Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are plenty of legitimate reasons like school culture, specific opportunities, or major why you might prefer one over the other. But when you ask a broad question like "better," it's hard not to go to the basic stats.

Wesleyan is much more selective (under 20%) than Lafayette (over 30%) and has a more high-performing applicant pool.

Use CDS to compare the number of students who submit scores to see how different the populations are:

Wesleyan enrolled first-year SATs (25th%-75th%) are: 1300-1500 with roughly 71% of them submitting scores.

Lafayette enrolled first-year SATs (25th%-75th%) are: 1350-1470 with roughly 45% of them submitting scores.

"Better" is really about fit and is very subjective. But reputationwise, selectivity, performance of applicants, Wesleyan is definitely a cut above Lafayette.

In the grand scheme of things, and especially using the SAT score metric, these schools are about the same.

"This school is 1300-1500 and that school is 1350-1470, so obviously the former is definitely a cut above the latter." Puhleaze.

My point was that though the scores look the similar, the difference in the number submitting is huge. I have no skin in the game but I work in academia and reputation of the students at each school is quite different and these stats back it up.

I agree the reputation is different but I don't think the (essentially identical) stats back it up.

To some extent Wes is coasting on the high reputation it had in the 80s and 90s.

PP you are quoting. The stats are NOT identical! 71% vs 45%. At Wesleyan 29% likely have lower scores whereas ay Lafayette likely 55%.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are plenty of legitimate reasons like school culture, specific opportunities, or major why you might prefer one over the other. But when you ask a broad question like "better," it's hard not to go to the basic stats.

Wesleyan is much more selective (under 20%) than Lafayette (over 30%) and has a more high-performing applicant pool.

Use CDS to compare the number of students who submit scores to see how different the populations are:

Wesleyan enrolled first-year SATs (25th%-75th%) are: 1300-1500 with roughly 71% of them submitting scores.

Lafayette enrolled first-year SATs (25th%-75th%) are: 1350-1470 with roughly 45% of them submitting scores.

"Better" is really about fit and is very subjective. But reputationwise, selectivity, performance of applicants, Wesleyan is definitely a cut above Lafayette.

In the grand scheme of things, and especially using the SAT score metric, these schools are about the same.

"This school is 1300-1500 and that school is 1350-1470, so obviously the former is definitely a cut above the latter." Puhleaze.

My point was that though the scores look the similar, the difference in the number submitting is huge. I have no skin in the game but I work in academia and reputation of the students at each school is quite different and these stats back it up.

I agree the reputation is different but I don't think the (essentially identical) stats back it up.

To some extent Wes is coasting on the high reputation it had in the 80s and 90s.

Please stop.

https://www.wesleyan.edu/admission/apply/class-profile.html

https://about.lafayette.edu/lafayette-at-a-glance/class-profile/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are plenty of legitimate reasons like school culture, specific opportunities, or major why you might prefer one over the other. But when you ask a broad question like "better," it's hard not to go to the basic stats.

Wesleyan is much more selective (under 20%) than Lafayette (over 30%) and has a more high-performing applicant pool.

Use CDS to compare the number of students who submit scores to see how different the populations are:

Wesleyan enrolled first-year SATs (25th%-75th%) are: 1300-1500 with roughly 71% of them submitting scores.

Lafayette enrolled first-year SATs (25th%-75th%) are: 1350-1470 with roughly 45% of them submitting scores.

"Better" is really about fit and is very subjective. But reputationwise, selectivity, performance of applicants, Wesleyan is definitely a cut above Lafayette.

In the grand scheme of things, and especially using the SAT score metric, these schools are about the same.

"This school is 1300-1500 and that school is 1350-1470, so obviously the former is definitely a cut above the latter." Puhleaze.

My point was that though the scores look the similar, the difference in the number submitting is huge. I have no skin in the game but I work in academia and reputation of the students at each school is quite different and these stats back it up.

