Most prestigious SLAC in the Midwest?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“Most prestigious Midwest LAC” is just not a meaningful/consequential category in the real world.

TIL that the Midwest is not the real world. Seriously, the Midwest has prestige preferences just like every other section of the country. Grinnell or Carleton or Knox or Kenyon or Oberlin have more name recognition in Chicago or Minneapolis or St Louis than a school like Bowdoin, even though Bowdoin is higher ranking nationally. Regional preference matters. Similarly, UVa is more prestigious in DC than Washington University in St. Louis, but WUSTL is is more prestigious in the Midwest than UVa, even though they are very similar schools, with very similar student bodies.

If that’s what you learned, you’re not a very smart student. I’m from the Midwest — I know it’s part of the real world. But while people there might assign (a) different pecking order/s to various colleges than, say, East Coasters or Californians, the hierarchies involved won’t differentiate between universities and SLACs. And, elsewhere, people who care only about SLACs will rank them across geographical boundaries rather than treat Midwestern SLACs as a distinct category. There’s never a context in which “best SLAC in the Midwest” confers some kind of prestige or reward. So “What are the best SLACs in the Midwest?” or “Which Midwestern SLACs have the best placement records (in specific industries or places or wrt grad/professional school admissions)?” are sensible questions. But the question OP posed is just absurd.

Why is it absurd? Not fundamentally different than “what’s the best restaurant in Sheboygan?” Someone wants or has to be in Sheboygan and wants to know where they should eat. Doesn’t mean there aren’t differences of opinion on the matter but it’s a legitimate question.

“Prestige” is what makes it absurd. Prestige isn’t compartmentalized that way and it’s sociological rather than personal. “What’s the most prestigious restaurant in Sheboygan?” would be a ludicrous question, don’t you think?

No. There are amazing restaurants with national recognition all over the country, not just in big cities on the coasts. The chef at Trattoria Stefano in Sheboygan has been nominated for the James Beard award, for example. So if I happened to be in Sheboygan and wanted to go to a restaurant that is highly regarding in the culinary world, “What’s the most prestigious restaurant in Sheboygan?” is an excellent question to ask.

I am from Sheboygan and I NEVER thought this conversation would be happening. I am HERE for it, though!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“Most prestigious Midwest LAC” is just not a meaningful/consequential category in the real world.

TIL that the Midwest is not the real world. Seriously, the Midwest has prestige preferences just like every other section of the country. Grinnell or Carleton or Knox or Kenyon or Oberlin have more name recognition in Chicago or Minneapolis or St Louis than a school like Bowdoin, even though Bowdoin is higher ranking nationally. Regional preference matters. Similarly, UVa is more prestigious in DC than Washington University in St. Louis, but WUSTL is is more prestigious in the Midwest than UVa, even though they are very similar schools, with very similar student bodies.

If that’s what you learned, you’re not a very smart student. I’m from the Midwest — I know it’s part of the real world. But while people there might assign (a) different pecking order/s to various colleges than, say, East Coasters or Californians, the hierarchies involved won’t differentiate between universities and SLACs. And, elsewhere, people who care only about SLACs will rank them across geographical boundaries rather than treat Midwestern SLACs as a distinct category. There’s never a context in which “best SLAC in the Midwest” confers some kind of prestige or reward. So “What are the best SLACs in the Midwest?” or “Which Midwestern SLACs have the best placement records (in specific industries or places or wrt grad/professional school admissions)?” are sensible questions. But the question OP posed is just absurd.

Why is it absurd? Not fundamentally different than “what’s the best restaurant in Sheboygan?” Someone wants or has to be in Sheboygan and wants to know where they should eat. Doesn’t mean there aren’t differences of opinion on the matter but it’s a legitimate question.

“Prestige” is what makes it absurd. Prestige isn’t compartmentalized that way and it’s sociological rather than personal. “What’s the most prestigious restaurant in Sheboygan?” would be a ludicrous question, don’t you think?

No. There are amazing restaurants with national recognition all over the country, not just in big cities on the coasts. The chef at Trattoria Stefano in Sheboygan has been nominated for the James Beard award, for example. So if I happened to be in Sheboygan and wanted to go to a restaurant that is highly regarding in the culinary world, “What’s the most prestigious restaurant in Sheboygan?” is an excellent question to ask.

I am from Sheboygan and I NEVER thought this conversation would be happening. I am HERE for it, though!

So what is the most prestigious restaurant in Sheboygan? How far should I be willing to travel to eat there? And whom would I impress if I were to tell them I had eaten there? Alternatively, if I’m in Sheybogan, where should I eat?

[Anonymous]

Oops, missed a post. So my last response didn’t make sense. Sorry!

I still think most prestigious restaurant in Sheboygan is not a meaningful/useful category. You reached beyond Sheboygan to validate the chef’s prestige (James Beard nominee) and stipulated that you’re already in Sheboygan looking for a restaurant. Analogy would be what’s the best SLAC in the Midwest to attend if you want to get a PhD in fill-in-the-blank. Reasonable question.

The point I’m making is not that there are no excellent or well-regarded SLACs (or restaurants) in the Midwest. It’s that “prestige” tends to inhere in larger categories.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“Most prestigious Midwest LAC” is just not a meaningful/consequential category in the real world.

TIL that the Midwest is not the real world. Seriously, the Midwest has prestige preferences just like every other section of the country. Grinnell or Carleton or Knox or Kenyon or Oberlin have more name recognition in Chicago or Minneapolis or St Louis than a school like Bowdoin, even though Bowdoin is higher ranking nationally. Regional preference matters. Similarly, UVa is more prestigious in DC than Washington University in St. Louis, but WUSTL is is more prestigious in the Midwest than UVa, even though they are very similar schools, with very similar student bodies.

