SLACs for intellectual, well grounded student

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wesleyan and Grinnell are for wealthy liberal professional/academic families who care a LOT about academic prestige. Carleton is more down to earth/Midwestern. But with places like DCUM talking it up, I worry it’s becoming more like Grinnell/Wes. For the record, St Olaf and Macalester seem friendlier than Carleton, and WAY friendlier than Wes or Grinnell.

Your description of Grinnell is laughable. The median family income of a student at Carleton is $172k; at Wesleyan it's $194k; and at Grinnell it's $119k. That's a very big difference. Grinnell also has a lot more students from families in the bottom 20 percent of incomes in the US than either Wes or Carleton.

I like that you brought some data to the table, because PP’s description of Grinnell definitely doesn’t match my priors about it or it’s student body. I wonder if PP got it mixed up with another school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wesleyan and Grinnell are for wealthy liberal professional/academic families who care a LOT about academic prestige. Carleton is more down to earth/Midwestern. But with places like DCUM talking it up, I worry it’s becoming more like Grinnell/Wes. For the record, St Olaf and Macalester seem friendlier than Carleton, and WAY friendlier than Wes or Grinnell.

Your description of Grinnell is laughable. The median family income of a student at Carleton is $172k; at Wesleyan it's $194k; and at Grinnell it's $119k. That's a very big difference. Grinnell also has a lot more students from families in the bottom 20 percent of incomes in the US than either Wes or Carleton.

I have always thought that closest match to Carleton is Swarthmore, with Grinnell close behind. I would think that Carleton has more academic prestige than Wesleyan. I don't see how it is possible for Grinnell not to have the same Midwestern vibe as Carleton.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wesleyan and Grinnell are for wealthy liberal professional/academic families who care a LOT about academic prestige. Carleton is more down to earth/Midwestern. But with places like DCUM talking it up, I worry it’s becoming more like Grinnell/Wes. For the record, St Olaf and Macalester seem friendlier than Carleton, and WAY friendlier than Wes or Grinnell.

Your description of Grinnell is laughable. The median family income of a student at Carleton is $172k; at Wesleyan it's $194k; and at Grinnell it's $119k. That's a very big difference. Grinnell also has a lot more students from families in the bottom 20 percent of incomes in the US than either Wes or Carleton.

Carleton definitely seems more elitist than Grinnell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How would you describe difference between student bodies at Wes/Grinnell vs Carleton?

Also I am sure there are students who got into West and not Carleton. Once the admit rate is below some percentage there is a randomness to the admits/rejections.

OP here. Yes please! This is where DCUM is awesome. Differences between Carleton, Wesleyan and Vasser, which is high on the list.

All great schools (as is Grinnell.)

There are many ways to try to get a sense of fit, but some are:


- Consider distribution of majors per the common data sets. Our son was curious on which SLACs were more STEMy, so looked at things like which schools had what percentage of students in what majors. Here are links to some common data sets:

https://d31kydh6n6r5j5.cloudfront.net/uploads/sites/292/2021/02/CDS_2020-2021_Carleton_College-2.pdf

https://www.wesleyan.edu/ir/data-sets/CDS_2020-2021.pdf

https://institutionalresearch.vassar.edu/data/2019-2020/

For example, if one defines "STEM major percentage" as the percentages of CS+Engineering+Bio+Math+Phys Sci majors, the results for Carleton, Wesleyan, and Vassar are 42, 18.4, and 26.1, respectively.


- Consider (with a grain of salt) not just overall US News rankings but their more granular rankings as well:

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/carleton-college-2340/overall-rankings

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/wesleyan-university-1424/overall-rankings

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/vassar-college-2895/overall-rankings


- Consider getting copies of the Fiske and Pricenton Review guides. They've been at this a while.


- Visit the campuses if possible. Our son visited Carleton and Wesleyan. He preferred Carleton's campus, particularly the contiguous arboretum, and noted the number of friendly greetings and offers to help as he walked around campus. He visited Wesleyan, but not when it was in session, so that was a bit of a disadvantage. He did not visit Vassar, but it was on his application list had he not been admitted ED to Carleton (he was).


My general impression is that Carleton is more similar to Grinnell than to the other two above, but he didn't visit. He felt it was, for him, too remote. He liked that Carleton was less than an hour from a major metro center and shared a town with a second college (St. Olaf.) He felt it was rural without being remote and effectively had access to ~5,000 college age students.

Again, all great schools.

[Anonymous]

W&L is the best gat dang LAC in America.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:W&L is the best gat dang LAC in America.

We know.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks. Helpful info.

[Anonymous]

I just can't look at all these replies but I wanted to put a plug in for Bates. I know OP suggested it as one of the possibilities and as an alum I can tell you it sounds like a good fit. Students there are much more grounded and not as much the type that were gunning for an Ivy but decided on a LAC. That being said, plenty of incredibly bright and gifted students but not as much anxiety that can come from constantly being in an environment that is hyper competitive.

It gets a lot of things right these days. My child is going to another excellent LAC this fall because she was a recruited athlete but in so many ways I wish she could have attended Bates instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just can't look at all these replies but I wanted to put a plug in for Bates. I know OP suggested it as one of the possibilities and as an alum I can tell you it sounds like a good fit. Students there are much more grounded and not as much the type that were gunning for an Ivy but decided on a LAC. That being said, plenty of incredibly bright and gifted students but not as much anxiety that can come from constantly being in an environment that is hyper competitive.

It gets a lot of things right these days. My child is going to another excellent LAC this fall because she was a recruited athlete but in so many ways I wish she could have attended Bates instead.

