As You Think About SLACs...Limited Number of Courses

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The defensiveness of LAC parents in this thread is really something. LACs are great. They aren’t perfect.

Wanting to help people have accurate info about a lesser known college segment doesn’t amount to claims of perfection. It is quite common for an LAC parent to hear “I wish I had known” from friends or acquaintances who never researched anything besides universities. OP had a good point, but so did most of the replies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This might have seemed totally obvious to some of you, especially if you attended a SLAC. But it actually wasn't something I thought that much about when DD chose a college. She is very happy at her school, but the limited numbers of courses and sections makes getting the classes she needs and wants really challenging. I do think it was the right environment for her, but it is frustrating. I feel like I'm solving a puzzle as I help her with her registration. And she really does need help because the school has a very laissez-faire attitude about it. She's a STEM major and has some goals for later in college, so it's really important she get certain classes. And it is difficult.

I'm not going to name the school because I'm not sure it matters. Just make sure that if you're looking at a small school, you really dig into the course catalog. Don't just look to see if they offer the major your kid wants. Look to see how many sections of core courses they offer and when those courses are. Maybe even do a little mock schedule to see what your kid's semester would be like.

Just a tip from someone who did not do that and maybe wishes she had! But we are still happy with the school. Just can be challenging as opposed to bigger schools with more options.

I went to a smaller SLAC and lack of course choice is actually why I tried to steer my kids away from them. My senior fell in love with one bigger SLAC and has applied there among others schools but given what she wants to major in she will likely not end up there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid just graduated from a top 3 LAC. Never had an issue

Is there a recognized top 3? Ive heard of WASP and T10, but top 3 is a new one.

[Anonymous]

Really important to look up The Common Data Set on a college and learn, for example. .. just how many students do they graduate in a particular major. SLAC often try to be all things to all people, and can't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Really important to look up The Common Data Set on a college and learn, for example. .. just how many students do they graduate in a particular major. SLAC often try to be all things to all people, and can't.

I agree it’s useful to look at the degrees conferred section in the common data set for any school being seriously considered. That can tell you a lot about what the students themselves consider the stronger departments, not to mention something about the student body. I have not, however, had the experience of LACs claiming to be all things to all people. They tend to emphasize fit, and are open about larger schools sometimes being a better match for some students, in my experience anyway.

[Anonymous]

I will never understand why anyone choose a school with so few students, so few professors, so few classes, so few options. And they are usually in the middle of the woods. And it's typically cold. Four years of that. And people choose this. Baffling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Problem is OP, not the school. #HelicopterParent

Not the OP, but I disagree. This is not Helicopter Parenting. This is responsible parenting and a helpful heads up to parents who may not know this could even be an issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid just graduated from a top 3 LAC. Never had an issue

Is there a recognized top 3? Ive heard of WASP and T10, but top 3 is a new one.

Top 3 based on USNWR

[Anonymous]

Like anything, whatever fits the student best is the most important. For some that's a big university. For others that's a LAC. I have one child at a LAC and another at a top 20 NU. Works for each of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Problem is OP, not the school. #HelicopterParent

Not the OP, but I disagree. This is not Helicopter Parenting. This is responsible parenting and a helpful heads up to parents who may not know this could even be an issue.

Not the PP, but it is a bit of helicopter parenting going on here. OP states that her child is "very happy at her school." So what's the problem. You have difficulty getting into an oversubscribed class anywhere. You deal with it and work around it.

[Anonymous]

I also have a child at a T10 SLAC. Registering for foundational prereq classes can be an issue, primarily freshman year. However, plenty of friends with kids at large universities cite the same problems.

The difference between them is either you're having trouble getting into a 300 person lecture, or you're having trouble getting into a 30 person lecture. Once you're in the 30 person lecture, you get a lot more access to the professor and, for my kid, deeper learning than I ever got in my large lectures at my Ivy.

Even the premeds graduate in 4 years with great acceptance results to med school, so it all works out. It stresses out the freshman, but by sophomore year they understand this and get priority registration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I will never understand why anyone choose a school with so few students, so few professors, so few classes, so few options. And they are usually in the middle of the woods. And it's typically cold. Four years of that. And people choose this. Baffling.

Because you actually get into the classes you need and once you're in, you get a lot of individualized attention from the professor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid just graduated from a top 3 LAC. Never had an issue

Is there a recognized top 3? Ive heard of WASP and T10, but top 3 is a new one.

Top 3 based on USNWR

This year or last year? I’m sure it was an innocent mistake, but I’m just pushing against the idea of finely parsed rankings. We don’t need to subdivide WASP any further, which is as dumb as when people claim a hierarchy among HYP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I will never understand why anyone choose a school with so few students, so few professors, so few classes, so few options. And they are usually in the middle of the woods. And it's typically cold. Four years of that. And people choose this. Baffling.

Greater accessibility of professors, not relying on first time grad students to teach, better feedback on assignments, smaller classes, working directly with profs rather than grad students on research projects, great matriculation at grad schools, 4 years of on campus living, campuses with plenty of nature, not having to apply to a major, more engaged alumni, easier time walking on to a sport, lasting relationships with faculty and administrators, less red tape when there’s a request or issue, less disruption of campus functions by large groups of unruly protesters, higher endowment per undergrad student than many (not all) universities…

No, the above isn’t an attempt to say LACs are fundamentally better than universities for everyone. They definitely are not. It’s simply a response to a poster asking why “anyone” would prefer an LAC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I will never understand why anyone choose a school with so few students, so few professors, so few classes, so few options. And they are usually in the middle of the woods. And it's typically cold. Four years of that. And people choose this. Baffling.

One of our kids wanted something totally different from the large suburban high school they went to. They wanted something in a smaller area and they like cold weather. They loved everything about their SLAC. Their best friend would have hated it and loved the big southern university they chose.

Good thing people can make the choices that work best for them.