Is it worth it to pay for a small liberal arts college?

[Anonymous]

Why not check out some that are in-state? If you're in Virginia, W&M is just an amazing school, and feels small with 5,000 students (I'm an alum). Or check out Mary Washington.

[Anonymous]

Just because state schools have larger enrollments doesn't necessarily mean that class sizes are huge. FWIW, I went to UM College Park, and most of the classes I took were small. Sure they have large survey-type classes (with maybe 100 or so), but I probably only took a handful of classes that large. I've heard lots of parents who went to small colleges say that they are discouraging their kids from going to MD and comparable state schools for the fear that they will get lost in the shuffle. I simply don't think that is the case. Kids find their own niche -- through dorms, their major, activities, etc. FWIW, I had professors take an interest in me (and nominate me for Phi Beta Kappa; and write awesome recommendations for me for law school). The campus at MD is large, but it is also beautiful and fun. Small schools can actually be very isolating. I know a couple women who were black listed (or whatever it's called) during sorority rush and their lives were miserable for a while. One actually ended up transferring out b/c she said she couldn't make friends afterwards. I know a few parents who are paying $55k a year so their kids can go to small liberal arts colleges (and one of them passed down a full ride at another school; the other passed up partial scholarship money) -- and I just don't get it. Sure, we all want our kids to be happy, but I just don't see the value in putting so much money into one basket (and I see how this isn't a problem for folks who have money to burn, but that's not my case). I would much rather send my kid to state school and put money aside for a wedding and a downpayment on a house --- it seems more practical and useful.

[Anonymous]

I guess it depends on if you have the money and what you hope to get out of it. College is a financial investment. You can factor environment and culture into that equation if you like or can afford to.

[Anonymous]

I would much rather send my kid to state school and put money aside for a wedding and a downpayment on a house --- it seems more practical and useful.

I would never put spending for a wedding ahead of spending for an education -- how on earth is a wedding 'useful"? (I had one, and it was nice, but if I had to pick between the wedding and my four years at a small, liberal arts college, I wouldn't have to think twice.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:J I know a few parents who are paying $55k a year so their kids can go to small liberal arts colleges (and one of them passed down a full ride at another school; the other passed up partial scholarship money) -- and I just don't get it. Sure, we all want our kids to be happy, but I just don't see the value in putting so much money into one basket (and I see how this isn't a problem for folks who have money to burn, but that's not my case). I would much rather send my kid to state school and put money aside for a wedding and a downpayment on a house --- it seems more practical and useful.

I think my liberal arts college education had an incredibly formative influence on my values and interests -- outside of my parents, I think that college experience made me who I am as an adult. If a small liberal arts college is the right environment for your child, I can think of no better investment. I hope I have the resources (or the resources plus access to aid) to make it happen for my daughter, if that's what she wants.

Of course, small liberal arts colleges aren't for every 18-year-old, either.

Also, there are a number of less-well-known liberal arts colleges that don't carry the tuition tab of a Swarthmore/Wellesley/Williams/Amherst/etc., too, and are well-worth checking out.

[Anonymous]

I went to a small liberal arts school that regularly tops the usual lists of best colleges. In addition to the benefits cited by prior posters, my school also had some really spectacular study abroad opportunities and actively encouraged students to spend a trimester (we were on the trimester system then) abroad. Sample study abroad seminars included options for studying in Spain, Mexico, Greece, India, France or Italy. There were also options for spending a year abroad via sister school relationships we had with universities in France and Germany. The seminars were usually small---14 to 15 students and one professor. There was a lot of work (i.e., the seminars were not for partying and goofing off) but the one I attended was one of the highlights of my educational career.


I subsequently went to a large university for grad school. I think you can have a great experience as an undergrad at a large school. It all depends on the particular student's personality.

[Anonymous]

I went to a very large state university (University of TN), and only had grad students for lab assistants--the classes were all taught by professors. I then went to Trinity College for grad school, and taught undergrad classes there. Price per semester for undergrad at TN: (1980s: $1000. Trinity early 1990s: $20,000). Not all small, good liberal arts schools guarantee professors,or a safe environemnt. Trinity is in a very unsavory neighbhorhood. You definitely can't generalize, and have to take each school you look at individually for what you want.

