| I've had really good experiences with both the chemistry and the physics departments. Both are really small, but you'll see higher numbers of students in the Chem I-IV sequence due to pre-med requirements. Chemistry classes can run up to 60-70 students, and physics classes usually have about 30 or so, but labs are limited to 16. Even with the (relatively) larger class sizes, I've felt that my professors really got to know me as a person; they know my strengths and weaknesses, and are quick to notice when things are tougher.
Research opportunities here are abundant, and they're yours for the asking. Professors are eager to attract students to labs, and they know that since first-years typically come in with little to no lab experience, they'll do a solid job in teaching you the ABCs of research. We have plenty of students who, after working with professors, go on to get really good research opportunities elsewhere.
Like I said above, the departments are small, but there are numerous opportunities for your D if she wants to study something that isn't offered here. A class may not be offered, but there's probably a professor here with expertise in that area. She could do a special studies (essentially a self-designed independent study project overseen by a professor), an honors thesis, or take one of the Advanced Topics courses (the topics varies by year). |