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Anonymous wrote:Pomona
Claremont McKenna
Wesleyan
Vassar
Haverford
are the schools I see on the rise right now. Wesleyan has invested a ton into new campus resources that go understated on DCUM. Vassar's rank has shot up, and it has improved its financial aid. Haverford will hopefully reel in since its days when its rigor was seen as on the level or even harder than Swarthmore.

Wesleyan's endowment will be subject to tax.

It has a total of 3,253 students, including undergraduate and graduate students. Specifically, there are 3,069 undergraduate students and 184 graduate students.

It's for 3000+ tuition paying students. If Wes gives more students aid or admits more Pell grant students, they'll fall below the 3000 threshold and not pay the extra tax. Better they use it on needy students, and not just give to government.

It's silly. Wesleyan is a LAC. They need to give more aid to needy students but Williams and Amherst do not? The Williams endowment per student is three times that of Wesleyan. It's over 1.4 million per student. Talk about ability to help needy students.

This tax is just some kind of arbitrary garbage.

Why should Williams pay the tax?

They're hoarding wealth.

Their campus needs an update badly but they were hoarding for their rankings

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Anonymous wrote:No interest in any NESCAC school but imo Middlebury is in a decline from top 10 US News to current tie for 19. Add in application declines and financial deficits what else would one describe Middds current status. Lots of Middlebury grads and or parents are in denial. Amherst and Williams are so far above the rest of the pack. Bowdoin has some appeal but 90-95 k a year for the rest no thanks .

Midd hater has entered the chat. It’s so crazy to me that seemingly so many folks want to drop in on threads about liberal arts colleges to either argue that they are all inferior to universities or to assert that only four are worth attending. If you’re telling me people think Wesleyan, Hamilton, and Middlebury are shit, god help Oberlin.

They made a reasonable argument. It's only LAC parents who act like all the schools are the exact same. It'd be like someone claiming Ohio State is the same as Harvard. It's okay that schools are different and some get worse over time. Middlebury does have financial issues, you can read about it from their strategic planning, student journalism, or on this forum.

They didn't make a reasonable argument because it is just a constant flow of nonsense. They have posted this junk many times before and some people have been pretty direct in batting them around and proving them foolish at pretty much every turn.

Middlebury has a small but nagging deficit because of MIIS. It has no material effect on the finances of a school with a $1.6B endowment and an pristine balance sheet other than being a bit embarrassing. The incoming President has stated that he will address it within the year.

Oh really?

The college announced a series of cost-saving measures on Wednesday, April 2 that aim to cut over $10 million from the annual budget through reducing staff and faculty benefits and permanently raising the student enrollment projection to 2,600–2,650. The college attributed the changes to 15 years of consistent deficits, culminating in the unexpectedly high $14.1 million shortfall this fiscal year, a large portion of which is due to lower enrollment at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS).

Pretty much the entirety of the deficit is from MIIS and hopefully it will be divested.

The historical number on campus is 2550 (look it up, easy to find in the actual govt reports) so the population increase is quite small directly aligned with the new and larger dorm. Most people wish these schools would scale up a bit. They raised over $100M last year and are at over 90% of their capital plan two years ahead of schedule so I'd say that their donor community is pretty solid and that AA rating says far more about their finances than your blithering.

Middlebury dodged a bullet when eitrher your kid (or yourself) didn't get in.

Your point was great and then you decided to use the stupid “your kid didn’t get in” argument. Stop the snark, it’s making for nonsensical long winded discussions that aren’t needed or necessary.

Most LACs are getting bigger- it’s helpful for their footprint and it means they’ll likely get more applications.

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Anonymous wrote:Midd boosters are very defensive but can not explain away current problems at the school. Hiring a new President is a start. As others have pointed out Midd has dropped to tie for 19th in US News, application decline and budget deficit not signs of a hot school like Duke or Vandy. More comparable to fine school like Colgate.

It’ you again pretending to be someone else because you’re not getting traction as usual. Someone at 10:08 put a fork in your finances claim so you need to pivot. Others haven’t pointed anything out about app drops because they are tiny and still up massively over the last 5 years. The budget deficit is tiny relative to the endowment and could be closed by simply reducing international financial aid to the same level as Williams. You’ll try over enrollment next but people in previous posts have shown the numbers that it happened all in one year and they are now graduated. You’ll then move on to “they are adding people to cover the deficit but the reality is that their new dorm is 50 beds bigger than the one it replaced and they have been very open about adding 50-75 additional students because they have now have the room and this number is nor larger than typical because with more kids going abroad each year the on campus population will remain stable.

Keep on trying little tool.

Please stop, pro-Midd troll. On behalf of Midd, stop saying it increased enrollment only one year; stop saying they have added only 50; and stop saying that they have no financial issues. These are lies. You sound unhinged, particularly when all of this is common knowledge for anyone who knows Midd. If you really want to be pro-Midd, say something positive about the school so the focus is not on denial.

