My son is a junior broadly interested in public policy, economics, and sociology with a quantitative bent. 4.0 uw; 1530 SAT (790 r/w, 740 math) (planning to retake); 5 AP scores by the time he will apply to colleges, all likely to be 5s, including Calc BC. This is a relatively common profile for students from his (public) school.
He’s in his school’s orchestra, GSA, and puzzle club, and also top 50 in the nation in a generic academic extracurricular in which he holds a leadership role. Nothing focused on his major, though.
Looking to stay in the USA, probably around the Northeast since it’s close to family and he’s trans. Also looking for 5,000 to around 10,000 students, ideally in a city. Career focus is important, but financial aid is not. Secular and politically inclined is preferred.
We like Carnegie Mellon’s behavioral economics program, but it’s definitely a reach, and he’s mentioned he finds Oberlin appealing, though it doesn’t fit much of our criteria. Recommendations?
Initial thoughts (some are over 10K): University of Vermont, Ithaca College, Suny Binghamton, George Washington, Fordham (@fiftyfifty1 can you comment on the trans presence there?), Brandeis, Brown.
Of course, there would be more if you expand the size and geographic range…
The ones that occur to me first are Clark, Wesleyan U (a little smaller than mid-sized, but fits a lot of the other criteria – check out their College of the Social Studies), American U, and George Washington. Skidmore is not urban, but Saratoga Springs is a lively and active small town with lots to do. If he’s willing to travel farther, check out Macalester.
Btw – national achievement in an EC is awesome – it doesn’t matter if it’s not related to a major. High school should be a time to explore interests, not to find activities just to position yourself for a major or profession, so it’s fantastic that he’s found something that he’s really been able to dig into regardless of where (if anywhere) it takes him.
ETA: If he’s willing to consider a small school like Oberlin, then what about Vassar? Similarly progressive and trans-friendly, but in a more welcoming state.
Sounds like a perfect match for Brandeis. Close to great gender affirming care (although if he is under 19 there may be a snag, I’m not sure how it is playing out at the moment. I can check for you if you are interested) and fits all the other criteria.
Agree with this. We completely eliminated Oberlin from my trans son’s list, not because of the campus itself, but we would be fearful of him traveling back and forth to school and venturing off campus for anything.
My son is planning to major in poli sci and applied to Brandeis, American, U of Rochester, Vassar, U Mass Amherst, UVM, Tufts, Clark, Rutgers, among others.
Do you have a budget? I’ll assume you’re willing to pay $100K a year even if you could pay half or less based on the aid comment??
Blue bubble in a red state - and the student might be able to get Fellows - College of Charleston. So a sub group of Honors with really top flight kids.
I don’t see Oberlin a fit at all - you want urban. I’m taking “ohio”'s laws out of the equation.
Brown, U Denver (not NE but), Tufts
Too big but Bing (not urban enough) and Pitt (not the largest campus). Syracuse is another - strong in all areas above given the top grad school (Maxwell). Bing and Pitt have a PPE degree which might be of interest. Northeastern too - but too large a school.
What came immediately to mind was the QSS and Public Policy Analysis majors at Emory. Quantitative Sciences (QSS) Major And it’s mid-sized, urban-adjacent, and gets high marks for LGBTQ±friendliness… and Atlanta has a vibrant queer community.
But, it does come with some purpleish-red-state concerns. Not sure if it’s a possibility you’d want to consider… but the school seems like a great fit otherwise. (Also, if you do decide not to rule out Atlanta, Georgia Tech is also top-notch for quant-heavy public policy.)
CMU is a reach by definition, but behavioral econ is in Dietrich which isn’t as tough as CS, engineering, or performing arts. Seems like a realistic reach.
Agreed that Rochester, Wesleyan, Brandeis, and Tufts could all be good ones. Maybe JHU would be worth a shot?
