This is an interesting article on why some LACs are struggling with enrollment, most LACs lag R1s on yield

[Anonymous]

It's going to get worse and worse, last year, number of high school graduates peaked, by 2045, it will drop about 10% from now.
Lots of LACs will close unless they can attract more internationals which is not possible with current administration's policy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Most of the LACs just need to accept that integration of pre professional resources is important to families. Why don’t the Claremont schools have pipelines to Hollywood? To aerospace? To tech?

Why doesn’t Williams have a program with the local department of public health? Or a major conservation organization in western mass? Or rural healthcare?

All of these lacs have alum and students mass applying and scrambling for internship and job opportunities. Many major universities give them out like candy. You have to actually integrate your college into daily life rather than keeping these students sheltered.

You constantly hear university moms on here complaining that their kids can’t get internships. Getting internships honestly isn’t an issue for kids from top LACs, they readily available due to their networks.

+1

I’d push back on this. About 40% of DD’s top lac class still don’t know what they’re going to do postgrad. This has also been the worst year for research and internship in decades.

Maybe regional? I’m not hearing of any issues at my kids school. All of the juniors that I know have been locked for awhile. Same for sophomores who were looking.

I'm talking about a top 5 lac. It's not regional, you're just not aware.

Maybe some issues with your kids and their friend group. I’m not sure how you would know that 40% of the class doesn’t know what they are doing. I am sure that you wouldn’t actually know this but are instead just making stuff up.

t
Do you know what the current administration has done to grants and research? You are living under a rock?

[Anonymous]

All I know is that apps hit another record this year at my kid’s SLAC (one of those noted in the article), plus he and all of his friends have great internships this summer. Endowment is way up, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All I know is that apps hit another record this year at my kid’s SLAC (one of those noted in the article), plus he and all of his friends have great internships this summer. Endowment is way up, too.

Way up is suspicious. It was across the board mediocre year for endowment performance.

[Anonymous]

It couldn’t possibly be because SLACs cost $90k a year and Your State Flagship is about 1/3 of that.

“Sort of like Dartmouth” makes it worthwhile, “life of the mind” no not at that price point.

[Anonymous]

Grinnell, Macalester, Oberlin (obviously) and even Kenyon were too woke for my sporty, normal boys, but they liked Denison, Richmond and Lafayette.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All I know is that apps hit another record this year at my kid’s SLAC (one of those noted in the article), plus he and all of his friends have great internships this summer. Endowment is way up, too.

Way up is suspicious. It was across the board mediocre year for endowment performance.

Took just a few keystrokes to learn that Amherst & Bowdoin’s endowments performed well above the average last year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the LACs just need to accept that integration of pre professional resources is important to families. Why don’t the Claremont schools have pipelines to Hollywood? To aerospace? To tech?

Why doesn’t Williams have a program with the local department of public health? Or a major conservation organization in western mass? Or rural healthcare?

All of these lacs have alum and students mass applying and scrambling for internship and job opportunities. Many major universities give them out like candy. You have to actually integrate your college into daily life rather than keeping these students sheltered.

You constantly hear university moms on here complaining that their kids can’t get internships. Getting internships honestly isn’t an issue for kids from top LACs, they readily available due to their networks.

+1

I’d push back on this. About 40% of DD’s top lac class still don’t know what they’re going to do postgrad. This has also been the worst year for research and internship in decades.

Maybe regional? I’m not hearing of any issues at my kids school. All of the juniors that I know have been locked for awhile. Same for sophomores who were looking.

I'm talking about a top 5 lac. It's not regional, you're just not aware.

Maybe some issues with your kids and their friend group. I’m not sure how you would know that 40% of the class doesn’t know what they are doing. I am sure that you wouldn’t actually know this but are instead just making stuff up.

It’s been surveyed by career services. It’s crazy how in denial you people are. No, things aren’t unicorn and goddamn rainbows during a recession just cause your kid is special and goes to an LAC. Cool it. The truth is most people don’t have strong plans right now, and yes- some people are still obviously getting jobs or into their phds, but that is not an indication that everything is fine and dandy. There’s a chance my kid goes to the same school as yours and it’s actually ridiculous hearing a mom sit here and explain to me that everyone just has a job- that’s not true, and you know it. Quit the defensive bs.

My kid goes to a highly ranked LAC. She has an internship this summer, but there was talk on the parents group that it's tough out there for seniors. we're really happy with the LAC, but it's not magical for jobs these days. I don't think anyplace is.

[Anonymous]

Not surprising. You can't blame it all on geography, though. The selective national R1 colleges in disparate locations like Univ of Michigan, Univ of Georgia, USC, Northeastern, Rice, Emory, Notre Dame, etc. are all seeing record applications. A mix of urban, rural, etc.

Something deeper is going on at SLACs and it isn't just geography.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not surprising. You can't blame it all on geography, though. The selective national R1 colleges in disparate locations like Univ of Michigan, Univ of Georgia, USC, Northeastern, Rice, Emory, Notre Dame, etc. are all seeing record applications. A mix of urban, rural, etc.

Something deeper is going on at SLACs and it isn't just geography.

Something deeper going on at SLACs? Social media, reality tv and the attention economy are definitely influencing many kids and adults to gravitate towards mediocre large public schools. Thankfully there is still a group of thoughtful places for people focused on learning rather than Greek life.

Something deeper is going on at SLACs…..low acceptance rates and outstanding outcomes is what is going on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All I know is that apps hit another record this year at my kid’s SLAC (one of those noted in the article), plus he and all of his friends have great internships this summer. Endowment is way up, too.

Way up is suspicious. It was across the board mediocre year for endowment performance.

Took just a few keystrokes to learn that Amherst & Bowdoin’s endowments performed well above the average last year.

And you think every Amherst/Bowdoin student has a full time job currently?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not surprising. You can't blame it all on geography, though. The selective national R1 colleges in disparate locations like Univ of Michigan, Univ of Georgia, USC, Northeastern, Rice, Emory, Notre Dame, etc. are all seeing record applications. A mix of urban, rural, etc.

Something deeper is going on at SLACs and it isn't just geography.

Fair point, but Northeastern does not belong on this list of highly selective schools.

[Anonymous]

Only on DCUM are LA, Boston, Atlanta, and Houston “disparate locations.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not surprising. You can't blame it all on geography, though. The selective national R1 colleges in disparate locations like Univ of Michigan, Univ of Georgia, USC, Northeastern, Rice, Emory, Notre Dame, etc. are all seeing record applications. A mix of urban, rural, etc.

Something deeper is going on at SLACs and it isn't just geography.

Fair point, but Northeastern does not belong on this list of highly selective schools.

Granny this isn't the 1980's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why would a struggling LAC offer significant merit aid? Full tuition is a net negative on a school; only wealthy ones can afford it.

Because they will lose even more money/enrollments if they don't.