It's not one, there are several people here batting you around because we are tired you your constant lies. You are just a sad nonsensical idiot.

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Anonymous wrote:No interest in any NESCAC school but imo Middlebury is in a decline from top 10 US News to current tie for 19. Add in application declines and financial deficits what else would one describe Middds current status. Lots of Middlebury grads and or parents are in denial. Amherst and Williams are so far above the rest of the pack. Bowdoin has some appeal but 90-95 k a year for the rest no thanks .

Midd hater has entered the chat. It’s so crazy to me that seemingly so many folks want to drop in on threads about liberal arts colleges to either argue that they are all inferior to universities or to assert that only four are worth attending. If you’re telling me people think Wesleyan, Hamilton, and Middlebury are shit, god help Oberlin.

They made a reasonable argument. It's only LAC parents who act like all the schools are the exact same. It'd be like someone claiming Ohio State is the same as Harvard. It's okay that schools are different and some get worse over time. Middlebury does have financial issues, you can read about it from their strategic planning, student journalism, or on this forum.

They didn't make a reasonable argument because it is just a constant flow of nonsense. They have posted this junk many times before and some people have been pretty direct in batting them around and proving them foolish at pretty much every turn.

Middlebury has a small but nagging deficit because of MIIS. It has no material effect on the finances of a school with a $1.6B endowment and an pristine balance sheet other than being a bit embarrassing. The incoming President has stated that he will address it within the year.

Oh really?

The college announced a series of cost-saving measures on Wednesday, April 2 that aim to cut over $10 million from the annual budget through reducing staff and faculty benefits and permanently raising the student enrollment projection to 2,600–2,650. The college attributed the changes to 15 years of consistent deficits, culminating in the unexpectedly high $14.1 million shortfall this fiscal year, a large portion of which is due to lower enrollment at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS).

Pretty much the entirety of the deficit is from MIIS and hopefully it will be divested.

The historical number on campus is 2550 (look it up, easy to find in the actual govt reports) so the population increase is quite small directly aligned with the new and larger dorm. Most people wish these schools would scale up a bit. They raised over $100M last year and are at over 90% of their capital plan two years ahead of schedule so I'd say that their donor community is pretty solid and that AA rating says far more about their finances than your blithering.

Middlebury dodged a bullet when eitrher your kid (or yourself) didn't get in.

Anonymous wrote:^disagree about Bates climbing.

Disagree? Bates must’ve missed your memo, because their endowment has doubled in the last decade, and they’ve been aggressively expanding research facilities and faculty. They’re pulling in a stronger applicant pool, with many students eyeing them as a top alternative to schools like Middlebury or Hamilton. Plus, with their major investments in faculty and national recruiting, they’re making noise in the liberal arts world. But hey, feel free to keep sleeping on them—Bates is already on the rise.

^disagree about Bates climbing.

You're right to raise an eyebrow—Pomona used to be relatively under the radar, especially outside the West Coast.
But it's made huge gains in academic selectivity, student quality, and national reputation.
Its Claremont Consortium affiliation gives it the depth of a research university while retaining small college intimacy.
🔹 Claremont McKenna College (CMC)
Once seen as the "finance bro" or policy/pre-law school, CMC has massively upgraded its academic image while still catering to ambitious students.
Their new institutes, professional pipelines, and internships have drawn high-caliber applicants who might've gone to Ivies.
🔹 Davidson College
Stronger national pull in the last decade, thanks to increased academic rigor and exposure through athletics (e.g. Steph Curry era).
Its Southern charm + strong academics has made it a desirable alternative to places like Duke or Vanderbilt.
🔹 Macalester College
Punching above its weight in terms of internationalism and political activism.
Gets attention from students who want urban access, global focus, and a tight-knit liberal arts feel.
🔹 Colorado College
Its Block Plan (one course at a time) is drawing a niche set of students tired of conventional academics.
Rising among adventurous, experiential learners and those avoiding large institutions.
🔹 Bates / Bowdoin / Colby ("The Maine Three")
Bowdoin is already elite, but Colby and Bates are climbing rapidly due to aggressive investment in facilities, faculty, and national recruiting.
Colby especially has poured money into prestige plays—new centers, scholarships, and job placement programs.
🔹 Occidental College (Oxy)
Still not top-tier, but gaining attention post-Obama and for those looking for progressive, urban, West Coast LAC vibes.
🧠 Why Are These Schools Rising?
Focus on Student Experience: Career centers, mental health, advising, research access—all are being prioritized.
National Branding: Many rising LACs are investing in outreach beyond their region, pulling in top students from across the country.
Strategic Donor Investment: Schools like Colby and Pomona have received massive donations to fund scholarships and prestige-enhancing programs.
Stability Compared to R1s: Without the reliance on government research funding or massive D1 athletics, LACs can stay focused on their core mission.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like the description of Colby and Middlebury grads. Add me to the chorus that Colby is improving and Middlebury is declining. Colby has a dynamic President.

