Anonymous
05/09/2026 11:57
Subject: If you thought your kid best suited for LAC did they end up at one?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Just starting the college search, and my list has almost all SLACs for DD. I think she would do best in a smaller environment, and I think the liberal arts curriculum would best suit her.
Obviously, she will weigh in on this, but I’m curious if your DC indeed chose a SLAC if you thought that’s where they would end up.
College selection should start with your kid. Not you. You really need to let them take the lead.
Thanks for the lecture and not answering the question. And for missing the “obviously she will weigh in” part of the post. You’re so helpful.
You deserve the lecture because you're doing this all wrong. What's with the "my" list and she will "weigh in" bullshit? It should be the exact opposite. Her list and then you weigh in.
Leave OP alone. There is no need to be so rude and nasty. Having the parent start preliminary research and suggest colleges for a list is perfectly normal. You’ve completely overreacted to details in the post that don’t get at the actual question OP posed. Sheesh!
But that's not what she said. She said she's come up with a list and wants her kid to "weigh in." That's not how it works. It's very clear she wants to take the lead. How will she react when her kid says she doesn't WANT a liberal arts college?
She's helicoptering and the time to step back is now.
Anonymous
05/09/2026 11:53
Subject: If you thought your kid best suited for LAC did they end up at one?
Anonymous wrote:Interested to see the responses as I believe DD would thrive academically at a LAC but she prefers an urban environment and larger school. Our junior year spring visits kind of turned her off even the top LACs, with possible exception of Amherst.
Our DS is very happy at Amherst, but it is small. He loves the academics, friendly tight-knit community, and has already benefitted from the alum network as a freshman. I can easily see that it would be too small for many kids, however. That piece does matter.
Anonymous
05/09/2026 11:29
Subject: If you thought your kid best suited for LAC did they end up at one?
Yes, applied mostly lac. Ended up getting into Williams, Swat, Pomona, Smirh, Haverford, and Oxy. She’s off to Pomona
Anonymous
05/09/2026 11:27
Subject: If you thought your kid best suited for LAC did they end up at one?
Interested to see the responses as I believe DD would thrive academically at a LAC but she prefers an urban environment and larger school. Our junior year spring visits kind of turned her off even the top LACs, with possible exception of Amherst.
Anonymous
05/09/2026 11:24
Subject: If you thought your kid best suited for LAC did they end up at one?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Just starting the college search, and my list has almost all SLACs for DD. I think she would do best in a smaller environment, and I think the liberal arts curriculum would best suit her.
Obviously, she will weigh in on this, but I’m curious if your DC indeed chose a SLAC if you thought that’s where they would end up.
College selection should start with your kid. Not you. You really need to let them take the lead.
Thanks for the lecture and not answering the question. And for missing the “obviously she will weigh in” part of the post. You’re so helpful.
You deserve the lecture because you're doing this all wrong. What's with the "my" list and she will "weigh in" bullshit? It should be the exact opposite. Her list and then you weigh in.
Leave OP alone. There is no need to be so rude and nasty. Having the parent start preliminary research and suggest colleges for a list is perfectly normal. You’ve completely overreacted to details in the post that don’t get at the actual question OP posed. Sheesh!
Anonymous
05/09/2026 11:23
Subject: If you thought your kid best suited for LAC did they end up at one?
DC accepted to a few top lacs and T20s. Parents love lacs, DC chose T20. But the choice wasn't clear at the beginning. It becomes clear after admitted student days.
Anonymous
05/09/2026 11:16
Subject: If you thought your kid best suited for LAC did they end up at one?
Mine was mostly favoring SLACs throughout the process, but also applied to a few mid-size Jesuit universities. Ended up at one of the Claremont College, which is kind of the bar of both worlds. Smaller institution within a tight-knit consortium.
Anonymous
05/09/2026 11:12
Subject: If you thought your kid best suited for LAC did they end up at one?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Just starting the college search, and my list has almost all SLACs for DD. I think she would do best in a smaller environment, and I think the liberal arts curriculum would best suit her.
Obviously, she will weigh in on this, but I’m curious if your DC indeed chose a SLAC if you thought that’s where they would end up.
College selection should start with your kid. Not you. You really need to let them take the lead.
DP, and not necessarily. I posted a question on this months ago and got pages of responses almost all agreeing that putting it all in the kid’s hands from the get go can be daunting. In our case, based on some factors our DC had indicated were important I pulled together an initial list of 15 or so schools. It’s been a good starting point for DC to explore, and schools have come off that list and schools have been added now that DC is engaged and taking ownership. There are also quite a few that DC really likes.
