Lafayette/Bucknell vs Nescacs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Middlebury is hemorrhaging money on their language institute. Had to reduce benefits and staff. AI completely wipes out the need to speak anything other than English.

The language schools, Breadloaf are all profitable though they did show deficits during Covid. They are closing the Middlebury Institute of International Studies which has been the cause of their small nagging deficit.

40% of the deficit is non-Monterey. https://www.middleburycampus.com/article/2025/08/middlebury-to-close-miis-by-june-2027

That was this past year mainly because of rising healthcare costs coming out of our recent bout of inflation. There will be small deficits for the next few years as well while they wind down MIIS.

If you look pre-COVID the small nagging deficit is due to MIIS chronic under enrollment. The deficit is very small relative to their endowment. Middlebury could easily cover the entire deficit by raising their endowment withdrawal rate to equal Colby’s but they don’t because with their stellar credit rating it is financially prudent to borrow instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Colby’s Alfond sports complex over 350,000 square feet is the platinum facility in the NESCAC. The school is reaching new heights!

It is a beautiful facility.

[Anonymous]

Colby also opened the Davis AI center 1–2 years ago and is building an impressive science facility. The center for entrepreneurship is also top notch. Not a booster, but my DC is in the search process right now now and has been very impressed.m and especially appreciates their involvement with the state and particularly with the development of Waterville.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Splitting hairs here. One can have a bad experience at Williams/Amherst and a great experience at a so-called Lower NESCAC or non-NESCAC LAC. It comes down to 20% fit and 80% the kid’s proactive-ness in making the most of where they are.

+1
People don’t ever jump into these threads to disparage a school like Skidmore, for example. The prestige whores and SLAC haters just want to make sure that schools like Middlebury and Hamilton know their place. “Just so you know, you are not elite, or lack sufficient clout.” Every thread about SLACs invariably devolves into this. Hopefully we’ll move back to more productive threads now that it’s admissions season again.

You just disparaged Skidmore.

That was the point.

Skidmore is a wonderful school and Saratoga Springs would be a great place to spend one’s college years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Colby also opened the Davis AI center 1–2 years ago and is building an impressive science facility. The center for entrepreneurship is also top notch. Not a booster, but my DC is in the search process right now now and has been very impressed.m and especially appreciates their involvement with the state and particularly with the development of Waterville.

Colby is a great place and the school is doing great things. The booster is causing Colby backlash on DCUM by disparaging other schools. That’s how it works here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Middlebury was recently rated AA/Aa3 by S&P and Moody's. Moody's revised the outlook from stable to negative noting recent deficits. Those are very strong ratings. So they clearly are not very concerned about Middlebury's finances.

But all of you arm chair finance whizzes know more than they do. And don't go insulting them - trust me - they know more than you.

Moody’s actually held the rating outlook at stable they did not revise it to negative so even better than you mentioned.

Revised to negative in early August.

[Anonymous]

Given the tough job market look at schools with strong job placement. Assuming Wall Street holds up, Williams is tough to beat maybe Bucknell, Colgate and Bowdoin. Holy Cross is the only one with accounting/business degree. Not sure if any LACs have engineering major. Of course Lehigh does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Given the tough job market look at schools with strong job placement. Assuming Wall Street holds up, Williams is tough to beat maybe Bucknell, Colgate and Bowdoin. Holy Cross is the only one with accounting/business degree. Not sure if any LACs have engineering major. Of course Lehigh does.

Lehigh has accounting also.

I am unfortunately becoming like a dinosaur but I would personally rather hire a smart kid from a LAC and teach them myself than hire a "business major" from Holy Cross or wherever else. I like kids who are super smart and know how to think - they will catch up on "business" quickly enough and will better adapt to the constant changes in the business world.

[Anonymous]

^Probably are a dinosaur. There is a new tool called the Internet, google Holy Cross it is a top 25 LAC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^Probably are a dinosaur. There is a new tool called the Internet, google Holy Cross it is a top 25 LAC.

You so funny and smart. Special treat for you.

I would rather take a random Williams, Amherst, Middlebury, Bowdoin, or a number of other top SLAC grad over a Holy Cross business major. Or any Holy Cross grad. And you are kind of proving my point - I find so many HC grads to be insufferable. But this doesn't just apply to Holy Cross business grads - many other schools as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Splitting hairs here. One can have a bad experience at Williams/Amherst and a great experience at a so-called Lower NESCAC or non-NESCAC LAC. It comes down to 20% fit and 80% the kid’s proactive-ness in making the most of where they are.

+1
People don’t ever jump into these threads to disparage a school like Skidmore, for example. The prestige whores and SLAC haters just want to make sure that schools like Middlebury and Hamilton know their place. “Just so you know, you are not elite, or lack sufficient clout.” Every thread about SLACs invariably devolves into this. Hopefully we’ll move back to more productive threads now that it’s admissions season again.

You just disparaged Skidmore.

Only in that it’s a school that hardly ever gets discussed on this board despite drawing a fair amount of kids, relatively speaking, from the region. It’s “ranked” higher than some NESCACs and in the same part of the country. People just don’t feel the need to gatekeep excellence or worth with that school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^Probably are a dinosaur. There is a new tool called the Internet, google Holy Cross it is a top 25 LAC.

You so funny and smart. Special treat for you.

I would rather take a random Williams, Amherst, Middlebury, Bowdoin, or a number of other top SLAC grad over a Holy Cross business major. Or any Holy Cross grad. And you are kind of proving my point - I find so many HC grads to be insufferable. But this doesn't just apply to Holy Cross business grads - many other schools as well.

Seriously. HC grads are just lucky Duke exists.

[Anonymous]

Ivy grad my 2 cents. Williams is mini-Dartmouth, Amherst more quirky, Bowdoin knocking at door. Colgate and Holy Cross grads do well more grounded especially their former athletes. Trinity is fading quickly. Colby and MIDD fraternal twins. If interested in left leaning schoos(not my taste), Wesleyan. Wesleyan is not a place for moderate or conservative kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Middlebury is hemorrhaging money on their language institute. Had to reduce benefits and staff. AI completely wipes out the need to speak anything other than English.

The language schools, Breadloaf are all profitable though they did show deficits during Covid. They are closing the Middlebury Institute of International Studies which has been the cause of their small nagging deficit.

40% of the deficit is non-Monterey. https://www.middleburycampus.com/article/2025/08/middlebury-to-close-miis-by-june-2027

That was this past year mainly because of rising healthcare costs coming out of our recent bout of inflation. There will be small deficits for the next few years as well while they wind down MIIS.

If you look pre-COVID the small nagging deficit is due to MIIS chronic under enrollment. The deficit is very small relative to their endowment. Middlebury could easily cover the entire deficit by raising their endowment withdrawal rate to equal Colby’s but they don’t because with their stellar credit rating it is financially prudent to borrow instead.

Thanks for admitting you are wrong about “the (sole) cause of their nagging deficit.” They have had a non-Monterey deficit every year for some time: you are wrong about that, as well, but conversations with apologists go nowhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^Probably are a dinosaur. There is a new tool called the Internet, google Holy Cross it is a top 25 LAC.

You so funny and smart. Special treat for you.

I would rather take a random Williams, Amherst, Middlebury, Bowdoin, or a number of other top SLAC grad over a Holy Cross business major. Or any Holy Cross grad. And you are kind of proving my point - I find so many HC grads to be insufferable. But this doesn't just apply to Holy Cross business grads - many other schools as well.

Holy Cross does not have a business major. Your hypothetical exercise means nothing, except for exhibiting your own insufferability.