Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Re the slac bashing, I think a lot of it simply boils down to how the non-academic factor of how comfortable you are seeing the same people over & over again for years. Some people find that cozy & comforting, while others find it stifling & claustrophobic. Fortunately there are mid-sized colleges which often offer the best features of small & large colleges.

DS is at an amazing SLAC. There are 2,000 kids. He doesn't see the same people over and over. But, he does have super close friendships with both classmates and professors. Compared to his private high school, college seems quite large.

I wanted my kid to like Princeton. Kid was adamant about not wanting a place where you kept running into the same people. We took an hour-long stroll around Princeton’s campus & ran into the same lady 3 times. Off the list.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SLAC all the way! I loved Duke but my son’s experiences and opportunities at a SLAC are unbeatable.

What school?

Probably Bucknell.

These random Bucknell boosting posts are bizarre.

But Lewisburg, PA is fab! The prisons! The Chevy dealership!

Anonymous wrote:Re the slac bashing, I think a lot of it simply boils down to how the non-academic factor of how comfortable you are seeing the same people over & over again for years. Some people find that cozy & comforting, while others find it stifling & claustrophobic. Fortunately there are mid-sized colleges which often offer the best features of small & large colleges.

DS is at an amazing SLAC. There are 2,000 kids. He doesn't see the same people over and over. But, he does have super close friendships with both classmates and professors. Compared to his private high school, college seems quite large.

Re the slac bashing, I think a lot of it simply boils down to how the non-academic factor of how comfortable you are seeing the same people over & over again for years. Some people find that cozy & comforting, while others find it stifling & claustrophobic. Fortunately there are mid-sized colleges which often offer the best features of small & large colleges.

Anonymous wrote:It’s painful to read about so many people’s dreams being unfulfilled due to a lack of money.

My family was middle-middle class. My parents knew nothing about colleges, but told me to they would pay for any place I got accepted. Amazingly, I got into a private that is fairly prestigious. This was the mid 1970’s. i remember my first year’s tuition was about $2900. Many public flagships charged less than $500 per year for tuition back then.

It's not comparable today. Tuition spiked exponentially.

Across all types of schools, the cost of college has increased more than 135%, or about 2.3 times, between 1963 and 2021.

Your parents, if donut hole, would not have been able to do this in 2024. They just wouldn't. I certainly know mine wouldn't.

"An undergraduate's bill at Yale University will increase 6.1 percent, to $18,060, for the 1988-89 academic year, the school announced." - my freshmen year
The Yale College term bill in 2024, which includes tuition, housing, and meals, will increase by 3.9% from $83,880 to $87,150. Tuition will be $67,250, and housing and meals for students who live on campus will be $19,900.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Williams. I attended a large state university with excellent reputation, but I feel like my life would have been improved with SLAC. And my favorite law school professor attended Williams and credited Williams as the source of "whatever intellect" he possessed.

A long time ago I had an uncle who was a long-time staff member at Williams. He told me he’d get me in Williams if I could just get a 3.0 gpa in high school. Unfortunately, that was beyond my ability at the time.

can you imagine what GPA it would now take to get into Williams? no way a 3.0 could get in, not even with a good word from a valued staff member. I wish my kids would consider, but they say they want an urban school. Oh well- I'm sure Williams is really as dreamy as I've built it up in my imagination.

I mean NOT really as dreamy.


See, I can't even convince myself.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Williams. I attended a large state university with excellent reputation, but I feel like my life would have been improved with SLAC. And my favorite law school professor attended Williams and credited Williams as the source of "whatever intellect" he possessed.

A long time ago I had an uncle who was a long-time staff member at Williams. He told me he’d get me in Williams if I could just get a 3.0 gpa in high school. Unfortunately, that was beyond my ability at the time.

can you imagine what GPA it would now take to get into Williams? no way a 3.0 could get in, not even with a good word from a valued staff member. I wish my kids would consider, but they say they want an urban school. Oh well- I'm sure Williams is really as dreamy as I've built it up in my imagination.

Anonymous wrote:Williams. I attended a large state university with excellent reputation, but I feel like my life would have been improved with SLAC. And my favorite law school professor attended Williams and credited Williams as the source of "whatever intellect" he possessed.

A long time ago I had an uncle who was a long-time staff member at Williams. He told me he’d get me in Williams if I could just get a 3.0 gpa in high school. Unfortunately, that was beyond my ability at the time.

Anonymous wrote:It’s painful to read about so many people’s dreams being unfulfilled due to a lack of money.

My family was middle-middle class. My parents knew nothing about colleges, but told me to they would pay for any place I got accepted. Amazingly, I got into a private that is fairly prestigious. This was the mid 1970’s. i remember my first year’s tuition was about $2900. Many public flagships charged less than $500 per year for tuition back then.

My college decision was limited by lack of money and lack of guidance. My parents were not involved much at all, which wasn't that unusual in the 90's. I can't help but think we've gone too far in the other direction, where now parents are obsessed with it. I admit, I'm guilty of it too. Our kids may have different regrets with their own choices because of things like pressure from parents, obsession with prestige and the messed up admissions process.

It’s painful to read about so many people’s dreams being unfulfilled due to a lack of money.

My family was middle-middle class. My parents knew nothing about colleges, but told me to they would pay for any place I got accepted. Amazingly, I got into a private that is fairly prestigious. This was the mid 1970’s. i remember my first year’s tuition was about $2900. Many public flagships charged less than $500 per year for tuition back then.

Williams. I attended a large state university with excellent reputation, but I feel like my life would have been improved with SLAC. And my favorite law school professor attended Williams and credited Williams as the source of "whatever intellect" he possessed.

Anonymous wrote:If I could change life..

Better classes and rigor in high school
Undergraduate Kansas State University or University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Masters - Kansas State University
Ph.D. - Purdue or Penn State

Or I would skipped PH.D. and went to MD/DO school somewhere in Midwest

Many people on the coasts are oblivious to how much fun they have at the Midwest schools you mentioned.

Depending on how ambitious I felt at the time:

Cambridge
Dartmouth
Boston College
UNC
Oklahoma
Texas Tech

Having studied at a bunch of colleges, I found that a beautiful campus invigorated me. This list includes some of the most beautiful I’ve seen. Notre Dame, Richmond, & Miami of Ohio are also stunning, but they aren’t good fits.