where would Williams and Amherst rank in the ivy league..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure, I guess. But with such extraordinarily selective schools, who really cares?

The best universities in the USA are:

1 Berkeley
2 UCLA
3 University of Michigan
4 UVA / UNC

Private universities are a scam.

The copium is strong in this one. Power to the proletariat.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They would probably rank dead last. This isn't to say that Williams or Amherst aren't exemplary. They're great! But, the reality is that they cannot provide the same resources as the ivies, especially the top ivies. Still great options if you like tiny rural schools and don't worry about less options.

The top SLACS all have resources per student equal to or greater than the Ivies outside of HYP. They can also focus those resources on undergraduate needs.

Evidenced by what? They have less research centers, less academic programs, less faculty, less courses…there’s very little they have more of.

[Anonymous]

Endowment per student comparisons at the top are overrated. Research universities are less endowment dependent than LACs, which is why trump nearly crumpled them with the endowment tax and they had to be exempt. If higher endowment per student automatically improved your resources and made you a better institution, Soka university would be the first college we’d all be looking to, and Pomona would have 80,000+ applications. Because DCUM is so grad focused, people dismiss very real resources by these institutions, their research centers, and their faculty. It’s a weird opinion I’ve only really seen here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The opportunities are nowhere near competitive enough. DD was able to work at Yale law during the summer and get funding to examine legal theory across 5 different countries with an experienced, decorated law faculty member. During the school year, she has a grant to do bioethics policy work with a New York think tank that reached out to Yale for students, leads a club where she’s able to invite major speakers in ethics and other philosophy faculty, and was able to take a course in the SOM to fulfill her interest in bioethics. At Williams, she could’ve gone to class and taken a wide range of philosophy courses unrelated to her interest and maybe joined/started a club.

Her friends at LACs are academically impressive but that’s about it. They don’t have the experiences that signal impact. At best, they can get into an REU hosted at an institution like my daughters.

I have a kid at Yale (freshman) and Wiliams (junior) so maybe I can speak about this a little. They're both terrific.

Yale has more of a wow factor when you talk to your friends. No doubt. And they have big name speakers on campus every week. I like what a bigger school provides ie more dining options etc, but that's not a Yale thing. Would have been more food options are Syracuse etc. The kids are happy, lots of connections if you want them, lots to do on weekends (although more frat life than I realized)

The downside is the very competitive club culture. If you get into the top finance (theater, law, political, improv black) etc club, then you're on easy street. But the top finance club takes 12 kids (per year) and 2000 applied this year. So you try to get into the top 3 clubs and that can be hard too. My kid was applying to clubs nonstop and got into a good one and a couple okay ones. It's competitive. You have to be good at xyz if you want to get into the xyz club.

Williams can be an unknown to your friends, but not employers. Fewer resources on campus, fewer big names, fewer dining halls, fewer parties on weekends (but there are some, every weekend) and you're tucked away for a long winter. Those are the downsides. Upsides: more of a personal connection to teacher (ie they make calls for you). There are a ton of nepo kids there which has been an upside -- roomies dad can get you a summer gig at Blackstone. And the alumni network is very receptive. Reaching out to a rando on LinkedIn who went to yale would be weird. at Williams, totally normal. Also, you can do ANYTHING. Never done improv, who cares. Never looked at a P&L statement, you can do the January term at a hedge fund and get an internship from that.

They're very different with different ways of accessing opportunities. But both great.

Professors reach out to colleagues at other ivies and "known" industry people all the time at both of my kids' ivies, as well as our niece's T10 non-ivy. Summer internship, summer research, grad school, even introduce undergrads at conferences: lots personal connections (emails not calls these days). Almost every professor has been interested in helping undergrads, all one has to do is go to office hours and get to know them. Some even announce at the start of term that they are happy to help anyone interested in their field, and can connect to open research spots on campus. Each of my kids has reached out on Linked in to alums and gotten very positive responses. One of the ivies arranges zoom meetings with alums within the department/major/concentration. Clubs are fun and many are competitive, but none are necessary to achieve a top job/top grad program at these schools.
Even our neighbor's UVA kid had a professor reach out to a T5 faculty to get a foot in the door for summer research. They got the spot.
If Yale professors do not do any of that, which I doubt, that is wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The opportunities are nowhere near competitive enough. DD was able to work at Yale law during the summer and get funding to examine legal theory across 5 different countries with an experienced, decorated law faculty member. During the school year, she has a grant to do bioethics policy work with a New York think tank that reached out to Yale for students, leads a club where she’s able to invite major speakers in ethics and other philosophy faculty, and was able to take a course in the SOM to fulfill her interest in bioethics. At Williams, she could’ve gone to class and taken a wide range of philosophy courses unrelated to her interest and maybe joined/started a club.

