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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:agree with earlier poster that this is a real problem at smaller nescacs like Williams and middlebury - get ready for cold lonely winters there if ur not an athlete. Less of an issue at the larger schools like Tufts and Wes. Athletics is almost a counter culture at Wes, the jocks are basically seen as caricatures

Middlebury currently has 2,800 students. Just under 800 students participate on sports teams. That leaves 2,000+ non-athletes. Hardly lonely.

meh - the student body is extremely fragmented, cliquey and divisive at Middlebury - probably the worst in the nescac and I’m speaking from experience- if ur a male and don’t play sports.. hard pass

Ha. As a male who went to Middlebury and never got close to a field of any sort (except to watch a few football games), I patently disagree. But I guess everyone has their own lived experience.

+1 A good friend's son recently graduated from Middlebury and he was one of the least sporty people I know and he loved it.

Middlebury is insanely woke. Ask Charles Murray, who barely escaped with his life after being physically assaulted by a large group of students for the crime of trying to give a speech on campus as a libertarian/conservative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:agree with earlier poster that this is a real problem at smaller nescacs like Williams and middlebury - get ready for cold lonely winters there if ur not an athlete. Less of an issue at the larger schools like Tufts and Wes. Athletics is almost a counter culture at Wes, the jocks are basically seen as caricatures

Middlebury currently has 2,800 students. Just under 800 students participate on sports teams. That leaves 2,000+ non-athletes. Hardly lonely.

meh - the student body is extremely fragmented, cliquey and divisive at Middlebury - probably the worst in the nescac and I’m speaking from experience- if ur a male and don’t play sports.. hard pass

Ha. As a male who went to Middlebury and never got close to a field of any sort (except to watch a few football games), I patently disagree. But I guess everyone has their own lived experience.

+1 A good friend's son recently graduated from Middlebury and he was one of the least sporty people I know and he loved it.

Middlebury is insanely woke. Ask Charles Murray, who barely escaped with his life after being physically assaulted by a large group of students for the crime of trying to give a speech on campus as a libertarian/conservative.

Protesting students were disciplined for their behavior at that event in 2017. The masked people who pushed him and incited violence were not determined to be students. He was protested not primarily for being a libertarian, but for being the author of a book that argues there are biological differences in intelligence based on races. Having protestors get out of hand is not evidence of a whole school being "insanely woke" but rather reprehensible behavior by those individuals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:agree with earlier poster that this is a real problem at smaller nescacs like Williams and middlebury - get ready for cold lonely winters there if ur not an athlete. Less of an issue at the larger schools like Tufts and Wes. Athletics is almost a counter culture at Wes, the jocks are basically seen as caricatures

Middlebury currently has 2,800 students. Just under 800 students participate on sports teams. That leaves 2,000+ non-athletes. Hardly lonely.

meh - the student body is extremely fragmented, cliquey and divisive at Middlebury - probably the worst in the nescac and I’m speaking from experience- if ur a male and don’t play sports.. hard pass

Ha. As a male who went to Middlebury and never got close to a field of any sort (except to watch a few football games), I patently disagree. But I guess everyone has their own lived experience.

+1 A good friend's son recently graduated from Middlebury and he was one of the least sporty people I know and he loved it.

Middlebury is insanely woke. Ask Charles Murray, who barely escaped with his life after being physically assaulted by a large group of students for the crime of trying to give a speech on campus as a libertarian/conservative.

Aren't we dramatic. The Charles Murray incident happened in 2017. There were a number of non-student agitators on campus that evening who, by most accounts, were the ones responsible for pulling Allison Stanger's hair as she got into the car that Murray was in. Also, here's a fun fact for you: Where did Charles Murray send his daughter to college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are at a NESCAC…

That’s cool that you’re going to college with your kid.

[Anonymous]

If you want to work on Wall Street, Middlebury is the way to go. Recent article just came out about it. I believe the top of Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and some famous hedges funds are all Midd kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many kids are getting phds? Maybe 2% of a typical slac class?

Many aren't getting PhDs, but many are PhD curious and enjoy the intellectual vibe of preparing as if they were.

