Swarthmore, Brown, Pomona, or Amherst?

Shibbolethette
Sat, 18 Oct 2008 20:47:17 +0000

I want:
Liberal arts, “learning for the sake of learning” kind of feel - more students going for PhDs than MDs.
Strong program in (molecular) biology.
Also interested in astronomy, physics, linguistics, English, astrobiology.
College town or city, not isolation.
Amazing, devoted professors.
Lots of undergrad research.
Nice dorms/good food = definite plus.

My take on each school…

Swarthmore
More of an intellectual atmosphere (beneficial or smothering?). Close to Philly but I get the feeling that students don’t get up there much. Great student-professor relations (see: the bathtub debate!). Strong in all sciences. But are students too stressed? Apparently social activities don’t start until the library closes (at 10!) on Friday. But reputation of less drinking is a plus.

Basically: I can’t decide if the super intellectual atmosphere is amazing or stifling.

Brown
More of a mix of smaller, discussion-based classes and larger lectures (good or bad?). No core (good/bad?). Larger student body + grad school = harder to connect with professors or better research opps? Nice town, close to Boston/NY. Does having more students make socializing easier (more diversity, chance of finding “your people”) or harder (not as welcoming, harder to actually meet “your people”)? Icky dorms, from what I can tell. A few dining options, some good food off-campus too. Happy students. Would Brown have more oddball classes on super specific topics than the others? (I love the idea of this)

Basically: I’m divided over whether I want a small U like Brown or an LAC.

Pomona
Small, closeknit college, yet social/academic options broadened by consortium. Close(ish) to LA but immediate surroundings = suburbia (blah). Very far from home (:(). Has professor/class in a specific area of bio research in which I’m very interested! I love the beach / warm weather (but would I miss seasons?). I also love the little things like Death by Chocolate, Ski-Beach day, daily snack, etc. Lots of dining options since you can eat on any campus. Seems like they make making friends super easy with sponsor groups, freshman adventure trips, etc. Nice dorms, happy students.

Basically: the only thing I worry about is being too far from home and too suburbia-fied.

Amherst
Small LAC but not claustrophobic thanks to college town, proximity of UMass & other schools (also broadens academic options somewhat). Far but not too far from home. Intro bio class I sat in on was great but I get the feeling Amherst is more social science-y than hard science-y. Only 1 dining hall but amazing freshman dorms. No core (good/bad?).

Basically: I love the way the school is integrated with the town, but worry about the lack of science options.

The ED deadline is coming up and I just don’t know what to do!!! Suggestions? How much would waiting for RD lower my chances at each school?