OP, what grade is your student? Have they expressed interest in anything a bit larger? If so, see if you or they can find schools another tier or two larger but that may have similarities to the schools you’ve identified. Same major, or EC, or vibe, or type of locale. That way they have some exposure to a range of places as a launch pad for making their own list.
Thanks for the lecture and not answering the question. And for missing the “obviously she will weigh in” part of the post. You’re so helpful.
You deserve the lecture because you're doing this all wrong. What's with the "my" list and she will "weigh in" bullshit? It should be the exact opposite. Her list and then you weigh in.
Anonymous
05/09/2026 11:10
Subject: If you thought your kid best suited for LAC did they end up at one?
Yes, DC happy at WASP now.
Anonymous
05/09/2026 11:10
Subject: If you thought your kid best suited for LAC did they end up at one?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Just starting the college search, and my list has almost all SLACs for DD. I think she would do best in a smaller environment, and I think the liberal arts curriculum would best suit her.
Obviously, she will weigh in on this, but I’m curious if your DC indeed chose a SLAC if you thought that’s where they would end up.
College selection should start with your kid. Not you. You really need to let them take the lead.
Thanks for the lecture and not answering the question. And for missing the “obviously she will weigh in” part of the post. You’re so helpful.
You deserve the lecture because you're doing this all wrong. What's with the "my" list and she will "weigh in" bullshit? It should be the exact opposite. Her list and then you weigh in.
In many families the way it works is that parents, kids, and maybe college counselor are all making lists of options, and then using those to make the eventual final list. If your family can’t handle that kind of collaborative process, I guess your rigid model would work too, but it’s not the ideal.
Nice try. OP is overly involved. Clearly taking the lead. She's decided she wants the kid in a certain kind of school and it's not up to her.
Anonymous
05/09/2026 11:07
Subject: If you thought your kid best suited for LAC did they end up at one?
I love SLACs and thought DC was set with a WASP acceptance. On visiting day, though, DC loved the academic program but found the social vibe off putting. Ended up at a T10.
Anonymous
05/09/2026 11:04
Subject: If you thought your kid best suited for LAC did they end up at one?
My dd ended up at Boston university, which is a huge school, after applying to mostly lac and SLAC. She met friends her first year and has loved the experience. The first few months were hard, but by second semester she was doing great and loved being in the city. Her other options were bates and holy cross. I think bates would have been too rural, though I still in my heart think holy cross would have been a strong fit. I’m glad it worked out!
Anonymous
05/09/2026 11:00
Subject: If you thought your kid best suited for LAC did they end up at one?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Just starting the college search, and my list has almost all SLACs for DD. I think she would do best in a smaller environment, and I think the liberal arts curriculum would best suit her.
Obviously, she will weigh in on this, but I’m curious if your DC indeed chose a SLAC if you thought that’s where they would end up.
College selection should start with your kid. Not you. You really need to let them take the lead.
Thanks for the lecture and not answering the question. And for missing the “obviously she will weigh in” part of the post. You’re so helpful.
You deserve the lecture because you're doing this all wrong. What's with the "my" list and she will "weigh in" bullshit? It should be the exact opposite. Her list and then you weigh in.
In many families the way it works is that parents, kids, and maybe college counselor are all making lists of options, and then using those to make the eventual final list. If your family can’t handle that kind of collaborative process, I guess your rigid model would work too, but it’s not the ideal.
Anonymous
05/09/2026 10:58
Subject: If you thought your kid best suited for LAC did they end up at one?
Yes but my kid preferred larger schools (eg chicago, northwestern, Wash U). Turns out financial aid is much more generous at WASP schools so that’s where she ended up. Financially realities are a b^*¥h
Anonymous
05/09/2026 10:54
Subject: If you thought your kid best suited for LAC did they end up at one?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Just starting the college search, and my list has almost all SLACs for DD. I think she would do best in a smaller environment, and I think the liberal arts curriculum would best suit her.
Obviously, she will weigh in on this, but I’m curious if your DC indeed chose a SLAC if you thought that’s where they would end up.
College selection should start with your kid. Not you. You really need to let them take the lead.
Thanks for the lecture and not answering the question. And for missing the “obviously she will weigh in” part of the post. You’re so helpful.
You deserve the lecture because you're doing this all wrong. What's with the "my" list and she will "weigh in" bullshit? It should be the exact opposite. Her list and then you weigh in.