Anonymous
07/13/2025 17:07
Subject: Narrowing down LACs
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Rising jr is interested in small liberal arts colleges. Obviously fit is important and so we need to visit. But there are so many -- how do we begin narrowing it down to a reasonable list? His preferences: no large divide between athletes and everyone else, leaning liberal without constant emphasis on identity politics, and students leaning more toward PhD programs than finance/wall street.
Avoid NESCAC due to high athlete percentages.
Carleton sounds about right.
Do not avoid NESCAC, these are wonderful LACs. Look at your school's Naviance or Scoir data and see what looks likely. Then visit a few to see how they feel and talk to the tour guide about athlete/student divide. It's not a big deal at many schools. More of an issue on DCUM.
+1
The whole Athlete/NARP divide is a DCUM reality, not a campus reality. My athlete student has a big friend group which includes many non-athlete. They hang out together, they come to visit during breaks, overall pretty normal. Athletes do spend a lot of social time with their teamamtres but people here on DCUM play things like they are two different worlds and they aren't.
The athlete/NARP divide is definitely campus reality at Amherst & Middlebury, but not at Bowdoin.
Yet Bowdoin has the same percentage of athletes...
Anonymous
07/13/2025 17:07
Subject: Narrowing down LACs
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Rising jr is interested in small liberal arts colleges. Obviously fit is important and so we need to visit. But there are so many -- how do we begin narrowing it down to a reasonable list? His preferences: no large divide between athletes and everyone else, leaning liberal without constant emphasis on identity politics, and students leaning more toward PhD programs than finance/wall street.
Avoid NESCAC due to high athlete percentages.
Carleton sounds about right.
Do not avoid NESCAC, these are wonderful LACs. Look at your school's Naviance or Scoir data and see what looks likely. Then visit a few to see how they feel and talk to the tour guide about athlete/student divide. It's not a big deal at many schools. More of an issue on DCUM.
+1
The whole Athlete/NARP divide is a DCUM reality, not a campus reality. My athlete student has a big friend group which includes many non-athlete. They hang out together, they come to visit during breaks, overall pretty normal. Athletes do spend a lot of social time with their teamamtres but people here on DCUM play things like they are two different worlds and they aren't.
Completely agree. DS is not an athlete but his best friend, as well as many in his friend group, are D1 athletes. His experience is that the divide is a made up construct.
Anonymous
07/13/2025 17:05
Subject: Narrowing down LACs
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Davidson
100%
I think the original post describes Davidson perfectly. Not too politically wound up, sports but no lacrosse bros, not dominated by Wall Street people.
+1 another vote for Davidson
Anonymous
07/13/2025 16:49
Subject: Narrowing down LACs
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Rising jr is interested in small liberal arts colleges. Obviously fit is important and so we need to visit. But there are so many -- how do we begin narrowing it down to a reasonable list? His preferences: no large divide between athletes and everyone else, leaning liberal without constant emphasis on identity politics, and students leaning more toward PhD programs than finance/wall street.
Avoid NESCAC due to high athlete percentages.
Carleton sounds about right.
Do not avoid NESCAC, these are wonderful LACs. Look at your school's Naviance or Scoir data and see what looks likely. Then visit a few to see how they feel and talk to the tour guide about athlete/student divide. It's not a big deal at many schools. More of an issue on DCUM.
+1
The whole Athlete/NARP divide is a DCUM reality, not a campus reality. My athlete student has a big friend group which includes many non-athlete. They hang out together, they come to visit during breaks, overall pretty normal. Athletes do spend a lot of social time with their teamamtres but people here on DCUM play things like they are two different worlds and they aren't.
The athlete/NARP divide is definitely campus reality at Amherst & Middlebury, but not at Bowdoin.
Anonymous
07/13/2025 16:47
Subject: Re:Narrowing down LACs
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:From the above list, Bates and Vassar are the most liberal (most liberal student body), while Colgate and Williams offer a more balanced community.
Amherst & Middlebury are also very liberal communities.
Williams is an extremely liberal student body. I don’t know how people could reason otherwise.
Everything is relative; and relative to Bates & Vassar, Williams College is more balanced.
Anonymous
07/13/2025 16:28
Subject: Narrowing down LACs
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Rising jr is interested in small liberal arts colleges. Obviously fit is important and so we need to visit. But there are so many -- how do we begin narrowing it down to a reasonable list? His preferences: no large divide between athletes and everyone else, leaning liberal without constant emphasis on identity politics, and students leaning more toward PhD programs than finance/wall street.
Avoid NESCAC due to high athlete percentages.
Carleton sounds about right.
Do not avoid NESCAC, these are wonderful LACs. Look at your school's Naviance or Scoir data and see what looks likely. Then visit a few to see how they feel and talk to the tour guide about athlete/student divide. It's not a big deal at many schools. More of an issue on DCUM.
+1
The whole Athlete/NARP divide is a DCUM reality, not a campus reality. My athlete student has a big friend group which includes many non-athlete. They hang out together, they come to visit during breaks, overall pretty normal. Athletes do spend a lot of social time with their teamamtres but people here on DCUM play things like they are two different worlds and they aren't.
To some it is an issue. To others it is not. By definition, it is a potential issue. Avoid the issue entirely by avoiding schools made up of 35% athletes.
Carleton has 1/2 that amount - 18% athletes. https://ope.ed.gov/athletics/#/institution/details
That is also 18% or so more admission slots available for actually getting in! It is a win, win.
