<p>Again, it depends a lot on major. I know one top econ faculty member, sort of, even though I’m not an ec major, but I don’t think there’s a ton of individual attention in economics in general. (He did a better job recognizing me after I drastically changed my hair over the summer than most of my friends did, which was nice but a little weird.) My impression is that economics is our worst department by that metric, but even there upper-level concentrators can get to know professors if they want. I think the economics professors make a bit less effort because their concentration does draw a lot of kids who are not all that excited to be there, but they’re pleased when students do. If you’re in a smaller field, you’ll probably get significant attention: the professors of three out of my four classes last year had the class for dinner at their house/the class prepared a meal of the culture we were studying in a dhall kitchen. The fourth class was a science distribution requirement. Personally, I’ve been very lucky to have found an unofficial faculty mentor already, who is a leader in his field (…which like 5 people study in the country, admittedly. Worldwide total is maybe 13.), so individual attention happens.</p>
The first and foremost determining factor would be which schools actually accept you. The second would be whether or not the financials work for you. As an international who needs financial aid, you should apply widely and defer the analysis until you have a realistic set of options.</p>
<p>
Ask your parents to use an on-line calculator to determine how much need based aid you would be eligible for. This would be the maximum, and as an international you may or may not get that much. If that works for you, then apply to schools that have need based aid. If you are accepted, the school will do its best to find the money for you (within the confines of your estimated family contribution, EFC). But first you have to get accepted.</p>
<p>If the EFC doesn’t work for you then you need to look at schools that are merit aid based which is a completely different list.</p>
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Williams and other similar schools have a long list of approved programs – all over the world. They don’t administer the programs, but they allow their students to attend, give credit and continue financial aid. Most LACs also have their own study abroad program, sometimes open to other colleges, sometimes not. For example, Williams’ is at Oxford.
[Approved</a> Foreign Study Programs | Dean of the College](<a href=“http://dean.williams.edu/?page_id=815]Approved”>http://dean.williams.edu/?page_id=815)</p>
Those students who applied to both Harvard and ___ were probably applying to ____ as a backup. My son had Ivy league stats but didn’t WANT to go there, so never applied - most schools he applied to were smaller. In his case, he applied to the larger schools as backups to his favorite. As above, he never will know if he could have been a contender. However, he did get accepted to a more famous (and slightly cheaper) school than the one he ended up attending. He chose for class size, lecture quality, personal attention, and no competition from grad students for research - over - prestige and better-funded research, most other things being essentially equal.</p>
<p>Our 2 Ds at Harvard have both had small classes - some under 10 - and have had close relationships with faculty. When the live-in faculty headmaster of D1’s residential House retired, she traded a Nobel Prize winner for a member of Time’s 100 Most Influential People. A year and a half out of school, she’s still a Facebook friend with the latter. Class sizes may vary dramatically by major, but D1 only had a couple of very large lecture classes in the second-largest major on campus. D2 has one of the smallest majors on campus and has never had a large class. After 6 years as Harvard parents, we’ve found just about all of the off-putting Harvard stereotypes to be inaccurate.</p>
<p>^^The most persistent complaint I’ve heard about Harvard over the years are its facilities. The main Cambridge campus is over-built with a decided tilt toward faculty research which means, the classrooms, labs and faculty offices are modern and up-to-date, but, that unless you’re a member of The Crimson or perhaps a half-dozen other well-established student groups, you most likely will have to meet in someone’s dorm room if you are trying to get something new off the ground. Friends visiting Wesleyan have marveled at the amount of meeting, practice and rehearsal space available all over campus.</p>
<p>^^ Ditto the ease of reserving/using the space when there is a small, centralized authority. When the Veritones went to LACs for concerts (Skidmore, Colby, etc.), frequently the host group was able to reserve a couple of dorm living rooms for us to stay in and gave us passes to the dining hall for dinner and breakfast, easy-peasy. I wouldn’t know where to begin to try to make that happen at Harvard. Each common space and dining hall is under the jurisdiction of its House Master, and why should one House eat the cost of caring for 14 singers from UVA or whatever when it isn’t a House program? We never even tried it; we just had them crash in our rooms and bought them pizza from our own funds.</p>
<p>This seemed to be true at other Ivies too. We took trips to Penn and Yale, and we stayed in student rooms and ate pizza or had to feed ourselves. The LACs were WAY better for road trips.</p>
<p>I may be the odd woman out here, but I got into Brown and Mount Holyoke and chose to go to Mount Holyoke. 30 years later, I have no regrets.</p>
<p>My daughter is now starting her college search. She’s about 80% certain that she will apply to mostly LACs (as well as Princeton and Stanford, since they keep coming up as “match” schools for her interests and scores.) But I think she will most likely prefer a small school.</p>
What Kwu may be referring to is one conclusion in the Krueger-Dale study: the prestige of a college is more <em>financially</em> important to students of lower socio-economic status (SES) than to those of higher SES.</p>
<p>M’s mom, now that I think about it I do I think I saw something about finding your own program. Thanks!
