Anonymous
Post 06/20/2023 16:10     Subject: What is the appeal of SLACs for non-1%ers?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My DC goes to a WASP. We pay less than what we would have to pay to in-state schools and DC loves everything about the school. To us, it’s the best deal!


What's a WASP (school)?


An abbreviation for four SLACs commonly referred on this forum - Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Pomona.


OMG that's hilarious.
Anonymous
Post 06/20/2023 16:08     Subject: What is the appeal of SLACs for non-1%ers?
A SLAC is a college version of private high school. A school with teachers who have time to teach the student.

The SLAC hate is from the same people who were jealous of people who paid for private high school.
Anonymous
Post 06/20/2023 16:01     Subject: What is the appeal of SLACs for non-1%ers?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Your kid’s ROI depends on your kid’s abilities and hustle, not the college.


+1000

SLAC really help develop critical thinking, research and writing skills, no matter what the major. Kids are much more deeply involved in their education, in Classes of 20-25 vs 200-400. Or rather, it's much harder not to be deeply involved in the smaller classes.


+1. Also, some students find the smaller scale much better for social/happiness reasons. I loved my big State U but my kids both ended up at SLACS and were very happy with their choices.

At the risk of being flamed by the SLAC haters, I recommend reading "Colleges that Change Lives."
Anonymous
Post 06/20/2023 15:27     Subject: What is the appeal of SLACs for non-1%ers?
OP's (and society's) devaluation of the humanities is sad and, in large part, why we have the society we have today. The humanities are nuclear subjects that give us direct access to knowledge on what is fundamentally human. Studying the humanities gives us comprehensive knowledge, skills and mindsets that come with studying the field, which are not easily outdated. The study of humanities allows us to question and reflect, maintain a global vision, acknowledge differences, communicate effectively, etc. These mindsets and skillsets are not emphasized in the study of science and math.
Anonymous
Post 06/20/2023 15:23     Subject: What is the appeal of SLACs for non-1%ers?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:SLACs have very low ROI compared to state schools:

https://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-Salaries_for_Colleges_by_Type-sort.html

They seem like a total scam except for the 1%. Much better for your future to go to UMD or Ohio State or Indians or Purdue or VA Tech to study engineering or business while enjoying college sports.

SLACs seem like a waste for all but the wealthy 1%era who don’t have to worry about finding a job after graduation. Many of them don’t have big college sports or Greek Life to generate alumni loyalty. What’s the point of them?


Ironically, one argument raised in favor of the creation of state schools was that it would provide a place for the great unwashed masses and keep the SLACs for the elite, so class distinctions would be preserved. You just unintentionally reinforced that old argument!


I call bull. Many SLACs were founded by religious institutions. Many Catholic SLACs were founded specifically to educate working class kids, although these colleges are fading away. In Southern states the flagship state school always had the elite cachet, which is why there's few SLACs in the South. Same with Midwest.


There are 26 in Ohio alone.
Anonymous
Post 06/20/2023 15:14     Subject: Re:What is the appeal of SLACs for non-1%ers?
Anonymous wrote:Agree that if a student needs hand-holding that a small more intimate atmosphere might be better.


And if a student doesn't want to be called upon to participate in class discussions because of apathy or fear that they will be unmasked as an imposter, wants to be able to skip class or go to class without even skimming the reading without worry that they'll even fall behind since the lectures will be dumbed down by grad students in recitation sections, and wants to have a curriculum that allows them to avoid having to do any meaningful research or writing over their four years if they plan it right, a big school might be a better option for them.

(see, both sides can damn with faint praise)

As it turns out, there are pros and cons to both types of schools. Some folks won't admit that because they are oddly jealous of SLACs, which I think they associate with wealth (and the associated benefits of privilege/elitism etc). Whether that is accurate for the type of school as a group is highly questionable, but these critics view wealth/privilege/elitism negatively. That's kind of ironic, though, because these are the same posters whose whole college search for their kids is focused on what will make their kids the most money so their kids get to access the privilege/elitism they associate with that money (and maybe never had themselves).
Anonymous
Post 06/20/2023 14:51     Subject: What is the appeal of SLACs for non-1%ers?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:SLACs have very low ROI compared to state schools:

https://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-Salaries_for_Colleges_by_Type-sort.html

They seem like a total scam except for the 1%. Much better for your future to go to UMD or Ohio State or Indians or Purdue or VA Tech to study engineering or business while enjoying college sports.

