I find all these SLACS to be so similar

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a kid apply to Wesleyan, Carleton and Grinnell. Got into Carleton and Grinnell but not Wesleyan, which would have been the top choice. Not a huge fan of Carleton and the merit money from Grinnell sealed the deal.

The kid definitely saw differences between the schools, and never even considered the top northeastern SLACs - thought they were way too mainstream.

The point being that students definitely see differences between SLACs.

Our kid had a very positive reaction to Carleton and a negative reaction to Grinnell, to the point we turned down their merit aid offer and picked Carleton. I can of course see a family doing the opposite; fit is personal. A one paragraph description might imply those two are very similar, but in our experience they were very different.

Sorry but to have such a dramatically different reaction to the two schools is odd. Sounds like you’re rankings chasers.

Not PP, but this response is unnecessarily shitty. Is it so hard to believe that a teenager might have different impressions of two different schools? That doesn't strike me as odd in the slightest.

Never said “different.” Said “dramatically different.” They’re definitely not dramatically different.

I mean most schools arent dramatically different - but we know kids respond to things like the personality of the tour guide, the weather (impacts how lively the campus feels) and things like that so I think one could have a "dramatically different" experience on the same campus on two back to back days to be honest

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's a mistake to generalize about these schools - it really depends on what the kid wants and where they think they will thrive. Many of my daughter's friends wanted larger schools - and I understand that. She wanted a small school, loves the rural location, and is having a wonderful time. Have your kid do some research into the academics and programs they might be interested in; visit some schools and see what they respond to. We visited SLACs she loved and others she really disliked; big schools and mediums schools; rural schools and urban schools. You learn a lot by touring.

yeah this thread is SILLY. We looked at Bowdoin Middlebury Wash U, Tufts W& M, and Williams. Really liked Middlebury Bowdoin but LOVED Williams. It is an exceptionally good school famous for its teaching quality. It is remote but unlike Middlebury and Bowdoin it is really EASY to get to Williams! It's an hour from Albany and a decent drive to Boston. Middlebury and Bowdoin were lovely but felt more remote in some senses.

I just dont understand some of the threads on this website. Just go with your kid and walk around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't imagine paying $80-90k for any school. And all of these SLACs sound exactly the same.

That’s why they offer Mercedes, Hondas and Kias. Options for all price points, some better than others. For those with the means, or the ability to qualify for merit or financial aid, SLACs can be amazing experiences. I have kids at two different SLACs and have seen the benefits firsthand.

I have a kid at one of the SLACs mentioned upthread. She's a first year. All of her classes are taught by full profs and they have 20 students or fewer. Profs grade her work (there aren't any TAs), they know her by name, classes are interactive. Even her lab is staffed by a professor. Spouse and I are downright floored at how different this is from our own education (at a top Ivy and top public univ).

Love this type of LAC bolstering post which never names any of the alleged schools. This is done so that those with actual recent knowledge of a named school cannot correct the bs in the LAC sales-pitch.

Would it not be less conspiratorial to conclude they mean what they say and happen to believe other LACs are similar? If they name the school they would be viewed as school boosters. If you understand the LAC model, you understand what they are saying applies elsewhere. It certainly applies to ours. All their claims are very basic, known attributes of LACs.

No, because that poster dissed "a top Ivy" and a "top public university". Typical LAC hucksterism.

This is such a weird take. Who thinks like this?

Right? So many strange women (mostly women, I bet) on this website! Whenever i peek on here I am floored by the randomly angry tone over a topic like this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's a mistake to generalize about these schools - it really depends on what the kid wants and where they think they will thrive. Many of my daughter's friends wanted larger schools - and I understand that. She wanted a small school, loves the rural location, and is having a wonderful time. Have your kid do some research into the academics and programs they might be interested in; visit some schools and see what they respond to. We visited SLACs she loved and others she really disliked; big schools and mediums schools; rural schools and urban schools. You learn a lot by touring.

yeah this thread is SILLY. We looked at Bowdoin Middlebury Wash U, Tufts W& M, and Williams. Really liked Middlebury Bowdoin but LOVED Williams. It is an exceptionally good school famous for its teaching quality. It is remote but unlike Middlebury and Bowdoin it is really EASY to get to Williams! It's an hour from Albany and a decent drive to Boston. Middlebury and Bowdoin were lovely but felt more remote in some senses.

I just dont understand some of the threads on this website. Just go with your kid and walk around.

What a strange mix of sentences. Williams is objectively isolated-you can't even get an uber there. Bowdoin is near the coast, in a residential neighborhood, and is cheaper and quicker to get to Boston than Williams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't imagine paying $80-90k for any school. And all of these SLACs sound exactly the same.

