Why are WASP so elite?

[Anonymous]

I live in the South. When I look at the successful people around me- doctors, lawyers, investment advisors, business people, teachers- most of them attended the state flagship or neighboring state flagships. That’s what our kids are exposed to. I don’t think most people have anything “against” LAC’s. It’s more a situation of LAC’s not being on most people’s radar screens in the first place. (And even state flagships have a “college of arts and sciences” or some equivalent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in the South. When I look at the successful people around me- doctors, lawyers, investment advisors, business people, teachers- most of them attended the state flagship or neighboring state flagships. That’s what our kids are exposed to. I don’t think most people have anything “against” LAC’s. It’s more a situation of LAC’s not being on most people’s radar screens in the first place. (And even state flagships have a “college of arts and sciences” or some equivalent.

That is the earlier posts point. All, if not most, undergraduate education is done in a “liberal arts college” outside of engineering and business. What NESCACs provide is the college experience that John Harvard envisioned when finding Harvard College. Schools for the sole purpose of an undergraduate education. If liberal arts colleges are such jokes why do all Universities have them in a variation off this model? Why do liberal arts college graduates per capita attend medical schools, PhD programs, and other graduate school programs at a higher rate than most “university” graduates?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps they don't want to give out Ivy-tier signaling.

Most of these second tier LACs are where wealthy Americans would send their kids generation after generation. They care about education quality, kids get great education at these places but at the same time is not cutthroat.

The kids will go to great med schools law schools and PhD after graduation, and become good doctors, lawyers, and scholars. Quietly raise their next generation of kids.

Then repeat the cycle.

Immigrant parents don't care about these schools. American wealthy don't want them to care either.

Fascinating take. My sense from this is that SLACs are where lazy rich kids go because they have the connections and inheritances to drift through life and don't want to be encumbered by smart kids or real ambition. And that matches my anecdotal observations about the families that choose these schools. Which is fine. It's sheltered families that have no desire or need to participate in the real world. But for any bright kid that wants to do things, this sounds like banishment and a destiny for a very boring life.

They are not “lazy rich”. lol

You should be happy if your Asian grandchildren are going to these lacs. The “smart kids or real ambition” Asian kids you raised and so proud of will not raise your grandchildren the same way you did. They won’t be drilling APOS math at age of 3. They also won’t do AMIE starting 8th grade.

Let's not respond to stupidity with racism.

Asian-American LAC grad. Most of the AA LAC grads I know have kids who are interested in T-50/SEC/ACC/Big Ten schools. Kids’ interests have changed (across all races) and they want different things from their college experience.

I see this in my son (Asian) and his friends as well. They dont want small schools in remote locations. He wants a medium to large school. My dd is more receptive to SLACs. I went to an Ivy and wanted my son to look at SLACs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These posts make for excellent entertainment. Wow - the insecurity in this thread is palpable! “IYKYK,” amirite?

insecure parents who pissed away money becaue they couldnt get into an actual top school instead of a podunk unrecognizable sister of the poor school

Actually, I find the insecure people are the ones who went to State U because they didn’t know any better or couldn’t afford a private college.

I went to one of the SLACs repeatedly mentioned here and have never, for one minute, felt insecure about it but I sense insecurity and sometimes hostility from people who went to state schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These are the same PP who don’t understand that DC will attend Harvard College which is the liberal arts division of Harvard University. Another example, at Columbia you attend Columbia College. Yes they may have CS and engineering but they are liberal arts colleges and you yourself are attending a SLAC wrapped into a larger university. Why don’t they understand this? They have seen the outside walls of these institutions but they never could cut it to see inside? This is not to split hairs….

I attended Harvard College. It in no way resembles an SLAC education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These are the same PP who don’t understand that DC will attend Harvard College which is the liberal arts division of Harvard University. Another example, at Columbia you attend Columbia College. Yes they may have CS and engineering but they are liberal arts colleges and you yourself are attending a SLAC wrapped into a larger university. Why don’t they understand this? They have seen the outside walls of these institutions but they never could cut it to see inside? This is not to split hairs….

I attended Harvard College. It in no way resembles an SLAC education.

And it can't, because of size (6600 vs. ~1900) and the different priorities for the professors teaching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
And it can't, because of size (6600 vs. ~1900) and the different priorities for the professors teaching.

I had no TAs at Williams, and all my professors spoke English.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Actually, I find the insecure people are the ones who went to State U because they didn’t know any better or couldn’t afford a private college.

