I’m accepted by Colgate and UIUC and wondering which one is more suitable for me. My major is math and I’m planning to pursue a career in finance. I’m also very likely to go to a graduate school in the future.
I know that UIUC has a very strong math major, but Colgate seems more prestigious to me (I don’t know whether that’s true). I’m also attracted by the fact that Colgate as a LAC can provide students with more chances for personal development. Plus, I think that the student faculty ratio of LAC will really help my study. However, the strong academic level of UIUC math major also attracts me a lot and it also have programs that will be really helpful for my professional preparation.
I’m not sure about which of them will be better for me to apply to graduate schools. I have the impression that students from LAC somehow have advantages in graduate school application, but I don’t know whether the strong math major of UIUC will also play an important role. I know that studying math at UIUC will lay a really strong foundation for my future study, but studying is not the only thing I want. Personal development is important for me as well.
Furthermore, internship seems to be very crucial for my major. So I also wonder which of the two schools can provide better internship opportunities in finance area?
Plus, I know very little about the math major of Colgate, so it will be very helpful if someone can tell me something about it. I also wonder what it feels like to study in each of the schools. I’ll be grateful if someone tell me about it.
May I suggest that you contact both schools’ mathematics departments via the admissions offices and ask for the information you seek on their students’ achievements and graduates’ outcomes. Also, have Admissions refer you to the core curricula (if there is one- I know there is at Colgate, it’s one of their hallmarks) and other salient aspects of courses outside students’ majors. Lastly, check out how their career services departments assist with arranging internships and the schools’ semester studies programs off campus.
The admissions officers at both have your interests at heart. Their timeliness and the quality of their responses will tell you a lot about these very different schools.
Colgate has a beautiful campus near a charming, friendly town. ("America's Friendliest Towns," Forbes.)
Pursuing your studies at a LAC may enhance your cognitive ability to a greater extent than at a university. ("How the instructional and learning environment at liberal arts colleges enhance cognitive development"; Pascarella, Wang, Trolian and Blaich.)
Through no fault of UIUC's, Colgate students arrive comparatively more academically prepared. ("610 Smartest Colleges," Business Insider.)
Both of your choices enjoy reputations as having party aspects. ("The Top Ten Party Schools," The Princeton Review.)
Thanks for all the replies. I found that there’s a website called “math-colleges” and Colgate’s math major only ranks #237 on it, but UIUC is the #6. I was completely shocked by it. Can someone tell me how reliable is that ranking?http://math-colleges.com/colgate-university
If I had to speculate, I’d say that site is written by perhaps a small group outside the U.S. who know little of relevance about American colleges. The way they analyze and present data – including the language with which they express themselves – fails to demonstrate even a modest level of knowledge or discernment.
@lalalala233 Students are obsessed with rankings of specific majors. In general, for undergraduate studies, this is irrelevant. The reputation of your school as a whole is most important. Your major is a minority of the courses you will be taking. Also, most students will change majors. I would rather you change majors at a school like Colgate. Focus on what is important as an undergraduate. Colgate is a much better school in terms of first job and mid-career earnings. If a business career is what you want, you should consider a dual major of Econ and Math, they are very complimentary and relatively easy to combine.