<p>RyanMK,</p>
<p>We seem to be running into each other on multiple forums. All three schools you mention are excellent. I could be wrong, but I would consider the school where you will feel happiest. All three have a number of distribution requirements (although these are usually less oppressive to science majors). Carleton is smaller. Does that appeal to you. Chicago has the best brand name in the real (non rankings obsessed) world. WU is excellent. Your motivation, grades, boards, personality, etc. will be more determinative of your graduate school chances, than which of these schools you choose. You can’t go wrong.</p>
<p>Having said that, I can also say that should you ever change your mind about your life goals, larger schools may give you more options. WU is excellent in engineering, social sciences and the humanities. Chicago is reputed to have one of the top economics departments in the country. And so on.</p>