“Colleges That Change Lives”

[Anonymous]

Lots of flaws in that study. More important would be if they segmented by major and economic level.

Large schools will have a much higher percentage of engineers and specialized majors that make study abroad more difficult.

Smaller schools are **generally** liberal arts colleges with cores that are easier to get abroad. (Yes I know some LACs have engineering).

Even if the assumption is true, I think a kid wanting to study abroad would worry less about being stifled and choose the small location more comfortably, rather than choosing to go abroad because of junior-year ennui.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking forward to you not supporting that study abroad proclamation.

Here's one of many links to websites showing that more students study abroad from smaller schools than bigger ones. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/most-study-abroad

Many small schools go out of their way to tout studying abroad on their websites because they know that applicants worry (with good reason) about the claustrophobia of having to spend four years in a small environment in the middle of nowhere. It's kind of ironic -- I mean, if the education and social experience provided by these schools is so awesome and special, then why do you need to get away? -- but it makes sense.

I studied abroad, btw, and so did all of my kids (all of whom attended top-ranked schools, big and small). I recognize the inherent value of studying abroad, obviously. I'm just saying that the reason why it's more prevalent in smaller schools is obvious.


I’m glad you can divine each person’s motivation to study in a foreign country. I’m certain in every situation it must be because they feel stifled in their horrible college situation. What else could cause them to flee the country?! It probably has nothing to do with cool STEM opportunities or anything dumb like that.

[Anonymous]

I never said anyone was in a horrible situation. I merely said that they need a break. Who wouldn’t?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, here. Thanks to all who commented. DS is sure he wants to attend a small, alternative college. We figured this list is a good place to start in terms of the types of schools he’s considering.

Good luck, OP. This is exactly why the CTCL list can be helpful. There are thousands of colleges in the country and for someone who wants a smaller, alternative school it can be daunting to research them all.

What's his area of interest, broadly? Arty? Interested in science? Sports?

He has zero interest in sports. (As a spectator or participant.) He isn’t sure what he wants to do in college—he’s actually both arty and science-y. He’s even found a way to combine them to some degree. Still, he isn’t sure if he wants to focus on any of that. He’s also very good at and enjoys foreign languages. We tease that he’s a true Renaissance kid. This is completely different from his sister, who is laser-focused. She knew exactly what she wanted to study. For her, we were able to research and zero in on schools that have good physics programs and faculty (as well as good football teams).

It’s all a process. Thanks again for the input! It’s much appreciated.

He should consider looking into Kalamazoo College. We visited a lot of the midwestern SLACs and that one struck me as having a lot of "Renaissance kids"- and good supports for STEM and arts. And a large majority of students do at least 1 semester study abroad -- maybe 85%?

One reason why so many students at small liberal arts colleges study abroad is because they get stifled in their small school and small town environment and need a break. This isn't unique to CTCL schools -- it happens at smaller schools generally.

Kalamazoo is a bit different here--it's located in a city with another large college. But they have a funding mechanism where study abroad --including travel and living expenses--cost the same as a semester on campus and they set up majors to accommodate it -- so many students participate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, here. Thanks to all who commented. DS is sure he wants to attend a small, alternative college. We figured this list is a good place to start in terms of the types of schools he’s considering.

Good luck, OP. This is exactly why the CTCL list can be helpful. There are thousands of colleges in the country and for someone who wants a smaller, alternative school it can be daunting to research them all.

What's his area of interest, broadly? Arty? Interested in science? Sports?

He has zero interest in sports. (As a spectator or participant.) He isn’t sure what he wants to do in college—he’s actually both arty and science-y. He’s even found a way to combine them to some degree. Still, he isn’t sure if he wants to focus on any of that. He’s also very good at and enjoys foreign languages. We tease that he’s a true Renaissance kid. This is completely different from his sister, who is laser-focused. She knew exactly what she wanted to study. For her, we were able to research and zero in on schools that have good physics programs and faculty (as well as good football teams).

It’s all a process. Thanks again for the input! It’s much appreciated.

He should consider looking into Kalamazoo College. We visited a lot of the midwestern SLACs and that one struck me as having a lot of "Renaissance kids"- and good supports for STEM and arts. And a large majority of students do at least 1 semester study abroad -- maybe 85%?

One reason why so many students at small liberal arts colleges study abroad is because they get stifled in their small school and small town environment and need a break. This isn't unique to CTCL schools -- it happens at smaller schools generally.

Kalamazoo is a bit different here--it's located in a city with another large college. But they have a funding mechanism where study abroad --including travel and living expenses--cost the same as a semester on campus and they set up majors to accommodate it -- so many students participate.

At many privates it’s actually cheaper to study abroad than to stay on campus. Kalamazoo’s program may be special, but the cost isn’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking forward to you not supporting that study abroad proclamation.