So go to Reed. No varsity sports there. Problem solved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:word to the wise about radio and newspaper - those aren't generally social, radio in particular. you may have a zoom once a term, but otherwise you get your time slot and then you're alone in a booth - or at some schools - broadcasting from your own laptop in your own room. Newspapers also a lot of assignments, not a lot of milling about a newsroom like an old movie.

Funny: For me, the student newspaper and the radio station were the two places where I found my people.

Sure, sometimes I'd be by myself in the studio booth while doing a radio shift, but there was a lounge right next to it with all the record shelves where people hung out and talked and pulled out records or CDs for their upcoming shifts, and discussed what bands were coming to our town. And the newspaper had weekly meetings to discuss upcoming stories, and we'd hang out afterward. Both groups had parties about every two weeks, which was good for me to be able to study but have fun too.

So anyway, that was in the '90s, but I imagine it's similar now at many schools!

Records and CDs! Nah it’s all online now

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are at a NESCAC…

That’s cool that you’re going to college with your kid.

Hey now, that's Rodney Dangerfield you're talking to.

[Anonymous]

Someone asked earlier… I’ve seen data that from top schools 5-15 pct get phds. LACS are disproportionately represented along with Ivies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:word to the wise about radio and newspaper - those aren't generally social, radio in particular. you may have a zoom once a term, but otherwise you get your time slot and then you're alone in a booth - or at some schools - broadcasting from your own laptop in your own room. Newspapers also a lot of assignments, not a lot of milling about a newsroom like an old movie.

Funny: For me, the student newspaper and the radio station were the two places where I found my people.

Sure, sometimes I'd be by myself in the studio booth while doing a radio shift, but there was a lounge right next to it with all the record shelves where people hung out and talked and pulled out records or CDs for their upcoming shifts, and discussed what bands were coming to our town. And the newspaper had weekly meetings to discuss upcoming stories, and we'd hang out afterward. Both groups had parties about every two weeks, which was good for me to be able to study but have fun too.

So anyway, that was in the '90s, but I imagine it's similar now at many schools!

Records and CDs! Nah it’s all online now

I don't know--my gen z/gen alpha kids are all into vinyl and cds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:word to the wise about radio and newspaper - those aren't generally social, radio in particular. you may have a zoom once a term, but otherwise you get your time slot and then you're alone in a booth - or at some schools - broadcasting from your own laptop in your own room. Newspapers also a lot of assignments, not a lot of milling about a newsroom like an old movie.

Funny: For me, the student newspaper and the radio station were the two places where I found my people.

Sure, sometimes I'd be by myself in the studio booth while doing a radio shift, but there was a lounge right next to it with all the record shelves where people hung out and talked and pulled out records or CDs for their upcoming shifts, and discussed what bands were coming to our town. And the newspaper had weekly meetings to discuss upcoming stories, and we'd hang out afterward. Both groups had parties about every two weeks, which was good for me to be able to study but have fun too.

So anyway, that was in the '90s, but I imagine it's similar now at many schools!

Records and CDs! Nah it’s all online now

I don't know--my gen z/gen alpha kids are all into vinyl and cds.

My kids too. It's all about the vinyls. I wish I had saved my collection from the 80's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone heard of Rice here beyond seeing it on a rankings list? I haven't heard many positive experiences except from middle-aged white guys hooting it up (like the owl mascot reference?).
Enjoy Houston and the old oil $$ crowd if that is for you though!
Yes, it has a big endowment and will therefore continue to do well on rankings lists.

Rice used to be a feeder for the oil industry, but that's a long time ago now. It's a small university known primarily for their STEM programs, but they're very good in other things. Sports management comes to mind. And they have a residential college system. I guess it's similar to Yale and Notre Dame. In any event, there's a very strong sense of community at Rice. It tends to rank high on "happiest colleges" lists.

