Different kids are different. Also, there are multiple ways to get a great education, but any one kid only gets to choose one.

I think that latter point is what’s behind the endless (and tiresome) debates on here. As parents we want All The Things for our kids. But they will likely only attend one college or university. That means doors close. It’s often easier to let those doors close if we decide what’s behind the closing door is suboptimal. But really, it was just a different path, one that our kid will never know.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From parents who attended SLAC’s whose kids are going to state schools (opposite perspective but hope this helps):

1. More people, more students
2. More name recognition (not having to explain your kid’s college)
3. Cheaper tuition
4. Greek life
5. Not getting into certain classes as easily
6. Your kid has to move into an apartment after the first year
7. Easier to find rides home for vacations if you’re in-state
8. Easier to find others in your immediate circle whose kids have attended or are attending the same college

I would add:

9. Far more majors and depth of courses to choose from.

I would also add:
10. More likely to have large lectures rather than small seminars.

I went to a SLAC where it was typical to have 5 person classes. Kid is now at a large public and the difference is astonishing.

I also went to a SLAC with tiny classes and found it completely suffocating. Zero diversity of opinion, the same faces every single day... the experience my kids are having at large publics is indeed astonishing. I never had access to the wealth of opportunities that they do. And the large lectures have only been encountered in one or two 101 classes. The rest have been around 30 people/per class.

+ 1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From parents who attended SLAC’s whose kids are going to state schools (opposite perspective but hope this helps):

1. More people, more students
2. More name recognition (not having to explain your kid’s college)
3. Cheaper tuition
4. Greek life
5. Not getting into certain classes as easily
6. Your kid has to move into an apartment after the first year
7. Easier to find rides home for vacations if you’re in-state
8. Easier to find others in your immediate circle whose kids have attended or are attending the same college

I would add:

9. Far more majors and depth of courses to choose from.

I would also add:
10. More likely to have large lectures rather than small seminars.

I went to a SLAC where it was typical to have 5 person classes. Kid is now at a large public and the difference is astonishing.

This is the part that’s a hard sell for me. I find no utility in going to a 200+ person lecture. Just read the lecture notes and go to exams. It’s a waste of time for everyone to pretend that you’re actually learning from that.

DP.

100% this.

I went to a SLAC undergrad, then on to a T10 public u law school.

Took me about 3 weeks as a 1-L to stop attending the large lecture classes. Just a horrible educational experience/model.

Different people are different, I guess.

I also went to a SLAC undergrad, then on to a T10 public u law school.

I attended every lecture for all three years. I find it much, much easier to learn from a lecture, taking my own notes, than to learn from lecture notes alone.

The fact that an educational model doesn’t work for you does not make it a horrible model for everyone.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From parents who attended SLAC’s whose kids are going to state schools (opposite perspective but hope this helps):

1. More people, more students
2. More name recognition (not having to explain your kid’s college)
3. Cheaper tuition
4. Greek life
5. Not getting into certain classes as easily
6. Your kid has to move into an apartment after the first year
7. Easier to find rides home for vacations if you’re in-state
8. Easier to find others in your immediate circle whose kids have attended or are attending the same college

I would add:

9. Far more majors and depth of courses to choose from.

I would also add:
10. More likely to have large lectures rather than small seminars.

I went to a SLAC where it was typical to have 5 person classes. Kid is now at a large public and the difference is astonishing.

I also went to a SLAC with tiny classes and found it completely suffocating. Zero diversity of opinion, the same faces every single day... the experience my kids are having at large publics is indeed astonishing. I never had access to the wealth of opportunities that they do. And the large lectures have only been encountered in one or two 101 classes. The rest have been around 30 people/per class.

+1. Many people will not find a college that’s smaller than their high school an appealing proposition. If you don’t mind it, great. But it’s not for everyone.

For my younger child, the idea of going from a graduating class of 80 to one of 8,000 was not appealing. Even at the SLAC that she selected, there will be more students in her first year class than are in her entire current school. My older one chose one of the largest flagships and is loving it. Different kids are different.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From parents who attended SLAC’s whose kids are going to state schools (opposite perspective but hope this helps):

1. More people, more students
2. More name recognition (not having to explain your kid’s college)
3. Cheaper tuition
4. Greek life
5. Not getting into certain classes as easily
6. Your kid has to move into an apartment after the first year
7. Easier to find rides home for vacations if you’re in-state
8. Easier to find others in your immediate circle whose kids have attended or are attending the same college

I would add:

9. Far more majors and depth of courses to choose from.

I would also add:
10. More likely to have large lectures rather than small seminars.