Here's one of many links to websites showing that more students study abroad from smaller schools than bigger ones. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/most-study-abroad

Many small schools go out of their way to tout studying abroad on their websites because they know that applicants worry (with good reason) about the claustrophobia of having to spend four years in a small environment in the middle of nowhere. It's kind of ironic -- I mean, if the education and social experience provided by these schools is so awesome and special, then why do you need to get away? -- but it makes sense.

I studied abroad, btw, and so did all of my kids (all of whom attended top-ranked schools, big and small). I recognize the inherent value of studying abroad, obviously. I'm just saying that the reason why it's more prevalent in smaller schools is obvious.

Correlation, not causality. You should’ve studied harder.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking forward to you not supporting that study abroad proclamation.

Here's one of many links to websites showing that more students study abroad from smaller schools than bigger ones. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/most-study-abroad

Many small schools go out of their way to tout studying abroad on their websites because they know that applicants worry (with good reason) about the claustrophobia of having to spend four years in a small environment in the middle of nowhere. It's kind of ironic -- I mean, if the education and social experience provided by these schools is so awesome and special, then why do you need to get away? -- but it makes sense.

I studied abroad, btw, and so did all of my kids (all of whom attended top-ranked schools, big and small). I recognize the inherent value of studying abroad, obviously. I'm just saying that the reason why it's more prevalent in smaller schools is obvious.

Correlation, not causality. You should’ve studied harder.

You know it's true. It's not a knock on small schools. They're not perfect. Not even the CTCL ones!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking forward to you not supporting that study abroad proclamation.

Here's one of many links to websites showing that more students study abroad from smaller schools than bigger ones. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/most-study-abroad

Many small schools go out of their way to tout studying abroad on their websites because they know that applicants worry (with good reason) about the claustrophobia of having to spend four years in a small environment in the middle of nowhere. It's kind of ironic -- I mean, if the education and social experience provided by these schools is so awesome and special, then why do you need to get away? -- but it makes sense.

I studied abroad, btw, and so did all of my kids (all of whom attended top-ranked schools, big and small). I recognize the inherent value of studying abroad, obviously. I'm just saying that the reason why it's more prevalent in smaller schools is obvious.

Correlation, not causality. You should’ve studied harder.

Seriously. PP needs to post where she went to school so we know not to send our kids there!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking forward to you not supporting that study abroad proclamation.

Here's one of many links to websites showing that more students study abroad from smaller schools than bigger ones. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/most-study-abroad

Many small schools go out of their way to tout studying abroad on their websites because they know that applicants worry (with good reason) about the claustrophobia of having to spend four years in a small environment in the middle of nowhere. It's kind of ironic -- I mean, if the education and social experience provided by these schools is so awesome and special, then why do you need to get away? -- but it makes sense.

I studied abroad, btw, and so did all of my kids (all of whom attended top-ranked schools, big and small). I recognize the inherent value of studying abroad, obviously. I'm just saying that the reason why it's more prevalent in smaller schools is obvious.

Correlation, not causality. You should’ve studied harder.

Seriously. PP needs to post where she went to school so we know not to send our kids there!

Please explain why it's so terrible to suggest that students who study at small and isolated colleges might be more inclined to take a break and study abroad than students at larger schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking forward to you not supporting that study abroad proclamation.

Here's one of many links to websites showing that more students study abroad from smaller schools than bigger ones. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/most-study-abroad

Many small schools go out of their way to tout studying abroad on their websites because they know that applicants worry (with good reason) about the claustrophobia of having to spend four years in a small environment in the middle of nowhere. It's kind of ironic -- I mean, if the education and social experience provided by these schools is so awesome and special, then why do you need to get away? -- but it makes sense.

I studied abroad, btw, and so did all of my kids (all of whom attended top-ranked schools, big and small). I recognize the inherent value of studying abroad, obviously. I'm just saying that the reason why it's more prevalent in smaller schools is obvious.

Correlation, not causality. You should’ve studied harder.

Seriously. PP needs to post where she went to school so we know not to send our kids there!

Please explain why it's so terrible to suggest that students who study at small and isolated colleges might be more inclined to take a break and study abroad than students at larger schools.

Suggesting that it MIGHT be one reason is one thing. Stating it definitively like she did is quite another.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking forward to you not supporting that study abroad proclamation.

Here's one of many links to websites showing that more students study abroad from smaller schools than bigger ones. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/most-study-abroad

Many small schools go out of their way to tout studying abroad on their websites because they know that applicants worry (with good reason) about the claustrophobia of having to spend four years in a small environment in the middle of nowhere. It's kind of ironic -- I mean, if the education and social experience provided by these schools is so awesome and special, then why do you need to get away? -- but it makes sense.

