Colby/Bates/Bowdoin/Middlebury

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All great. All prestigious. All extremely well known to top employers and graduate schools. All hard to get into and hard to excel at.

If you don't know these things, the fault is with you.

These are facts.

Three people I know went to Middlebury. All are very successful. I know two people who went to Bates. Also very successful. I also know a few Bowdoin grads, same thing. Doctor, lawyer, college professor.

They're small and somewhat isolated colleges. If your kid wants a SLAC in a cold climate, they're all great choices. I don't know anything about Colby, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't believe the out-of-teach weirdos in this thread. Vast majority of people have never heard of these schools, and most do not care. It certainly won't give you "a leg up" or confer some magical social status if you attend, despite the very pushy insistence of the aforementioned posters.

This is just wrong. My spouse went to a different, but similarly ranked SLAC. I had not heard of it until I moved into spouse's social circle. Every one of the graduates of spouse's SLAC is very successful, both in terms of rewarding work and financial comfort. Every single one. These schools are an entrance into that world be it through graduate/professional schools or direct to career.

Frankly, it doesn't really matter if the vast majority of people have heard of the schools or not. If the graduate schools and employers in the areas of interest to the student have heard of the school, that is what makes all the difference. Curious what is the student in the original post interested in studying? That would help differentiate.

They’re successful because they probably came from money. Colby is known to have mostly elite students, primarily from the 1%. Many many private school kids go to SLACs.

Your desperation is embarrassing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't believe the out-of-teach weirdos in this thread. Vast majority of people have never heard of these schools, and most do not care. It certainly won't give you "a leg up" or confer some magical social status if you attend, despite the very pushy insistence of the aforementioned posters.

This is just wrong. My spouse went to a different, but similarly ranked SLAC. I had not heard of it until I moved into spouse's social circle. Every one of the graduates of spouse's SLAC is very successful, both in terms of rewarding work and financial comfort. Every single one. These schools are an entrance into that world be it through graduate/professional schools or direct to career.

Frankly, it doesn't really matter if the vast majority of people have heard of the schools or not. If the graduate schools and employers in the areas of interest to the student have heard of the school, that is what makes all the difference. Curious what is the student in the original post interested in studying? That would help differentiate.

They’re successful because they probably came from money. Colby is known to have mostly elite students, primarily from the 1%. Many many private school kids go to SLACs.

Your desperation is embarrassing.

Diff poster here - not sure what you are trying to say - inarticulate response. Colby is known to have mostly wealthy students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's weird is that this whole thread seems to have been taken over by people trying to say that no one has ever heard of these schools when the OP asked about differences among these schools. Some people don't give a rat's ass if the college their child goes to is well-known and rather, if the school is going to be a good fit and their child will like it and learn. So, in an attempt to be helpful, I will say that Middlebury is the place to go if your child is interested in international relations or languages - it has one of the most prestigious world language programs in the country.

And yet, here you are dropping the word “prestigious.” Prestigious to whom?

OMG. Sorry I chose the wrong word. It's a really good program. People go there for the language programs because, when they finish, they speak, read, write and understand they language and can then use it when they work or live or do further studies. Is that phrasing better for you? Jesus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't believe the out-of-teach weirdos in this thread. Vast majority of people have never heard of these schools, and most do not care. It certainly won't give you "a leg up" or confer some magical social status if you attend, despite the very pushy insistence of the aforementioned posters.

This is just wrong. My spouse went to a different, but similarly ranked SLAC. I had not heard of it until I moved into spouse's social circle. Every one of the graduates of spouse's SLAC is very successful, both in terms of rewarding work and financial comfort. Every single one. These schools are an entrance into that world be it through graduate/professional schools or direct to career.

Frankly, it doesn't really matter if the vast majority of people have heard of the schools or not. If the graduate schools and employers in the areas of interest to the student have heard of the school, that is what makes all the difference. Curious what is the student in the original post interested in studying? That would help differentiate.

They’re successful because they probably came from money. Colby is known to have mostly elite students, primarily from the 1%. Many many private school kids go to SLACs.

Your desperation is embarrassing.

Diff poster here - not sure what you are trying to say - inarticulate response. Colby is known to have mostly wealthy students.

