<p>Just want to get some parents opinions about college selection. I will be a hs senior this year. My parents and I have visited Northwestern and U of Chicago. We plan to visit Dartmouth, Middlebury and Bowdoin next month. I am from the midwest and have fairly good academic and ec credentials. </p>
<p>My question is this......all things being equal, is there any advantage or disadvantage with choosing a small eastern liberal arts school (Bowdoin, Middlebury, Amherst) over larger top-ranked schools like Northwestern, Michigan or U of Chicago? I guess I am looking at my marketability after my four years. Would a smaller school have the prestige and clout on a grad school or law school application. </p>
<p>I would appreciate anyone's advice....Thanks!</p>
<p>The LACs you are considering are all prestigious; so you would not be at a disadvantage when applying to grad school or law school.<br>
What you need to consider is fit. Would you do better in a smaller college than a large university such as Michigan or a mid-sized one like Chicago? Would you prefer an open curriculum at Amherst or a core curriculum at Chicago? How about the social scene? location?</p>
<p>You almost certainly will get to know some professors better at a smaller school -- this can help with letters of reference later. I read through a stack of letters of reference recently for a scholarship committee and I could really tell who knew the student well and who really didn't. Some of the strong letters just glowed with cheer and support.<br>
It's important to go where your heart is happy. A happy student tends to weather the adjustments better and get more out of whatever the campus offers.</p>
<p>On the prestige scale, I'd say the schools were fine. While it can be easier to get to know professors at an LAC, you may not have as much choice in courses to take. Some students (not all by any means!) find LACs too confining after a couple of years. It's certainly not impossible to get to know your professors at a bigger school, but it takes more work. It helps if you choose a major in a small department, or sign up for a lot of seminars.</p>
<p>IMO, it will make absolutely no difference to a law or grad school app, except that, depending upon your own personality, it may be slightly easier to get to know profs well at a LAC. However, I think UChicago and Dartmouth are small enough that that's not much of a problem at them. </p>
<p>Where it could make a difference is in job seeking, especially if you plan to live in the Midwest. It's less likely that Midwestern employers will come interview at Bowdoin than that they will interview at UChicago or Northwestern. I don't mean you won't be able to get a job if you choose the LAC--I just mean that it's less likely that it will be fairly easy to do it through on campus interviews. </p>
<p>However, overall, I think the academic and "fit" part of the equation is more important. So, if you feel more comfortable at a small LAC like Bowdoin, don't go to UMichigan just because more Midwestern employers interview there.</p>
<p>I agree with Jonri. On a local basis, you do better with local schools. When I visited Indianapolis a couple of years ago, I noticed that Butler University was a school that was mentioned a number of times, and on a number of resumes. It is held in high regard there. In NY, in my area, few even know where it is or anything about it. On the other hand, there are many in Indy that have never heard of Bowdoin, Williams, and other LACs that are on the top lists here.</p>
<p>D1's bachelor's degree came from one of the top three schools in her subject major in the country, but was out east. We live in the Chicago area. When it came to interviewing, the alumni network was outstanding out east, but no companies from Chicago came to interview on her campus. So she definitely felt at a disadvantage.</p>
<p>However, she attended her first alumni event tonight in our area, so it's not impossible to make those connections. She never really considered staying out east after graduation, so it's been an issue, but she is working two temporary jobs in her field right now while she looks for permanent positions so it's not all that bad.</p>
<p>I really appreciate everyone's thoughts on this topic. I have researched all these schools and I believe each one of them to be a good fit for me...at least on paper. I will know more when I visit next month. Thanks again!</p>
<p>You can easily get to know professors at large schools (even the public ones) also- definitely go with the best fit, not reputation. Apply to at least your state flagship school as a safety. There is a surplus of excellent students out there so all of your private school choices are reaches, no matter what your credentials are. Use your visits to see if you can imagine yourself at each campus during the worst weather... Do not assume you will spend time off campus, presume the campus is where you will be. For example, you may think of all Chicago has to offer, but you will be far too busy too utilize much of it and your daily life will be in the school's neighborhood. If you feel confined/bored/depressed by any campus area with a visit take that into consideration when comparing schools.</p>
<p>If I were from the midwest, and wanted to work in the midwest after graduation, I'd seriously consider attending one of the top universities in the midwest, rather than a small LAC in the East that few in the midwest will even have heard of.</p>
<p>You should check the employee lists of some of the professional firms that post biographies - the larger employers, especially in big cities like Chicago, have employees from all over the country. Many law firms post these biographies - you can also check Martindale Hubbell. Really, you will NOT be at a disadvantage.</p>
<p>I do not think rankings or status should every have more weight than a place that "calls" to you. And what you want to do in 4 years could shift radically if you are having a truly great educational experience. So I'd say visit with a sense of looking for what feels like the best fit, the most congruent community to who you are as you are becoming your own adult self.</p>