Best Small Colleges for Math

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:RPI
SUNY Stony Brook
RIT

Not RPI unless they are only interested in Applied Math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The National Science Foundation funds Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs). I would look at the list of colleges that have them a good jumping off point. Not because it would help her get into the REU because it’s a list of institutions that care enough about undergraduate math education to seek and win a grant for it.

https://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/list_result.jsp?unitid=5044

Also, as she chooses as specific major, have her consider what she likes about math. I was a math major and ended up doing a data science type job. I like my job but realized too late that I really take satisfaction in the certainty of math proofs. Data science is all about uncertainty. It’s not that great of a fit, even though data science would be perfect for some math majors.

Adding--the REUs are usually attended by students from other schools--often SLACs to get a more research-intensive experiences.

[Anonymous]

Someone pointed this out earlier, but it's important to clarify for her if the act of doing MVCalc is what attracts her (applied) or the ideas that guide it (theory). My guess is applied because the people who love theory just really are often awed by learning the calculus--it's a beautiful invention. The people who are sparked by MV Calc are more likely to just groove with working with the orderly patterns of numbers and are more likely to like doing something meaningful with them. If she's also spatially inclined that might be engineering, but if not, it might be data science or economics.

[Anonymous]

Your daughter might also like schools with good applied math departments. brown has a good one but that doesn't solve the problem of finding some schools that aren't a reach.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't worry too much about whether you kid likes problem solving versus theory. You can learn either in college. Must high school kids don't get much match theory except in Geometry and Trig, in which student do proofs. My daughter found statistics very interesting.

For a female student, I would look at the size and demographics of the math department.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't worry too much about whether you kid likes problem solving versus theory. You can learn either in college. Must high school kids don't get much match theory except in Geometry and Trig, in which student do proofs. My daughter found statistics very interesting.

For a female student, I would look at the size and demographics of the math department.

I agree.
Make sure you click through the profiles of the professors. Your child should also visit the schools and ask to sit in on a math class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't worry too much about whether you kid likes problem solving versus theory. You can learn either in college. Must high school kids don't get much match theory except in Geometry and Trig, in which student do proofs. My daughter found statistics very interesting.

For a female student, I would look at the size and demographics of the math department.

I agree.
Make sure you click through the profiles of the professors. Your child should also visit the schools and ask to sit in on a math class.

The only thing though is in a SLAC with just a math major you may not have access to people doing things like engineering, data science, machine learning--and it would be a shame if that was where her passion lies and it's where greater career opportunities are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't worry too much about whether you kid likes problem solving versus theory. You can learn either in college. Must high school kids don't get much match theory except in Geometry and Trig, in which student do proofs. My daughter found statistics very interesting.

For a female student, I would look at the size and demographics of the math department.

I agree.
Make sure you click through the profiles of the professors. Your child should also visit the schools and ask to sit in on a math class.

The only thing though is in a SLAC with just a math major you may not have access to people doing things like engineering, data science, machine learning--and it would be a shame if that was where her passion lies and it's where greater career opportunities are.

Most of the better LACs have courses and profs in machine learning and data science. Data science might be offered through statistics while machine learning will usually be offered through CS. Engineering is a different matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Williams College
Saint Olaf
Lawrence University
Grinnell
Case Western Reserve
Oberlin

Bard.

[Anonymous]

Lehigh and Lafayette have really strong engineering programs and probably math adjacent as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Smith is a great place for math.

Our niece just graduated from there and had two offers for phd programs from Ivy League schools.

Smith grad here. Math major and PhD from top three university in my field. The math classes at Amherst were more difficult, though Smith faculty were much more supportive.

My DC was a math major at Amherst who came in with several post-AP courses, so he ended up taking math courses at UMass to fill out his major. I believe Smith students have that option too - a nice advantage of the college consortium.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also thought MV calculus was the most fun thing ever and would encourage her to consider Mechanical Engineering as a major. If not Mech E, there are a lot of other applied math majors like data analytics or majors that require math-like analytical skills, like CS.

Math majors end up focusing on theory more than fun math like calculus and many math majors become disillusioned. It's just not the same.

I would add Electrical Engineering to the list too. A lot of Matlab intensive modeling she might find interesting.

+1

Definately engineering or data analytics with a math minor if she really wants. Unless she wants to get her PHD and be a professor, pick a math intensive major that will get her a job with a BS/BA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Williams College
Saint Olaf
Lawrence University
Grinnell
Case Western Reserve
Oberlin

Bard.

No, not for math.

[Anonymous]

Helpful info here for kids who are into math.
Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also thought MV calculus was the most fun thing ever and would encourage her to consider Mechanical Engineering as a major. If not Mech E, there are a lot of other applied math majors like data analytics or majors that require math-like analytical skills, like CS.

Math majors end up focusing on theory more than fun math like calculus and many math majors become disillusioned. It's just not the same.

Calculus isn't the same as "fun math". Fun is personal preference.

Pure math is harder than applied math. High school and calculus is applied math.

Engineering majors get disillusioned too. It's hard in a different way.

OP said that her daughter considers MV calculus fun. I was using her definition. If that's what her daughter loves, she'd likely enjoy engineering more than a pure math major.

Engineering is much closer to physics than math.

Anonymous wrote:My daughter wants to major in math (she’s a true nerd who thinks MV calculus is the most fun she’s ever had) and had always said she wanted a larger school but since we’ve started looking she’s clearly drawn towards smaller (2000-4000). She loved Bowdoin, liked Wesleyan but obviously these are reaches for everyone. Looking for a range of smallish colleges with great Math programs.

Has anyone found a comprehensive source for things like this? I have seen several lists but they’re all vastly different.

Shes a junior with with great stats but no hooks, looking to stay northeast or mid Atlantic (ie nothing as far west as Ohio).

Thanks for any suggestions!

Can she take a proof-based discrete math course in the spring/summer? That would get her acquainted to proof based math so she could see if she likes it or not