@Lamiyass This post ^^^ might be helpful for you too, since you’re comparing several of the same schools.
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With respect to the the OP’s preference for small class sizes, they also may want to consider the complementary aspect of classroom experience. In this survey-based site, for example, Richmond, Hamilton and Bowdoin appear:
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Fortunately, I am able to make my decision independent of finances. I think if I had to list my favorite schools at the moment, I would say Bowdoin, Lehigh, Northeastern, and University of Richmond.
Thank you! Based on the offers I received from the schools, I am able to go to any of the schools I listed. Can I ask why you think Lehigh would be the best fit? I really like their CSB program, and the campus is beautiful. I am slightly concerned because students in the CSB program typically take 5 courses per semester which may feel overwhelming.
Thank you! I feel like being able to ask questions without being nervous (I don’t have the guts to ask a question in a 100 person+ lecture hall) and engage in class discussions is important to me.
I had a very positive experience touring Lehigh. They place a strong value on their CSB program. One thing particularly important is whether or not they have strong tutoring and Professor/TA review sessions leading up to exams. When I toured Lehigh, most professors shared that they had review sessions before the exams, and were willing to meet one on one with students.
If I have been admitted as a CS major in the Martinson Honors Program, do you know if I will still be able to easily take business courses?
If I remember correctly Richmond has business. It maybe checks all your requirements. They do have review sessions and I believe some teachers even stayed up nights before exams (we asked about premed). Again if I remember correctly Richmond benefits from connections to DC. DD liked Richmond very much but FA was terrible for us there.
Just checked and Richmond indeed has very strong business. They claim 100% employment in 2023 for business majors. Google it! Everybody can take business classes at Richmond I believe.
Richmond also offers a top-level economics department. This analysis, which is based on faculty publishing, places its department fifth when compared to those of other LACs: Economics rankings: US Economics Departments at Liberal Arts Colleges | IDEAS/RePEc.
Lehigh checks all these boxes and is excellent for CS and Business/Economics. (I assume “flat campus” isn’t a requirement 
). Well-known for very strong students who study hard during the week and party hard on Fridays&Saturdays. You’re right about the 5-course intensity though.
Bowdoin kind of had the same vibe as Lehigh, perhaps closer knit/more influential alumni network and definitely smaller&more isolated.
BU is very urban (not the same vibe as the other 2) and Kilachand adds something to your experience (plus the Honors Dorm is really nice AFAIK).
URichmond would have a closer vibe to Bowdoin or Lehigh but in a city. I’d pick one of the 3 above baded on what you said but this could be your happy medium.
Finally, Northeastern if you want co-ops (if you want internships, you will find them from any college) but it’s very preprofessional so when you’re off on co-ops it’s not reallg about college fun or social life.
Definitely! That’s one of the great things about Northeastern - with the exception of a few specific programs (like nursing and PT for example) - there are very few barriers to switching programs or just taking electives outside of your major. You could stay in the full CS major and add a business minor, or you could switch to the CS+business dual major (and still add extra CS or business classes if you don’t want to give up all of the courses that aren’t required in the dual-major version). With the way the CS core is front-loaded, the first year is going to look pretty similar on any of these tracks, so you’d have plenty of time to figure things out. (The CS core is also highly collaborative, with an emphasis on pair programming.)
It would be interesting to do a close comparison of the Northeastern CS+business plan of study with the Lehigh CSB curriculum. Of course, the two schools are also very different in terms of surroundings and “vibe,” in addition to the centrality of co-op at Northeastern.
URochester is another that deserves close consideration, as it’s strong in CS, has a business school, and has a flexible curriculum that would make it very easy to add a business minor, and possibly a double major. Rochester is a middle ground between Lehigh and Northeastern, in terms of urbanness. It has less of the Greek/party vibe of Lehigh - more of an artsy/intellectual feel.
When you say you want fun traditions, what are you picturing? Two examples that aren’t on your list but make the point: Caltech has fun traditions. Florida State has fun traditions. Very few students would like both!