Anonymous
07/13/2025 15:47
Subject: Re:Narrowing down LACs
Anonymous wrote:From the above list, Bates and Vassar are the most liberal (most liberal student body), while Colgate and Williams offer a more balanced community.
Amherst & Middlebury are also very liberal communities.
Williams is an extremely liberal student body. I don’t know how people could reason otherwise.
Anonymous
07/13/2025 15:45
Subject: Narrowing down LACs
Anonymous wrote:Rising jr is interested in small liberal arts colleges. Obviously fit is important and so we need to visit. But there are so many -- how do we begin narrowing it down to a reasonable list? His preferences: no large divide between athletes and everyone else, leaning liberal without constant emphasis on identity politics, and students leaning more toward PhD programs than finance/wall street.
Is your kid a 30 year old man with a beer gut?
Anonymous
07/13/2025 15:24
Subject: Narrowing down LACs
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Rising jr is interested in small liberal arts colleges. Obviously fit is important and so we need to visit. But there are so many -- how do we begin narrowing it down to a reasonable list? His preferences: no large divide between athletes and everyone else, leaning liberal without constant emphasis on identity politics, and students leaning more toward PhD programs than finance/wall street.
Avoid NESCAC due to high athlete percentages.
Carleton sounds about right.
Do not avoid NESCAC, these are wonderful LACs. Look at your school's Naviance or Scoir data and see what looks likely. Then visit a few to see how they feel and talk to the tour guide about athlete/student divide. It's not a big deal at many schools. More of an issue on DCUM.
+1
The whole Athlete/NARP divide is a DCUM reality, not a campus reality. My athlete student has a big friend group which includes many non-athlete. They hang out together, they come to visit during breaks, overall pretty normal. Athletes do spend a lot of social time with their teamamtres but people here on DCUM play things like they are two different worlds and they aren't.
Anonymous
07/13/2025 14:41
Subject: Narrowing down LACs
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Davidson
100%
I think the original post describes Davidson perfectly. Not too politically wound up, sports but no lacrosse bros, not dominated by Wall Street people.
But Davidson is Division 1, right? So I think that makes the athletes much more serious and cliquey, at least that was our impression when visiting.
Anonymous
07/13/2025 14:24
Subject: Narrowing down LACs
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Rising jr is interested in small liberal arts colleges. Obviously fit is important and so we need to visit. But there are so many -- how do we begin narrowing it down to a reasonable list? His preferences: no large divide between athletes and everyone else, leaning liberal without constant emphasis on identity politics, and students leaning more toward PhD programs than finance/wall street.
Avoid NESCAC due to high athlete percentages.
Carleton sounds about right.
Do not avoid NESCAC, these are wonderful LACs. Look at your school's Naviance or Scoir data and see what looks likely. Then visit a few to see how they feel and talk to the tour guide about athlete/student divide. It's not a big deal at many schools. More of an issue on DCUM.
Anonymous
07/13/2025 13:52
Subject: Narrowing down LACs
I would have him do some research - take virtual tours, if he has strong academic interests take a look at those departments, and think about location. After that, it becomes much easier to narrow down the list. And, depending on his other interests, I would not worry too. much about the number of athletes (unless he really has zero interest in athletics - attending games, playing club or IM, etc). Most of the schools mentioned here are excellent - I would also consider Swarthmore if he has the stats for it.
Anonymous
07/13/2025 13:50
Subject: Narrowing down LACs
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Davidson
100%
I think the original post describes Davidson perfectly. Not too politically wound up, sports but no lacrosse bros, not dominated by Wall Street people.
Our tour guide at Davidson was a swim bro.
Anonymous
07/13/2025 13:12
Subject: Re:Narrowing down LACs
From the above list, Bates and Vassar are the most liberal (most liberal student body), while Colgate and Williams offer a more balanced community.
Amherst & Middlebury are also very liberal communities.
Amherst & Middlebury are also very liberal communities.
Anonymous
07/13/2025 12:52
Subject: Narrowing down LACs
These comments on some popular LACs appeared in another forum in 2020:
Bates. Egalitarian founding principles still appear in student culture. Huge Fulbright producer in recent years. Former-mill-town Lewiston can be overlooked or embraced.
Colby. Classic LAC size. Relatively new president has added dynamism. Prominent and popular environmental studies programs. Central campus fairly far from Waterville. Winter cold suitable for the adventurous.
Middlebury. NESCAC in Grandma Moses country. Views of Adirondacks from Bicentennial Hall. Academically notable for environmental studies, languages, economics. Recent vandalism not inconsistent with an entitled segment among the student body.
Colgate. Beautiful campus, appealing small village. Beyond its popular social sciences programs, offers interesting course choices in physical sciences and humanities. Division I sports and residential Greek organizations.
Vassar. English major and performing arts veneer laid over a generally intellectual liberal arts college. New science building supports continuing academic ambitions.
Williams. Intellectually capable, academically engaged students. Noteworthy athletic presence. Excellent for visual arts. Perhaps too many economics majors. Mountains form backdrop that impressed Thoreau.
Amherst. Strong programs in areas such as literature and government, to name just two. Sufficienty deep to have changed its mascot. Consortium benefits, though with associated gender imbalances. Campus itself, excepting the new science building, might fall short of its rarefied academic rating.
Hamilton. Legacy of having been two colleges of complementary characteristics and emphases manifests in enhanced academic, social, architectural and spatial dimensions and balance. Beautiful campus, access to suburban amenities, proximity to Adirondacks. A writers’ college, for those who wish to enhance this skill.