Why are WASP so elite?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:imo the biggest problem schools like Midd, Hamilton, Colby, Bates, Colgate have is very undesirable rural/remote locations with no diversity. Demographics have changed drastically in the US. Lots of kids want to be in or have easy access to major cities for all the cultural, entertainment and culinary benefits. Logistically try getting to Middlebury Vermont, Hamilton NY or Watervile Maine. Plus the winters are brutal. Believe Colgate had a 3,000 drop in apps and Midd has seen a pronounced decline in last 2 years. College popularity has changed with top kids flocking to Duke and Vandy while those wishing to remain in North East seeking city schools.

I agree with this. SLACs remain competitive but, in relative terms, their popularity has suffered at the expense of national universities. Meanwhile, cities have become more popular, not to mention larger demographic shifts away from New England and upstate New York towards the south and west. Endowment level (and ability to give merit in future) mitigates or accelerates this decline.

While the very top will remain top, you can already see the shift going on in the tiers below WASP-B. Stock picks, largely for these reasons:

Hold long-term: WASP-B
Buys: Davidson, Mudd, CMC
Sells: Bates, Colby, Midd, Hamilton, Colgate, Conn College, Trinity (neighborhood negates urban advantage)
Holds: Wesleyan, Holy Cross, W&L, Macalester, Occidental, Haverford, Carleton, Grinnell (due to endowment)

CMC is as good as the market is. The second there’s a downturn in hiring for Consulting/IB, there’s very little bones left as to what those students can do. Very little academic diversity with 50% of students majoring in economics. It’s a one trick pony. They’re making attempts with integrated sciences, so we’ll see how that goes in the next 5 or so years. They’re also becoming a very closed campus community with current campus investments are going into a massive sports bowl and potentially new aquatic center:https://www.cmc.edu/giving/investing-in-future-leaders/roberts-campus-sports-bowl.

DS was really excited to attend and then realized there was very little space to be different.

Everything you say may be true, but it is still a “buy.” Great endowment. California. 5Cs. Econ specialty when kids are flocking to it. Great non-science majors. Doesn’t mean your kid has to go there, but I certainly would not bet against it. If you instead want to “buy” a New England SLAC like Colby, good luck to you.

Are you a bot? Colby has great admin leadership currently and offers a ton to students. Sure, most wouldn’t stomach its location, but you’re gonna enjoy 4 years there if you’d enjoy them at CMC or Wesleyan or wherever.

It is a very good school. But this “not” has been to Waterville and it is' without exaggeration, arguably the worst location of any SLAC in the country.

The point is, do you thing it will go up in prestige the next generation, down in prestige, or stay the same? I say down,though it’s big recent donation means it won’t go into freefall. Bates, on the other hand, will not be so “fortunate”

Colby is likely to rise. New England boarding schools aren’t going anywhere, and the school has a lot of career support.

Please tell me how I can short sell you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like the stock pick analysis with some tweaks. Move Wesleyan to a sell for same reason as listed for Trinity as Hartford is not a big draw. Upgrade Haverford access to Philly and Holy Cross access to Boston. Debating rating on W&L would twea to sell as its southern location is very rural as opposed to Davidson’s access to Charlotte. But overall great picks!

This is the stock poster. You may be right about Wes: I was on the fence. But Middletown is really not bad, has a walkable downtown, proximity to urban areas. Plus it has had a major downswing the last generation or two and is now holding its own.

Haverford also was on the fence. Hard to be such a second fiddle to Swat and be a buy, but you may be right.

W&L also on the fence but they have so much money and are in the south. Not many people even know they give a full ride, including room and board, to 10% of students. I stick with my “hold” on that one.

Haverford is a dreamy little storybook school and I can see it appealing to kids. If I was a counselor and I had a artsy, "alt" kid, I might put it on a list and see what kind of FA they offered. But for full pay? I dont see the value, at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like the stock pick analysis with some tweaks. Move Wesleyan to a sell for same reason as listed for Trinity as Hartford is not a big draw. Upgrade Haverford access to Philly and Holy Cross access to Boston. Debating rating on W&L would twea to sell as its southern location is very rural as opposed to Davidson’s access to Charlotte. But overall great picks!

This is the stock poster. You may be right about Wes: I was on the fence. But Middletown is really not bad, has a walkable downtown, proximity to urban areas. Plus it has had a major downswing the last generation or two and is now holding its own.

