Reply to What is the appeal of SLACs for non-1%ers?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]SLACs have very low ROI compared to state schools:

https://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-Salaries_for_Colleges_by_Type-sort.html

They seem like a total scam except for the 1%. Much better for your future to go to UMD or Ohio State or Indians or Purdue or VA Tech to study engineering or business while enjoying college sports.

SLACs seem like a waste for all but the wealthy 1%era who don’t have to worry about finding a job after graduation. Many of them don’t have big college sports or Greek Life to generate alumni loyalty. What’s the point of them? 
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Anyhoo.. If you want to study a 'hard' subject that gives you a job after an undergrad, go Public or top large private (non-LAC).  If you want an undergrad education with plans for immediate grad school (law, medicine, etc.) go (S)LAC.  Most are unreasonably expensive for what you get in return but tend to subsidize COA outside the top 10-20, maybe 30.

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Simplistic advice reflective of ignorance.

My DC graduated from a LAC last year and is making six figures working on data analysis.  DC plans to go to grad school for applied math eventually.
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Awesome for your kid! Congratulations!  However, unless you can tell me that this is the outcome every kid enjoys from that SLAC, I'm not sure it's relevant.  Students out of GMU that study analytics have similar outcomes.  [/quote]

By that metric, can you tell me every student out of GMU has the same outcome? Of course not. It comes down most of the time to choice of major and the learning environment where a student can do best.

FWIW, I have one student at a big state U in a STEM major and another headed to a LAC in a different, more research-focused STEM major. The LAC costs close to what we pay for big state U so from an ROI standpoint the college cost part is the same. #1's major will likely be higher paying at least just out of school. #2's major will require a master's and what she wanted most in undergrad was close faculty relationships, mentoring, research involvement, and a close student community. Which she will get at the LAC and which #1 does not seem to have gotten at his big school (which he likes).

I don't get why the anti-SLAC poster is so personally offended by the existence of SLACs and that some people find it a good educational choice. If you think they are so awful why not just smugly go on your way, happy that the misguided will not be competing with your kid.[/quote]

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