That’s why they offer Mercedes, Hondas and Kias. Options for all price points, some better than others. For those with the means, or the ability to qualify for merit or financial aid, SLACs can be amazing experiences. I have kids at two different SLACs and have seen the benefits firsthand.

I have a kid at one of the SLACs mentioned upthread. She's a first year. All of her classes are taught by full profs and they have 20 students or fewer. Profs grade her work (there aren't any TAs), they know her by name, classes are interactive. Even her lab is staffed by a professor. Spouse and I are downright floored at how different this is from our own education (at a top Ivy and top public univ).

Love this type of LAC bolstering post which never names any of the alleged schools. This is done so that those with actual recent knowledge of a named school cannot correct the bs in the LAC sales-pitch.

Would it not be less conspiratorial to conclude they mean what they say and happen to believe other LACs are similar? If they name the school they would be viewed as school boosters. If you understand the LAC model, you understand what they are saying applies elsewhere. It certainly applies to ours. All their claims are very basic, known attributes of LACs.

No, because that poster dissed "a top Ivy" and a "top public university". Typical LAC hucksterism.

This is such a weird take. Who thinks like this?

Right? So many strange women (mostly women, I bet) on this website! Whenever i peek on here I am floored by the randomly angry tone over a topic like this.

I will never understand why some people here are so vitriolic against LACs, especially since it’s likely they never attended one nor know much about them. The only reason I can come up with is that they have a chip on their shoulder and think all LAC students are the rich kids who bullied them in HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's a mistake to generalize about these schools - it really depends on what the kid wants and where they think they will thrive. Many of my daughter's friends wanted larger schools - and I understand that. She wanted a small school, loves the rural location, and is having a wonderful time. Have your kid do some research into the academics and programs they might be interested in; visit some schools and see what they respond to. We visited SLACs she loved and others she really disliked; big schools and mediums schools; rural schools and urban schools. You learn a lot by touring.

yeah this thread is SILLY. We looked at Bowdoin Middlebury Wash U, Tufts W& M, and Williams. Really liked Middlebury Bowdoin but LOVED Williams. It is an exceptionally good school famous for its teaching quality. It is remote but unlike Middlebury and Bowdoin it is really EASY to get to Williams! It's an hour from Albany and a decent drive to Boston. Middlebury and Bowdoin were lovely but felt more remote in some senses.

I just dont understand some of the threads on this website. Just go with your kid and walk around.

What a strange mix of sentences. Williams is objectively isolated-you can't even get an uber there. Bowdoin is near the coast, in a residential neighborhood, and is cheaper and quicker to get to Boston than Williams.

All great schools. Bowdoin seemed easier to get to for us… 30 min from Portland airport. But kid’s close friend chose Williams. Both kids really happy just a few months in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a kid apply to Wesleyan, Carleton and Grinnell. Got into Carleton and Grinnell but not Wesleyan, which would have been the top choice. Not a huge fan of Carleton and the merit money from Grinnell sealed the deal.

The kid definitely saw differences between the schools, and never even considered the top northeastern SLACs - thought they were way too mainstream.

The point being that students definitely see differences between SLACs.

Our kid had a very positive reaction to Carleton and a negative reaction to Grinnell, to the point we turned down their merit aid offer and picked Carleton. I can of course see a family doing the opposite; fit is personal. A one paragraph description might imply those two are very similar, but in our experience they were very different.

Our DC has Wes will be applying to Wesleyan and is considering Carleton and Grinnell. How would you describe Carleton and Grinnell and are they worth a visit in person?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's a mistake to generalize about these schools - it really depends on what the kid wants and where they think they will thrive. Many of my daughter's friends wanted larger schools - and I understand that. She wanted a small school, loves the rural location, and is having a wonderful time. Have your kid do some research into the academics and programs they might be interested in; visit some schools and see what they respond to. We visited SLACs she loved and others she really disliked; big schools and mediums schools; rural schools and urban schools. You learn a lot by touring.

yeah this thread is SILLY. We looked at Bowdoin Middlebury Wash U, Tufts W& M, and Williams. Really liked Middlebury Bowdoin but LOVED Williams. It is an exceptionally good school famous for its teaching quality. It is remote but unlike Middlebury and Bowdoin it is really EASY to get to Williams! It's an hour from Albany and a decent drive to Boston. Middlebury and Bowdoin were lovely but felt more remote in some senses.

I just dont understand some of the threads on this website. Just go with your kid and walk around.

Look, Williams is an hour from Albany's airport, Middlebury is an hour from Burlington's airport, and Bowdoin is 40 minutes from Portland's airport. Both Middlebury and Bowdoin have Amtrak stations within walking distance of campus that will take you to NYC and Boston, respectively. Middlebury and Williams may be located in small towns, but they're by no means isolated.