I went to a SLAC where it was typical to have 5 person classes. Kid is now at a large public and the difference is astonishing.

This is the part that’s a hard sell for me. I find no utility in going to a 200+ person lecture. Just read the lecture notes and go to exams. It’s a waste of time for everyone to pretend that you’re actually learning from that.

Thank you for recognizing the appropriate learning process for 19MM post secondary students in the US.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What type of high school / prep school did your child attend ?

Most LACs resemble private boarding schools in most respects. LACs are somewhat like small towns--living in a tiny community where seemingly everyone knows your business.

Ours went to an elite prep boarding school and has shared that the idea of attending an LAC was of no interest as it would be too much like repeating boarding school.

You share this experience often in posts about LACs. You might consider where and when this anecdote would be helpful. Should you join a thread to point out that our own child decided against a choice that someone else has already made? (Especially when your kid had a rarified school experience different than the vast majority of teens today?) No, that's not helpful or appropriate.

Your insight might be helpful if a poster asks "where should my elite prep boarding school student apply?" It's not relevant to the vast majority of families considering (or already committed to!) liberal arts colleges.

Bless your soul; this little contribution of yours added zero value to anyone's life except your own.

No, I think she helped and is absolutely right. It’s super odd for a boarding school parent to deride liberal arts colleges as nothing more than boarding schools.

NP and boarding school parent. My kid adored boarding school and also attended a SLAC. Had full, great experiences at both. Many boarding school kids actively choose LACs. It’s really curious that PP doesn’t know this and can’t imagine it being a different experience.

(Also, PP: it sounds like your kid attending this school is a pretty important part of your identity as a parent. You might want to create a bit of slack — hey, a pun! — in the hold this fact has on you. Hopefully your kid had a great experience at a formative time, but it really doesn’t mean that much in the scheme of things)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From parents who attended SLAC’s whose kids are going to state schools (opposite perspective but hope this helps):

1. More people, more students
2. More name recognition (not having to explain your kid’s college)
3. Cheaper tuition
4. Greek life
5. Not getting into certain classes as easily
6. Your kid has to move into an apartment after the first year
7. Easier to find rides home for vacations if you’re in-state
8. Easier to find others in your immediate circle whose kids have attended or are attending the same college

I would add:

9. Far more majors and depth of courses to choose from.

I would also add:
10. More likely to have large lectures rather than small seminars.

I went to a SLAC where it was typical to have 5 person classes. Kid is now at a large public and the difference is astonishing.

I also went to a SLAC with tiny classes and found it completely suffocating. Zero diversity of opinion, the same faces every single day... the experience my kids are having at large publics is indeed astonishing. I never had access to the wealth of opportunities that they do. And the large lectures have only been encountered in one or two 101 classes. The rest have been around 30 people/per class.

+1. Many people will not find a college that’s smaller than their high school an appealing proposition. If you don’t mind it, great. But it’s not for everyone.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From parents who attended SLAC’s whose kids are going to state schools (opposite perspective but hope this helps):

1. More people, more students
2. More name recognition (not having to explain your kid’s college)
3. Cheaper tuition
4. Greek life
5. Not getting into certain classes as easily
6. Your kid has to move into an apartment after the first year
7. Easier to find rides home for vacations if you’re in-state
8. Easier to find others in your immediate circle whose kids have attended or are attending the same college

I would add:

9. Far more majors and depth of courses to choose from.

I would also add:
10. More likely to have large lectures rather than small seminars.

I went to a SLAC where it was typical to have 5 person classes. Kid is now at a large public and the difference is astonishing.

This is the part that’s a hard sell for me. I find no utility in going to a 200+ person lecture. Just read the lecture notes and go to exams. It’s a waste of time for everyone to pretend that you’re actually learning from that.

DP.

100% this.

I went to a SLAC undergrad, then on to a T10 public u law school.

Took me about 3 weeks as a 1-L to stop attending the large lecture classes. Just a horrible educational experience/model.

