<p>So I know this depends some on the department, but one professor gave me the model that the top LACs were firstly Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, and then Wesleyan and Haverford, and the next 10-12 (Smith, Wellesley, Davidson, Grinnell, etc. etc.) were all comparable. Before his statement I had been under the impression that a few others (Carleton and Bowdoin, for instance) would rank more in this Haverford top category. Some people have tried to say Reed should be one of the top few. If you were ranking colleges in terms of academic excellence and rigor as offered by the typical class/professor, and also reputation, how would you decide which schools are comparable? I am interested particularly in Biology and Political Science, if it means anything...</p>
<p>Telling the quality of students is somewhat easy (because of admissions statistics), but how can you tell the quality of faculty? And what exactly do PhD production statistics mean, anyway? (the same professor responsible for the above list of "top" LACs said he had not been very impressed with Oberlin, which is a top producer of PhDs in many fields)</p>
<p>If we were judging by admissioins to most competitive professional schools, you would have in order: Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Haverford, Bowdoin, and then Wesleyan quite a bit below. What does this all mean?</p>
<p>escape, what it means is that you can analyze six ways from Sunday till the cows come home and still not have a reliable "best" list. </p>
<p>For every student there are hundreds of good colleges and dozens of excellent ones. Many kids who graduate from every single college on USNWR's LAC list end up healthy wealthy and wise and some fail to succeed even though they matriculate at the top of the top.</p>
<p>Colleges, especially LACs, have distinctive personalities. If you try to jam a square peg college into your round hole personality or learning style you are not going to do as well as you might at one that fits YOU. </p>
<p>momrath is right. If you are looking for an LAC rather than a large university, consider those where your grades and test scores place you within the likely admissions statistics and then look carefully at course offerings in your fields of interest and the type of social atmosphere on campus. You want a college where you are challenged to do your best and feel happy to be part of the community. The difference between Williams, Oberlin or Reed is much more a matter of personal taste than of absolute quantifiable quality. People from all the top 50 LACs show up significantly at prestigious graduate and professional schools. You also cannot predict in advance what one or two professors may have a significant influence on your academic and professional development. Develop your potential, do good work and success will follow. The point is to enjoy your education and show what you are capable of.</p>
<p>Ecape, I've been following your progress in attempting to choose a transfer school for some time, now. You have managed to get into and attend for short times, two of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the country (Chicago and Smith.) I think you've stayed overnight at Swarthmore at least once, and Wesleyan twice, by my count. You've generated more threads in the last six months than some people who've been here for years. Now, you're going back to the same old formulas that were right there in front of you even before you started. I think you may be suffering from information overload.</p>
<p>What the other posters have said seems accurate and perceptive to me. The difference in measurable academic quality is slight among many "top" schools; personality, location, and campus ambience are generally the key at LACs. When you start to try to gauge absolute quality it becomes a "how many angels can dance on the head of a pin" kind of discussion, sort of pointless and ultimately unproductive.</p>
<p>Regarding Oberlin, I can tell you that before my daughter accepted admission I contacted a prof there who I knew personally, from "the old days". I asked him whether the kids there were admitted to the graduate programs they deserved to be admitted to. He emphatically asssured me that this was the case.</p>
<p>Maybe they didn't impress YOUR Prof, but MY prof satisfied me, at least. The rest is up to her/you, of course.</p>
<p>Political Science courses/profs have been very good. Biology is reputed to be good as well, but she hasn't taken any bio courses</p>