacifist Patriot]

111. Washington & Lee University

Economics, Politics and Business Admin / Liberal Arts were its strengths when I was in college. But I hear the hard sciences have beefed up considerably since then.

Lived on camps. Politics major. Loved it. Second academic year that admitted women. Numbers were in my favor. ;)

[abq e streeter]

113. did you know a Prof Markowitz there ?( Native American Religions etc. his specialty)

Old undergrad buddy of mine from Knox College in Illinois---( and still a great school from what I hear---and can't beat their commencement speakers: last three years have been Barack Obama, Stephen Colbert and Bill Clinton.)

[Pacifist Patriot]

127. I believe he must have been after my time.

I knew all of the religion professors who were there in the late 80s.

[TexasBushwhacker]

115. Rice University in Houston

It's very strong in science and engineering. It's a private school, but it has LOTS of financial aid available because it has lots of successful graduates that give it money. It's a beautiful campus too.

[tandem5]

116. UCI

I was a computer science major. The ICS school (Information and Computer Science) has many competent instructors and its curriculum is intensive, but the requisite forays into the neighboring math department left much to be desired.

The campus is beautiful, the climate is perfect, and the community immediately surrounding the school is placid. However, stay out of Irvine proper for there ye shall find highly stressed yuppie-want-a-bes paying way too much for their rented condos and leased entry-level Porsches - they have made paradise their living hell.

[yellowdogintexas]

117. Kentucky Wesleyan in Owensboro Kentucky

small liberal arts but a good strong science program, with a brand new science facility. Consistently listed in the USNEWS list of best bargains in colleges

she will know all the professors personally
freshmen used to be required to live in dorms and could not have a car on campus until second semester.

Owensboro is the 3rd largest city in Kentucky ...which isn't saying much it ain't that big...but it is a quiet city.
One doesn't get lost in the shuffle in a school like this one.

It is Division II in basketball, with 9 national championships; Division III in football.

I loved it there.

[eppur_se_muova]

119. MIT, but quite a few years back -- before computers were ubiquitous.

I'm sure it's a very different place now. In some ways I'm not so sure I'd like it as much as I did then. *Very* competitive in Comp. Sci. (they were first talking about a "cap" on CS majors admissions when I was there), very strong in all the sciences & engineering, though.

My advice (free, and worth at least that much) -- pick a couple (or three) schools that you think she'd be REALLY lucky to get into, even Ivys -- her "dream" choices -- and apply to them just as if she fully expected to get in. Then pick a couple (or three, or four) schools that you feel she has a more realistic choice of getting into, but that are still good schools, *particularly* in the areas she's considering for a major. Call these the "hopeful pragmatism" choices. Finally, pick a couple of "fallback schools" -- ones where she's all but guaranteed admittance, but which have some other kind of draw -- like being much closer, or much cheaper. Apply to these just as you would to any other choice -- no shortcuts or omissions. If she's notified of admission, but decides to go elsewhere, save the letters of notification.

Once those acceptance/rejection letters start to come in, the financial aid packages come as well. Then you can decide whether she can afford that dream school or not, or whether you both like the idea of being close to home, or whether (knock on wood) some unexpected calamity prevents her from pursuing the plans she most wants. The latter case is why you save those acceptance letters -- she can ask to be admitted to one of those fallback schools if other plans fall through. (Generally, the less competitive the school, the later the date for final admissions decisions. But YMMV!)

One other thing to consider: if she decides in her first year or two that she REALLY would be happier in another school, transfers are certainly possible, and fairly common. There's usually a price in lost credits or mismatched prerequisites, so study the school she wants to transfer to *very* carefully before burning any bridges. You'll usually find the registrar and/or her major dept. will work with you to give you the most complete transfer of credits they can justify. Two transfers are also possible, but at that point it starts to look bad, if it wasn't a forced decision (like following a spouse when job relocated).

[fishnfla]

120. UW

badger

[Broken_Hero]

121. Haskell Indian Nations University

If you are enrolled in a Federally recognized American Indian tribe, you can go to Haskell. The cost to go, I believe is now 210 per semester...that includes, room, books, food, tuition...everything.

I enjoyed it, I lived on campus, and was heavily involved with the housing staff, and was an SRA, and eventually and RA...

I got my two year in Social Work...Haskell is good for the two year programs, and they only have a few four year programs, like Business, American Indian Studies, and Elementary ed...

[Cabcere]

125. I am currently a senior at the College of William & Mary

in Williamsburg, VA, and despite the many challenges and negative issues that are involved here, I really do love it. :) (Hey, if it was good enough for Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Tyler...) It's more of a liberal arts school, but from what I understand the sciences are pretty decent here too. I'm an anthropology major, and I tested out of the general science requirements (yay for taking college physics as a junior in high school!), so I don't really have much personal experience with the science programs.

I'm sure you are probably looking for something more local and more science-oriented, but I just thought I'd chip in my two cents here. :) Best of luck to your daughter on the college search! :hi:

[philosophie_en_rose]

126. University of Washington

Seattle is a fantastic place to live.

[bif]

129. I'll bet I'm the only one here who went to Wayne State University!

In Detroit. Very underrated and affordable school.

[CTyankee]

130. Would she rule out a woman's college? Mount Holyoke is my daughter's alma mater and

is strong in the sciences. Beautiful campus with 4 other colleges in a consortium that she can go to classes in. Heavily endowed so scholarship $$$ might be available. It's a classy place.

[Mendocino]

131. BGSU

I started out out at a small tech college in Southern Ohio. I intended on getting an AD in natural resources and than transferring to a four year and getting a biology degree to become a ranger/naturalist. Well I went to Bowling Green early than planned, majoring in secondary education. Ended up with a BA in geography. I Commuted some, lived in the dorms, and also off campus.

I considered a SUNY branch, they had a two year program in the Adirondacks, and also a two year program at Michigan Tech. (both in Natural Resource/Ranger type ADs.) Michigan Tech is a fine science school, but beware of brutal UP winters.

There were quite a few NY state residents at BG when I was there (76-79). My roomate was from Tonawanda, near Buffalo. At that time and maybe still now, tuition was so high in NY, that many students came west to MAC schools despite having to pay out-of-state rates.

My son is now going to BG majoring in secondary education and loves it. He was able to get a full- tuition scholarship based on HS GPA and test results. I can say that BG is not known as a science school, however some programs like geology and biology are good. The University of Toledo nearby has good engineering and math programs. They also have an fine pharmacy school.

The University of Michigan is excellent in many fields but out-of-state tuition is high, not quite Ivy level, but close. Ann Arbor though is a cool city, very progressive with a plethora of cultural activities. We live about an hour south, and when we do go out, it's to Ann Arbor.

Well I wish your daughter and you good luck.

[Extend a Hand]

134. University of Alabama - Birmingham

I was one of the earliest classes of undergrads in Computer Science.

I found that I was as prepared for my first job as a software engineer as the kids coming out of big northern schools. When I started there I paid $33 per quarter hour but it had gone up to $93 per quarter hour by the time I graduated in 1986.

[tammywammy]

135. University of North Texas

Lived off campus and overall I liked the school.