<p>Doesn’t an LAC actually provide a superior education to undergraduates because of the smaller class sizes and their focus on undergraduates? I myself attended “Huge U”, and the overcrowded 500+ student lecture halls and TAs (or worse - teaching by video, ew!) were not a great experience. </p>
<p>Shouldn’t we do our best to dissuade, from an educational standpoint, our darling BS students away from the large universities for their undergraduate work? Or do you rather think that because they have gotten such a good grounding in general at BS, they will be just fine and manage to get a superior education wherever they choose?</p>
<p>The size of the U does not determine the quality of the education. The largest U ChoatieKid is considering will most likely provide the best education.</p>
<p>I see RuralMama’s point, however I think there is a big difference between a University that has 15,000 students and one with 35,000+ students. I know my own child is looking for a “bigger” experience but would have to agree that she would not want 500 in a class or instruction via video. I think they are indeed somewhat spoiled by the personalized attention they get at BS.</p>
<p>Again, from a survey of 1: yes I took a few of the mega-surveys, but I was also not afraid to jump into a 300 level majors seminar as a freshman, which is where I met my eventual major and honors thesis advisor, who recognized the maturity of my analysis in his class. He steered me to other full tenured professors in the department who also became my advocates, invited me to numerous social events in his home, and wrote me instrumental recommendations for early jobs and top graduate programs. None of this could possibly be bested (equalled, sure, but not bested) in a LAC environment, but it never would have happened for me in research university land were it not for the confidence & skill set developed in the boarding school years earlier.</p>
<p>@RuralMama: I think you have to work a bit harder as a student at the bigger schools to have the meaningful relationships/experiences that make college a transformative experience. But they are there to be had.</p>
<p>For example, I had a very good relationship with one of the “big name” intro to marketing professors. Again, in a big lecture hall (500+ people?)…but I’d often make time to walk with professor back to his office. I learned a ton in those walks. Oddly enough my TA for that particular class ended up being a client a few years later…small world.</p>
<p>Another example of how to get a “small school” experience at a large school is by picking the right classes. My junior year, I took a small seminar taught by a leading name in urban education…in contrast to the large lecture course I mention above, this was a class of about 12…and we each did ethnographic research at a variety of Philly schools. Amazing experience.</p>
<p>I happen to think that the mid sized undergraduate colleges of some best research universities are perfect next stops for kids who have done well in a larger boarding school. A typical LAC might be too underwhelming to them. But if you believe a LAC is better for your kid, you should feel free to present your arguments and try to influence them. IMO, parents here know a great deal about schools and education in general, and you know your kids. Frankly, I think you might be in a better position than your kid to know what’s best for them! Of course, I am not suggesting you to take control (well good luck with that anyway) but you can provide them very useful advice.</p>
<p>Also, some large universities have residential colleges that give students a LAC-like feel while providing the resources of a big school. I spent four years living in the residential college dorm at the University of Michigan and, though not enrolled in the RC, took many classes right where I lived. Also, in those four years, I had only two courses auditorium-style; most of my classes had fewer than thirty students and some of my upper level courses had fewer than ten. Anecdotal, yes, but my point is that you shouldn’t dismiss a great university based solely on its size. OTOH, I’m trying to get CK not to dismiss LACs solely on their size, either. But, good luck with that.</p>
<p>Coming out of boarding school I did feel that LACs would be more of the same, but I felt the same about northeastern Ivies as well. When I visited schools like Yale I felt like I already knew half the people there So I took myself off to the west coast instead, which really felt like a change and a new experience. </p>
<p>DD is just starting her sophomore year at BS but it already seems clear that she’s going to gravitate toward an urban setting for college.</p>
<p>friendlymom, I think the <em>purpose</em> here is not to look for something drastically different from boarding school. The LAC model boarding schools adopt is a good one, one kids should continue on in their undergraduate years. The idea is to find a place just as great as their BS but with something additional to offer, both academically and socially so kids from BS can continue to develop and grow. In that sense, it’s not that LACs are not good but they are just too similar to some BS. If one truly wants something different, maybe try a pre-professional school such as engineering in a big public university? I suppose that’d be a very different scene than the traditional boarding schools.</p>
<p>@friendlymom, My D13 had a lot of west coast schools on her list last year for that exact same reason. She really struggled to keep any of the smaller northeast schools on her final list. In the end she chose NYU and is happy with a large urban school.</p>
<p>Interesting discussion. Here are a couple of reports from D who graduated in 2013 from a BS of 800, and who is now 2017 at a 4000 student LAC. </p>
<p>Even a small LAC is different from BS - more freedom, more responsibility for your own time management, less structure. She is loving the expanded horizons.<br>
Atmosphere means a lot - if you want to party, don’t go to a non-party school, and visa versa even more so (she picked a dry, which really means “damp” college, and likes the resulting atmosphere).<br>
Pick a place that has the academics you want, don’t compromise if you don’t have to.<br>
There is a social life where you find it.<br>
30 minutes away from a large city is a 30 minute bus ride. </p>
<p>What we saw as she went through college application processes - the most interesting large schools were those who broke the immense student body into smaller communities - Check out Southern Illinois University (I may be garbleing the name) - very clear in the marketing materials that they are trying to give a student the best of both worlds - big school opportunities, small school community. My nephew toured University of Colorado at Boulder for engineering - same plan. </p>