Thank you! When I visited Richmond I noticed that the downtown area seemed fairly run down, and there was little to no night life. The area did not seem the nicest. Do you know if most people feel this way about the downtown area or if I just experienced one not so great area?
What I have heard about Rochester that deters me is that the school feels like a bubble, the weather is awful, and the food is not great. Apart from these aspects, the academics at the school are amazing.
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I think I would like traditions that fall in between the feel of Caltech and Florida State. Not too sports heavy traditions like FSU but also not traditions like those at Caltech which feel kind of “nerdy” (like the nitrogen pumpkin drop)
Good answer! And of course none of your schools veer to either extreme, because you crafted your list to your preferences when you applied. But it’s helpful to get a clearer picture of what you meant.
A few more questions:
First of all, as far as weighing the schools with business programs against the ones where you’d be studying econ… obviously econ majors can have business careers. (For that matter, pure CS majors who didn’t study business or econ at all can have business careers.) But as an educational experience, studying business is quite different from studying theoretical econ. There’s some overlap, of course, but the upper-level classes will be very different. Which do you prefer?
And since I keep coming back to Lehigh vs. Northeastern as the two that stand out… two questions:
- How do you feel about co-ops? Is the idea of having more substantial work experiences than you’d get with internships appealing, in terms of applying what you’re learning in school and test-driving different kinds of work environments? Or would you prefer a more traditional college experience, with just shorter internships during your breaks?
- In terms of “nightlife,” would you enjoy social experiences that are largely orchestrated by a Greek system? Or would you prefer an urban campus with little-to-no Greek life, but a combination of campus-based parties and events, and city-based nightlife?
Great questions! I think in terms of a business major, I should specify that I am particularly interested in finance. To your point, economics is certainly more theoretical. The economics major is very practical, but will require some skills to be learned in the field (should I decide on a career in finance such as consulting). I think I will be able to get an internship at any school I attend because I have already built up my own network, and have had numerous internships in the past. The interesting thing about Northeastern is that students will participate in the co-op program during the academic year as opposed to the summer.
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I am not opposed to Greek life but it is not something that would persuade me either. As long as there is decent night life, I will be happy. I usually concentrate on my academics and other responsibilities during daytime hours which leaves most of my free time later in the day.
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I think both Northeastern and Lehigh could serve you well, in terms of your interest in Finance. The Lehigh CSB program has “tracks,” of which finance is one. CSB Tracks | P.C. Rossin College of Engineering & Applied Science In the Northeastern CS+business dual major, you choose a business concentration, which can be finance: Finance | Northeastern University Academic Catalog I’d look at the course offerings in this area of interest, and then compare what’s available at other schools you’re still interested in.
The fact that you already have a track record in terms of internships would, I’d expect, help you to land desirable co-ops if you decided to go that route.
I feel like Northeastern has a really nice balance between campus-based social opportunities, and the ability to do your own thing in the city, which has plenty of nightlife as well. At Lehigh, there are fewer alternatives to the campus social scene, so it’s more important to make sure that the “flavor” of that scene truly appeals to you. (And I’m not saying that it shouldn’t! It just isn’t a fit for everybody, and it’s kind of the only game in town.)
As for others on your list… I feel as if RPI might be too “nerdy” for you, and Brandeis perhaps too low-key. If you don’t love Rochester, I’m not sure CWRU would fare better, although it is a bit more urban.
How do you feel about gender balance? Haverford and Bryn Mawr are very symbiotic, and the combined “Bi-Co” community is 80% female. Plus or minus? (Theoretically you could cross-register at UPenn, but whether you could both get into any Wharton classes and make them work logistically is fairly dubious, and probably not a factor that should sway you toward Haverford.)
You must have more-or-less eliminated some choices by now. What’s still in the running?
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Economics departments at colleges without business majors sometimes do offer finance and other business-adjacent courses, because economics is often used as a substitute for business. You may find other business-adjacent courses elsewhere, such as sociology of work in the sociology department. You may want to check course offerings at each school.
But note that elite finance and consulting can be rather elitist in college recruiting.
As noted above, economics departments may offer courses in finance. Available topics might include accounting, corporate finance, international finance, financial economics and financial econometrics.