2026 USNWR LACs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think having the ties makes sense in some ways because those who think there is truly a lot of difference between 14 and 15 are morons. Is there a difference between 2 and 29? Probably. Between schools that are one or two notches apart. No.

2 and the 13s already are very different.

No

+100

Keep telling yourselves that.

[Anonymous]

Last year my daughter was waitlisted at 4 different schools. All 4 are now listed #13.
She is attending a school that is in the 20s and loving it. But I find it interesting that all these schools that are ranked the same also ranked her as waitlist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think having the ties makes sense in some ways because those who think there is truly a lot of difference between 14 and 15 are morons. Is there a difference between 2 and 29? Probably. Between schools that are one or two notches apart. No.

2 and the 13s already are very different.

No

+100

Keep telling yourselves that.

Several of the 10-13 group are as good as or often better for IB, MBB, And med school than several of the WASP so it’s pretty obvious that there is no difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Last year my daughter was waitlisted at 4 different schools. All 4 are now listed #13.
She is attending a school that is in the 20s and loving it. But I find it interesting that all these schools that are ranked the same also ranked her as waitlist.

My kid got off WL at Hopkins- and in at #13–20s.

I think it’s just that you are looking at small-midsize schools (less spots) and RD acceptances of 3-5% for those 1,400 to 1,600 spots.

T1-T15 is a lottery. Your scores/gpa get you a ticket with the vast amount of other kids who also have elite stats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think having the ties makes sense in some ways because those who think there is truly a lot of difference between 14 and 15 are morons. Is there a difference between 2 and 29? Probably. Between schools that are one or two notches apart. No.

2 and the 13s already are very different.

No

+100

Keep telling yourselves that.

Several of the 10-13 group are as good as or often better for IB, MBB, And med school than several of the WASP so it’s pretty obvious that there is no difference.

Forbes perfectly demonstrates this with its focus on outcomes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think having the ties makes sense in some ways because those who think there is truly a lot of difference between 14 and 15 are morons. Is there a difference between 2 and 29? Probably. Between schools that are one or two notches apart. No.

2 and the 13s already are very different.

No

+100

Keep telling yourselves that.

Several of the 10-13 group are as good as or often better for IB, MBB, And med school than several of the WASP so it’s pretty obvious that there is no difference.

Forbes perfectly demonstrates this with its focus on outcomes.

Forbes has the exact same top 7 LACs as US News does, just in slight different order. WAS, Claremont, Wellesley, Pomona, Bowdoin.

[Anonymous]

Let’s go Wellesley!

[Anonymous]

The real bargain is Grinnell. Excellent school that automatically gives $20k in merit aid to any student accepted ED and typically awards even more. Many are turned off by the location, but it's not like the other top LACs are in or near major metropolitan areas either. Our kid from the DMV attended and loved it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last year my daughter was waitlisted at 4 different schools. All 4 are now listed #13.
She is attending a school that is in the 20s and loving it. But I find it interesting that all these schools that are ranked the same also ranked her as waitlist.

My kid got off WL at Hopkins- and in at #13–20s.

I think it’s just that you are looking at small-midsize schools (less spots) and RD acceptances of 3-5% for those 1,400 to 1,600 spots.

T1-T15 is a lottery. Your scores/gpa get you a ticket with the vast amount of other kids who also have elite stats.

You're on the wrong thread. Hopkins isn't an LAC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The real bargain is Grinnell. Excellent school that automatically gives $20k in merit aid to any student accepted ED and typically awards even more. Many are turned off by the location, but it's not like the other top LACs are in or near major metropolitan areas either. Our kid from the DMV attended and loved it.

Pomona, Wellesley, Barnard, Davidson…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think having the ties makes sense in some ways because those who think there is truly a lot of difference between 14 and 15 are morons. Is there a difference between 2 and 29? Probably. Between schools that are one or two notches apart. No.

2 and the 13s already are very different.

No

+100

Keep telling yourselves that.

Several of the 10-13 group are as good as or often better for IB, MBB, And med school than several of the WASP so it’s pretty obvious that there is no difference.

Forbes perfectly demonstrates this with its focus on outcomes.

Forbes has the exact same top 7 LACs as US News does, just in slight different order. WAS, Claremont, Wellesley, Pomona, Bowdoin.

Don’t need to stop at 7, basically the top 20 are the same just a slightly different ordering. No difference between these schools. They are all excellent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does that mean we need to shift to WASB?

I don't think so - when you factor in student experience Pomona is a million times better with access to so much more than Bowdoin. My bff went to Bowdoin in the 90s and moved west and she always jokes that no one knew where she went.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The real bargain is Grinnell. Excellent school that automatically gives $20k in merit aid to any student accepted ED and typically awards even more. Many are turned off by the location, but it's not like the other top LACs are in or near major metropolitan areas either. Our kid from the DMV attended and loved it.

Pomona, Wellesley, Barnard, Davidson…

Carleton, Williams, Amherst, Middlebury

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pomona is a wonderful school from what I know about it. The kids who attend seem brilliant, absolutely incredible in fact, and should be extremely proud, as should their families and friends. It would be helpful to know why it stands out from other colleges rather than attacking it with negative and likely false hyperbolic statements. Please fulfill the point of this site. Let’s help each other!

My daughter goes to CMC and her good friend from home goes to Pomona and two other friends from home go to Scripps. All the students take classes at the other 5Cs. They have a huge wide range of classes to take, plus clubs that encompass all of the 5C's. You can choose a large community (5k) experience or stay small (1.1k) at your school. The campus life is vibrant and fun and fully integrated. Even for the Mudders who throw some of the best parties. Athletics aren't a huge deal, and I don't think they dominate admissions in the same way that they do at other SLACs. It's just been a fantastic experience all around so far.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The real bargain is Grinnell. Excellent school that automatically gives $20k in merit aid to any student accepted ED and typically awards even more. Many are turned off by the location, but it's not like the other top LACs are in or near major metropolitan areas either. Our kid from the DMV attended and loved it.

Pomona, Wellesley, Barnard, Davidson…

Carleton, Williams, Amherst, Middlebury

I was specifically pointing out the LACs with locations near major metropolitan areas.