I studied abroad, btw, and so did all of my kids (all of whom attended top-ranked schools, big and small). I recognize the inherent value of studying abroad, obviously. I'm just saying that the reason why it's more prevalent in smaller schools is obvious.

Correlation, not causality. You should’ve studied harder.

Seriously. PP needs to post where she went to school so we know not to send our kids there!

Please explain why it's so terrible to suggest that students who study at small and isolated colleges might be more inclined to take a break and study abroad than students at larger schools.

Suggesting that it MIGHT be one reason is one thing. Stating it definitively like she did is quite another.

I never said every single kid did it for that reason. I said it is more likely. You people are very sensitive about your CTCL schools.

[Anonymous]

Just admit you made it up. Could be true. Maybe not. But not supported by your little link at all. YOU think that’s why.

[Anonymous]

So, obviously any college is going to change your DC’s life. Our DD attended the CTCL road show in our city because she was pretty sure she wanted to go to a small college. She thoroughly enjoyed it and gravitated toward the schools that had the most enthusiastic alums manning (or womanning) their booths. Not a surprise.

She applied to three of the CTCL schools early action. She was accepted at all and was offered significant merit aid at all. That was exciting to us as we are firmly in the donut category. However, she was also accepted at her top choice, which is another SLAC that is not a CTCL school but that has a very low acceptance rate (and what are they all aiming for, anyway—0%?). She will be attending her top choice with no merit or FA. It will be perfect for her, but that merit aid sure would have been nice.

Slightly related question for those of you who were fortunate to tour some schools with your kids— were you ready to go back to college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, here. Thanks to all who commented. DS is sure he wants to attend a small, alternative college. We figured this list is a good place to start in terms of the types of schools he’s considering.

Good luck, OP. This is exactly why the CTCL list can be helpful. There are thousands of colleges in the country and for someone who wants a smaller, alternative school it can be daunting to research them all.

What's his area of interest, broadly? Arty? Interested in science? Sports?

He has zero interest in sports. (As a spectator or participant.) He isn’t sure what he wants to do in college—he’s actually both arty and science-y. He’s even found a way to combine them to some degree. Still, he isn’t sure if he wants to focus on any of that. He’s also very good at and enjoys foreign languages. We tease that he’s a true Renaissance kid. This is completely different from his sister, who is laser-focused. She knew exactly what she wanted to study. For her, we were able to research and zero in on schools that have good physics programs and faculty (as well as good football teams).

It’s all a process. Thanks again for the input! It’s much appreciated.

He should consider looking into Kalamazoo College. We visited a lot of the midwestern SLACs and that one struck me as having a lot of "Renaissance kids"- and good supports for STEM and arts. And a large majority of students do at least 1 semester study abroad -- maybe 85%?

One reason why so many students at small liberal arts colleges study abroad is because they get stifled in their small school and small town environment and need a break. This isn't unique to CTCL schools -- it happens at smaller schools generally.

Kalamazoo is a bit different here--it's located in a city with another large college. But they have a funding mechanism where study abroad --including travel and living expenses--cost the same as a semester on campus and they set up majors to accommodate it -- so many students participate.

At many privates it’s actually cheaper to study abroad than to stay on campus. Kalamazoo’s program may be special, but the cost isn’t.

Oops,-We've visited a lot of colleges and I get the details mixed up. Kalamazoo's study abroad is 10-20k less than full cost of attendance and includes all travel expenses. I just remembered it was a good deal compared to other schools we were looking at. (Especially since Kalamazoo is already generous with merit aid--DD is likely eligible for 32k scholarship which would make total cost of attendance on campus 28k--cheaper than our in-state options). Also, for DD who wants to major bio/chem it was one of the few places she's visited where STEM majors regularly go on 1-2 semester study abroad and still graduate on time. But maybe these advantages are more common that I realize? She also considered Wooster on the CTCL list, but they didn't have the same level of study abroad support and was in a small town so for her it was less appealing. She's also applying to W&M in state, which is a match for her scores/GPA--but will likely end up costing more than these CTCL schools. She has a few other dream reach SLACs but even if she gets in, she knows if she doesn't get sufficient aid she won't be able to attend. She's not interested in public schools outside of W&M (though she has agreed to apply to 1 as an academic/financial safety in case expected merit aid doesn't come through at SLACs). So these schools play a meaningful role in her college search.

OP--we found the CTCL list helpful. We initially visited Wooster and Denison on the Ohio SLAC tour not knowing about this "list." Later we found that all the good SLACs we found outside the well known top 20-30 seemed to be on it so we used it to find more options. It's still important to research the financial viability of the schools, quality for particular majors and outcomes for students as the list is by no means a guarantee.

[Anonymous]

My DD was accepted at several CTCL schools 2 years ago and while they did offer lots of merit aid, they were all still 5-10k more expensive than her in state options.