<p>They seem like stuffy, hyped-up artsy schools where people end up paying $40k a year only to later become a Starbucks barista. Besides, "Swarthmore" sounds like a disease. </p>
<p>Surely I'm not the only one, right? Enlighten me.</p>
<p>to me, what you've said is far from the truth. LACs are great schools for people who look for a community setting and a broad education. liberal arts is not only where 'artsy' people go who have no idea what they want to do in life. not only do many liberal arts students matriculate to prestigious graduate schools (especially from top LACs such as swarthmore), but many go straight into the workforce. i know liberal arts majors who have become financial analysts with six figure salaries without continuing on to graduate school. remember that harvard, yale, columbia, and every single prestigious school you can think of also offer liberal arts education. i know several close friends who will attend or who are attending liberal arts schools and they love it. the community is very noncompetitive -- a great place for people who just love to learn. they found it very easy to find close friends and they find the community very close and hospitable. also, williams, amherst and other liberal arts schools offer great financial aid packages that make them very affordable. everyone is entitled to their own opinions but i think you are turned off by LACs becuase you are uninformed about them. just my two cents (:</p>
<p>Stuffy?? Artsy?? Are you kidding me? You couldn't be more wrong about LAC's. My entire college list consists of LAC's and I love them. They're not stuffy, they're like a community. You actually get o know your teachers and your classmates. And there are many driven, hardworking people who know what they want to do with their lives and also like college for the sake of learning. Williams, one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country couldn't be farther from stuffy or artsy. The people are very down to earth and sports-outdoors oriented. LAC's contain all kinds of people and I think you're missing out by not understanding how great they really are.</p>
<p>A liberal arts education is a great way to explore your varied interest and turn them into something you'd love to persue after college...even if it does include being a "Starbucks barista." You'd be lucky to go to a school like Swarthmore because of the amazing classes, profs and people that you can find there. A bit of research would do you good and who knows, maybe you'll consider attending a LAC?</p>
<p>Ummm, well you're certainly in a minority among smart people I know. LACs are where profs really teach you, where you actually get to know the people in your class, where intellectual dialogue is possible because there are fewer than 100 people in every class. Stuffy????????????? I would try to enlighten you, but I'm wondering what it would take.</p>
<p>You know I dont necessarily think LAC's are bad, but they are just not for me. The thing about me is I would not necessarily enjoy such a community setting, im extremely individualistic in nature and would not really like to know my profs personally. More or less I like having a lot of options and I like the option of having a lot of people to meet, rather than just a small set of kids. LAC's are for a certain type of intellectual and I totally respect that. I however just need something different.</p>
<p>I think some of you came down on the original poster too much... a respectful tone would prove your point just as well.</p>
<p>I understand the many advantages of LAC's, but unfortunately they are not well recognized by people outside USA. Swarthmore, Amherst and Williams are all hardly recognized by non-Americans, even in the upper class. Therefore, if you are planning to live international, an LAC degree may not help you much. I believe that people recognized prestigious universities rather than LAC's simply due to the existence of research facilities and world-famous professors in research universities.</p>
<p>There are pros and cons to LACs and universities. I just wish more people knew about what LACs have to offer rather than blindly going to a large public university.</p>
<p>KAZtro, Just who are these "people" that don't recognize AWS and why should you care? AWS (and many, many other LACs) have wonderful career placement offices and aggressive and supportive alumni/ae networks all over the world. This is what gets you ahead in international business, the diplomatic corps or non-profit foundations, NOT the opinion of the wo/man on the street. Believe me, the people doing the hiring have heard of AWS!</p>
<p>I went to a BIG university (UMich) and my son goes to a small LAC (Williams). From experience I would say that there are many reasons for an individual to chose one over the other. However, related career or graduate school opportunities to name recognition isn't a valid reason.</p>
<p>Calm down, Dartmouther Suze. :)</p>
<p>Momrath is an adult and a parent. How can she not be defensive when people accused LACs of being "stuffy?" Honestly, I laughed for about 2 minutes after I read that.</p>
<p>My sister is going to Williams and it's a wonderful school, but momrath is a little over enthusiastic is suggesting it to half the people on this board! I'm calm, just don't think it needs defending!!</p>
<p>True. (10 characters)</p>