[Anonymous]

Yes. If your child wants to go to one, I would encourage it. Of course, the overall quality of the school comes into play, but at the top colleges you get a well-rounded education with a solid grounding in the sciences, languages, and humanities.

IMO, the state school education is either (a) a process of trying to recreate the liberal arts experience through choosing a major or a school or the honors program or (b) career tracking. Having gone to a top liberal arts college, and then taught for 7 years at two state schools (UM-Ann Arbor and UMD-College Park) as a grad student and then adjunct, I can say that the quality of the education my students were receiving (in general) and the one I received were not comparable. Many of my students were floored by the rigor of my courses (taught in a style and with expectations comparable to my own education) and I fielded endless questions about what would be on the exams and why a student received a B+ rather than an A- (especially at UMD, where all As are calculated at the same value). Grad students and adjuncts do make up the majority of teachers at UMD, although many are better teachers than the tenure-track faculty (who spend years buying out of their teaching obligations, prefer teaching grad classes, and are not always very current on their fields).

All that being said, some state schools have top programs in specific fields (marine biology at UC-Santa Cruz, for instance) and if that's what my child was planning to study, I would be all for sending them there. Otherwise, I'd take a good liberal arts college every time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. If your child wants to go to one, I would encourage it. Of course, the overall quality of the school comes into play, but at the top colleges you get a well-rounded education with a solid grounding in the sciences, languages, and humanities.

IMO, the state school education is either (a) a process of trying to recreate the liberal arts experience through choosing a major or a school or the honors program or (b) career tracking. Having gone to a top liberal arts college, and then taught for 7 years at two state schools (UM-Ann Arbor and UMD-College Park) as a grad student and then adjunct, I can say that the quality of the education my students were receiving (in general) and the one I received were not comparable. Many of my students were floored by the rigor of my courses (taught in a style and with expectations comparable to my own education) and I fielded endless questions about what would be on the exams and why a student received a B+ rather than an A- (especially at UMD, where all As are calculated at the same value). Grad students and adjuncts do make up the majority of teachers at UMD, although many are better teachers than the tenure-track faculty (who spend years buying out of their teaching obligations, prefer teaching grad classes, and are not always very current on their fields).

All that being said, some state schools have top programs in specific fields (marine biology at UC-Santa Cruz, for instance) and if that's what my child was planning to study, I would be all for sending them there. Otherwise, I'd take a good liberal arts college every time.

That"s the key right there. Not the simple fact taht it's a liberal arts college, or a small one vs a large state university. There are some pretty bad ones out there, where the students are spoon fed everything in order to get them through--which doesnt happen at big schools since nobaody really cares....

[Anonymous]

I think it often just comes down to money for families. We had so many kids in my family, but we failed to qualify for any aid. Parents paid zero and we worked to pay our own tuitions. So, we went as commuters to our local state school. Yes, we were grateful to do well and get a degree. Would we have liked to go somewhere smaller? Yes. It just wasn't a choice...middle class quagmire.

[Anonymous]

Hopefully you send your kid to college and they don't do this>

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2010/0524101sorority1.html

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2010/0525101freedom1.html

[Anonymous]

Went to Williams. Got an incredible education and met outstanding people. In retrospect, wish I had gone to a bigger Ivy. That said, I think the biggest selling point is that you are taught by professors, in small classes. No TAs, ever. At least in the non-science majors. So, I took my senior history class from one of the foremost historians in the world (Robert Waite), religion from several world-renowned scholars. And they all knew me.

[Anonymous]

College is exciting to all incoming students. Don't underestimate the power of that. I think it is all relative. How expensive? Not saving for retirement expensive? A tenacious student will rise to the top and make the most of her opportunities no matter where she goes. It is easier at a better school, but who is to say that a little struggle, formerly known as building of one's character, might not help your child more in the long run?

[Anonymous]

Going to Williams, Middlebury, Amherst is like going to a spa for four years.

[Anonymous]

If you child is able to get into a top liberal arts college (Swarthmore, Amherst, Williams, etc.), these schools are extremely well endowed and are able to offer need-blind admissions. Your family will be given the grants and loans that you need to cover tuition, room, and board according to need based upon your FAFSA.