SLAC Question

[Anonymous]

DD got into a couple of NESCAC LACs and is trying to decide.

Outside of Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore and Pomona (WASP) is the prospect/outlook for grad school and employment pretty close to the same? I get the sense that Bowdoin and Hamilton might have big advantages, but if her choices are Bates and Connecticut College, should she just choose on environment/weather?

[Anonymous]

This is splitting hairs. If her choice is Bates or Connecticut, she should chose location, student body, culture. They aren't that far apart. I'm not sure that Bowdoin and Hamilton have "big advantages" either. Not sure where that's coming from.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is splitting hairs. If her choice is Bates or Connecticut, she should chose location, student body, culture. They aren't that far apart. I'm not sure that Bowdoin and Hamilton have "big advantages" either. Not sure where that's coming from.

Agree. She should go where she wants to go and get good grades, do research (if it’s available, which is one of the advantages of a small LAC), do well on the GREs (if needed). That’s all that matters.

[Anonymous]

Not clear to me that Bowdoin and Hamilton have big advantages over Bates.

[Anonymous]

If I was going to play the random prestige ranking game I’d probably order them Bowdoin, Bates, Hamilton, Conn., but I do agree that what matters a lot more is where your kid wants to go.

[Anonymous]

not sure why you would order Bates over Hamilton. Hamilton has far better endowment and is needs blind. those are tangible advantages for the student experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is splitting hairs. If her choice is Bates or Connecticut, she should chose location, student body, culture. They aren't that far apart. I'm not sure that Bowdoin and Hamilton have "big advantages" either. Not sure where that's coming from.

Agree. She should go where she wants to go and get good grades, do research (if it’s available, which is one of the advantages of a small LAC), do well on the GREs (if needed). That’s all that matters.

Agreed. They're all great schools, with more similarities than differences (as are other SLACs ranked in the top 50 or so). Unless there's a specific major or a particular professor she wants to study with, and assuming finances and transportation issues are similar, what matters most for the LAC experience is:
1) choosing one that feels like a good fit with the student body & general vibe, 2) taking a wide variety of classes, 3) doing research with professors, and 4) taking advantage of the close-knit alumni network after graduation.

Best of luck to her!

[Anonymous]

And to be frank, if you're thinking about name recognition as a factor: The average person on the street won't know much (if anything) about Bowdoin, Hamilton, Bates or Conn College. So they're pretty equal in that respect.

Good HR departments and grad-school admissions departments *will* know them — and know that they're all well-respected small colleges. But it's not like they'll flip through US News to see the latest LAC rankings every single time they get a new batch of applicants. At that point, what matters most will be a graduate's experiences, grades, and individual professor recommendations.

So really – go with what seems like the best fit.