Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My assessment of Bowdoin from our visit, was that it lacks the intellectualism and rigor that you find at LACS such as Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Pomona, Wellesley, Carleton, Harvey Mudd. Whoever started WASP-B--I'm not buying it.

Bowdoin is a step above other non-WASP schools, including Wellesley (the decline of which will only accelerate with the diminishing popularity of all-female schools). It deserves to be in the acronym (and WASP-B pre-dated the latest silly US News rankings).

What decline is Wellesley on? They have one of the top endowments of any LAC.

Um, it is losing cross-admit battles? It might need to start offering merit like some top all-female schools. It’s not nearly as selective…straight women are not applying anymore….

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My assessment of Bowdoin from our visit, was that it lacks the intellectualism and rigor that you find at LACS such as Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Pomona, Wellesley, Carleton, Harvey Mudd. Whoever started WASP-B--I'm not buying it.

Bowdoin is a step above other non-WASP schools, including Wellesley (the decline of which will only accelerate with the diminishing popularity of all-female schools). It deserves to be in the acronym (and WASP-B pre-dated the latest silly US News rankings).

What decline is Wellesley on? They have one of the top endowments of any LAC.

Anonymous wrote:My assessment of Bowdoin from our visit, was that it lacks the intellectualism and rigor that you find at LACS such as Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Pomona, Wellesley, Carleton, Harvey Mudd. Whoever started WASP-B--I'm not buying it.

How do you assess that from a single visit?

You're making Bowdoin look bad. Just stop.

Please just stop with these ridiculous threads.

Anonymous wrote:My assessment of Bowdoin from our visit, was that it lacks the intellectualism and rigor that you find at LACS such as Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Pomona, Wellesley, Carleton, Harvey Mudd. Whoever started WASP-B--I'm not buying it.

Bowdoin is a step above other non-WASP schools, including Wellesley (the decline of which will only accelerate with the diminishing popularity of all-female schools). It deserves to be in the acronym (and WASP-B pre-dated the latest silly US News rankings).

Anonymous wrote:What is with these incessant threads??

This. It's can't be real. I don't believe there are people out there who care this much.

you pick the school(s) that your kid likes.

Anonymous wrote:I understand the original 5 most prestigious LACs were Williams, Amherst, Middlebury, Swarthmore and Pomona. Now that USNWR has become ubiquitous, our kids are thinking that it's Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore and Bowdoin. I'm old enough to recall the "little three" was Williams, Amherst and Wesleyan.

What are the old, venerable "top 5" LACs with the strongest global name recognition now and strongest expertise across all subjects or disciplines?

If you want “global name recognition…and the strongest expertise across all subjects,” a SLAC is not for you. But you know this.

My assessment of Bowdoin from our visit, was that it lacks the intellectualism and rigor that you find at LACS such as Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Pomona, Wellesley, Carleton, Harvey Mudd. Whoever started WASP-B--I'm not buying it.

Anonymous wrote:Why would one year where Pomona is in the top 10 throw it out of being a top lac? It has better outcomes than Bowdoin.

Because the thread was started by the poster who created “WASP-B”.

Why would one year where Pomona is in the top 10 throw it out of being a top lac? It has better outcomes than Bowdoin.

What is with these incessant threads??

Anonymous wrote:USNWR ranking is based on factors (or the majority of the factors) having nothing to do with how much they invest in the students (Professor:student ratio, class size, etc.).

yeah I think USNWR really misses the mark on what makes a quality institution. They've even removed class size and won't include standardized test scores unless more than 50% of the enrolled class submits, which most students applying to TO LACs don't.

among my non-DMV private school parent community middlebury and wes are considered far more popular than USNWR rankings.

but also, LACs just aren't as popular with our school community as they used to be. more want mid-size or larger school experiences. b

USNWR ranking is based on factors (or the majority of the factors) having nothing to do with how much they invest in the students (Professor:student ratio, class size, etc.).

I understand the original 5 most prestigious LACs were Williams, Amherst, Middlebury, Swarthmore and Pomona. Now that USNWR has become ubiquitous, our kids are thinking that it's Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore and Bowdoin. I'm old enough to recall the "little three" was Williams, Amherst and Wesleyan.

What are the old, venerable "top 5" LACs with the strongest global name recognition now and strongest expertise across all subjects or disciplines?