Anonymous wrote:A majority of LACs will not experience the endowment tax and have not experienced many research cuts from the government. They seem like they could gain a bit of popularity if they invest in student experience. What LACs do you see rising/have continued to rise? For example, some people think Pomona is Williams and Amherst level, which is REALLY surprising, since it was a party school for dolts when I was applying to college!

Anonymous wrote:Are you geeds still arguing about Middlebury?

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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.

By statistical aspects, the student body at Bates doesn't seem to compare with those of Middlebury or Hamilton.

I'd love to hear the difference of means tests you did, since you mention statistical analysis of the following:
College | SAT(25th , 50th , 75th)
Bates | (1410, 1450, 1490)
Middlebury | (1450, 1500, 1530)
Hamilton | (1460, 1500, 1530)
A difference of about 4-5 questions between average Bates and average Middlebury/Hamilton scores. Must be some pretty low variation if a jump from 96 to 98th percentile is significant.

Less than 20% of Bates students submit test scores compared to around 50% and rising (once again) for the other two schools. That is a pretty big difference.

Great, but that is not the original claim.

The poster said statistical aspects, and the percentage of students submitting standardized scores is a statistical aspect from which inferences may be drawn. In any case, there are other statistical indicators of notable differences. For example, the percentage of students that Hamilton reports as originating from the top 10% of their high school classes (82%) is about the same as Bates reports as originating from the top quarter of their high school classes (84%).

Fun thing, this isn’t statistical! That’s the whole point. It’s just making conclusions based off of differences in data points, but that is not statistics.

Statistics involve numerical data. The comparative aspects discussed have been statistical in nature.

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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.

By statistical aspects, the student body at Bates doesn't seem to compare with those of Middlebury or Hamilton.

I'd love to hear the difference of means tests you did, since you mention statistical analysis of the following:
College | SAT(25th , 50th , 75th)
Bates | (1410, 1450, 1490)
Middlebury | (1450, 1500, 1530)
Hamilton | (1460, 1500, 1530)
A difference of about 4-5 questions between average Bates and average Middlebury/Hamilton scores. Must be some pretty low variation if a jump from 96 to 98th percentile is significant.

Less than 20% of Bates students submit test scores compared to around 50% and rising (once again) for the other two schools. That is a pretty big difference.

Great, but that is not the original claim.

The poster said statistical aspects, and the percentage of students submitting standardized scores is a statistical aspect from which inferences may be drawn. In any case, there are other statistical indicators of notable differences. For example, the percentage of students that Hamilton reports as originating from the top 10% of their high school classes (82%) is about the same as Bates reports as originating from the top quarter of their high school classes (84%).

Fun thing, this isn’t statistical! That’s the whole point. It’s just making conclusions based off of differences in data points, but that is not statistics.

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Anonymous wrote:Why did Midd have such a large class entering fall 2021? That was the year I thought a lot of students deferred due to Covid.

Who cares?

It's 2025.

Yes. And when their Midd schools abroad - distinct from MIS - virtually went bankrupt (a problem that continues because study abroad since then has dropped precipitously), they decided, for budget reasons, to make the enrollment increase permanent. An understandable outcome. What is not understandable is their communications tack of lying to students and prospective students about it, year in and year out, saying that the enrollment increase was a one-year thing and going back to normal levels.

Spring 2024 admissions visit at Midd: slide said current enrollment was 2500 (off by a few hundred). In answer to a question about the enrollment increase? “We will be returning to 2500 next year.” Did not happen in Fall 2024. DC info session: same thing. And on, and on, and on…

Only recently have they finally admitted the enrollment increase is permanent. But they said it will only be 2650 students, not 2750. Another lie. They admitted the freshman class for this fall consistent with 2750. As we will see when the fall numbers come out….

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why did Midd have such a large class entering fall 2021? That was the year I thought a lot of students deferred due to Covid.

Who cares?

It's 2025.

Yes. And when their Midd schools abroad - distinct from MIS - virtually went bankrupt (a problem that continues because study abroad since then has dropped precipitously), they decided, for budget reasons, to make the enrollment increase permanent. An understandable outcome. What is not understandable is their communications tack of lying to students and prospective students about it, year in and year out, saying that the enrollment increase was a one-year thing and going back to normal levels.

Spring 2024 admissions visit at Midd: slide said current enrollment was 2500 (off by a few hundred). In answer to a question about the enrollment increase? “We will be returning to 2500 next year.” Did not happen in Fall 2024. DC info session: same thing. And on, and on, and on…

Only recently have they finally admitted the enrollment increase is permanent. But they said it will only be 2650 students, not 2750. Another lie. They admitted the freshman class for this fall consistent with 2750. As we will see when the fall numbers come out….

Anonymous wrote:Let’s talk honestly: Williams and Amherst are great liberal arts colleges—but they’re not inherently better than the rest of the top 50.

The prestige surrounding these two schools often overshadows the fact that many other liberal arts colleges offer just as rigorous academics, strong faculty mentorship, close-knit communities, and better support for a wider range of students. Schools like Pomona, Swarthmore, Carleton, Denison, Davidson, Grinnell, and many others consistently deliver top-tier outcomes—often with less elitism and more emphasis on accessibility and innovation.

Yes, Williams and Amherst have name recognition, but that doesn’t automatically mean a better education or student experience. In fact, the obsession with “top two” rankings tends to reinforce narrow definitions of success that overlook what actually makes a college experience meaningful: mentorship, opportunity, fit, and growth.

It’s time to stop treating Williams and Amherst like they’re in a league of their own. They’re part of a much broader landscape of excellent liberal arts institutions that deserve equal attention and respect.

Anonymous wrote:Why did Midd have such a large class entering fall 2021? That was the year I thought a lot of students deferred due to Covid.

Anonymous wrote:Why did Midd have such a large class entering fall 2021? That was the year I thought a lot of students deferred due to Covid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why did Midd have such a large class entering fall 2021? That was the year I thought a lot of students deferred due to Covid.

Who cares?

It's 2025.

Anonymous wrote:Why did Midd have such a large class entering fall 2021? That was the year I thought a lot of students deferred due to Covid.