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My son is looking for a solid liberal arts education with a concentration in some combination of Math, Physics, and Computer Science, with an eye toward eventual grad school probably in engineering. Any insight on choosing among Dartmouth, Williams, and Middlebury would be appreciated.

By Autumnwine (Autumnwine) on Wednesday, April 09, 2003 - 05:31 pm: Edit

2007,

First, congratulations to you and your son! And props to your son for seeing the value of a liberal arts education, which often gets lost among kids who are pursuing the sciences.

I graduated from Dartmouth 10 months ago with a degree in "Computer Science Modified with Economics" and an minor in Asian Studies. I know many others who modified their degrees, double majored, or designed their own degrees. I had a wonderful experience, inside and outside the CS department; I took 2 terms of honors physics my first year and adored my professor; I can't speak as highly of the math department, but cross-registered math-for-CS classes were wonderful and were taught by CS profs.

I am sure there are many Williams and Middlebury students who can say the same about their experience; however, Dartmouth does have a leg up in terms of being a liberal arts college with the resources of a research university. The graduate school of engineering, Ph.D. candidates in math, CS and Physics, and the professors who are engaged in with the graduate programs give students a wide array of undergraduate research opportunities, which may, in turn, prepare them for graduate work down the road.

Math modifed with computer science major & physic minor
Physics modifed with math & computer science double major
computer science, physcis and math triple major (hmmmmm)
the possibilities are endless....

By 2007 (2007) on Friday, April 11, 2003 - 01:00 pm: Edit

Thanks for the reply. My son is undecided as to career goals, which contributes to his difficulty in making this choice. His first love has always been math, and it has been the foundation for his success in Physics and programming. In the absence of a clear career path, I'm of the opinion that he should concentrate on math, and see where that leads him as he matures. He can always concentrate on a career in grad school. It's hard to turn down a school like Dartmouth, but I have heard that math at Williams is really superior, and, as you suggest, that Dartmouth is somewhat lacking in this department. Williams does have a "pre-engineering" track, should he begin to lean in that direction as he proceeds through college, and as far as I can tell, Williams is as highly regarded as Dartmouth, at least in academic circles. Your thoughts?