Exultationsy, I really guesd there’s no definite answer on that one then…
momrath, I know I have to be accepted first before I can make any decisions, but I wanted to know what I wanted so I could decide where to apply at EA or ED. But still, thanks.</p>
That’s a fair point as many small LACs are ED, not EA. You really do have to be secure in your choice, especially financially. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t recommend applying ED anywhere, if you need financial aid. You may get enough, or you may not, but you won’t be able to compare offers and negotiate.</p>
<p>Apply ED only when you already have one dream school, when you want the admissions advantage, and want only to know if you can afford it (if the FA offer isn’t enough, you decline it and apply RD elsewhere).</p>
<p>Our DD’s LAC is not on that list (thanks tk!) but its numbers are in the range of listed peer schools. EDers get only one shot, and seem to do a better job of targeting a match school.</p>
<p>careld, I think it would be helpful if you would take a step backward and clarify your financial situation.
Do you need financial aid – or just want it?
How much NEED based aid do you expect to receive?
Is it workable?</p>
<p>The progression should be first, find colleges that you can afford; second, apply to colleges that fit you personally in a range of selectivity; third, get accepted and evaluate options.</p>
<p>tk, Very interesting chart. Do you know the year of this data?</p>
<p>momrath, thanks for the suggestion. Well first of all, I do think I would need a significant amount of aid, but I also believe that my financial condition would entitle me to quite some need based aid. Second, about finding a school that fits me - I am currently aiming for a top Ivy, but now that I’m actually looking up colleges to apply to I realized the possibilities of LACs and began to waver a bit. I mean, I don’t really care about settings or weather that much, but I do have to go to grad school and I would like a strong undergrad program, wherever it may be. I can take or leave school size itself, I think, but I’ve never attended a big school until now and don’t know how I’d do in them. Same for prestige, it’d be nice of course but I believe the top LACs are just as prestigious so it wouldn’t matter. (Ok that really sounded arrogant - I’m not saying that I would get in for sure or anything but just applying!!) I would also like a school that has a strong student support system and lively student club activities, especially in mock trial As of now, I am really not sure whether this would fit universities or LACs better. And I can’t visit them for myself since I’m an international Any ideas where I’ll fit??</p>
<p>At my daughter’s LAC (Wellesley), she has classmates who had gotten into Harvard and Princeton (didn’t hear any Yale) who chose Wellesley instead. The notion that everyone privileges the Ivies as always first choice in all circumstances is limited.</p>
<p>I don’t see a date on the page (other than the “Copyright 2008-2012” at the bottom). The Brown University numbers correspond to what is reported in its 2008-2009 Common Data Set.</p>
As of now, I am really not sure whether this would fit universities or LACs better. And I can’t visit them for myself since I’m an international 
Any ideas where I’ll fit??</p>