Beware of Small Liberal Arts Colleges if you're not on a sport

[Anonymous]

Schools of all sizes have their "tribes." A student will need to socialize eventually in the "real world."

Time to be assertive .

[Anonymous]

I would very much agree that the NESCAC schools all felt like elite boarding schools when we visited for sports recruiting. They are have their charm and nice amenities but are in the middle of nowhere and small. DC ended up at the Claremont colleges which have a nice consortium and provides a larger community (close to 7K), plus much better weather. Also, at least from our private, all of the mean and cliquey kids went to NESCAC’s so we were glad to avoid them at the end of the day.

[Anonymous]

Agree. Dc is at a SLAC and the social scene is stifling. Wish she had wound up at a bigger school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New poster but neighbor just complained about this with her child who is in a selective Liberal Arts college who doesn't play sports, isn't into theater or music. She said it is even harder to make friends if your child is not religious. There were fraternities for jewish students, several Christian clubs, Catholic group, etc. Her child is looking to transfer to a flagship state school.

They didn’t do their homework before attending.

Parents are ridiculous sending kids to these schools.

This is not my kid's experience at a selective midwestern SLAC--they don't play a sport or have a group like theater/music. They just have friends and a pretty solid social life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree. Dc is at a SLAC and the social scene is stifling. Wish she had wound up at a bigger school.

I think these are anti-slac troll posts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree. Dc is at a SLAC and the social scene is stifling. Wish she had wound up at a bigger school.

I think these are anti-slac troll posts.

+1

If your kid doesn't like the school, they should transfer. We know many non-athlete kids who are having an amazing time at a SLAC - the only whiners are the parents on this forum.

[Anonymous]

Some of us are just trying to share the benefit of our experiences. Many many SLAC student newspapers write about this us vs them issue with athletes and NARP’s. Not a made up issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree. Dc is at a SLAC and the social scene is stifling. Wish she had wound up at a bigger school.

I think these are anti-slac troll posts.

+1 DS is not an athlete and is having the time of his life at Davidson. He has a wide range of friends, including D1 athletes. Taking one case and applying it universally to all kids and schools is a stupid waste of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know a kid at Bowdoin who had this issue and is trying to transfer out.

My Bowdoin non-athlete is not having this issue. Has joined lots of activities (music, club sport, clubs) and met lots of people.

[Anonymous]

Heard some non-athlete women at MIT also feel this way. Not guys though. Maybe because some of the additional clicks and Greek life that are male dominated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some of us are just trying to share the benefit of our experiences. Many many SLAC student newspapers write about this us vs them issue with athletes and NARP’s. Not a made up issue.

If you don’t actually name the school, it’s useless.

[Anonymous]

“We”?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DH, myself and DS all went to/currently attend highly selective liberal arts colleges and none of us were or are athletes. It was not an issue for any of us. My DS is having a great experience and would not have enjoyed a larger school nearly as much. To him, the sports are a non-issue.

Same for me, my DH and our daughter.

[Anonymous]

Pomona, CMC, and Mudd are great places for people looking to avoid too much of a sports focus. The different schools there share sports in two groups, so the divide is less of a thing.
Also, consider the schools that don't have football (which takes a ton of people and can have a outsized cultural influence). Swarthmore, Vassar, and Haverford are all great schools that don't play football.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree. Dc is at a SLAC and the social scene is stifling. Wish she had wound up at a bigger school.

I think these are anti-slac troll posts.

NP. I think these are the relentless anti-SLAC trolls Jeff has repeatedly identified before. They are completely and totally crazy.