The use of the phrase "elite students" is embarrassing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't believe the out-of-teach weirdos in this thread. Vast majority of people have never heard of these schools, and most do not care. It certainly won't give you "a leg up" or confer some magical social status if you attend, despite the very pushy insistence of the aforementioned posters.

This is just wrong. My spouse went to a different, but similarly ranked SLAC. I had not heard of it until I moved into spouse's social circle. Every one of the graduates of spouse's SLAC is very successful, both in terms of rewarding work and financial comfort. Every single one. These schools are an entrance into that world be it through graduate/professional schools or direct to career.

Frankly, it doesn't really matter if the vast majority of people have heard of the schools or not. If the graduate schools and employers in the areas of interest to the student have heard of the school, that is what makes all the difference. Curious what is the student in the original post interested in studying? That would help differentiate.

They’re successful because they probably came from money. Colby is known to have mostly elite students, primarily from the 1%. Many many private school kids go to SLACs.

Your desperation is embarrassing.

Diff poster here - not sure what you are trying to say - inarticulate response. Colby is known to have mostly wealthy students.

This is an outdated perception of Colby. Colby got a new President a few years ago (from UChicago) who has a real vision for the school and is making a lot of changes there. The school has significantly increased its outreach to students of color and those needing financial aid.

https://www.colby.edu/admission/commitment/
http://www.colby.edu/news/2020/05/08/colbys-class-of-2024-breaks-records/#:~:text=Receiving%20nearly%2014%2C000%20applications%20for,enthusiasm%20for%20a%20Colby%20education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's weird is that this whole thread seems to have been taken over by people trying to say that no one has ever heard of these schools when the OP asked about differences among these schools. Some people don't give a rat's ass if the college their child goes to is well-known and rather, if the school is going to be a good fit and their child will like it and learn. So, in an attempt to be helpful, I will say that Middlebury is the place to go if your child is interested in international relations or languages - it has one of the most prestigious world language programs in the country.

And yet, here you are dropping the word “prestigious.” Prestigious to whom?

OMG. Sorry I chose the wrong word. It's a really good program. People go there for the language programs because, when they finish, they speak, read, write and understand they language and can then use it when they work or live or do further studies. Is that phrasing better for you? Jesus.

+1. Do some research PP. my DD has reservations about Middlebury because she wants to avoid the ultra wealthy, prep school vibe. But, they have what is widely believed to be the strongest foreign language program in the nation, and she is studying three foreign languages right now, and wants to fo IR. They don’t just do undergrad. They have immersion programs for grad students and larpguage teachers and a Monterey based program. Some schools are just exceptional in an area. Go to Oberlin for music, Kenyon or Iowa for creative wring and Middlebury for languages.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bates grad who spent a good amount of time at both Bowdoin and Colby for sports. All three of these are great schools and have beautiful campus facilities and offer similar opportunities for students. Bowdoin is known to have more prestige and Colby has recently risen in the US News ranks by playing the ratings game well but honestly all are strong. Bowdoin is closer to Portland and has the nicest town whereas Colby is much more remote and Bates is in the middle (about 45 min to Portland and 25 to Freeport). Lewiston isn't winning any beauty contests but I've seen a lot of great changes over the years since I graduated in the 90's.

I wish I could go to the Bates of today because they have put a lot of money into the campus and have a new science center opening this fall and have built many new dorms and other buildings over the past few years. Bates is more outdoorsy IMO and has a very laid back vibe and a big focus on what they call "Purposeful Work" which means helping students target careers in their industry through alumni and parents. I'm only familiar with Bates' efforts here but they have been significant over the past 5-10 years.

My spouse and I both are Bates grads and have great jobs making a good amount of money (750K+). I don't have a graduate degree but my spouse does. Contrary to statements about people not caring or recognizing the value of a Bates degree I have had employers/interviewers call out my Bates degree as impressive - and I was an English major. I know, I know, I'm supposed to be working at Starbucks but I'm not and never have! YMMV but that's my experience at one of these four schools. I highly recommend visiting all and looking at their strengths.

What jobs pay 750k+?

DP. Guessing someone went to law school and someone works a mom job?

Ha no. One has a consulting partnership and the other has a leadership role in a tech company with a lot of stock.

