He is in a proof intensive class right now, with around 40 students, I think, but he isn’t that drawn to the proof or theory side of math. He likes this professor’s lectures but finds that there is still no collaboration or conversation between classmates.
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I’ll talk to him about this. He hasn’t had any college-level exposure to the adjacent fields. But he is very interested in using math to study other natural science disciplines, mainly biology and physics. I don’t think he’s interested in modeling for social sciences, and from what I can tell, math majors who enter finance are ones who enjoyed proofs and pure math. That wouldn’t apply to him.
For now we’re more focused on learning about the LACs. He’s talked to professors and students at the state school and otherwise knows pretty well what it has to offer, so I didn’t want to take the discussion in that direction. He definitely knows that he can find a place at that school too, though.
In a few days, once we’ve talked through some of the information here, I’ll give an update about where he’s at, and I think at that point I’ll include the state school as well.
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There are a lot of functions in finance that a more applied math kid might love.
Folks at airlines who have to predict (and then backstop) the price of oil. Folks at large consumer products companies (beverages, snack foods, cosmetic companies) who place big bets on the price of soy, corn, oil/plastics. Anything actuarial for pension funds.
Risk management for insurance companies- floods, hurricanes, tsunamis. Credit scoring for card companies. Who gets the offer of no interest for 6 months and who gets the “3% cashback for charges to travel and restaurant”.
But of course there are plenty of cool careers combining bio and math. Who figures out where the next ebola outbreak is going to be, who models out the costs of the next avian flu epidemic, how to make sure that an e-coli outbreak from lettuce doesn’t kill anyone.
I think there are more career opportunities for the “non-proof” math folks!
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To answer your questions: We would definitely support a master’s. He does not have an opinion on the trimesters at Carleton. We have no way to visit these schools before May 1, but he has taken the virtual tours and lived in cities as well as small towns. He is sure that the location is not important.
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Grinnell actually has a program for sending mathematics students to Budapest! This did excite him, though it is a competitive process, and as was said elsewhere, it is perhaps not a great idea to reason that “x is a great place to study math because it lets you study math at y.”
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So even if he chooses Carleton - you’d support.
The issue with choice is just that - choice 
Everyone wants to get in so many schools - and then this happens.
One thing I could suggest is putting two schools next to one another - look at two instead of four.
Mac vs. Carleton. Which would he choose?? Mac is in society but you said (I don’t know this to be the case) it’s socially justice focused. Is that an out? Carleton sends PhDs - Mac doesn’t. Does that matter?
Pick one of the two - then throw Grinnell in. It seems like you said Grinnell has meager math offerings but they are sending PhD. Grinnell also doesn’t seem to have a minor in Art History.
Once you get the LAC nailed down, then compare vs. the biggy.
Here’s the other thing - so many think - I have to find that right school. It’s very possible all are the right schools - seriously - ie. there’s no bad choice here.
Good luck.
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If the collaboration and conversation with classmates is important for your son, how would he feel about doing a Plus-2 or Mentored Advanced Project with Grinnell? Would he miss the interactions with classmates or be more excited about delving into personalized interests with a professor?
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Do they bring them back ?
Based on the information shared in this thread, Grinnell College appears to be the least desirable school based on academics that are of interest to your son.
Macalester has a great location, but it is among the most liberal student bodies in the nation. If under serious consideration, it would be wise to visit prior to committing.
Academically, Carleton College is superior to the other two options, plus trimesters are better as one typically can concentrate on fewer courses per term and take a wider variety and greater number of courses during one’s undergraduate years.
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Yeah, this is what we’re trying to figure out. Is the carte blanche that is math at Grinnell going to be liberating or is it going to be a kind of wild west? The great graduate outcomes suggest that it tends to be empowering, but any stories from people who’ve gone through the program would be so useful.
I don’t think he’s looked into the mentored advanced projects yet. I’ll ask him to.
My impression before hearing about all this was that between Macalester and Grinnell, the first would be a better fit academically and less of a fit socially. Reading through these responses, I’m sensing that math at Grinnell is not necessarily outmatched by math at Macalester, and that Macalester would not at all fit him socially.