If OP wanted to expand their geography, this sounds similar to Northwestern’s MMSS program https://mmss.northwestern.edu/
I don’t know specifics about trans life at NU, @momofboiler1 do you? Illinois is a reliably blue state, and the town of Evanston quite progressive (first suburb to the north of Chicago.)
Congratulations to your son on his many accomplishments during his high school career! Below are some schools that he may want to investigate, sorted by my guesses as to his chances for admission.
Extremely Likely (80-99+%)
Drexel (PA ): About 14k undergrads at this Philadelphia school that places a big emphasis on co-ops. The major in Behavioral Economics, Business and Organizations is STEM-designated and seems like it could be a good fit.
Illinois Institute of Technology: About 3300 undergrads at this Chicago school. The major in Business and Psychology, described as a STEM-oriented curriculum, might be of interest. With the Elevate program which focuses on hands-on experiences and helping students be career-ready, so it has the career-focus that was mentioned as a preference.
Rochester Institute of Technology (NY): This school with about 14k undergrads is another one where co-ops play a big role. There’s actually a whole School of Individualized Study here which would likely be welcoming for a combined study of economics and psychology.
The College of New Jersey: About 7100 undergrads at this school just outside of Trenton and less than an hour from Philadelphia. Its psychology program has multiple specializations, including one in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Within its business school it has an Interdisciplinary Business Specialization that has a self-designed track, a business and public policy track, and an innovation track. And there’s also the possibility to do a Self-Designed Major, including classes from the Economics department.
Johns Hopkins (MD): About 6100 undergrads at this Baltimore school. No behavioral economics program, per se, but it does offer an Interdisciplinary Studies major which your kid could customize with relevant coursework. It’s also part of a consortium whereby students can take classes at other area schools like Goucher and Loyola Maryland.
U. of Pennsylvania: About 12k undergrads at this Philadelphia school. There’s a major in Behavioral Economics through the Wharton School, and it also offers an Individualized Major program in the College of Arts & Sciences, which could combine a program with economics and psychology.
Also UVM is very progressive not very big for a state school etc, Burlington is obviously not a huge city but it is convenient to campus. Not sure about specific major offerings off hand, but they do have many and I think you can make your town? If not minoring across departments sounds pretty easy.
I’ll put in a shameless plug for CMU, aka “the nerd farm”. The school is strong in both Public Policy (#8) and Econ (#21). I was a double major in Public Policy and Management and Economics way back in the 80s, and there was a good deal of overlap in the course requirements for the the two majors. I don’t know if it is still on offer, but CMU used to have a 3-2 program in the public policy school where students can earn a BS and MS in five years. When I was there, CMU was all about the quant. It was the kind of place where even literature majors had to take a programming class, and the core philosophy class entailed mapping arguments using Boolean logic.
CMU is doing well financially, and that is reflected in the building boom on campus. Over the past few years they have doubled Science Hall and the computing center, razed and replaced Scaife Hall (science), replaced the athletic center with much improved facilities, and built new dorms. When my son toured the campus he was amazed at all the new labs in science hall.
The campus will be progressive and queer friendly. Because of the wide range of strong programs at CMU - drama, design, art, architecture, engineering, comp sci, business, PPM, etc. - the school attracts kids from all backgrounds. Pittsburgh is a pretty progressive city and the neighborhoods surrounding campus are nice. Being “progressive” however, is not a central part of its character like a UofM or UCBerkeley.
CMU is a hard admit, but you have a very strong record and a shot at getting in. Getting in for humanities is a lot easier than for engineering or comp sci.
Yes, Fordham is a great choice for trans students. Both campuses, but especially the Lincoln Center (Manhattan) campus have a thriving trans presence, both students and faculty. Transwomen, transmen, and non-binary. Thriving queer presence in general, and of course NYC is a very queer-friendly city. When we first looked at schools, I was worried about Fordham because it is Jesuit (the most liberal branch of Catholicism, but still…) But it has turned out to be a great place for our LGBT+ kid. Feel free to PM me with any questions.