What is a consulting partnership?

Partner in a management consulting firm. Think Accenture, Grant Thornton etc. It’s funny that you care so much, as though you think I would randomly make things up. It’s also pretty insulting that someone (not sure if it was you) assumed the female had a “mom job”. Very strange.

Yeah -- that was really weird.

Weird to call out English majors as working at Starbucks, no?

Actually, that's not what she did. She called out people who assume that all English majors will work at Starbucks. Try to read more carefully and with attention to tone, perspective and nuance. These are skills I developed as an English major at a SLAC and later honed at Stanford Law School. I have found them to be useful in many areas of life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The bottom line is that very few people outside of Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic upper middle class areas have heard of these schools. There are so many other options that people are interested in—higher ranked slacs and, of course, big state universities. It’s great that attendance at one of these places seems to have helped get some folks here where they wanted to be in life—wealthy or whatever. But it is what it is in terms of name recognition and prestige. Not much of either.

I’ve never even thought of applying to a school like Colby, and my son didn’t apply to any school like that, but I think it’s a mistake to evaluate a SLAC education solely in terms of financial ROI based on the full list price.

One obvious reason to go to a place like Colby is that the quality of a bachelor’s degree from there is obviously on par with the quality of a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia. for most families, the net cash cost of attendance for those schools will probably be similar to, or lower than, the full out-of-state cost of attendance for a state flagship. That means that, for students in states with a weak state flagship, the quality-adjusted ROI for a Colby class college might be a pretty good.

A second reason is that, for a student who’d love a Colby-class college and feel lost at a University of Alabama-class school, maybe going to a Colby type college would increase the likelihood of the student ending up with a bachelor’s degree by, say, 10 percent. If the value of a bachelor’s degree is about an average of $25,000 per year over 40 years, or $1 million over the course of a career, the 10 percent increase in the likelihood of a kid actually graduating could easily be worth $100,000, or paying $25,000 in extra tuition money per year.

Thank you for your thoughtful and reasonable post. Unfortunately, you are clearly too sane, rational and fair-minded to continue to be allowed to post on this thread. Farewell and godspeed to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bates grad who spent a good amount of time at both Bowdoin and Colby for sports. All three of these are great schools and have beautiful campus facilities and offer similar opportunities for students. Bowdoin is known to have more prestige and Colby has recently risen in the US News ranks by playing the ratings game well but honestly all are strong. Bowdoin is closer to Portland and has the nicest town whereas Colby is much more remote and Bates is in the middle (about 45 min to Portland and 25 to Freeport). Lewiston isn't winning any beauty contests but I've seen a lot of great changes over the years since I graduated in the 90's.

I wish I could go to the Bates of today because they have put a lot of money into the campus and have a new science center opening this fall and have built many new dorms and other buildings over the past few years. Bates is more outdoorsy IMO and has a very laid back vibe and a big focus on what they call "Purposeful Work" which means helping students target careers in their industry through alumni and parents. I'm only familiar with Bates' efforts here but they have been significant over the past 5-10 years.

My spouse and I both are Bates grads and have great jobs making a good amount of money (750K+). I don't have a graduate degree but my spouse does. Contrary to statements about people not caring or recognizing the value of a Bates degree I have had employers/interviewers call out my Bates degree as impressive - and I was an English major. I know, I know, I'm supposed to be working at Starbucks but I'm not and never have! YMMV but that's my experience at one of these four schools. I highly recommend visiting all and looking at their strengths.

What jobs pay 750k+?

DP. Guessing someone went to law school and someone works a mom job?

Ha no. One has a consulting partnership and the other has a leadership role in a tech company with a lot of stock.

What is a consulting partnership?

Partner in a management consulting firm. Think Accenture, Grant Thornton etc. It’s funny that you care so much, as though you think I would randomly make things up. It’s also pretty insulting that someone (not sure if it was you) assumed the female had a “mom job”. Very strange.

Yeah -- that was really weird.

Weird to call out English majors as working at Starbucks, no?

Actually, that's not what she did. She called out people who assume that all English majors will work at Starbucks. Try to read more carefully and with attention to tone, perspective and nuance. These are skills I developed as an English major at a SLAC and later honed at Stanford Law School. I have found them to be useful in many areas of life.