SLACs seem like a waste for all but the wealthy 1%era who don’t have to worry about finding a job after graduation. Many of them don’t have big college sports or Greek Life to generate alumni loyalty. What’s the point of them?


You won't win this argument here. Most parents on here are lawyers or have grad degrees via a liberal arts undergrad route. A lot of them are SAHMs who vehemently support a SLAC education and have the time and energy to rip you apart on this anonymous forum, lest their choices and decisions be deemed inferior. Almost like how every car buyer thinks they bought the best car at the best price. Much like sports (where kids typically seem to play a sport one of the parent's played) they 'push' their kids down a path similar to theirs. Most have grad school expectations for their kids and save money accordingly (as is obvious from the various college threads). BTW, these are the same parents who scoff at Asians for clamoring over TJ (read the AAP threads) and look down on their "prepping" but have no problem "enriching" their kids and shelling out multiple hundreds per hour for SAT prep (even in this test optional era) and college counselor (who pretty much tells the kids where to apply, what to write about, and writes the essay while making the kid and parent believe they came up with the idea and wrote the essays ).

Anyhoo.. If you want to study a 'hard' subject that gives you a job after an undergrad, go Public or top large private (non-LAC). If you want an undergrad education with plans for immediate grad school (law, medicine, etc.) go (S)LAC. Most are unreasonably expensive for what you get in return but tend to subsidize COA outside the top 10-20, maybe 30.




Wow, you have a LOT of biases built into one response. Maybe look at the ROI data with a more careful lens (e.g., what majors are kids attracted to/capable in, what is your particular funding situation--for many MC folks SLACS are as cheap as in-state, but the level of ROI data provided masks that) and impose fewer biases and maybe you'll get some insight into why people might reasonably make this choice.



+1. Clearly they have had an issue with a SLAC. anyhow, mine taught me to write well and got me into a top 3 law school so I'm perfectly fine with it
Anonymous
Post 06/20/2023 14:45     Subject: What is the appeal of SLACs for non-1%ers?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:SLACs have very low ROI compared to state schools:

https://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-Salaries_for_Colleges_by_Type-sort.html

They seem like a total scam except for the 1%. Much better for your future to go to UMD or Ohio State or Indians or Purdue or VA Tech to study engineering or business while enjoying college sports.

SLACs seem like a waste for all but the wealthy 1%era who don’t have to worry about finding a job after graduation. Many of them don’t have big college sports or Greek Life to generate alumni loyalty. What’s the point of them?


You won't win this argument here. Most parents on here are lawyers or have grad degrees via a liberal arts undergrad route. A lot of them are SAHMs who vehemently support a SLAC education and have the time and energy to rip you apart on this anonymous forum, lest their choices and decisions be deemed inferior. Almost like how every car buyer thinks they bought the best car at the best price. Much like sports (where kids typically seem to play a sport one of the parent's played) they 'push' their kids down a path similar to theirs. Most have grad school expectations for their kids and save money accordingly (as is obvious from the various college threads). BTW, these are the same parents who scoff at Asians for clamoring over TJ (read the AAP threads) and look down on their "prepping" but have no problem "enriching" their kids and shelling out multiple hundreds per hour for SAT prep (even in this test optional era) and college counselor (who pretty much tells the kids where to apply, what to write about, and writes the essay while making the kid and parent believe they came up with the idea and wrote the essays ).

Anyhoo.. If you want to study a 'hard' subject that gives you a job after an undergrad, go Public or top large private (non-LAC). If you want an undergrad education with plans for immediate grad school (law, medicine, etc.) go (S)LAC. Most are unreasonably expensive for what you get in return but tend to subsidize COA outside the top 10-20, maybe 30.




Wow, you have a LOT of biases built into one response. Maybe look at the ROI data with a more careful lens (e.g., what majors are kids attracted to/capable in, what is your particular funding situation--for many MC folks SLACS are as cheap as in-state, but the level of ROI data provided masks that) and impose fewer biases and maybe you'll get some insight into why people might reasonably make this choice.


Most decent SLACs only give out a small amount of merit aid. Getting the total CoA below $30k/year is very difficult unless you’re low-income.

And no doubt about it — being a CS major at UMD is better than being a CS major at Bates, for example.
Anonymous
Post 06/20/2023 13:50     Subject: What is the appeal of SLACs for non-1%ers?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:SLACs have very low ROI compared to state schools:

https://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-Salaries_for_Colleges_by_Type-sort.html

They seem like a total scam except for the 1%. Much better for your future to go to UMD or Ohio State or Indians or Purdue or VA Tech to study engineering or business while enjoying college sports.

