Are SLAC’s challenging for private school grads?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think high school almost everywhere is more challenging than it was in our day. Elite private school, other private school, well-regarded public schools. If you're on the AP/IB/competitive private school track, you are working your butt off wherever you go to school, simply because you have to pass the same AP/IB tests that everyone else is taking. When I compare my kid's STEM classes, in particular, to the Calculus, Bio and Chem classes I took back in the day, I'm amazed at how much harder things are today.

But ... but ... but ... OP's DD goes to an elite private school.

[Anonymous]

Many on this forum send their children to elite private schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many on this forum send their children to elite private schools.

And many on this forum will end up sending their kids to SLACs, where many of these kids will be challenged and happy. Promise.

[Anonymous]

First world problem..... Hopefully you have more to worry about than whether or not your elitely educated snow flake will be challenged in college. If he is making straight a+'s he can transfer to MIT it Stanford. Geesh....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I too find the question odd. The implication seems to be that for Big 3 grads, either (a) only pre-professional degrees will do, maybe Wharton undergrad for business, or MIT for STEM, or (b) only Ivies or Stanford will do.

Yet, there are many very happy Big 3 grads at the top and even 2nd-tier SLACs. It's not "go big or go home" at all.

The reason is that the teaching quality at these SLACs is just as good at the Ivies, sometimes better, depending on the subject or the Ivy. Plus, the SLACs have a much wider range of liberal arts offerings than even the Big 3 can offer. I have no dog in this fight because my kid is at an Ivy. But I'm happy to acknowledge that the SLACs provide great educations even for the for kids who were challenged in great private schools. The choice comes down to preferences about college size and location, among other things.

There is a great deal of variation among and with the elite private schools in the DMV. You COULD get a SLAC quality humanities education if you had only the best teachers at my DD's school, but the school is unique and no one really gets only the best teachers.

[Anonymous]

OP's question assumes that once you've taken a few liberal arts-type courses an an elite private school, you're done. You know all there is to know about all the liberal arts fields. Even if you acknowledge there is a teensy bit more to learn about history, music, art or something else, it's not worth pursuing -- time to go into a pre-professional program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many on this forum send their children to elite private schools.

Some "elite" schools are more elite than others. I'd discount any private school that didn't have a SLAC-like campus.

[Anonymous]

I think your kid should skip college altogether and apply to grad schools.