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If you don't mind taking the time to read through and respond to my criteria for my ideal school, that would be excellent!

anywhere from 1500 to 8000 students
safe surroundings (not just a safe campus)
nice architecture
kept-up campus
not a lot of traffic running through the campus
good program in biochemistry/molecular biology (or at least the opportunity to focus a general bio. major in that direction)
opportunities for bio-related research
good grad school and/or med school acceptance rates

By Haon (Haon) on Tuesday, January 06, 2004 - 01:41 pm: Edit

Williams, Carleton, Amherst, Middlebury, Wesleyan, Dartmouth, Oberlin.

What kind of atmosphere are you looking for in a school?

By Carolyn (Carolyn) on Tuesday, January 06, 2004 - 01:41 pm: Edit

And, also, what are your stats - no sense in us naming all reaches for you.

By Carolyn (Carolyn) on Tuesday, January 06, 2004 - 01:57 pm: Edit

Here's one possibility:
http://www.sandiego.edu/ugadmiss/campustour/tour22.html

By Collegeparent (Collegeparent) on Tuesday, January 06, 2004 - 04:10 pm: Edit

Need the stats, but also Bowdoin, Stanford, Colgate, Lehigh, F&M, Tufts, Swarthmore,

By Innotof (Innotof) on Tuesday, January 06, 2004 - 04:27 pm: Edit

As far as stats are concerned, I have a 1500 on the SAT I (720V, 780M). I haven't taken SAT II's yet. I'm homeschooled, if that makes any difference, and I'm taking my lab science classes at the local community college (and generally pulling the top A in each class). I know some colleges don't pay much attention to homeschoolers' GPA's, but mine is 4.00UW and about 4.52W.

In terms of my preferred atmosphere for a school, I would like one that isn't ultra-competitive (i.e., cutthroat, millions of premeds worried about their GPA's), but I do find collaborative competition stimulating. Also a place where students have a life outside of academics. Not a party school or anything, just a place where students aren't running around in a stressed-out frenzy.

Oh, and also a place where the social scene isn't dominated by Greeks. Either coed or all female is fine. I'm also rather intrigued by the Great Books program, so if you know of any colleges where that curriculum currently exists or can be improvised through a student-designed major, I would appreciate hearing about them. Thanks!

By Innotof (Innotof) on Tuesday, January 06, 2004 - 04:30 pm: Edit

One more thing -- preferably (sp?) less than 80% Caucasian. I myself am white, but I feel most comfortable in an ethnically diverse setting.

By Mlee (Mlee) on Tuesday, January 06, 2004 - 04:41 pm: Edit

delete

By J0h (J0h) on Tuesday, January 06, 2004 - 06:30 pm: Edit

northwestern

By Carlgirl (Carlgirl) on Tuesday, January 06, 2004 - 07:07 pm: Edit

Innotof, Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, seems to fit the bill. I visited twice and was seeking many of the same things as you in a college. Here's what I found: impressive sciences and top-notch professors who are extremely hands-on with their students; friendly, open and obviously bright students who seemed proud that the school has no Greek system yet were surprisingly involved in extracurricular activities including club sports and volunteer work; a sprawling yet manageable campus just two blocks from Northfield's quaint main street and 30 or so minutes from the Twin Cities (bus service to and from is available several times most days). But the biggest plus was that when I attended a student dance performance this past fall I was shocked to see large numbers of black, Hispanic and Asian students among the 500 attendees. The student body was much more diverse than I'd imagined. The bottom line is this: Carleton clearly does not pander to irritable Ivy rejects or investment banker wannabes. It DOES cater to those who go to college to learn how to think abstractly and to understand the difference between a fact and an idea. If you're looking for the total package, Innotof, I suspect Carleton might be it. Good luck.

By Carolyn (Carolyn) on Tuesday, January 06, 2004 - 08:16 pm: Edit

Yes, Carleton would be a fit. Also, maybe Reed, Kenyon, Oberlin, Occidental, Pomona, etc.

By Giants (Giants) on Tuesday, January 06, 2004 - 08:25 pm: Edit

Emory.

By Aspirer42 (Aspirer42) on Tuesday, January 06, 2004 - 08:35 pm: Edit

Reed, Swarthmore (and possibly Haverford), and Carleton sound like nice matches to me.

You might want to also investigate Davidson; their social scene may be a bit dominating, but they're quite a possibility otherwise.

By Medusa2003 (Medusa2003) on Tuesday, January 06, 2004 - 08:50 pm: Edit

Grinnell might be an option. No Greeks. Strong academics. No "required" classes.

By Benjamin (Benjamin) on Tuesday, January 06, 2004 - 09:32 pm: Edit

"I would like one that isn't ultra-competitive (i.e., cutthroat, millions of premeds worried about their GPA's)"

...lol....don't ever consider Emory.....

By Giants (Giants) on Tuesday, January 06, 2004 - 10:07 pm: Edit

Despite all of the pre-meds, Emory is fairly laid back.

By Mahras (Mahras) on Wednesday, January 07, 2004 - 12:02 am: Edit

I would suggest Brown asthere are premeds but there is not much cutthroat competition. Its a nice reach.

By Laceyski08 (Laceyski08) on Thursday, January 08, 2004 - 10:55 pm: Edit

Sounds like Bryn Mawr could be a good match. You also might want to look into St. John's.
Good luck and Best wishes!

By Aspirer42 (Aspirer42) on Saturday, January 10, 2004 - 03:59 pm: Edit

Bryn Mawr probably *would* be good. SJ University or College? The latter is top-notch for most of her criteria, but is probably a bit... lacking in molecular biology research

By Kissy (Kissy) on Saturday, January 10, 2004 - 05:45 pm: Edit

St. John's College (NM and MD) both have the Great Books program.

By Debaterocks (Debaterocks) on Monday, January 12, 2004 - 06:06 pm: Edit

i say brown for you...cant get much more laid back than brown and nice surroundings...providence is a great city...the people are super friendly and stuff like that...the person that gave my tour when i visited last summer was homeschooled and she said there was a lot of homeschoolers there...good luck...r u a junior i take it?

By Innotof (Innotof) on Tuesday, January 13, 2004 - 03:25 pm: Edit

I'm actually a sophomore, but I'm getting started early on my college search...I figure it had might as well be laid back, so I'm just gathering ideas for different college possibilities and requesting info from these schools as all of you recommend them. Yes, Brown seems like a good fit...we'll see what happens with the admission decision in a couple years!