Re: Top undergrad programs at liberal arts schools?

[Stanley A Dodds <dodds@ruf.rice.edu>]

> At the risk of starting a real war;
>
> I have a friend who's high school age son is seriously bright in
> math/physics, in the top 1% nationally on various tests (SAT etc.) as a
> sophomore. They are looking for a smallish liberal arts type college
> environment with excellent undergrad programs in physics/math/science. They
> don't really seem interested in the big ultra- competative programs (which
> I suppose would include Harvard, MIT etc.) but want somewhere with enough
> reputation that top notch grad school programs will be an option after 4
> years. Would anyone like to make suggestions?

OK, I'll bite, with the understanding that this is one _opinion_.

A smaller school can certainly offer some real advantages, but it is
possible to be too small. Science and engineering programs are
expensive in terms of both people and equipment so there needs to be a
reasonable number of students to maintain a viable program. Some
schools attempt to offer science majors with very few faculty and only a
few majors per year. Under those circumstances it is very difficult to
maintain adequate programs and adequate standards. When looking at a
prospective college it is important to find out how often major
courses are offered, how complete the offerings are, how well the undergrad
labs are equipped, and what collateral resources are available in
chemistry, math, etc. You will find, I think, substantial differences
among colleges which all claim to offer the same science majors.

It is unclear to me what you mean by 'ultra-competitive'. The big
schools you mention certainly have a reputation (deserved or
otherwise) for being impersonal, but that is not the same as being
competitive. I think any place whose students go on to good graduate
programs will be 'competitive' or 'difficult' in the sense that the
students are working hard to understand a lot of complex material, but
that does not necessarily take the form of grade competition or other
unpleasantry. Maybe you can encourage your friends and their son to
better understand exactly what they are trying to avoid here.

I am certainly not really conversant with a lot of smaller
institutions, but some to consider might be Dartmouth, Swarthmore,
Rice and Harvey Mudd. They are relatively small to truly tiny, have
respectable programs in liberal arts, science and (some) engineering,
and tend to value undergraduate teaching. (Conflict of interest note:
I graduated from Mudd, and currently teach at Rice.)

There are doubtless many other colleges that would be as good as the
ones listed. Once the list is narrowed down to a few serious
prospects, it is probably worthwhile to visit, talk to current
students and faculty, and generally get a feel for each institution. 

Hope this helps, and good luck in your search.