<p>I've visited numerous campuses of various sizes and I have to say that, based on my observations while walking around, a school with 2200 or 3000 students DOES feel different than one with 1100 or 1300 students. To me, there seems to be more activity, more people walking around, perhaps more energy at the larger schools. But, as Mini so aptly pointed out, the "feel" isn't that much different between say a school of 1100 and one of 1300, or one of 1900 and one of 2200. His point about class availability and departmental strength is also an important one. Some of the very tiny (less than 1,000) schools may be strong overall, but when you look closely you start to see departments with just two faculty and very limited course offerings each semester. Jump up to 1300, 1400, or 1500 and you start to get more depth and variety to the curriculum.</p>
<p>I thought GoBlue's point about clicking with a D3 coach/team might make a smaller campus more appealing was a very good one--just wish my D had bought into it. She wanted larger schools but to play her sport pushed her to look at D3s. You might consider some of the larger sized D3s (and I hope I get this list sorta correct) like Emory, NYU, Carnegie Mellon, Case Western, Tufts, Johns Hopkins, Ithaca, The College of New Jersey, Salisbury, York, Mary Washington....</p>
<p>An additional selling feature for my son was that the LAC (Kalamazoo College) is located next door to a large state U and is in a mid-sized city, not in the middle of nowhere (like so many others we visited). There's a lot of student activity in the immediate area. If you happen to find a good fit D3 LAC nearby other colleges and not in a tiny town, that helps offset the small size factor, making the school a more appealing option.</p>
<p>Amherst is next to U Mass Amherst. Swarthmore and Haverford aren't all that far from Penn.</p>
<p>If you are paying private pay prices, I gotta admit I am not thrilled that my S at Duke (6000 undergrads and a rather daunting equal amount of grads) is in two classes this semester that have a couple hundred kids in them. We started out attaching to smaller more intimate schools. He had a wonderful "imitation LAC" first semester with Duke's terrific FOCUS program, but I prefer smaller classrooms and so does he. He will get the majority of his education in smaller classes, but he made a trade. He traded for a large Symphony Orchestra, which was not an option at the top LAC he also loved and was thrilled to be admitted to last year. It comes down to making those choices in the spring. Don't fret on choices till they are birds in hand. Do get out and visit and absorb what you can about campus culture this spring. We all enjoyed your Davidson report.<br>
Sometimes you gotta spread the love and make decisions in April when you see what options are actually yours. My S did not "attach" to reach schools and was emotionally invested in his match schools which is what I recommend to all. We went to three Accepted Student days and made a decision I could not have predicted even in February of last year.</p>
<p>A small student body like Davidson's and Swathmore's does not necessarily mean claustrophobic. Each student in schools that selective brings a new world to the student body and in my view..these small LACs offer a group of interesting rugged individual types that often are stimulating and rewarding enough to make up for lack of sheer numbers of people. Relationships with faculty will also spread into personal relationships more numerous times than you can count on in larger schools, so there also are extra people to count In as significant others for your student. wish we could have it all, but that is not possible at most colleges..there are always a few missing ideal things</p>
<p>Excellent post Faline. I think you do a good job of pointing out that schools shouldn't necessarily be ruled in or out because of size right off the bat, because often, even at large schools you can find a more intimate environment and even at small schools you can find more than enough options. </p>
<p>My daughter started off thinking that she wanted a college of 3,000+ Every school that we visited of that size or larger, however, felt too large to her. Gradually, she started looking at smaller schools and will be attending an LAC with 1300 students next year. For her, it is the right decision, based on the things she loves about her similar sized very close=knit high school. As she points out, she's been THERE for 4 years and still has plenty of people she hasn't yet met. </p>
<p>I suspect that my son may go the "larger LAC" route, although, like with his sister, I hope to get him to at least consider a few mid-sized universities too. </p>
<p>The point is: there's a lot of variation out there, both in schools and kids --- so, there really is no "wrong" choice, just different choices for individual tastes and needs.</p>
<p>So which exactly are the "large LACs"? I think my S would do well at one, although, who knows what he thinks yet. I suggested Swarthmore once last year as we were going through this with D and he nixed it then. I just have a theory that a list of larger LACs may come in handy.</p>
<p>BTW, S is quirky on the inside and one of the soccer players who sits in the back of the room making intelligent but smart-a** comments on the outside. Hence my suggestion of Swarthmore and his subsequent nixation....</p>
<p>Alumom, I think I saw you post an interest in your S going to Stanford. He should also consider Pomona, which I consider the serious west coast alternative to Stanford, at least for those who are not Cal Berkeley types.</p>