If that’s what you learned, you’re not a very smart student. I’m from the Midwest — I know it’s part of the real world. But while people there might assign (a) different pecking order/s to various colleges than, say, East Coasters or Californians, the hierarchies involved won’t differentiate between universities and SLACs. And, elsewhere, people who care only about SLACs will rank them across geographical boundaries rather than treat Midwestern SLACs as a distinct category. There’s never a context in which “best SLAC in the Midwest” confers some kind of prestige or reward. So “What are the best SLACs in the Midwest?” or “Which Midwestern SLACs have the best placement records (in specific industries or places or wrt grad/professional school admissions)?” are sensible questions. But the question OP posed is just absurd.

Why is it absurd? Not fundamentally different than “what’s the best restaurant in Sheboygan?” Someone wants or has to be in Sheboygan and wants to know where they should eat. Doesn’t mean there aren’t differences of opinion on the matter but it’s a legitimate question.

“Prestige” is what makes it absurd. Prestige isn’t compartmentalized that way and it’s sociological rather than personal. “What’s the most prestigious restaurant in Sheboygan?” would be a ludicrous question, don’t you think?

No. There are amazing restaurants with national recognition all over the country, not just in big cities on the coasts. The chef at Trattoria Stefano in Sheboygan has been nominated for the James Beard award, for example. So if I happened to be in Sheboygan and wanted to go to a restaurant that is highly regarding in the culinary world, “What’s the most prestigious restaurant in Sheboygan?” is an excellent question to ask.

I am from Sheboygan and I NEVER thought this conversation would be happening. I am HERE for it, though!

[Anonymous]

This thread is funny!

I don't think there's one bit of difference among these colleges in terms of prestige. If some has heard of one of them, they've likely heard of them all.

In terms of actual quality, the answer depends on what you're looking for. In English/humanities and in athletics, Kenyon dominates any other school on this list, by a mile. In the STEM fields, Carleton and Grinnell are tops. Oberlin has the conservatory, and is very strong in environmental sciences and social activism.

I'm a professor at Berkeley and we happily admit students from all of these schools into our doctoral programs. We would also put all of these schools in the same quality range, which is to say very high.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread is funny!

I don't think there's one bit of difference among these colleges in terms of prestige. If some has heard of one of them, they've likely heard of them all.

In terms of actual quality, the answer depends on what you're looking for. In English/humanities and in athletics, Kenyon dominates any other school on this list, by a mile. In the STEM fields, Carleton and Grinnell are tops. Oberlin has the conservatory, and is very strong in environmental sciences and social activism.

I'm a professor at Berkeley and we happily admit students from all of these schools into our doctoral programs. We would also put all of these schools in the same quality range, which is to say very high.

Curious if you have any feedback on Denison. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

I am enjoying this thread. My child goes to Grinnell (and loves it-- and so do we), and we routinely get "Oh, Cornell is a great school!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am enjoying this thread. My child goes to Grinnell (and loves it-- and so do we), and we routinely get "Oh, Cornell is a great school!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am enjoying this thread. My child goes to Grinnell (and loves it-- and so do we), and we routinely get "Oh, Cornell is a great school!"

Hilarious. I would think Cornell College kids have to constantly explain that it isn’t THAT Cornell.

[Anonymous]

I would think Carleton would be among the midwest SLACs that would be considered top notch/"prestigious."

But there are a host of fantastic schools already mentioned in this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am enjoying this thread. My child goes to Grinnell (and loves it-- and so do we), and we routinely get "Oh, Cornell is a great school!"

Hilarious. I would think Cornell College kids have to constantly explain that it isn’t THAT Cornell.

Was that a joke? Poster said GRINNELL not CORNELL.

[Anonymous]

As a grad of one of these schools, I found the premise of this thread amusing. One of the reasons I picked my college was that the students there weren't trying to maximize the prestige of their degree, they were trying to get an excellent education in a warm and welcoming community. I'm sure the degree ultimately did help me get into my graduate program, and it certainly prepared me academically. But those looking for "prestigious" schools would be better off looking at schools where the students care about that particular measure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a grad of one of these schools, I found the premise of this thread amusing. One of the reasons I picked my college was that the students there weren't trying to maximize the prestige of their degree, they were trying to get an excellent education in a warm and welcoming community. I'm sure the degree ultimately did help me get into my graduate program, and it certainly prepared me academically. But those looking for "prestigious" schools would be better off looking at schools where the students care about that particular measure.

My DC will attend one of these schools in the fall and that is exactly the reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am enjoying this thread. My child goes to Grinnell (and loves it-- and so do we), and we routinely get "Oh, Cornell is a great school!"

Hilarious. I would think Cornell College kids have to constantly explain that it isn’t THAT Cornell.

Was that a joke? Poster said GRINNELL not CORNELL.

Thanks for the caps, dad. I’m aware. Merely making the point that Cornell College students probably face weird identity confusion not only related to Grinnell but that other Cornell. Try to keep up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about Washington University in St. Louis?

not a SLAC -- "selective, liberal arts college"; Wash U is too big and offers grad/professional degrees to fit this concept, though it's certainly a fine school and the window decal will impress

If one was including universities, then I think University of Chicago would top the list, and I say that as a Northwestern alumna.

But Northwestern and Evanston are way more fun than dreary UChicago (and its scary environs)