Don’t envy AOs selling the likes of Hamilton, Middlebury, Bates, Colby in the future.

NESCAC
Strong leadership, Vision, and Future:
Middlebury (New president, closing MIIS, new opportunities)
Colby (Strong president, largest gift in college history, new innovation center, new public policy lab, Waterville revitalization)
Hamilton college (New president, innovation center investment)

Stagnant/Mediocre leadership
Williams: frankly, don’t need to do much as president. Mandel has been president for a while and has made fine changes. Alum lead the college excellently.
Wesleyan: Roth has been leading the institution forever and it’s only dropped in rank and fallen behind peers (traditionally Williams and Amherst). Needs a new set of eyes.
Amherst: doesn’t really have a strong vision and they’re only constructing a new dining center/student life. Been slow to get into the AI/innovation space and seems to generally be resting on its laurels.
Bowdoin: okay. Reed Hastings gave a good donation for new professorships but not much else of interest.

Poor leadership:
Trinity, Bates, Connecticut College

I’m an enthusiastic NESCAC grad, before anyone jumps on me for being an LAC-hater. These distinctions may mean something to some people in some very narrow circles/tiny enclaves/affluent pockets. Like this forum. Like the world in which I grew up. But this is not the reality or norm for most people we may meet in our personal and professional lives. Most employers and successful professionals in my mid-sized city (outside the DMV) don’t know the difference between Bowdoin and Tufts and don’t care.

Anonymous wrote:What does bowdoin have/is doing that ranks it near Williams or Amherst? It seems really stagnant and uninteresting.

Academics on par overall between the three, but Bowdoin has particular strength in:

Government (largest department, with strong connections on Capitol Hill)
Sciences (esp. Environmental and Oceanographic Sciences)
Soon: Computer Science/AI (Reed Hastings donated to fund a new program and expand faculty)

Not to mention reputation for highest QoL (facilities, forms, food) and student happiness which I think is the major reason why Bowdoin has been rising & winning cross-admits against W/A of late

Far from stagnant tbh

^Only schools with large endowments are Williams, Amherst, and Bowdoin. Big problem facing NESCAC schools is lack of diversity, Too many rich white prep school kids go there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Except for Williams and Amherst maybe add in Bowdoin, the rest of the NESCAC is irrelevant. Safe landing spots for prep school kids who can’t get into top schools

Sure Karen, keep telling yourself that. They really aren’t interested in your kind anyway.

Except they’re completely correct. No one is seriously considering Connecticut college or Bates some intellectual bastion for the next generation. They’re alright.

+1, these schools are gonna struggle in the future. They aren’t gonna close but they’re losing relevance.

Growing application numbers, immense wealth, over the top success rates for top careers and grad school admissions along with increasingly tough admissions is the opposite of struggling.

Since this is a particularly inane back and forth, even by DCUM standards, might I suggest you both drink some egg nog?

Feedback is a gift and their ignorance needs correcting. They should thank me.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Except for Williams and Amherst maybe add in Bowdoin, the rest of the NESCAC is irrelevant. Safe landing spots for prep school kids who can’t get into top schools

Sure Karen, keep telling yourself that. They really aren’t interested in your kind anyway.

Except they’re completely correct. No one is seriously considering Connecticut college or Bates some intellectual bastion for the next generation. They’re alright.

+1, these schools are gonna struggle in the future. They aren’t gonna close but they’re losing relevance.

Growing application numbers, immense wealth, over the top success rates for top careers and grad school admissions along with increasingly tough admissions is the opposite of struggling.

Don't feed the trolls. Just let these dumb threads die a quick death.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most are very rural. Agree hard sell.

Yet their growing numbers of applications and extremely low acceptance rates prove you to be wrong.

They don’t have a lot of seats and they don’t get that many applicants. It’s growing but not quickly. These aren’t that relevant.

The elite love those who think like you. They really don’t want you around and much prefer to keep the benefits of these schools an inside secret.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Except for Williams and Amherst maybe add in Bowdoin, the rest of the NESCAC is irrelevant. Safe landing spots for prep school kids who can’t get into top schools

Sure Karen, keep telling yourself that. They really aren’t interested in your kind anyway.

Except they’re completely correct. No one is seriously considering Connecticut college or Bates some intellectual bastion for the next generation. They’re alright.

+1, these schools are gonna struggle in the future. They aren’t gonna close but they’re losing relevance.

Growing application numbers, immense wealth, over the top success rates for top careers and grad school admissions along with increasingly tough admissions is the opposite of struggling.

Since this is a particularly inane back and forth, even by DCUM standards, might I suggest you both drink some egg nog?

Anonymous wrote:^+NESCAC schools not named Williams and Amherst, will struggle because of little diversity and extremely rural locations.

I’d be happy to bet against you. How you feel conflicts with what is real. Sign of a weak intellect.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Except for Williams and Amherst maybe add in Bowdoin, the rest of the NESCAC is irrelevant. Safe landing spots for prep school kids who can’t get into top schools

Sure Karen, keep telling yourself that. They really aren’t interested in your kind anyway.

Except they’re completely correct. No one is seriously considering Connecticut college or Bates some intellectual bastion for the next generation. They’re alright.

+1, these schools are gonna struggle in the future. They aren’t gonna close but they’re losing relevance.

Growing application numbers, immense wealth, over the top success rates for top careers and grad school admissions along with increasingly tough admissions is the opposite of struggling.

^+NESCAC schools not named Williams and Amherst, will struggle because of little diversity and extremely rural locations.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most are very rural. Agree hard sell.

Yet their growing numbers of applications and extremely low acceptance rates prove you to be wrong.

They don’t have a lot of seats and they don’t get that many applicants. It’s growing but not quickly. These aren’t that relevant.

Anonymous wrote:Most are very rural. Agree hard sell.

Yet their growing numbers of applications and extremely low acceptance rates prove you to be wrong.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Except for Williams and Amherst maybe add in Bowdoin, the rest of the NESCAC is irrelevant. Safe landing spots for prep school kids who can’t get into top schools

Sure Karen, keep telling yourself that. They really aren’t interested in your kind anyway.

Except they’re completely correct. No one is seriously considering Connecticut college or Bates some intellectual bastion for the next generation. They’re alright.

They are blithering fools. You may be right about Bates and Conn College however Hamilton, Middlebury, Tufts, and Wesleyan give no ground academically to any school anywhere.