<p>During July, I went on a tour at Skidmore. Of course, the campus is beautiful, the cafeteria is terrific (really, I can see where a good chunk of that annual 50k goes), and I love the town, but in hindsight I feel I was blinded by these non-academic aspects of Skidmore. I was definitely intrigued by the new music building going up, as I'm interested in pursuing performance art, but I didn't get a great sense of the other academic facilities besides those used for the arts. On the other tours I've done, I noticed the colleges tried to overshadow their respective weaknesses. As a person who wants to study a variety of subjects, I'm worried that Skidmore's only really good offers are their arts classes and a nice place to live.</p>
<p>Does anyone have any thoughts? Care to reassure me--or steer me away?</p>
<p>Sure, this is an easy one. The first thing you should know is that Skidmore was named one of the “new Ivies” due to their academics. While the campus is gorgeous, the cafeteria is incredible, academics are the bread and butter of Skidmore. Students are encouraged to take a wide variety of courses while there. It is possible and encouraged to get a double major. Also, more than half of the students spend time abroad at some point in their years at Skidmore. In this time of a changing economy, I feel it is essential that students get a liberal arts education to prepare them for an unknown future. I feel Skidmore is exactly the place for that preparation.</p>
<p>I know you have to be joking! Haverford ahead of Swarthmore, Amherst and Williams? That list is a complete joke, maybe that is why no one pays attention to it. Really Bryn Mawr College #1 and Wells College #30? Not sure how they made it, but not a really good look at Liberal Arts Colleges! Skidmore continues to move up everyone else’s lists.</p>
<p>Washington Monthly’s college rankings of LACs is interesting ([Washington</a> Monthly](<a href=“http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/rankings/liberal_arts_rank.php]Washington”>http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/rankings/liberal_arts_rank.php)). Many of the highest-ranking colleges are on all the other top lists, but there are some very odd outliers, such as Skidmore, which comes in at #124. If you examine the criteria, they are based on, you will see that they, “…rate schools based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories: Social Mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), Research (producing cutting-edge scholarship and PhDs), and Service (encouraging students to give something back to their country).” While those may be admirable qualities, it is important to realize that you may not be using similar criteria when you choose a college for yourself or your child. </p>
<p>Keep in mind that Washington Monthly has a social agenda. I happen to like their agenda, but it doesn’t necessarily make them good arbiters of where to get the best liberal arts education.</p>
<p>The Washington Monthly notes that women’s schools do well, perhaps because of the service and social mobility ranking. Personally, the research ranking carries a lot of weight with me: it is an indicator of whether faculty members can communicate their passion for a subject well enough to engage the next generation of scholars.</p>
<p>I guess I looked at last year’s but it begs the question, how did Wells go from 30 to 150? And, how is Haverford ahead of Swarthmore? I just don’t think it is a good look. I will stick with Skidmore is world class education at a world class college.</p>
<p>To answer CDx3’s question regarding Haverford and the academic experience… it has to do with the fact that HC is in a real consortium while SC is not.</p>
<p>Also, academic opportunities depend greatly on location. HC and SC because of their location in the northeast corridor (DC to NYC to Boston) allow many visiting scholars, diplomats, activists, performers to visit campus and enhance the learning taught in the classroom. This make for a more dynamic experience. Students apply their book learning to current events and hear other perspectives beyond the immediate faculty. It’s much more difficult to attract these visitors to the same degree if your campus is in a remote location and snowed in over the winter and early spring. That’s why it can be reasoned that HC may provide for a “better” academic experience in this way than more remote LACs with perhaps more play/buzz on a site like CC. </p>
<p>To the initial poster, as CDx3 has pointed out, Skidmore is a “world class” place along with perhaps 50 or so other colleges. As such, no student will be able to tap into all the resources of such a place in 3-4 years, depending on if you study abroad. In my experience, what allows one to maximize the potential of a college experience among great schools is fit. If you are happy, then you will try your best and be the most motivated. Make sure you click with the student body, that the departments you are most interested in are strongish (look at the course offerings, their visiting speaker series, talk to majors), and that the location appeals to you for the reasons you feel are important.</p>