Question about liberal arts colleges

fogcity
Tue, 28 Jul 2015 03:53:01 +0000

Also, would pursuing a major in computer science at a liberal arts college a good idea.

With an exception or two it’s not a good idea. Success in CS studies requires: a critical number of core CS courses taught frequently, faculty deeply involved with state-of-the-art research or contemporary CS centric engineering projects, a critical number of students engaged and passionate in CS – this is essential for effective “staffing” of course related projects, and corporate interest and sponsorship of aspects of the CS program. Also critical is effective job placement – both for internships and permanent positions. With few exceptions leading software/hitech firms do not recruit at LACs. There is also a benefit to have CS graduate students around which typically is not the case at LACs.

The exceptions are a handful of small colleges that have a strong science/technology emphasis. Think Caltech, Harvey Mudd. But the culture at these colleges differs greatly from that at more traditional LACs