SLACs seem like a waste for all but the wealthy 1%era who don’t have to worry about finding a job after graduation. Many of them don’t have big college sports or Greek Life to generate alumni loyalty. What’s the point of them?


You won't win this argument here. Most parents on here are lawyers or have grad degrees via a liberal arts undergrad route. A lot of them are SAHMs who vehemently support a SLAC education and have the time and energy to rip you apart on this anonymous forum, lest their choices and decisions be deemed inferior. Almost like how every car buyer thinks they bought the best car at the best price. Much like sports (where kids typically seem to play a sport one of the parent's played) they 'push' their kids down a path similar to theirs. Most have grad school expectations for their kids and save money accordingly (as is obvious from the various college threads). BTW, these are the same parents who scoff at Asians for clamoring over TJ (read the AAP threads) and look down on their "prepping" but have no problem "enriching" their kids and shelling out multiple hundreds per hour for SAT prep (even in this test optional era) and college counselor (who pretty much tells the kids where to apply, what to write about, and writes the essay while making the kid and parent believe they came up with the idea and wrote the essays ).

Anyhoo.. If you want to study a 'hard' subject that gives you a job after an undergrad, go Public or top large private (non-LAC). If you want an undergrad education with plans for immediate grad school (law, medicine, etc.) go (S)LAC. Most are unreasonably expensive for what you get in return but tend to subsidize COA outside the top 10-20, maybe 30.




Wow, you have a LOT of biases built into one response. Maybe look at the ROI data with a more careful lens (e.g., what majors are kids attracted to/capable in, what is your particular funding situation--for many MC folks SLACS are as cheap as in-state, but the level of ROI data provided masks that) and impose fewer biases and maybe you'll get some insight into why people might reasonably make this choice.
Anonymous
Post 06/20/2023 13:13     Subject: What is the appeal of SLACs for non-1%ers?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I really want to know OPs story. Why such an obsession? OP is relentless in this forum and it is bizarre. It seems rather quixotic to me, especially given that I think OP has managed nothing more than to raise interest in SLACs here on DCUM. People always want to know more about what sets off the crazies.

What is your story OP?


You're not going to get a reply from OP, even on an anonymous board, but here are a few possible reasons:
1) Narrow-mindedness
2) Uneducated, ignorant
3) Unwilling to grow, change mind or to learn something new. Unwillingness to ever admit they may be wrong
4) Envy
5) Mental illness (including obsession, sociopathic. OP may enjoy riling up people on this board and does not mind being insulted)


ouch! SLAC attack! Told ya, OP! SAH SLACists have a lot of time and energy to keep this up!


Seems like PP hit a sore spot!
Anonymous
Post 06/20/2023 13:02     Subject: What is the appeal of SLACs for non-1%ers?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:SLACs have very low ROI compared to state schools:

https://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-Salaries_for_Colleges_by_Type-sort.html

They seem like a total scam except for the 1%. Much better for your future to go to UMD or Ohio State or Indians or Purdue or VA Tech to study engineering or business while enjoying college sports.

SLACs seem like a waste for all but the wealthy 1%era who don’t have to worry about finding a job after graduation. Many of them don’t have big college sports or Greek Life to generate alumni loyalty. What’s the point of them?


Greek Life . . . College Sports . . . Engineering/business/hard sciences . . . all things that would completely turn my kid off of a college.


The notion that SLACs don’t have alumni loyalty because of a lack of Greek life or big sports is stupid. Many SLACs have a very avid alumni base. My SLAC has a great one and I have leaned on the network many times for jobs. Reunions are also a good indicator of alumni loyalty. I have gone to every one. At my 25th reunion, 70% of my class came, that’s huge compared with most schools, esp. big state schools.


Maybe that’s your case. I went to a SLAC ranked currently in the high 20s, and the alumni network has been useless and most don’t come to reunions or city-based alumni meetups.

I will definitely be encouraging my kids to attend a flagship state school with big time college sports. College sports are a good way to connect students with alumni. No such thing exists at SLACs except for being a varsity athlete yourself.


I have several colleagues who went to LACs and even ‘lesser’ Ivy League schools and they are not pleased with their alumni experiences & outcomes at all. Some of them even mentioned that they should have gone to big state schools instead. They don’t feel any connections to their respective alma maters. That’s why bigtime college athletics is so important to many people.