I agree the reputation is different but I don't think the (essentially identical) stats back it up.

To some extent Wes is coasting on the high reputation it had in the 80s and 90s.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Neither? WASP+Bowdoin +Middlebury are really the only decent lacs

ding ding! found the middlebury booster! pls folks middlebury is mid tier

ding ding! found the middlebury detractor. Sorry your kid got rejected. Should have applied ED.

This “insult” is so tired.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Neither? WASP+Bowdoin +Middlebury are really the only decent lacs

ding ding! found the middlebury booster! pls folks middlebury is mid tier

ding ding! found the middlebury detractor. Sorry your kid got rejected. Should have applied ED.

Anonymous wrote:Wesleyan is probably mildly more prestigious among the status obsessed crowd. More connected to the elite for sure. Nothing like the wasp schools but more than Lafayette. But Wesleyan is definitely also a small school haven for the progressive rich prep school set. Very small. Super liberal. Wouldn’t be my choice for my kid and I’m a Democrat.

Wesleyan is bigger than Lafayette: 3200 (including 200+ grad students) vs 2700.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Neither? WASP+Bowdoin +Middlebury are really the only decent lacs

I'd add Bucknell.

No one else would. It isn’t a prestigious liberal arts college and is in a dump of a town. Maybe great for rich white kids with daddy’s money

It may not have quite the intellectual vibe of Wesleyan or Swarthmore, but Bucknell has a far stronger Wall Street pipeline than either (or Lafayette, for that matter). Firms hoover up Bucknell grads for client-facing roles because they tend to have both elite quantitative and problem-solving skills, and preternatural EQ and persuasive ability. Plus the network on The Street is legion, and Bison help Bison.

This just remarkably untrue, and both Wesleyan and swarthmore place more (and those numbers are very small) into careers on the street. Can you point to one source that proves otherwise?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Neither? WASP+Bowdoin +Middlebury are really the only decent lacs

I'd add Bucknell.

No one else would. It isn’t a prestigious liberal arts college and is in a dump of a town. Maybe great for rich white kids with daddy’s money

It may not have quite the intellectual vibe of Wesleyan or Swarthmore, but Bucknell has a far stronger Wall Street pipeline than either (or Lafayette, for that matter). Firms hoover up Bucknell grads for client-facing roles because they tend to have both elite quantitative and problem-solving skills, and preternatural EQ and persuasive ability. Plus the network on The Street is legion, and Bison help Bison.

<<
DD is super into sports, both playing and watching. She’s academically interested in history and policy/politics/government. Leans progressive but is not at all political or activist in personality. (Steering clear of schools that attract a protest-oriented student body.)>>

My DD was an athlete at Lafayette. She still tight with her teammates. For similar schools, it seems that the teams pair socially. Field hockey team and men’s soccer may have parties together. Or FH and Baseball. Not sure if that impacts your DD but it is another datapoint.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD is considering Lafayette. I keep reading it’s a little fratty/bro-y, but what are the female students like?

DD is super into sports, both playing and watching. She’s academically interested in history and policy/politics/government. Leans progressive but is not at all political or activist in personality. (Steering clear of schools that attract a protest-oriented student body.)

Oh, and she grew up in a suburb of a small, down to earth, midwestern city. Excellent public school with lots of rigor, but no experience with the more elite/sophisticated NYC/DC crowd.

Open to hearing about the female student body at Wesleyan, too. Our hunch is it’s not a fit, but that’s just a guess at this point.

She sounds very much like my DD's friend who goes there. Smart, possibly interested in law school, sporty but did not want to pursue in college. She's very happy.

Thanks!

Anonymous wrote:DD is considering Lafayette. I keep reading it’s a little fratty/bro-y, but what are the female students like?

DD is super into sports, both playing and watching. She’s academically interested in history and policy/politics/government. Leans progressive but is not at all political or activist in personality. (Steering clear of schools that attract a protest-oriented student body.)