<p>Just to clarify my intention behind the post, I am by no means trying to degrade LAC's or anything. I recognize LAC's unique aspects and many advantages over large research universities. </p>
<p>I simply cited the fact that not many people outside USA have heard the names of the top LAC's. This is not just an arbitrary remark but based on my international experience of having lived in Japan, China, and Switzerland. In addition, I have been at the international school in Switzerland, which mainly consists of students from extremely diverse racial and cultural backgrounds. Having made friends with these people and talked to their parents, I felt that most non-American people have never heard of the excellent LAC's. </p>
<p>I believe that people in the "know" field, which momrath has refered to do recognize the excellence of LAC's. I think that is true. However, it is also a solid fact I have observed over many years of international experience that unfortunately the names of the prestigious LAC's in USA are hardly known by people, even the educated ones ouside USA. </p>
<p>To further clarify my point, it is not only the LAC's that are not well recognized by non-Americans. I have met many Europeans in the supposedly "know" field, who have never heard of Caltech or Dartmouth. My grandparents didn't even know Stanford! When talking about non-American people's knowledge of American universities, it really comes down to Harvard. Harvard is the only American university that virtually "everyone" ouside USA recognizes. So, I guess these people's perceptions of American universities are nothing that important. </p>
<p>To emphasize my intention, I am not making an attempt to criticize the top LAC's. Rather I am focusing on the situation ouside USA, which unfortunately does not give fair or accurate judgement on the "presitige" of universities. Therefore, the message I tried to get across was that people outside USA are ignorant about American universities and American people may have hard time accepting the fact that the univeristies they proudly graduated from are not recognized abroad.</p>
<p>KAZ, I didn't interpret your comments as being anti-LAC. I just wanted to clarify that name recognition in the general population is not necessarily connected to success in an international business or organization. You're right if universal prestige is your number one criterion, then your choices are sorely limited. :)</p>
<p>haha
LACs can be good schools.
But I want a large, impersonal university. I want to know most of my friends through camera phone pictures taken at frat parties and Facebook.
Mostly because I want good sports, good social life, and more major choices.</p>
<p>'I simply cited the fact that not many people outside USA have heard the names of the top LAC's.'</p>
<p>I disagree. I live in Nepal and I find most of the people who are interested in US education have definately heard about top liberal arts colleges like Williams and Amherst. And about a thousand aspirants compete fiercely every year. and the numbers are growing astronomically. 68 Nepalese applied to Bates College last year. And thats only in Nepal.</p>
<p>I agree with momrath to a point. One should not chose a school purely for recognition purposes, although if one is an international student and is intent to leave the US and work back home immediately upon graduation, LACs are not a good choice. Most highly educated people outside the US have never heard of Pomona, Carleton, Bowdown, Haverford, Oberlin, Grinnell etc... I would say that Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore and maybe Wellesley and Wesleyan are the exception. </p>
<p>But one must chose a university based on what one wants. For example, I wanted variety, diversity, graduate level classes in my major, cutting edge and up to date applications and theories and school spirit. Also, I knew I wanted to work in Europe or the Middle East right upon graduating from college, so I wanted a university that was well recognized internationally. Given my needs, I knew I had to go to a major research university to get what I wanted. Some students want a close-knit environment, close contact with professors and personalized attention. To them, LACs are perfect. It is all about fit.</p>
<p>I think Wellseley is the only LAC that I heard recognition for on the international level. My cousins in South America think Wellseley is only for the elite women where they dine in palaces, have tea parties, and learn to conquer the world, LOL</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
My grandparents didn't even know Stanford!
[/QUOTE]
Your grandparents don't know heaven on earth?!! Dishonor, dishonor on your family, dishonor on your cows, dishonor on your chickens... :)</p>
<p>you said your sister goes to williams. what does she think of it? is it really that sports-oriented? i don't like sports at all myself.. i just like going to the gym on my own time. would i feel out of the loop there? any info you know about the school would be really appreciated. i plan to visit there soon but i'd love to hear what you think about the student body or the school in general.</p>
<p>i think KAZ made a great point. its true that many liberal arts colleges aren't well known outside of the US because major universities gain prestige in foreign countries through their research. although some LACs do conduct research it is usually not to the level that major universities do.</p>