It does fly below the radar on the East Coast. I suspect if it were located anywhere else but Houston it would have a much higher profile. The campus is beautiful. The surrounding neighborhood - Rice Village - is very nice. High end boutiques and restaurants and cafes. But the rest of Houston is basically an example of what not to do in urban planning. That's the downside for Rice. Plus Texas politics scare some people, even though Rice and Houston generally are very liberal.

But yes, it's a rich school with an enormous endowment. It's very difficult to get in to - single digit acceptance rate. Average folks might not be familiar with it, but the professional world certainly is. I think its a great school - but Texas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone heard of Rice here beyond seeing it on a rankings list? I haven't heard many positive experiences except from middle-aged white guys hooting it up (like the owl mascot reference?).
Enjoy Houston and the old oil $$ crowd if that is for you though!
Yes, it has a big endowment and will therefore continue to do well on rankings lists.

Rice used to be a feeder for the oil industry, but that's a long time ago now. It's a small university known primarily for their STEM programs, but they're very good in other things. Sports management comes to mind. And they have a residential college system. I guess it's similar to Yale and Notre Dame. In any event, there's a very strong sense of community at Rice. It tends to rank high on "happiest colleges" lists.

It does fly below the radar on the East Coast. I suspect if it were located anywhere else but Houston it would have a much higher profile. The campus is beautiful. The surrounding neighborhood - Rice Village - is very nice. High end boutiques and restaurants and cafes. But the rest of Houston is basically an example of what not to do in urban planning. That's the downside for Rice. Plus Texas politics scare some people, even though Rice and Houston generally are very liberal.

But yes, it's a rich school with an enormous endowment. It's very difficult to get in to - single digit acceptance rate. Average folks might not be familiar with it, but the professional world certainly is. I think its a great school - but Texas.

Nice summary. Rice is a fantastic school. It's like a combination between Dartmouth (size and undergraduate focus) and Yale (residential system). As mentioned, students and alumni seem to adore the school. I also agree that Houston is a downright ugly city, and I hate the muggy weather. That said, Houston is huge and tremendously diverse. Whatever you're into, you'll find it in Houston. I tried very hard to get my kid interested in Rice to no avail.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone heard of Rice here beyond seeing it on a rankings list? I haven't heard many positive experiences except from middle-aged white guys hooting it up (like the owl mascot reference?).
Enjoy Houston and the old oil $$ crowd if that is for you though!
Yes, it has a big endowment and will therefore continue to do well on rankings lists.

Rice used to be a feeder for the oil industry, but that's a long time ago now. It's a small university known primarily for their STEM programs, but they're very good in other things. Sports management comes to mind. And they have a residential college system. I guess it's similar to Yale and Notre Dame. In any event, there's a very strong sense of community at Rice. It tends to rank high on "happiest colleges" lists.

It does fly below the radar on the East Coast. I suspect if it were located anywhere else but Houston it would have a much higher profile. The campus is beautiful. The surrounding neighborhood - Rice Village - is very nice. High end boutiques and restaurants and cafes. But the rest of Houston is basically an example of what not to do in urban planning. That's the downside for Rice. Plus Texas politics scare some people, even though Rice and Houston generally are very liberal.

But yes, it's a rich school with an enormous endowment. It's very difficult to get in to - single digit acceptance rate. Average folks might not be familiar with it, but the professional world certainly is. I think its a great school - but Texas.

Nice summary. Rice is a fantastic school. It's like a combination between Dartmouth (size and undergraduate focus) and Yale (residential system). As mentioned, students and alumni seem to adore the school. I also agree that Houston is a downright ugly city, and I hate the muggy weather. That said, Houston is huge and tremendously diverse. Whatever you're into, you'll find it in Houston. I tried very hard to get my kid interested in Rice to no avail.

Comparing a Texas university most don't know/care about to 2 Ivy League schools.

How cute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you want to work on Wall Street, Middlebury is the way to go. Recent article just came out about it. I believe the top of Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and some famous hedges funds are all Midd kids.

Yup, the incoming head of Morgan Stanley went to Midd as did Louis Bacon, who is huge in the hedge fund world. Many of my Middlebury classmates work on Wall Street an doing quite well. Two guys in my class were Supreme Court clerks.