The students who get into top SLACs and top universities don't seem to be picking the former
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
He’s still got some time to pick up some wisdom. |
Anonymous
Absolutely this, they go to bars and pubs to drink which becomes very expensive very quickly, and also depending on the city not very safe. |
Anonymous
But the trend is that there are more applications to top slacs not less. But they are not for everyone. They appeal to active outdoorsy students. The kids I know that are excited for them like skiing and hiking and kyacking and biking and playing sports and things like that. Also appeals to students that thrive in smaller classes |
Anonymous
Completely agree. Our DD was accepted to schools in areas she considered “too remote” (ie Syracuse, Wake Forest, Vassar.) Interesting that she and a number of her friends who were raised in the DC area prefer to be in a city/close proximity to a major city for college. |
Anonymous
|
I’m encouraging my kids to look at SLACs. If I’m going to pay 80k/year seems to me preferable to pay for the focus on undergraduate teaching, better access to faculty and a situation that really requires more student interaction. There are exceptions - some majors are more well suited for larger universities - but I like the idea of the SLAC approach, I went to a mid-size Ivy and I’m not pushing my kids to consider it. There are other reasons, but one is that classes were still on the larger side and it’s very easy to classes - and even really succeed - without interacting much with faculty at all, and, while there were exceptions, most faculty weren’t all that interested in undergrads. I was in an honors program in my major and the professor for our honors seminar was clearly just fulfilling an obligation. I can recall him reading his mail while I met with him to discuss my honors thesis.
Obviously, if financial aid and Merit aid enter the picture I can well understand why people opt for larger universities, just saying all else being equal I’m inclined to prefer the SLACs. |
Anonymous
Maybe he does not understand the point of the process. Or does not know himself? |
Anonymous
The "point of the process," one is led to believe, it to find a school, or group of schools, that will admit a student, and then pick one. It's not that complicated. He's not getting into Harvard, but also think that he can excel at a school beyond community college. What 17-year-old boy really knows himself? My response to you, and to PP who states that he still has time to pick up wisdom - is to say -- the system is set up for this. Once a student has slaved over a common app, what problem is it to push a button for a few more submits, especially when there is no application fee, as there is in a large number of these schools, both state universities and SLACs? Oh sure, he had to write a few more supplement essays, but those are largely cut and paste projects as well. And voila - before he knows it, student ends up with applications submitted to 20 different schools - SLACs, large universities, smaller colleges - whatever you want. My DC ended up with a nice choice to pick from. |
Anonymous
Actually Ivies do a lot better. Dartmouth's yield was 73% last year. |
Anonymous
It's the yield only among students who were accepted through Regular Decision. The 73% includes Early Decision students who have to enroll (~100% yield); colleges are relying on that more and more to bring down their acceptance rates. Regular Decision yield gives some indication to how many students choose who will likely have offers from other universities and colleges. |
Anonymous
Creating more work for other people, applying to schools he’a not really interested in, would never really consider going to, and possibly taking away slots that one of his classmates might have received. I’m sure you don’t see it that way, you are teaching him that his own self is the most important thing, but not all of us have that worldview. |
Anonymous
Admission rates are easily manipulated through ED overreliance, test-optional policies, and lack of supplements (see Colby or Middlebury). The real metric is what the students who get in for Regular Decision decide. And I do think that among those who are juggling offers between universities and SLACs, more and more are leaning toward the university offer. |
Anonymous
| I agree with OP. I am seeing the same in Texas. |
Anonymous
Can you point me to where you find these? |
Anonymous
|
Yes small regional private colleges, as well as community colleges, are seeing drops in enrollment. Given the expense it’s not strange that kids who might have enjoyed a private college choose a large cheaper state school.
But it’s not some simple rural vs urban thing, that’s a lazy argument. There are plenty of rural state schools that are popular - University of Illinois is pretty much surrounded by cornfields, but its enrollment and prestige are doing just fine. I know kids who are turned off by urban campuses where you can’t really tell where campus ends and city begins. |
Anonymous
Common Data Set. Subtract ed admits from numerator and denominator of total enrolled/total admitted |