<p>and then, of course, Rice. It is classified as a Doctorate U - but size and curriculum can be LAC-like.... (unless you are an architect major, music conservatory student). DD is getting a LAC education there, and is very, very happy!</p>
<p>Yes. Pomona and Rice should absolutely be on the list. I'm thinking of driving him to Pomona on the way to visit Granny some time....</p>
<p>I am more familiar with SE schools, so Wake Forest is a large LAC in my mind with a couple/three grad schools (good med school, law school and Div school), and you can either get a preprofessional sort of experience (business track) or go the traditional liberal arts track. It is also sporty..good support for male and female teams. Wake reminds me of Bucknell..although engineering is their hallmark track. Vandy, Emory, Tufts and Duke are sometimes like supersize me LACs but each is colored by graduate schools with strong presences that can both enhance and detract from the undergrad experience. William and Mary reminds me of Rice..feels like a LAC..has a law school but very undergrad focused. University of Mary Washington is a public that feels like a large LAC. Dartmouth is an Ivy that feels like a LAC..very undergrad focused with a couple of grad schools. University of Richmond and Furman are getting to be closer to the 3000 mark and can offer broad curriculums. Some might mention College of Charleston or the enclave that is UNC Asheville for other large small colleges in the SE.</p>
<p>Off the bat, Alumother, I can think of Wesleyan, Vassar, and Colgate as larger LACs. Williams is close, too.</p>
<p>"He should also consider Pomona, which I consider the serious west coast alternative to Stanford, at least for those who are not Cal Berkeley types."</p>
<p>This statement could be interpreted in several different ways. Are we talking about the different size between Pomona and Cal? About the different student body? About the political affiliations? FWIW, many people consider that Stanford and Cal do overlap quite a bit. The same could be said about Cal and Berkeley. Would anyone consider that Stanford is to be compared to Swarthmore, the school that most would compare to Pomona? </p>
<p>Finding the exact nature of the commonalities is as hard as finding the differences'.</p>
<p>Oberlin is another larger LAC (around 2800, including the Conservatory, about the same as Wesleyan and Vassar). Williams is 2150.</p>
<p>3454 Bucknell
3046 St. Olaf College</p>
<p>2976 University of Richmond
2824 Colgate University
2807 Furman University
2807 Oberlin
2777 Wesleyan
2745 College of the Holy Cross
2692 Smith
2637 Skidmore
2577 Gustavus Adolphus College</p>
<p>2475 Vassar College
2466 Gettysburg
2446 Muhlenberg
2439 Wheaton College
2391 DePauw
2357 Middlebury College
2321 Dickinson College
2317 Trinity
2303 Lafayette
2289 Wellesley
2287 Barnard
2229 Denison
2192 Union College
2186 Spelman College
2143 Mount Holyoke College
2133 St. Lawrence University
2118 Illinois Wesleyan University
2011 Colorado College</p>
<p>1991 Williams
1977 Willamette University
1972 Franklin and Marshall
1951 Carleton
1900 Macalester College
1895 St. John's University
1894 Connecticut College
1866 Occidental
1866 Occidental
1839 Hobart and William Smith
1827 College of Wooster
1821 Colby College
1792 Hamilton College
1760 Washington and Lee
1743 Bates
1714 Davidson College
1677 Bowdoin
1638 Amherst
1634 Kenyon College
1629 Drew University
1615 Rhodes
1556 Grinnell
1544 Bard
1538 Wheaton College MA</p>
<p>1499 Ursinus College
1481 Whitman
1474 Swarthmore
1389 Beloit College
1385 Sewanee
1380 Lawrence
1327 Bryn Mawr College
1312 Reed
1288 Austin College
1276 Southwestern
1260 Sarah Lawrence
1234 Kalamazoo
1205 Knox College
1190 Earlham
1172 Haverford College
1161 Wofford College
1124 Claremont McKenna College
1069 Centre
1042 Hendrix </p>
<p>973 Agnes Scott College
927 Pitzer College
853 Wabash
822 Scripps
762 Mills College
728 Sweet Briar
721 Harvey Mudd College</p>
<p>Check out the Claremont Colleges, especially Pomona (a little biased, they are all good) It offers the best of both worlds , the benefits of a small LAC with the resources and social life of a mid-sized college</p>
<p>OOPS, sorry can you tell I skimmed and did not read every post?!</p>
<p>xiggi, I don't understand your position. The point was that, among west coast schools, two interesting overlaps are Stanford-Pomona and Stanford-Cal Berkeley. Do you disagree with that?</p>
<p>AS one factor, suggest looking at the courses actually being offered this semester in departments of interest. At some point, a small number of students might adversely affect # of available courses. This can make a real difference in junior & senior years, as one's actual field and sub-fields of interest become more defined.</p>
<p>YOu might find that you've become interested in sub-area X, but the two professors in your department happen to not do that sub-area, and they offer no courses in it, or only one every other year. This has happened to others of my acquaintance. It is a generic issue with LACs, but it is an issue where size probably matters. Suggest look.</p>
<p>Holy Cross, Bucknell, and Colgate all above 2700 students have a big LAC feel not only due to enrollment but also Division 1 sports scene. HC and Colgate have strong athletic relations with the Ivies. These 3 schools also schedule athletic powers Duke, Notre Dame, UConn on their olympic sport scedules(Lax, hockey, soccer, etc.)</p>