I think prospective students should not solely select schools based on education and expected on-campus experiences but also consider what these schools could do for them in the future (and networking is just one factor here).


A very good indicator of whether alumni feel a strong connection to their respective alma maters is the % who give money to the school (versus just pay lip service to it or buy a sweatshirt). And using that metric, many SLACs do much better than big state schools.


Small private schools need to raise funds to survive; large public universities do not need to do so as they are publicly funded.


LOL. No. I graduated from Michigan (OP's apparent dream school - sports! greek life! large! CS! business! ROI!). A few years ago, it raised over $5 billion in an endowment campaign. FWIW, both of my DC go to SLACs.


LOL ! Yes !

The University of Michigan is an exception due to limited state funding. Read the wikipedia entry on the University of Michigan. The last paragraph under "20th Century" addresses this matter in a concise manner.


https://umdrightnow.umd.edu/university-of-marylands-fearless-ideas-the-campaign-for-maryland-raises-record-1-5b :roll:


Eyeroll all you want. The fact is that the overwhelming majority of private colleges & universities need to raise funds in order to survive; public universities do not. However, public universities have adopted private school fundraising techniques--which is fine although unnecessary unless the state has reduced funding to its public colleges and universities.


A number of states HAVE reduced inflation-adjusted funding for their public universities. And the fact remains that giving $ to one's alma mater is a good indicator of a strong connection with the schools, whether the school "needs" the money or not to remain in existence. Harvard doesn't need a red cent, but alumni donate to it all the time. And many public universities are indeed aggressively reaching out to alumni for money to expand course offerings, fund more scholarships, help build new facilities -- things they want but can't do with state funding alone.
Anonymous
Post 06/20/2023 12:19     Subject: Re:What is the appeal of SLACs for non-1%ers?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Agree that if a student needs hand-holding that a small more intimate atmosphere might be better.


There is a big difference between hand holding and preferring a small school experience. Not everyone likes a 300 person lecture hall for their lower level classes.


Agree. There are differences. No need to exaggerate, however.

There is a big difference between accepting challenges and adopting a willingness to grow both academically and as an individual versus repeating high school in a tiny suffocating environment.


300? Try 700 for many of my intro courses at Big State U. And the sections taught by TA's with really poor English. As a 19 year old literally did not know waht some of them were saying. Now my kid is at a SLAC and the classes are taught by a professor
Anonymous
Post 06/20/2023 12:18     Subject: Re:What is the appeal of SLACs for non-1%ers?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Agree that if a student needs hand-holding that a small more intimate atmosphere might be better.


There is a big difference between hand holding and preferring a small school experience. Not everyone likes a 300 person lecture hall for their lower level classes.


Agree. There are differences. No need to exaggerate, however.

There is a big difference between accepting challenges and adopting a willingness to grow both academically and as an individual versus repeating high school in a tiny suffocating environment.


This is an opinion; not a fact.
Anonymous
Post 06/20/2023 12:12     Subject: Re:What is the appeal of SLACs for non-1%ers?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Agree that if a student needs hand-holding that a small more intimate atmosphere might be better.


There is a big difference between hand holding and preferring a small school experience. Not everyone likes a 300 person lecture hall for their lower level classes.


Agree. There are differences. No need to exaggerate, however.

There is a big difference between accepting challenges and adopting a willingness to grow both academically and as an individual versus repeating high school in a tiny suffocating environment.
Anonymous
Post 06/20/2023 12:10     Subject: Re:What is the appeal of SLACs for non-1%ers?
Anonymous wrote:Agree that if a student needs hand-holding that a small more intimate atmosphere might be better.


It's not about needing "hand holding". It's about being more than just a number in your educational experience. I've seen "go getters/highly motivated" at large State U struggle because it is really hard to get to know profs who don't care about undergrads (and fact is that is most large state U). Having professors who give a damn and actually want to teach undergrads and have them do meaningful research with them and help a struggling student is not "hand holding"---it's doing their job. My kid started research during their freshman year and will have excellent references for Grad school or industry when they graduate. Their professors know them by name, they have meaningful discussions about the research, the coursework, and students futures. College is about much more than just going to a lecture, studying and taking a test. Knowing multiple professors in their major who they can discuss anything with is important. Don't kid yourself, very few kids get that at the large state U. It can happen but it is much harder to do, there are not research positions available for most undergrads, those are reserved for PHD students.