I went to one of the SLACs repeatedly mentioned here and have never, for one minute, felt insecure about it but I sense insecurity and sometimes hostility from people who went to state schools.

In the animal kingdom this is called presenting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
And it can't, because of size (6600 vs. ~1900) and the different priorities for the professors teaching.

I had no TAs at Williams, and all my professors spoke English.

Same for my kid at Amherst, who was invited to TA next semester. They don't actually teach per se (good!) but develop valuable academic and leadership skills supporting their professors and their peers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
And it can't, because of size (6600 vs. ~1900) and the different priorities for the professors teaching.

I had no TAs at Williams, and all my professors spoke English.

Same for my kid at Amherst, who was invited to TA next semester. They don't actually teach per se (good!) but develop valuable academic and leadership skills supporting their professors and their peers.

And get paid!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps they don't want to give out Ivy-tier signaling.

Most of these second tier LACs are where wealthy Americans would send their kids generation after generation. They care about education quality, kids get great education at these places but at the same time is not cutthroat.

The kids will go to great med schools law schools and PhD after graduation, and become good doctors, lawyers, and scholars. Quietly raise their next generation of kids.

Then repeat the cycle.

Immigrant parents don't care about these schools. American wealthy don't want them to care either.

Fascinating take. My sense from this is that SLACs are where lazy rich kids go because they have the connections and inheritances to drift through life and don't want to be encumbered by smart kids or real ambition. And that matches my anecdotal observations about the families that choose these schools. Which is fine. It's sheltered families that have no desire or need to participate in the real world. But for any bright kid that wants to do things, this sounds like banishment and a destiny for a very boring life.

This is an odd and ignorant take. The kids at the top SLACs certainly are not lazy. They are highly qualified and very motivated. Just as much or maybe even more than the uni's. You can't disappear and cut class at a SLAC where there are only 20 students in each class. The prof is going to notice. If your kid is lazy they would go to a larger school where there are huge lectures and no one will know if they cut classes.

is that why 50% are test optional?

Same reason that the Ivy league was TO up until the past year. The whole TO trope is just weak and foolish. All of these schools went TO at teh same time. I'd like to see everyone revert back to testing but the idea that being TO is hurting them is dim.

except the ivies are largely going back to test required. even yale which is test optional received 85% test scores. LACs cant get top students so they remain TO and only 50%

Yale isn’t test optional. You’re making things up. You don’t know elite schools and it shows.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These are the same PP who don’t understand that DC will attend Harvard College which is the liberal arts division of Harvard University. Another example, at Columbia you attend Columbia College. Yes they may have CS and engineering but they are liberal arts colleges and you yourself are attending a SLAC wrapped into a larger university. Why don’t they understand this? They have seen the outside walls of these institutions but they never could cut it to see inside? This is not to split hairs….

I attended Harvard College. It in no way resembles an SLAC education.

Same with Yale

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread is embarrassing.

This thread is still embarrassing 20 pages in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These posts make for excellent entertainment. Wow - the insecurity in this thread is palpable! “IYKYK,” amirite?

insecure parents who pissed away money becaue they couldnt get into an actual top school instead of a podunk unrecognizable sister of the poor school

Actually, I find the insecure people are the ones who went to State U because they didn’t know any better or couldn’t afford a private college.

I went to one of the SLACs repeatedly mentioned here and have never, for one minute, felt insecure about it but I sense insecurity and sometimes hostility from people who went to state schools.

I think they are both great options. My kid loves her SLAC and her bff loves her state school. Neither is insecure and they each admire the other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These posts make for excellent entertainment. Wow - the insecurity in this thread is palpable! “IYKYK,” amirite?

insecure parents who pissed away money becaue they couldnt get into an actual top school instead of a podunk unrecognizable sister of the poor school

Actually, I find the insecure people are the ones who went to State U because they didn’t know any better or couldn’t afford a private college.

I went to one of the SLACs repeatedly mentioned here and have never, for one minute, felt insecure about it but I sense insecurity and sometimes hostility from people who went to state schools.

I think they are both great options. My kid loves her SLAC and her bff loves her state school. Neither is insecure and they each admire the other.

+100 It’s the parents trying to make silly comparisons. Kids don’t care. My kid’s friend group is attending a mix of schools- state flagship, Ivy, medium privates, OOS flagships…they enjoy comparing notes and appreciate the variety of experiences out there.