So I guess the priority for the next few days is to find out all that we can about math at Grinnell.
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Not just Grinnell - and one can study via any school. In other words, my Charleston kid went to Korea vs. U Nebraska.
But Mac shows math at American U in Beirut (applied math), I linked the Budapest one, and Madrid.
Carleton has Budapest.
I promise your state school will have too.
So it may excite him - but no reason to pick one over the other….IMHO….because they all have and /or have access to study abroad.
Budapest Off-Campus Study Programs – Mathematics and Statistics – Carleton College
I wouldn’t see this as a hard thing to explore at any of his LAC options. But I would note that there are actually ways of combining such interests in interdisciplinary ways, including in the area sometimes broadly known as Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences.
You can get into that field from a variety of undergrad majors, including potentially Physics or Bio. But he could also consider things like Geology or Environmental Studies.
Carleton and Macalester have reasonably popular majors in both Geology and Environmental Studies. Grinnell has what they call a concentration in Environmental Studies. It might be worth checking these out as well.
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Can’t add anything about math, but can add info about impact of athletes on campus at Grinnell as my kid went through recruiting there. Grinnell was the one school he visited where athletes had the most diverse friendships and activities and were the least segmented or segregated. Recruits get meals with the team as part of the visit, and Grinnell was the one school where the team sat with lots of different students rather than by itself during that visit. Grinnell is not at all a jock school, which is what appealed to my kid who was very interested in continuing to perform his instrument. I would consider Carleton and Grinnell academic peers with substantial overlap in terms of the type of student they attract.
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A couple thoughts…
Can the math department at each school connect him with a math major that he can talk to?
One nice thing about the location of Macalester, is it is close to quite a few other colleges. When we did a tour there, they told us students can take classes at other schools if they aren’t offered at Mac, so perhaps he could take some classes at UMN, if he needs to?
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Have you looked at Reddit for this info from current/recent grads? Your son might also contact admissions and/or the head of the math dept and ask to be connected to students/grads.
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UMN might require a transfer in type thing with prior approval needed but likely doable.
But these are the consortium schools - of which UMN doesn’t appear to be one.
After studying both places pretty closely and visiting both campuses with D26, I would agree with this. The differences were small and marginal - Grinnell felt a little more international (both makeup of the student body and scope of the education) and seemed to put more emphasis on researching with professors, while Carleton felt quirkier and nerdier generally.
We also visited Macalester, and one of the main differences among them all from our perspective was the campus environment. Put simply, Mac is a tiny campus in a huge place, Grinnell is a huge campus in a tiny place, and Carleton is a medium-sized campus (not counting the arboretum) in a relatively medium-ish-sized place. D26 didn’t like the bustling city vibe of Mac, especially the part about crossing a busy street between the dorms and academic buildings, but also felt the town of Grinnell was just too small and remote and farm-y. Carleton was the perfect blend for her, but of course others may feel very differently.
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In that case, evaluation of the math offerings may be better focused on the breadth of applied math areas (statistics, operations research, mathematical biology, mathematical economics, …) covered, as well as math heavy areas in other subjects (physics is inherently math heavy, but other subjects like biology and economics may not be that math heavy by default).
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Big state flagships have something to offer everyone. Even if it has a big party, social scene, huge amounts of students avoid that scene, too. For a math major who has already completed so many courses, that is the right move, especially if grad school is in his future. A big research university will give him more opportunity. If Macalster is too liberal, so are Carleton and Grinnell.
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Unless you have spent time on all 3 liberal arts campuses in question, I don’t think you can paint them with the same brush. Every school has a different feel, and that is what the OP is trying to determine. What evidence are you using to say that all are too liberal for this student?
I have not been to Grinnell, but Carleton and Mac are very different schools based on my visits. My student’s experience at Carleton is that it is not a school with a lot of social justice activists. Others may have a different experience. I will not comment on the other schools because I do not have as much information - and it’s not fair to the OP or the schools to make stuff up.
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