<p>i am planning to apply for genetics. vassar and middlebury are my second choices after hopkins, from where i just got deferred. could someone tell me what the difference is b/w an LAC and a university. can i still get a specialized graduate degree from an LAC just like froma university.</p>
<p>Major differences from a biased Vassar acceptee:</p>
<p>At a big university, it is easy to get lost in the crowd; at a small LAC, you will recognize some people as you walk by them. At a big university, you will be taught by (oftentimes) incompetent TAs or graduate students; in small LACs, you will usually never see a graduate student or TA. At a big university, you will often sit in huge lecture halls with 200+ (sometimes even 800) people; at a small LAC, you will RARELY (if ever) have a class with more than 100 people. At a big university, the professor will not know who you are most of the time; at an LAC, the professor will know your name after a couple weeks at the most. At a big university, there is usually less of a focus on the undergraduates and more of a focus on research; at an LAC, the school is devoted to its undergraduates and providing as many opportunities for them as possible.</p>
<p>If you are a student who wishes to get lost in a crowd and rarely get to know your professors, go to a big university. If you are the type who wants to be known, be seen, and be heard; and the type of student who wants a more interactive (rather than passive) learning experience, go to an LAC.</p>
<p>About getting a graduate degree from small LACs like Vassar or Middlebury, you can't. Some "LACs" have graduate programs (e.g. Wesleyan, Colgate, etc.). However, if you do well in a school like Vassar or Middlebury, you are an EXTREMELY competitive applicant for any graduate program at any university in the country (and out of the country). Take your pick...</p>
<p>of course not all universities fit this model... and the advantage of universities is usually that they have far more resources for research, extracuricular stuff, etc.</p>
<p>uh.., US news and world report defines a LAC as colleges that "emphasize undergraduate education and award at least half of their degrees in the liberal arts [...]"</p>
<p>National univerisites " offer a wide range of undergraduate majors as well as master's and doctoral degrees; many strongly emphasize research."</p>
<p>um.. yea but going to vassar or middlebury will be good names on applications to grad school.</p>
<p>As far as getting the best education, liberal arts colleges probably have more to offer because of more indvidual attention/class discussion, but some disadvantages are that, depending on the type of person you are, you mgiht want more variety as far as the different people around you, in addition to amount of resources, both academic and extracurricular, as people have previously mentioned. For example, you'll definitely have more extensive library facilities if you choose to go to harvard or yale. Also, if you are the type that cares about the prestige of your college, research universities are bigger, have graduate/law/medical/business schools that garner much attention and have produced more alumni, and therefore, will be more well known than a small college of around ~2,300 students. However, prestige should not play that great of a role in the descision process. Basically, it just depends on how you envsion your undergradute experience to be.</p>