<p>Rambling a bit here, but really liked the thoughts on this thread, so wanted to jump in.</p>
<p>Regarding the posts about Andover’s matriculation: one or two colleges will be particularly fashionable for a few years, then another college will become popular. When I was there, besides the perennial favorites Harvard and Yale, it seemed that everyone wanted to go to Georgetown or Brown. For example, very few students went to Johns Hopkins but it seems that JHU has been quite popular during the past decade or so.</p>
<p>As far as LACs go, many students do feel that they are very similar to PA. In some cases that makes them more attractive, while in others it’s a turn-off. In my case, while Andover was the best experience of my lfe, I wanted a different experience, and wss therefore more interested in looking at larger universities. Ironically, I ended up at an LAC (Barnard), even though its connection to Columbia and its location in NYC gives it more of a university feel.</p>
<p>While Andover does send the majority of its students to top tier colleges and universities, it is by no means guaranteed that a student will get in to one of these schooks. Just as is the case anywhere else, one has to have top grades, excellent SAT scores and a strong list of extracurricular activities in order to get in to HYPMS. On the other hand, not all students WANT to go to one of these schools. The college counseling office is very good at introducing students to alternative choices, which is how I found out about Barnard.</p>
<p>While LACs are similar in many ways to BS, for my D the differences are still substantial and positive. She attended an urban NE BS and is now attending a Midwest LAC. Her father and I really pushed LACs for reasons already mentioned here…small class sizes, professors dedicated to teaching (as opposed to research) and no commitment to major before Junior year. The LAC experience has been very different from BS in several ways:</p>
<p>1) BSs are very structured and strict. Student time is very managed and controlled. College, probably anywhere, is the opposite. My D is loving the freedom, but it was a big adjustment. BS gave her excellent time management skills, in addition to academic prep, so the transition seems to be easier for her than many LAC classmates.<br>
2) The SES range, at her school anyway, is much larger. There are still wealthy full pays, but there are many more on FA and it makes the environment less, well, materialistic.<br>
3) Same increase in range goes for academics (private/public).
3) Class discussions, which include a broader age and ability range, are more interesting.
4) Social life, which also is more inclusive of age range, offers new challenges.
5) The shift in geographic and population density location is a welcome change.</p>
<p>We weren’t worried about BS and LAC being too similar, and it’s a moot point now. I can see where the concern about BS being too similar to the LAC experience lies, and with kid2 this may be more of an issue. So like most things it depends on the kid. Still, transitioning from BS to LAC has been a big deal - albeit a positive one so far.</p>
<p>Welcome to the forum, agentwood! I agree with you that some colleges are just more popular than others for students in certain boarding schools, which change with time and is not necessarily related to the prestige of the colleges. For example, Brown used to be highly pursued after, but it seems Columbia is taking a leading position quickly in recent years. Princeton, the #1 ranked university, has never been as much a favorite as say HY for Andover students. Georgetown, on the other hand, has always been popular even though the actual number of students matriculting there fluctuates from year to year. To put it in context, the colleges with most Andover students matriculated for the past three years (culmulative) are Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Penn, Cornell, Stanford and Georgetown.</p>
<p>Lol, during S2’s tour of prep schools, when we drove past the highway sign that read ‘Wesleyan’, I thought of this thread and muttered ‘Choate North’</p>
<p>Well my child is taking it one step further. Not only does this child want a much larger university (which is fine with us), but also feels that 4 years of dorm living and cafeteria food at BS is enough. Already negotiating for off campus housing within walking distance to whatever university she ends up going to. She loves her friends but really craves some private space to call her own. This year she totally lucked out and snagged a single room and I am hoping she will agree to at least one or two years on campus for college.</p>
<p>^^^That, dorm living and cafeteria food, seems to be the bigger issue from personal experience, than small LAC vs. larger university. Living in dorms and eating institutional food gets old, especially when it can be a step down in quality from the BS experience.</p>
<p>Late to the party, but here’s another sample size of 1 …</p>
<p>My son started attending a small (~225-student) New England boarding school last year, and threatens to graduate this year. He’s got respectable test scores (79th-99th percentile) but a <3.0 GPA. The discrepancy prompted us to have him attend boarding school for the latter high school years.</p>
<p>His mom & I think that a(n) LAC would be the best place for him to continue his studies, and have toured over 15 schools with him, all being 1900-2400 student LACs, except for two public in-state universities with 7,500 & 20K+ students</p>
<p>A months or two ago, he asked me about larger colleges. I said if he wants that, it’s fine, but suggested that at the undergraduate level, at any reasonably selective large school to which he could realistically expect admission, the education received would be fundamentally the same, and suggested that, for the money, it didn’t make sense to pay more than in-state or Canadian rates (he’s got dual citizenship). He agreed. His application pool will likely include 3-4 large universities and 8-10 LACs. (Yes, that’s a large list, but his ‘colorful’ academic background precludes many admission assumptions, upward trend notwithstanding.)</p>
<p>All that said, he’s going to have several good options (3 LAC acceptances thus far, both in the U.S. and Canada), but he’s not pursued the ‘large-school initiative’ further.</p>
So I took myself off to the west coast instead, which really felt like a change and a new experience. </p>