Haverford also was on the fence. Hard to be such a second fiddle to Swat and be a buy, but you may be right.

W&L also on the fence but they have so much money and are in the south. Not many people even know they give a full ride, including room and board, to 10% of students. I stick with my “hold” on that one.

I’m not sure how you’re being swayed on Haverford; it’s better connected to Philly than Davidson is to Charlotte.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nobody in the real world care about these teeny tiny schools. They're like elite boarding schools, I'm sure there is good learning and a small but mighty network of alums, but it really doesn't amount to much. The reality is most adults in the US and world has never heard of any of these tiny lacs.

I went to one of the "WASP" schools (I don't like the term). I took interesting classes, made good friends, studied abroad in a cool country (whose language I now speak fluently), and graduated with a job at one of the top companies in my industry, which I can at least partially attribute to my school's alumni network. The fact that purportedly "nobody in the real world [cares] about these teeny tiny schools" has had zero impact on my life, so why should it matter?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like the stock pick analysis with some tweaks. Move Wesleyan to a sell for same reason as listed for Trinity as Hartford is not a big draw. Upgrade Haverford access to Philly and Holy Cross access to Boston. Debating rating on W&L would twea to sell as its southern location is very rural as opposed to Davidson’s access to Charlotte. But overall great picks!

This is the stock poster. You may be right about Wes: I was on the fence. But Middletown is really not bad, has a walkable downtown, proximity to urban areas. Plus it has had a major downswing the last generation or two and is now holding its own.

Haverford also was on the fence. Hard to be such a second fiddle to Swat and be a buy, but you may be right.

W&L also on the fence but they have so much money and are in the south. Not many people even know they give a full ride, including room and board, to 10% of students. I stick with my “hold” on that one.

Haverford is a dreamy little storybook school and I can see it appealing to kids. If I was a counselor and I had a artsy, "alt" kid, I might put it on a list and see what kind of FA they offered. But for full pay? I dont see the value, at all.

Look, the cost can keep escalating like this. The northeastern schools will have to start ponying up some merit at some point, like Grinnell now does. That’s why endowment is so important. That will also be easier to do with smaller schools like Haverford than larger SLACs like Midd and Colgate.

[Anonymous]

As others have pointed out out Colby has gamed the Lac ratings akin to what Northeastern has done. Colby is benefiting from recent large donations but has one undeniable liability it’s location so I agree with sell now rating. If HC is smart they will market the proximity to Boston and sell their Jesuit identity to growing Hispanic population. Trinity has problems and Conn College should have n been sold years ago as no upside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like the stock pick analysis with some tweaks. Move Wesleyan to a sell for same reason as listed for Trinity as Hartford is not a big draw. Upgrade Haverford access to Philly and Holy Cross access to Boston. Debating rating on W&L would twea to sell as its southern location is very rural as opposed to Davidson’s access to Charlotte. But overall great picks!

This is the stock poster. You may be right about Wes: I was on the fence. But Middletown is really not bad, has a walkable downtown, proximity to urban areas. Plus it has had a major downswing the last generation or two and is now holding its own.

Haverford also was on the fence. Hard to be such a second fiddle to Swat and be a buy, but you may be right.

W&L also on the fence but they have so much money and are in the south. Not many people even know they give a full ride, including room and board, to 10% of students. I stick with my “hold” on that one.

I’m not sure how you’re being swayed on Haverford; it’s better connected to Philly than Davidson is to Charlotte.

Davidson is in the south. Are you kidding? Strong buy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like the stock pick analysis with some tweaks. Move Wesleyan to a sell for same reason as listed for Trinity as Hartford is not a big draw. Upgrade Haverford access to Philly and Holy Cross access to Boston. Debating rating on W&L would twea to sell as its southern location is very rural as opposed to Davidson’s access to Charlotte. But overall great picks!

This is the stock poster. You may be right about Wes: I was on the fence. But Middletown is really not bad, has a walkable downtown, proximity to urban areas. Plus it has had a major downswing the last generation or two and is now holding its own.

Haverford also was on the fence. Hard to be such a second fiddle to Swat and be a buy, but you may be right.

W&L also on the fence but they have so much money and are in the south. Not many people even know they give a full ride, including room and board, to 10% of students. I stick with my “hold” on that one.

