Reply to Macalester vs Kenyon vs Oberlin for science major

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Of the three, Oberlin probably has the strongest science departments.  A lot of its students go on to PhD programs.[/quote]

+1. I have an Obie in a sciences field who is planning to work for a year and get a PhD.  Two years of research with a prof.  Plus a summer of research.  Who is their “mentor” and a co-author on 1-2 papers. A study abroad with a research component specific to their interest.  Getting ready to present at a conference.  Is working with the school on their personal statement.  After the Conservatory, sciences is Oberlin’s strongest area.

That said, my kid also applied to Mac and Kenyon and was accepted, also with merit. Kenyon is lovely, but more remote and stronger in humanities (esp writing and English) than science. I think that’s your third place choice in terms of science pre-PhD.

I loved Mac, which had a lovely, walkable suburban campus and was also strong in my kid’s area of science. But neither my kid, nor their sibling 3 years later, liked the school when they visited.  It was very, very white.  Sibling also passed on Oberlin.

Mac and Oberlin are schools you need to visit.   I will cheerlead Oberlin’s science department. But doing well at Oberlin is really about fit, so I would never insist it’s the best school for your specific kid. You also need to visit Mac. Not sure why it raised such negative feelings in my kids— maybe the lack of diversity after the DMV?  [/quote]

That's great! May I ask what STEM field your kid is currently pursuing?[/quote]

Geology. Which means they also have done work in the Chemistry, Physics and Math departments.  Headed to New Zealand this week for a month of field camp focused on vulcanology, plate tectonics and mapping, followed by a Semester at U. Canterbury and a couple weeks for travel.  Oberlin is part of the Keck Geology Consortium of SLACs, and they run this program with other Keck members. Won’t be home until late June (gulp, I can send mMy kid halfway around the world for almost 6 months, right?).

Cannot recommend the quality of the science programs highly enough. But Oberlin is geared toward intellectual quirky kids with interests in fine arts.  A traditional LAX frat bro would hate it.  It’s a school you really need to visit. [/quote]

So interesting! Congrats to your kid and thanks for sharing :)

Yeah, if your kid has a specific interest in STEM, be sure to check the actual programs offered at these schools. For instance, Oberlin has a strong geosciences program while Grinnell and Kenyon do not current offer geology as a major. Kenyon also does not currently have a computer science major, only a scientific computing concentration, so keep that in mind if your kid might potentially be interested in CS.[/quote]

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