where would top SLACs fall in an overall college ranking list?

[Anonymous]

they don't have engineering and stem so yes likely would be back there

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This site placed Swarthmore 11th, W&L 18th, Hamilton 21st, Claremont McKenna 22nd, Amherst 25th, Wellesley 27th, Harvey Mudd 29th and Pomona 30th when compared among colleges and universities nationally:

College & University Rankings in 2025 https://share.google/1F9f82Zz4eWGQxROP

However, due to a flaw in the site's methods, a few prominent LACs (e.g., Williams) do not appear in the ranking.

Lamest rankings set yet. Are you trying to promote the site?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:they don't have engineering and stem so yes likely would be back there

LACs are heavy on STEM. Get a clue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:personally would put Williams and Amherst right around Georgetown USC CMU at the lower end of T20-T25, but firmly in that category. These are powerful brands in the world of hiring managers

USC is 28

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I attended a SLAC, chose it over Ivies.

I had brilliant classmates who went on to take very prestigious roles.

My college has graduated former US presidents/ Supreme Court justices, not sure how many of the "popular" top 20-30 universities can say that.

Not sure that relying on where a few people attended college in the 1800s is quite the flex.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're into the best lacs- aka Williams, Pomona, Bowdoin, Swarthmore- it's just up to the student to determine what environment is right for them. Some choose Brown over Williams, but I've also seen students struggle between Pomona and Yale. It really depends on what the student wants out of their college experience. Overall, it doesn't really matter since these are the top of the top and they will end up fine whether at a top lac or an ivy.

Bowdoin is not in the same league. Nice try.

There are so many boosters here who try to casually insert a less prestigious school into a list of more prestigious schools thinking the association will make others think they’re of the same caliber. I’ve seen this done for Bowdoin, Denison, Richmond, Holy Cross, Lehigh, Bucknell, and several others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're into the best lacs- aka Williams, Pomona, Bowdoin, Swarthmore- it's just up to the student to determine what environment is right for them. Some choose Brown over Williams, but I've also seen students struggle between Pomona and Yale. It really depends on what the student wants out of their college experience. Overall, it doesn't really matter since these are the top of the top and they will end up fine whether at a top lac or an ivy.

Bowdoin is not in the same league. Nice try.

There are so many boosters here who try to casually insert a less prestigious school into a list of more prestigious schools thinking the association will make others think they’re of the same caliber. I’ve seen this done for Bowdoin, Denison, Richmond, Holy Cross, Lehigh, Bucknell, and several others.

Bowdoin certainly is in the top league.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're into the best lacs- aka Williams, Pomona, Bowdoin, Swarthmore- it's just up to the student to determine what environment is right for them. Some choose Brown over Williams, but I've also seen students struggle between Pomona and Yale. It really depends on what the student wants out of their college experience. Overall, it doesn't really matter since these are the top of the top and they will end up fine whether at a top lac or an ivy.

Bowdoin is not in the same league. Nice try.

There are so many boosters here who try to casually insert a less prestigious school into a list of more prestigious schools thinking the association will make others think they’re of the same caliber. I’ve seen this done for Bowdoin, Denison, Richmond, Holy Cross, Lehigh, Bucknell, and several others.

Bowdoin certainly is in the top league.

+1 It is equally or more selective than WASP schools right now. Certainly a peer school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're into the best lacs- aka Williams, Pomona, Bowdoin, Swarthmore- it's just up to the student to determine what environment is right for them. Some choose Brown over Williams, but I've also seen students struggle between Pomona and Yale. It really depends on what the student wants out of their college experience. Overall, it doesn't really matter since these are the top of the top and they will end up fine whether at a top lac or an ivy.

Bowdoin is not in the same league. Nice try.

There are so many boosters here who try to casually insert a less prestigious school into a list of more prestigious schools thinking the association will make others think they’re of the same caliber. I’ve seen this done for Bowdoin, Denison, Richmond, Holy Cross, Lehigh, Bucknell, and several others.

Bowdoin certainly is in the top league.

+1 It is equally or more selective than WASP schools right now. Certainly a peer school.

