All the top 8 SLACs on USNews are very well known and prestigious, I don't think the prestige would be a problem if she chooses the SLAC. I suppose Bowdoin is not as well know as the others.

Is the top 25 university CMU? If so that is tough to beat for CS, but otherwise I don't think schools like Pomona are less prestigious at all.

Depends on your DC. I have one at a campus people would consider a very intense work hard play hard and another at a campus people would consider to be serious but chill. They both picked the perfect campus for them!

Still assuming that we’re talking about Claremont McKenna, here are the Princeton Review top 20 lists that they made as rated by their students:

Happiest Students
Most Politically Active Students
Most Loved Colleges (student satisfaction survey)
Great Quality of Life
Great Run Colleges
Great Classroom Experience
Great Professors
Great Professor Accessibility
Great Race/Class Interaction
Great Career Services
Colleges that Create Futures

I don’t know the top 25 university, but you can look it up on the Princeton Review website.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Decision time! My DC is choosing between a great slac (top 8) and top 25 university. Full pay, and rejected by In State. The vibe of the slac is very chill but the universities are not. What to do, what to do!

If the top 8 SLAC is Claremont McKenna (#8), seize that opportunity vs the top 25 university and don’t look back unless there is a specific major that the university has which is unavailable in the Claremont consortium.

Ha! I was going to say the same thing about Pomona, but I agree with Claremont McKenna as well.

Anonymous wrote:https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/g11438356/happiest-college-students/

This list seems random.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I didn’t grow up here, and I really don’t know why people like slac. On the international level, no one has ever heard of any of the slac, so go with the unverisities?

If that's true, why do so many international students go to my kid's top 5 SLAC?

So only you 5 matters?

Some kids like stressful, some kids like chill.

I am in the chill camp, but that wouldn't be good for a student who wants to be pushed all the time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Decision time! My DC is choosing between a great slac (top 8) and top 25 university. Full pay, and rejected by In State. The vibe of the slac is very chill but the universities are not. What to do, what to do!

Here's the retention rate for national universities;

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/freshmen-least-most-likely-return

In general higher the retention, happier the kids

Lots of other factors in not returning, not the least of which is being able to continue to afford it. To which point, if DC feels the schools are a toss up, then DC should choose the less expensive option.

If you got in and somehow attended, but really can't afford anymore = Unhappy and very stressful.

I think you are conflating stressful/happy student with stressful/happy campus.

Anonymous wrote:So I didn’t grow up here, and I really don’t know why people like slac. On the international level, no one has ever heard of any of the slac, so go with the unverisities?

If that's true, why do so many international students go to my kid's top 5 SLAC?

Anonymous wrote:Why would any 18 year old choose a "stressful" campus over a "happy" campus?

Ambition. Curiosity. Vibe.

(I was that 18-year-old who chose a very intense school because I knew I would have a wider range of classes and research opportunities, I wanted to try on being an adult without the handholding that comes with a small "supportive" school, and when I went to the campus visit I really got on with the other admitted freshmen and current students. I also wanted to try out living in a city after having spent my whole life in the middle of nowhere. No regrets here (except maybe about cities)!)

Anonymous wrote:So I didn’t grow up here, and I really don’t know why people like slac. On the international level, no one has ever heard of any of the slac, so go with the unverisities?

Yes

So I didn’t grow up here, and I really don’t know why people like slac. On the international level, no one has ever heard of any of the slac, so go with the unverisities?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Decision time! My DC is choosing between a great slac (top 8) and top 25 university. Full pay, and rejected by In State. The vibe of the slac is very chill but the universities are not. What to do, what to do!

Here's the retention rate for national universities;

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/freshmen-least-most-likely-return

In general higher the retention, happier the kids

Lots of other factors in not returning, not the least of which is being able to continue to afford it. To which point, if DC feels the schools are a toss up, then DC should choose the less expensive option.

If you got in and somehow attended, but really can't afford anymore = Unhappy and very stressful.

Let DD decide. She needs to own the decision in order to truly engage.

LAC. This year has been a grind. Kids are worn down. Take the chill road that will also provide a top tier education.