I’m not sure how you’re being swayed on Haverford; it’s better connected to Philly than Davidson is to Charlotte.

Davidson is in the south. Are you kidding? Strong buy?

Huh? That’s not what my comment asked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As others have pointed out out Colby has gamed the Lac ratings akin to what Northeastern has done. Colby is benefiting from recent large donations but has one undeniable liability it’s location so I agree with sell now rating. If HC is smart they will market the proximity to Boston and sell their Jesuit identity to growing Hispanic population. Trinity has problems and Conn College should have n been sold years ago as no upside.

Why wouldn’t someone interested in a college in Boston just go to a college in Boston? There’s so many.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nobody in the real world care about these teeny tiny schools. They're like elite boarding schools, I'm sure there is good learning and a small but mighty network of alums, but it really doesn't amount to much. The reality is most adults in the US and world has never heard of any of these tiny lacs.

Relative to the size of the "real world" no individual school matters, not a single one so I'm not sure where you are going with that one.

Students at the top SLACs have success rates into IB, MBB, top Law, Med school, and Phd programs that exceed most schools including many of the Ivies for those fields so it really amounts to "much" contrary to your comment. The reality is that most people don't know about most schools beyond the abstract so that point doesn't mean much. Far more people understand the "Crimson Tide" than recognize the "Crimson" because sports is where most people learn about colleges in the US (not a great look). But, among those that matter whom are the gatekeepers to the fields above "WASP, NESCAC, Swat, CMC, etc." carry weight far out of proportion to their size.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^+1. Midd has obviously slipped in the last decade with poor leadership, applications are stagnant and US News rankings decline. It is nowhere near Williams and Amherst to say otherwise is disingenuous. Colby is probably more of a peer as they are benefiting by strong leadership and infusion of lots of cash and facilities.

It's the Middlebury Troll aka the Coby booster. We know who got rejected from Middlebury and ended up at Colby. There are about 10 SLACs which are effectively equals for all intents and purposes. Middlebury is on that list but Colby isn't close though I agree that they are rising.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like the stock pick analysis with some tweaks. Move Wesleyan to a sell for same reason as listed for Trinity as Hartford is not a big draw. Upgrade Haverford access to Philly and Holy Cross access to Boston. Debating rating on W&L would twea to sell as its southern location is very rural as opposed to Davidson’s access to Charlotte. But overall great picks!

This is the stock poster. You may be right about Wes: I was on the fence. But Middletown is really not bad, has a walkable downtown, proximity to urban areas. Plus it has had a major downswing the last generation or two and is now holding its own.

Haverford also was on the fence. Hard to be such a second fiddle to Swat and be a buy, but you may be right.

W&L also on the fence but they have so much money and are in the south. Not many people even know they give a full ride, including room and board, to 10% of students. I stick with my “hold” on that one.

I’m not sure how you’re being swayed on Haverford; it’s better connected to Philly than Davidson is to Charlotte.

Davidson is in the south. Are you kidding? Strong buy?

Huh? That’s not what my comment asked.

Haverford is in the northeast. Urban proximity is a plus. What is your question?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^+1. Midd has obviously slipped in the last decade with poor leadership, applications are stagnant and US News rankings decline. It is nowhere near Williams and Amherst to say otherwise is disingenuous. Colby is probably more of a peer as they are benefiting by strong leadership and infusion of lots of cash and facilities.

It's the Middlebury Troll aka the Coby booster. We know who got rejected from Middlebury and ended up at Colby. There are about 10 SLACs which are effectively equals for all intents and purposes. Middlebury is on that list but Colby isn't close though I agree that they are rising.

As we see here, the northern New England “sells” the next generation will be fighting over the scraps — to their own detriment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lots of Middlebury boosters constantly trying to inflate their school’s prestige.

There is no need to inflate their prestige, they have sat in the top group since rankings were invented.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As others have pointed out out Colby has gamed the Lac ratings akin to what Northeastern has done. Colby is benefiting from recent large donations but has one undeniable liability it’s location so I agree with sell now rating. If HC is smart they will market the proximity to Boston and sell their Jesuit identity to growing Hispanic population. Trinity has problems and Conn College should have n been sold years ago as no upside.

Why wouldn’t someone interested in a college in Boston just go to a college in Boston? There’s so many.

Not SLACs.