OP— thanks! Bates is definitely under consideration. She attended the virtual info session (and I listened while I worked) and it was generic. Not good or bad. This is where DCUM is helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just can't look at all these replies but I wanted to put a plug in for Bates. I know OP suggested it as one of the possibilities and as an alum I can tell you it sounds like a good fit. Students there are much more grounded and not as much the type that were gunning for an Ivy but decided on a LAC. That being said, plenty of incredibly bright and gifted students but not as much anxiety that can come from constantly being in an environment that is hyper competitive.

It gets a lot of things right these days. My child is going to another excellent LAC this fall because she was a recruited athlete but in so many ways I wish she could have attended Bates instead.

I'll put in a plug for Bates, too. My DS loves it - for the most part, kids are really friendly and down to earth and he's made a lot of friends with students of all years (dorms are mixed). Just the other day he was helping one of his senior friends bind their thesis - a Bates tradition for seniors to ask a freshman to help. His fellow students are for the most part smart, engaging and hardworking (of course there are always a few "knuckleheads" he tells me). Students also work together a lot - these definitely a collaborative type of atmosphere. He's had great classes already as a freshman since Bates allowed him to waive many of his intro classes with AP test scores. Some people look down on Lewiston but he loves it for its grit. He's gotten involved with the immigrant community through a club project at Bates and learned a lot about Lewiston this way. He loves the proximity to Freeport and Portland and then the opposite direction to the mountains and skiing at Sunday River. Bates has a different "vibe" than Colby and Bowdoin (which are also great schools and different in their own ways) but it was the favorite of the three for him. In a year of upheaval, we are so happy he picked Bates. Despite the challenges, he's having a really good experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just can't look at all these replies but I wanted to put a plug in for Bates. I know OP suggested it as one of the possibilities and as an alum I can tell you it sounds like a good fit. Students there are much more grounded and not as much the type that were gunning for an Ivy but decided on a LAC. That being said, plenty of incredibly bright and gifted students but not as much anxiety that can come from constantly being in an environment that is hyper competitive.

It gets a lot of things right these days. My child is going to another excellent LAC this fall because she was a recruited athlete but in so many ways I wish she could have attended Bates instead.

I'll put in a plug for Bates, too. My DS loves it - for the most part, kids are really friendly and down to earth and he's made a lot of friends with students of all years (dorms are mixed). Just the other day he was helping one of his senior friends bind their thesis - a Bates tradition for seniors to ask a freshman to help. His fellow students are for the most part smart, engaging and hardworking (of course there are always a few "knuckleheads" he tells me). Students also work together a lot - these definitely a collaborative type of atmosphere. He's had great classes already as a freshman since Bates allowed him to waive many of his intro classes with AP test scores. Some people look down on Lewiston but he loves it for its grit. He's gotten involved with the immigrant community through a club project at Bates and learned a lot about Lewiston this way. He loves the proximity to Freeport and Portland and then the opposite direction to the mountains and skiing at Sunday River. Bates has a different "vibe" than Colby and Bowdoin (which are also great schools and different in their own ways) but it was the favorite of the three for him. In a year of upheaval, we are so happy he picked Bates. Despite the challenges, he's having a really good experience.

It sounds like a nice place, but it is extreme left wing SJW liberal?

[Anonymous]

If you use the phrase "extreme left wing SJW liberal" then you should stay south of the mason dixon line.

[Anonymous]

OP, you've received really good feedback on many of the schools which is the value of a forum such as this one. Please note that my nephew attends one of the schools mentioned in MN and although he loves the friends he has made there, he mentioned a couple of items to consider: the weather in MN can get very very cold and that you have to travel a bit further to gauge opportunities and work a bit harder for internships in major metro areas on the East Coast. So just some additional considerations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just can't look at all these replies but I wanted to put a plug in for Bates. I know OP suggested it as one of the possibilities and as an alum I can tell you it sounds like a good fit. Students there are much more grounded and not as much the type that were gunning for an Ivy but decided on a LAC. That being said, plenty of incredibly bright and gifted students but not as much anxiety that can come from constantly being in an environment that is hyper competitive.

It gets a lot of things right these days. My child is going to another excellent LAC this fall because she was a recruited athlete but in so many ways I wish she could have attended Bates instead.

I'll put in a plug for Bates, too. My DS loves it - for the most part, kids are really friendly and down to earth and he's made a lot of friends with students of all years (dorms are mixed). Just the other day he was helping one of his senior friends bind their thesis - a Bates tradition for seniors to ask a freshman to help. His fellow students are for the most part smart, engaging and hardworking (of course there are always a few "knuckleheads" he tells me). Students also work together a lot - these definitely a collaborative type of atmosphere. He's had great classes already as a freshman since Bates allowed him to waive many of his intro classes with AP test scores. Some people look down on Lewiston but he loves it for its grit. He's gotten involved with the immigrant community through a club project at Bates and learned a lot about Lewiston this way. He loves the proximity to Freeport and Portland and then the opposite direction to the mountains and skiing at Sunday River. Bates has a different "vibe" than Colby and Bowdoin (which are also great schools and different in their own ways) but it was the favorite of the three for him. In a year of upheaval, we are so happy he picked Bates. Despite the challenges, he's having a really good experience.

NP but this is great, specific information as are many of the other posts so thank you. How would you describe the Bates vibe, and what you know of the Colby / Bowdoin vibes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, you've received really good feedback on many of the schools which is the value of a forum such as this one. Please note that my nephew attends one of the schools mentioned in MN and although he loves the friends he has made there, he mentioned a couple of items to consider: the weather in MN can get very very cold and that you have to travel a bit further to gauge opportunities and work a bit harder for internships in major metro areas on the East Coast. So just some additional considerations.

OP here thanks. The weather is known. The internship piece is interesting. Is your nephew from the DMV? The internship piece is interesting The hope is that we can prove free housing for both kids for some internship opportunities and their ties to the area will help. But, it’s a good a point.