OP said LAC, not SLAC.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From parents who attended SLAC’s whose kids are going to state schools (opposite perspective but hope this helps):

1. More people, more students
2. More name recognition (not having to explain your kid’s college)
3. Cheaper tuition
4. Greek life
5. Not getting into certain classes as easily
6. Your kid has to move into an apartment after the first year
7. Easier to find rides home for vacations if you’re in-state
8. Easier to find others in your immediate circle whose kids have attended or are attending the same college

I would add:

9. Far more majors and depth of courses to choose from.

This is why ours chose the Claremont colleges. Has a wealth of of courses without needing massive lectures or ultra competitive course selection.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From parents who attended SLAC’s whose kids are going to state schools (opposite perspective but hope this helps):

1. More people, more students
2. More name recognition (not having to explain your kid’s college)
3. Cheaper tuition
4. Greek life
5. Not getting into certain classes as easily
6. Your kid has to move into an apartment after the first year
7. Easier to find rides home for vacations if you’re in-state
8. Easier to find others in your immediate circle whose kids have attended or are attending the same college

I would add:

9. Far more majors and depth of courses to choose from.

I would also add:
10. More likely to have large lectures rather than small seminars.

I went to a SLAC where it was typical to have 5 person classes. Kid is now at a large public and the difference is astonishing.

This is the part that’s a hard sell for me. I find no utility in going to a 200+ person lecture. Just read the lecture notes and go to exams. It’s a waste of time for everyone to pretend that you’re actually learning from that.

If your kid likes the environment, it’ll be a good experience. I went to Berkeley, and just didn’t care for the experience at all. I’m more active with the parents group at DD’s LAC and have given more there than Berkeley.

Frankly, I found no need for 6+ specializations in my major which differed by a few classes- it didn’t matter. I wasn’t interested in a professional degree path, so that entire “option” was useless. In my time, I met some people, but none that interesting or thoroughly. It was a very challenging place to go to, especially as a first gen student. Obviously if you’re super laser-focused on a certain specialization in college, go to a large university, but that doesn’t describe 98% of graduates.

I’d describe my time as Berkeley as filled with others’ opportunities.

As someone who went to a SLAC and is about to have a child start at a very large state university, the differences are stark.

As others have said, most SLACs are like boarding schools in that they are small communities where there is not a lot of bureaucracy. You’ll have much better experiences, as a parent, interacting with the school and knowing what is what. In theory, housing and class selection should be a million times easier (I say in theory because I cannot speak for all schools, only my alma mater). As most SLACs are in small towns, you’ll have better peace of mind of your kid’s safety and know that should something go amiss, you’ll be able to speak to someone at the school fairly easily.

As you may be able to tell, I would much prefer my kid were going to a SLAC over a big state school in a medium size city with crime issues and crazy stories about students having to scramble for classes and housing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From parents who attended SLAC’s whose kids are going to state schools (opposite perspective but hope this helps):

1. More people, more students
2. More name recognition (not having to explain your kid’s college)
3. Cheaper tuition
4. Greek life
5. Not getting into certain classes as easily
6. Your kid has to move into an apartment after the first year
7. Easier to find rides home for vacations if you’re in-state
8. Easier to find others in your immediate circle whose kids have attended or are attending the same college

I would add:

9. Far more majors and depth of courses to choose from.

I would also add:
10. More likely to have large lectures rather than small seminars.

I went to a SLAC where it was typical to have 5 person classes. Kid is now at a large public and the difference is astonishing.

I also went to a SLAC with tiny classes and found it completely suffocating. Zero diversity of opinion, the same faces every single day... the experience my kids are having at large publics is indeed astonishing. I never had access to the wealth of opportunities that they do. And the large lectures have only been encountered in one or two 101 classes. The rest have been around 30 people/per class.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From parents who attended SLAC’s whose kids are going to state schools (opposite perspective but hope this helps):

1. More people, more students
2. More name recognition (not having to explain your kid’s college)
3. Cheaper tuition
4. Greek life
5. Not getting into certain classes as easily
6. Your kid has to move into an apartment after the first year
7. Easier to find rides home for vacations if you’re in-state
8. Easier to find others in your immediate circle whose kids have attended or are attending the same college

I would add:

9. Far more majors and depth of courses to choose from.

I would also add:
10. More likely to have large lectures rather than small seminars.

I went to a SLAC where it was typical to have 5 person classes. Kid is now at a large public and the difference is astonishing.