So is Colby. Not a valid gauge. Bowdoin is simply not comparable to the Ivies educationally. Admit rates alone do not make it so.

[Anonymous]

They're elite. Since no one can agree on specific numerical rankings--because apples and oranges...--what does it matter? They're either a good fit for your kid or they're not. Each one has a slightly different vibe, but plenty in common in terms of academics and tight-knit communities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're into the best lacs- aka Williams, Pomona, Bowdoin, Swarthmore- it's just up to the student to determine what environment is right for them. Some choose Brown over Williams, but I've also seen students struggle between Pomona and Yale. It really depends on what the student wants out of their college experience. Overall, it doesn't really matter since these are the top of the top and they will end up fine whether at a top lac or an ivy.

Bowdoin is not in the same league. Nice try.

There are so many boosters here who try to casually insert a less prestigious school into a list of more prestigious schools thinking the association will make others think they’re of the same caliber. I’ve seen this done for Bowdoin, Denison, Richmond, Holy Cross, Lehigh, Bucknell, and several others.

Bowdoin certainly is in the top league.

+1 It is equally or more selective than WASP schools right now. Certainly a peer school.

So is Colby. Not a valid gauge. Bowdoin is simply not comparable to the Ivies educationally. Admit rates alone do not make it so.

You don't go by admit rates. You check the student quality of kids at your school who go to different colleges. Bowdoin is alway on par with other elites.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of DC's classmates at Amherst (himself included) chose it over schools ranked in the high teens and low 20s, like Georgetown, Michigan, UCLA, USC, and Vanderbilt, so probably somewhat in that range.

The admissions office says that Amherst loses cross-admits to every Ivy except Cornell.

Well, I know kids choosing Williams over multiple ivies, except for HYP. Williams tend to draw the top 1% kids in our school, and the majority matriculate there unless HYP.

DC also has peers at Amherst who got into Ivies and other T10s, including Yale, MIT, Penn, Columbia, Duke, UChicago, and Northwestern. It's just that the majority of his classmates did not get into those schools, himself included.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of DC's classmates at Amherst (himself included) chose it over schools ranked in the high teens and low 20s, like Georgetown, Michigan, UCLA, USC, and Vanderbilt, so probably somewhat in that range.

The admissions office says that Amherst loses cross-admits to every Ivy except Cornell.

Well, I know kids choosing Williams over multiple ivies, except for HYP. Williams tend to draw the top 1% kids in our school, and the majority matriculate there unless HYP.

DC also has peers at Amherst who got into Ivies and other T10s, including Yale, MIT, Penn, Columbia, Duke, UChicago, and Northwestern. It's just that the majority of his classmates did not get into those schools, himself included.

This is true. The small size limits admits. This year from DC's school 3 kids got into Yale, 3 into MIT, 4 into Duke, 8 into Penn, several into Chicago and Northwestern. But only 1 into Amherst, 1 into Pomona, 0 into Williams or Swarthmore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're into the best lacs- aka Williams, Pomona, Bowdoin, Swarthmore- it's just up to the student to determine what environment is right for them. Some choose Brown over Williams, but I've also seen students struggle between Pomona and Yale. It really depends on what the student wants out of their college experience. Overall, it doesn't really matter since these are the top of the top and they will end up fine whether at a top lac or an ivy.

Bowdoin is not in the same league. Nice try.

There are so many boosters here who try to casually insert a less prestigious school into a list of more prestigious schools thinking the association will make others think they’re of the same caliber. I’ve seen this done for Bowdoin, Denison, Richmond, Holy Cross, Lehigh, Bucknell, and several others.

Bowdoin certainly is in the top league.

former AO at an M7 B-school (more than 10 years ago, but I think the below still holds true). The top SLAC kids were at least as impressive as HYPSM kids, and where they typically shined brightest was their writing skills (and also leadership to a lesser extent). I have a grandkid going thru process now and although times have changed, Willams/Amherst/Pomona were considered the top schools equivalent to ivies, while Bowdoin Middlebury Swarthmore Wesleyan were a notch below. Take it for what it’s worth, but that’s how the schools are probably still viewed by b-schooks

[Anonymous]

schools whoops