What makes an LAC "good"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It “a” LAC, not “an” LAC.

I've always pronounced it "Lack" in my head, ie, treated it as an acronym, not an initialism like ATM.

Exactly. No one says their kid goes to an "el ay cee".

Actually,most do.

Correct.

Agreed. I have actually never known anyone who doesn’t say “el ay cee.”
We’ve sent two kids to LACs and met many families, faculty, and staff.

Interesting; I have a kid at a NESCAC, a nephew at W&L and a neighbor who is a very expensive College Counselor. None of them have ever said “el ay cee.” Maybe a regional thing?

[Anonymous]

Wait, people say "L A C" out loud? Why?
Where? When? To whom?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It “a” LAC, not “an” LAC.

I've always pronounced it "Lack" in my head, ie, treated it as an acronym, not an initialism like ATM.

Exactly. No one says their kid goes to an "el ay cee".

Actually,most do.

Correct.

Agreed. I have actually never known anyone who doesn’t say “el ay cee.”
We’ve sent two kids to LACs and met many families, faculty, and staff.

Interesting; I have a kid at a NESCAC, a nephew at W&L and a neighbor who is a very expensive College Counselor. None of them have ever said “el ay cee.” Maybe a regional thing?

Excuse me, it's "an NESCAC"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It “a” LAC, not “an” LAC.

I've always pronounced it "Lack" in my head, ie, treated it as an acronym, not an initialism like ATM.

Exactly. No one says their kid goes to an "el ay cee".

Actually,most do.

Correct.

Agreed. I have actually never known anyone who doesn’t say “el ay cee.”
We’ve sent two kids to LACs and met many families, faculty, and staff.

Interesting; I have a kid at a NESCAC, a nephew at W&L and a neighbor who is a very expensive College Counselor. None of them have ever said “el ay cee.” Maybe a regional thing?

Excuse me, it's "an NESCAC"

Huh? That doesn’t make sense…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wait, people say "L A C" out loud? Why?
Where? When? To whom?

Mine goes to Williams and says it. “Lack” sounds stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It “a” LAC, not “an” LAC.

I've always pronounced it "Lack" in my head, ie, treated it as an acronym, not an initialism like ATM.

Exactly. No one says their kid goes to an "el ay cee".

Actually,most do.

Correct.

Agreed. I have actually never known anyone who doesn’t say “el ay cee.”
We’ve sent two kids to LACs and met many families, faculty, and staff.

Interesting; I have a kid at a NESCAC, a nephew at W&L and a neighbor who is a very expensive College Counselor. None of them have ever said “el ay cee.” Maybe a regional thing?

Excuse me, it's "an NESCAC"

NESCAC serves as an acronym, such that "a NESCAC" would be appropriate.

[Anonymous]

This is very embarrassing. A bunch of buffoons arguing over an acronym they created.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Accessibility of professors, academic rigor, and commitment to undergraduate teaching. Amherst, Pomona, and Carleton are highly ranked in these areas—hard to beat them.

All small LACs are highly rated in these areas. That's what makes them SLACs.

DP. LACs are usually strong in those areas, but certainly all are not strong to the same degree. The three mentioned are excellent, as are others in the top 30 or so, but even within that group there’s variation on reputations for instruction quality and rigor.

Name a top 30 lac with lower quality instruction and rigor

USNWR does not have a 30 way tie for undergrad teaching.

For rigor, look at percentages of STEM majors and grad school matriculation rates.

What a bunch of bs.

Cause all majors are equally rigorous? Maybe you have a different idea of rigor, but fine, look at grad school matriculation or acceptance rates for what you consider rigorous then.

Also look at graduation requirements.

If your humanities majors aren't rigorous, you aren't as rigorous as you think you are. True rigor is in institutions like Reed and UChicago, where, across the subjects, you will undergo intense academic rigor, akin to academic hazing.

The STEM majors at those schools may have a different opinion on whether their humanities majors are undergoing a comparably rigorous experience. It’s not that I haven’t known some, there and at similar institutions. Even pre-ChatGTP one could get As without doing the reading at some of our finest English programs. BSing to an A isn’t really a thing in STEM.

You’re talking to a physics B.S. and bioinformatics M.S. BSing to an A is 100% a thing in stem, if you’re any good. This crap take is said by stem grads who wouldn’t be able to get into a grad program or even get grant funding, because they eschew any exercise in writing/the humanities. We get it: you think you’re better than others.

I’m going to trust the most recent Chicago alums I know over someone boasting about a bioinformatics degree.

You’re talking to a Chicago grad…
Anyway, it’s always interesting meeting people who think stem is the end-all, be-all, because they’re undoubtedly stupid.