Oh, and she grew up in a suburb of a small, down to earth, midwestern city. Excellent public school with lots of rigor, but no experience with the more elite/sophisticated NYC/DC crowd.

Open to hearing about the female student body at Wesleyan, too. Our hunch is it’s not a fit, but that’s just a guess at this point.

She sounds very much like my DD's friend who goes there. Smart, possibly interested in law school, sporty but did not want to pursue in college. She's very happy.

Wesleyan is probably mildly more prestigious among the status obsessed crowd. More connected to the elite for sure. Nothing like the wasp schools but more than Lafayette. But Wesleyan is definitely also a small school haven for the progressive rich prep school set. Very small. Super liberal. Wouldn’t be my choice for my kid and I’m a Democrat.

No idea how to judge "better," but there's a ton of info on Wes's class profile page, if you're trying to get a sense of who is admitted/attends: https://www.wesleyan.edu/admission/apply/class-profile.html

honestly the actual difference between williams and wesleyan is minimal - it’s just the prestige chasers on DCUM who inflate and exaggerate any perceived reputational variance - they are both new england liberal arts colleges with strong rigor and loyal alumni groups

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are plenty of legitimate reasons like school culture, specific opportunities, or major why you might prefer one over the other. But when you ask a broad question like "better," it's hard not to go to the basic stats.

Wesleyan is much more selective (under 20%) than Lafayette (over 30%) and has a more high-performing applicant pool.

Use CDS to compare the number of students who submit scores to see how different the populations are:

Wesleyan enrolled first-year SATs (25th%-75th%) are: 1300-1500 with roughly 71% of them submitting scores.

Lafayette enrolled first-year SATs (25th%-75th%) are: 1350-1470 with roughly 45% of them submitting scores.

"Better" is really about fit and is very subjective. But reputationwise, selectivity, performance of applicants, Wesleyan is definitely a cut above Lafayette.

In the grand scheme of things, and especially using the SAT score metric, these schools are about the same.

"This school is 1300-1500 and that school is 1350-1470, so obviously the former is definitely a cut above the latter." Puhleaze.

My point was that though the scores look the similar, the difference in the number submitting is huge. I have no skin in the game but I work in academia and reputation of the students at each school is quite different and these stats back it up.

as an academic, how are the lacs viewed? Like is there differences in WASP versus Bowdoin/Middlebury/Hamilton versus these schools?

DP. The differences are minimal. WASP students on average will have marginally better stats and marginally better outcomes, strong emphasis on "marginally." But the differences between these schools is very small. If you cloned the same high-achieving student and simultaneously sent him to one WASP school and one of the aforementioned schools, I'm pretty sure the kid would have the same life.

Incidentally, for all the talk of Wes being a rich kids' school, its financial aid is phenomenal and punches far above its weight. For us, Wes's FA was better than Yale, Dartmouth, Penn, and Bowdoin. My DS, however, chose a WASP school with an equivalent FA package lest people think I'm biased.

So interesting! I don’t have a lot of exposure to lacs, so it’s kinda repeated on this forum that
Williams> amherst, swarthmore>>> Pomona. Interesting to see that it doesn’t even matter to “lower tier” lacs!

The idea that such a rigid hierarchy exists among such schools is ridiculous. This forum is devoted to USNWR rankings while also constantly complaining about it. If you consider selectivity, yield, and cross-admit selection, the ranking would be the inverse: Pomona, Swat, Amherst, Williams. Personally, I think each of those schools offers something special that makes it the right school for the right student. I'd probably add Wellesley and Bowdoin to the group, although it'd make for a clunky acronym. Anyhow, choosing one over another because of some unarticulated sense of prestige is a recipe for a potentially unhappy college experience. Thankfully, I think most of the kids who go to top LACs have eschewed the idea of pursuing maximal prestige because anyone who gets into a WASP-level school probably had a number of better-known T20 options.