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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][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 [b]study engineering or business while enjoying college sports[/b].

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 [b]big college sports [/b]or [b]Greek Life[/b] to generate alumni loyalty. What’s the point of them? 
[/quote]

Greek Life . . . College Sports . . . Engineering/business/hard sciences . . . all things that would completely turn my kid off of a college.  [/quote]

The notion that SLACs don’t have alumni loyalty because of a lack of Greek life or big sports is stupid. Many SLACs have a very avid alumni base. My SLAC has a great one and I have leaned on the network many times for jobs. Reunions are also a good indicator of alumni loyalty. I have gone to every one. At my 25th reunion, 70% of my class came, that’s huge compared with most schools, esp. big state schools.[/quote]

Maybe that’s your case. I went to a SLAC ranked currently in the high 20s, and the alumni network has been useless and most don’t come to reunions or city-based alumni meetups.

I will definitely be encouraging my kids to attend a flagship state school with big time college sports. College sports are a good way to connect students with alumni. No such thing exists at SLACs except for being a varsity athlete yourself. [/quote]

I have several colleagues who went to LACs and even ‘lesser’ Ivy League schools and they are not pleased with their alumni experiences & outcomes at all. Some of them even mentioned that they should have gone to big state schools instead. They don’t feel any connections to their respective alma maters. That’s why bigtime college athletics is so important to many people.

I think prospective students should not solely select schools based on education and expected on-campus experiences but also consider what these schools could do for them in the future (and networking is just one factor here).[/quote]

[b]I went to a huge stage flagship and felt like just a number. Many of my professors were more concerned with their next book or research and the TA’s carried most of the load. I feel zero connection to it and don’t donate a penny. However, I donate to the SLACs our kids attended and loved. In hindsight I wish I had gone to one. [/b]

The point is there is no one size fits all when it comes to college. No matter how much people keep trying to say there is. [/quote]

Not piling on here, but that was mu exact experience too. My kid is getting a much better educational experience at the SLAC they're attending, and that is the reason I sent them to college -- not for "ROI."[/quote]

At some point, the price for "educational experience" becomes excessive. We are well beyond that point for most people. My parents, who were not poor but who were by no means wealthy, could pay for four years at a SLAC in the 1980s and not even notice it, but those days are over. That is why ROI is a valid concern and should not be dismissed as materialism or "not valuing learning for its own sake".[/quote]

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