And you just graduated? Acting like it…

I didn’t say STEM was the be-all. I don’t know any STEM major who skipped all the assigned homework and got an A like I’ve known in English, but I guess you are here to tell us Chicago has some of both. They say it’s changed over the years. I guess so.

History major from HYPSM and it was a well known hack to not do all the reading. So much was assigned that it wasn't humanly possible. You had to figure out what was enough. I did, and I got As.

This was decades ago, so maybe it's different now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Accessibility of professors, academic rigor, and commitment to undergraduate teaching. Amherst, Pomona, and Carleton are highly ranked in these areas—hard to beat them.

All small LACs are highly rated in these areas. That's what makes them SLACs.

DP. LACs are usually strong in those areas, but certainly all are not strong to the same degree. The three mentioned are excellent, as are others in the top 30 or so, but even within that group there’s variation on reputations for instruction quality and rigor.

Name a top 30 lac with lower quality instruction and rigor

USNWR does not have a 30 way tie for undergrad teaching.

For rigor, look at percentages of STEM majors and grad school matriculation rates.

What a bunch of bs.

Cause all majors are equally rigorous? Maybe you have a different idea of rigor, but fine, look at grad school matriculation or acceptance rates for what you consider rigorous then.

Also look at graduation requirements.

If your humanities majors aren't rigorous, you aren't as rigorous as you think you are. True rigor is in institutions like Reed and UChicago, where, across the subjects, you will undergo intense academic rigor, akin to academic hazing.

The STEM majors at those schools may have a different opinion on whether their humanities majors are undergoing a comparably rigorous experience. It’s not that I haven’t known some, there and at similar institutions. Even pre-ChatGTP one could get As without doing the reading at some of our finest English programs. BSing to an A isn’t really a thing in STEM.

You’re talking to a physics B.S. and bioinformatics M.S. BSing to an A is 100% a thing in stem, if you’re any good. This crap take is said by stem grads who wouldn’t be able to get into a grad program or even get grant funding, because they eschew any exercise in writing/the humanities. We get it: you think you’re better than others.

I’m going to trust the most recent Chicago alums I know over someone boasting about a bioinformatics degree.

You’re talking to a Chicago grad…
Anyway, it’s always interesting meeting people who think stem is the end-all, be-all, because they’re undoubtedly stupid.

And you just graduated? Acting like it…

I didn’t say STEM was the be-all. I don’t know any STEM major who skipped all the assigned homework and got an A like I’ve known in English, but I guess you are here to tell us Chicago has some of both. They say it’s changed over the years. I guess so.

History major from HYPSM and it was a well known hack to not do all the reading. So much was assigned that it wasn't humanly possible. You had to figure out what was enough. I did, and I got As.

This was decades ago, so maybe it's different now.

It’s still like that. Skimming for content is a real skill that most employed people need.

[Anonymous]

Seven pages of what makes a LAC good and most of it is people debating how to pronounce LAC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seven pages of what makes a LAC good and most of it is people debating how to pronounce LAC.

Which is why I don’t engage with lac threads here. DD is interested, but people here are useless and try to drown out any helpful voices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait, people say "L A C" out loud? Why?
Where? When? To whom?

Mine goes to Williams and says it. “Lack” sounds stupid.

Why does she ever say it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It “a” LAC, not “an” LAC.

I've always pronounced it "Lack" in my head, ie, treated it as an acronym, not an initialism like ATM.

Exactly. No one says their kid goes to an "el ay cee".

Actually,most do.

Correct.

Agreed. I have actually never known anyone who doesn’t say “el ay cee.”
We’ve sent two kids to LACs and met many families, faculty, and staff.

Interesting; I have a kid at a NESCAC, a nephew at W&L and a neighbor who is a very expensive College Counselor. None of them have ever said “el ay cee.” Maybe a regional thing?

Excuse me, it's "an NESCAC"

NESCAC serves as an acronym, such that "a NESCAC" would be appropriate.

Just like "a LAC".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It “a” LAC, not “an” LAC.

I've always pronounced it "Lack" in my head, ie, treated it as an acronym, not an initialism like ATM.

Exactly. No one says their kid goes to an "el ay cee".

Actually,most do.

Correct.

Agreed. I have actually never known anyone who doesn’t say “el ay cee.”
We’ve sent two kids to LACs and met many families, faculty, and staff.

Interesting; I have a kid at a NESCAC, a nephew at W&L and a neighbor who is a very expensive College Counselor. None of them have ever said “el ay cee.” Maybe a regional thing?

Excuse me, it's "an NESCAC"

Huh? That doesn’t make sense…

Sound it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can use IPEDS to view colleges by their number of majors in a field. For example, Swarthmore graduated five "first majors" in history in a recent year:

https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Swarthmore&s=all&id=216287#programs

As a nearby alternative, Haverford graduated three times as many history majors, 15, in the same year:

https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Haverford&s=all&id=212911#programs