Thank you PP, you actually read what I wrote and put it into context. Anyone who spends time on DCUM knows that English majors are constantly called out as having no career path. At strong LAC's like the ones mentioned on this thread, English majors have great options. I find that many people, especially in the tech industry, can't write well. Someone who is smart and well rounded enough to understand complex technology but also has an excellent grasp of language is uniquely positioned to excel.

[Anonymous]

Schools of the wealthy. If you get a scholarship to any of them good for you ! Otherwise make sure you can afford them

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Schools of the wealthy. If you get a scholarship to any of them good for you ! Otherwise make sure you can afford them

Middlebury: 41% receive need based grants of some kind with an average grant of $38K
https://www.collegetuitioncompare.com/trends/middlebury-college/financial-aid/

Bowdoin: Nearly half receive need based grants of some kind with an average grant of $47.5K
https://www.bowdoin.edu/admissions/costs-and-aid/index.html#:~:text=Nearly%20half%20of%20all%20enrolled,their%20family%20to%20attend%20college.

Bates: About half receive financial aid witht he average package $47K
https://www.bates.edu/admission/student-financial-services/#:~:text=Bates%20awards%20approximately%20%2436%20million,financial%20aid%20package%20is%20%2447%2C051.

Colby: For families earning up to $150,000 with assets typical of that range, our Fair Shot Fund now ensures your parent or guardian contribution will be capped at $15,000 — which may make Colby cost less for you than any other four-year college or university.
http://www.colby.edu/admission/apply/#financial-aid

So you are wrong. Not just for the wealthy. Run the NPC and apply with the confidence of the informed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools of the wealthy. If you get a scholarship to any of them good for you ! Otherwise make sure you can afford them

Middlebury: 41% receive need based grants of some kind with an average grant of $38K
https://www.collegetuitioncompare.com/trends/middlebury-college/financial-aid/

Bowdoin: Nearly half receive need based grants of some kind with an average grant of $47.5K
https://www.bowdoin.edu/admissions/costs-and-aid/index.html#:~:text=Nearly%20half%20of%20all%20enrolled,their%20family%20to%20attend%20college.

Bates: About half receive financial aid witht he average package $47K
https://www.bates.edu/admission/student-financial-services/#:~:text=Bates%20awards%20approximately%20%2436%20million,financial%20aid%20package%20is%20%2447%2C051.

Colby: For families earning up to $150,000 with assets typical of that range, our Fair Shot Fund now ensures your parent or guardian contribution will be capped at $15,000 — which may make Colby cost less for you than any other four-year college or university.
http://www.colby.edu/admission/apply/#financial-aid

So you are wrong. Not just for the wealthy. Run the NPC and apply with the confidence of the informed.

I graduated from one of these schools over 25 years ago, back when they were still kind of an extension of prep school. Sure, there were lots of wealthy kids but certainly not everyone. In fact, most of my friends were on financial aid. Now, the schools are a lot more diverse both racially, economically and geographically.

FWIW, pretty much all of my classmates are successful, including 2 in my class alone (of 450) who went on to be Supreme Court clerks.

I feel like whenever NESCAC schools are discussed here, there are always people with chips on their shoulders who chime in about how crappy they are, not well-known, not worth the money, full of rich kids, etc. I ask them, how do you know? Do your kids go there? What basis do you have for saying that?

If you want to get a good job in Iowa or Kansas City or OK City, sure, none of these schools will translate there just as going to Beloit or Rhodes College isn't going to mean much to a hiring manager in Boston/NYC/DC/SF. Schools are very regional. I wouldn't be going nuts for some state school grad from Iowa, Kansas or OK because I am not from those areas and don't know what the quality of those schools are.

I really don't think rural SLACs are for everyone but for some kids, they are great environments for learning and having a nice college experience.

[Anonymous]

This thread sucks. Most of these posts do not respond to OP’s questions, and the few helpful ones are buried under all the petty back and forth. DCUM at its worst.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread sucks. Most of these posts do not respond to OP’s questions, and the few helpful ones are buried under all the petty back and forth. DCUM at its worst.

Like yours.