Middlebury has a new president who started a few weeks ago. Let’s give him some time to rebuild what was undone by Laurie Patton.

Name 3 things Patton unwound.

Anonymous wrote:Like the description of Colby and Middlebury grads. Add me to the chorus that Colby is improving and Middlebury is declining. Colby has a dynamic President.

Middlebury has a new president who started a few weeks ago. Let’s give him some time to rebuild what was undone by Laurie Patton.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Midd boosters are very defensive but can not explain away current problems at the school. Hiring a new President is a start. As others have pointed out Midd has dropped to tie for 19th in US News, application decline and budget deficit not signs of a hot school like Duke or Vandy. More comparable to fine school like Colgate.

It’ you again pretending to be someone else because you’re not getting traction as usual. Someone at 10:08 put a fork in your finances claim so you need to pivot. Others haven’t pointed anything out about app drops because they are tiny and still up massively over the last 5 years. The budget deficit is tiny relative to the endowment and could be closed by simply reducing international financial aid to the same level as Williams. You’ll try over enrollment next but people in previous posts have shown the numbers that it happened all in one year and they are now graduated. You’ll then move on to “they are adding people to cover the deficit but the reality is that their new dorm is 50 beds bigger than the one it replaced and they have been very open about adding 50-75 additional students because they have now have the room and this number is nor larger than typical because with more kids going abroad each year the on campus population will remain stable.

Keep on trying little tool.

Please stop, pro-Midd troll. On behalf of Midd, stop saying it increased enrollment only one year; stop saying they have added only 50; and stop saying that they have no financial issues. These are lies. You sound unhinged, particularly when all of this is common knowledge for anyone who knows Midd. If you really want to be pro-Midd, say something positive about the school so the focus is not on denial.

Anonymous wrote:Like the description of Colby and Middlebury grads. Add me to the chorus that Colby is improving and Middlebury is declining. Colby has a dynamic President.

Colby isn't improving. It'll improve when it doesn't rely on admissions tricks to look more competitive and can attract top faculty.

Anonymous wrote:Like the description of Colby and Middlebury grads. Add me to the chorus that Colby is improving and Middlebury is declining. Colby has a dynamic President.

Dynamic is a great word to describe him.

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Anonymous wrote:The best LAC’S for successful outcomes are Williams, Amherst; Williams and Colgate are Wall Street feeders. Davidson is a regional play from Richmond to Atlanta.

Fixed your broken comment that was completely wrong.

Best outcomes are Williams, Amherst, Harvey Mudd, Claremont McKenna (which has an accounting program btw), and Wellesley.

Again, best outcomes for what?

Overall. Those students earn the most. It’s a mix of best outcomes for finance and economics and STEM. If you’re interested in grad school, I wouldn’t keep any of these other than Harvey mudd for the list.

Ahh. So the only way to measure outcomes is how much money you make. Got it. Screw all those public servants and teachers and folks running non-profits.

If you’re interested in being a public servant or running a non profit, Williams, CMC, Amherst, and Wellesley are also amazing options, though. It’s not screwing over anyone- these schools are pretty good across the aboard. Kind of the point of…a liberal arts college.

But so are many other LACs—not just the five you keep parroting.

I didn’t parrot anything? Why are you offended that I brought up 5 colleges known for their solid career outcomes? No need to be sensitive.

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Anonymous wrote:The best LAC’S for successful outcomes are Williams, Amherst; Williams and Colgate are Wall Street feeders. Davidson is a regional play from Richmond to Atlanta.

Fixed your broken comment that was completely wrong.

Best outcomes are Williams, Amherst, Harvey Mudd, Claremont McKenna (which has an accounting program btw), and Wellesley.

Again, best outcomes for what?

Overall. Those students earn the most. It’s a mix of best outcomes for finance and economics and STEM. If you’re interested in grad school, I wouldn’t keep any of these other than Harvey mudd for the list.

Ahh. So the only way to measure outcomes is how much money you make. Got it. Screw all those public servants and teachers and folks running non-profits.

If you’re interested in being a public servant or running a non profit, Williams, CMC, Amherst, and Wellesley are also amazing options, though. It’s not screwing over anyone- these schools are pretty good across the aboard. Kind of the point of…a liberal arts college.

But so are many other LACs—not just the five you keep parroting.

Like the description of Colby and Middlebury grads. Add me to the chorus that Colby is improving and Middlebury is declining. Colby has a dynamic President.