Her friends at LACs are academically impressive but that’s about it. They don’t have the experiences that signal impact. At best, they can get into an REU hosted at an institution like my daughters.

You have to be out of your mind if you think that top SLAC students don't get summer opportunities equal to those at ivies. Often they do research at Ivies, taking seats that I am sure some Ivy parent felt belonged to their child. My kid did a research summer at Penn. She got it because a Penn reached out to her inquiring about interest. They reached out because their SLAC professor got their PHD at Penn and they sent an unsolicited email suggesting my kid. That is what you get at a top SLAC.

Or you could go to Penn and get these offers all the time.

+10000

All. The. Time.

-Penn Seas at least

[Anonymous]

This thread is full of insecure Ivy alums who can't accept that there are good non-Ivy schools out there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread is full of insecure Ivy alums who can't accept that there are good non-Ivy schools out there.

They now realize that others got a better deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread is full of insecure Ivy alums who can't accept that there are good non-Ivy schools out there.

williams and amherst are barely 10% test optional and sub 40% yield. the only secure ones are lac students who couldnt get into ivies which would be almost all of them

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is full of insecure Ivy alums who can't accept that there are good non-Ivy schools out there.

williams and amherst are barely 10% test optional and sub 40% yield. the only secure ones are lac students who couldnt get into ivies which would be almost all of them

50% test optional*

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is full of insecure Ivy alums who can't accept that there are good non-Ivy schools out there.

williams and amherst are barely 10% test optional and sub 40% yield. the only secure ones are lac students who couldnt get into ivies which would be almost all of them

Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better. Children must learn to self-soothe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is full of insecure Ivy alums who can't accept that there are good non-Ivy schools out there.

williams and amherst are barely 10% test optional and sub 40% yield. the only secure ones are lac students who couldnt get into ivies which would be almost all of them

Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better. Children must learn to self-soothe.

lol, we went to schools far better than your shit lacs dont worry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is full of insecure Ivy alums who can't accept that there are good non-Ivy schools out there.

williams and amherst are barely 10% test optional and sub 40% yield. the only secure ones are lac students who couldnt get into ivies which would be almost all of them

Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better. Children must learn to self-soothe.

lol, we went to schools far better than your shit lacs dont worry.

Holy insecure

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is full of insecure Ivy alums who can't accept that there are good non-Ivy schools out there.

williams and amherst are barely 10% test optional and sub 40% yield. the only secure ones are lac students who couldnt get into ivies which would be almost all of them

Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better. Children must learn to self-soothe.

lol, we went to schools far better than your shit lacs dont worry.

You most assuredly didn’t go to a better school than the top SLACs.

I actually went to a non-selective public but I’m comfortable with the reality that top SLACs are as good or better than any school or group of schools for undergraduate education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is full of insecure Ivy alums who can't accept that there are good non-Ivy schools out there.

williams and amherst are barely 10% test optional and sub 40% yield. the only secure ones are lac students who couldnt get into ivies which would be almost all of them

Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better. Children must learn to self-soothe.

lol, we went to schools far better than your shit lacs dont worry.

You most assuredly didn’t go to a better school than the top SLACs.

I actually went to a non-selective public but I’m comfortable with the reality that top SLACs are as good or better than any school or group of schools for undergraduate education.

Once again, no actual proof they have better teaching. No reason to believe so either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is full of insecure Ivy alums who can't accept that there are good non-Ivy schools out there.

williams and amherst are barely 10% test optional and sub 40% yield. the only secure ones are lac students who couldnt get into ivies which would be almost all of them

Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better. Children must learn to self-soothe.

lol, we went to schools far better than your shit lacs dont worry.

You most assuredly didn’t go to a better school than the top SLACs.

I actually went to a non-selective public but I’m comfortable with the reality that top SLACs are as good or better than any school or group of schools for undergraduate education.

lol most assuredly. nope, I would never consider a slac. and I had my option of HYPSM.