How impressive is an undergrad degree from a decent LAC in comparison to one from a decent, but slightly worse university?
I’m talking about application for maste programms in and outside the us.
I would love to see an answer to this too, as I am very sure my kid will be attending a LAC. I know a woman who got a degree from a LAC and went to the UK to get her masters because it was so much more affordable and faster than doing it in the US. Can anyone advise this person? @lookingforward or @“Erin’s Dad” any ideas?
For masters programs inside the U.S., it will be no issue. All universities are very aware of the excellence of LACs, generally. But I don’t have a clue about the overseas question.
Ok, so even if I attended an east coast LAC and applied at west coast unis for my master, they’d accept it?
I’d also love to hear other people’s opinions on this, as I’ll probably also apply for european universities
Within the US there will be no issues at all. Outside the US it may depend on how well known the name is. JMO based on no data.
What about the reputation of european universities in the US?
There are a LOT of LACs that are very prestigious. Harvey Mudd is the top rated college in the country for return of investment, better than Stanford, etc… Have you heard of Swarthmore, Carleton, Williams, Amherst? The
list is very long. Many LACs are just as difficult to get into as top universities and yes, every US university will be totally familiar with degrees from LACs no matter where they are in the country. Many LACs have a substantial number of international students, so again, they must have some recognition.
As I said, I don’t have any good knowledge of how well known the LACs are outside of the USA, though I am very sure for the better known ones there isn’t total ignorance. LACs tend to produce many Fulbright Scholars, for which there is certainly International recognition. As I am interested in this too, I did a quick search. I put a link to the Fulbright Scholars program below. A BA degree is a BA degree, and I am sure that in Europe at least there is probably recognition of the American LACs, in part because so many of them have very well-established study-abroad programs.
http://eca.state.gov/fulbright
A degree from a LAC would carry the same weight as a degree from a similarly rated university. My D is graduating this year from a LAC and she and her friends have been having excellent success in terms of their grad school acceptances (both Master’s and PhD programs) as well as job placement. An advantage of going to a LAC is that, at least in my D’s case, the recommendations were from professors who know her extremely well through a small class, doing research with them etc. and likely were detailed/personal in nature.
Depends on the university, the subject, and the career plan.
Re European unis in the USA, another great question. As long as you have a BA degree from a recognized institution, I cannot see a problem coming to the US to get a masters. I am 100% sure they would easily be able to verify if the institution is accredited and so on. They must have databases with this kind of information. Also, frankly, they want your money. If have a valid BA degree I think you will have no trouble studying at a university in the US for a Masters.
interesting question. would be good to get some folks with actual experience going fro US LAC to an intl uni. i know that most intl people (not necessarily unis) are VERY NUMBERS driven and the rank of the school matters. since admission at most intl unis is also very numbers driven (not like our holistic lottery-style admissions in the US), I would imagine the rank of the UG inst would matter.
intl uni rankings don’t even include LACs from what I can see. but my guess would be since they are numbers driven, the entrance exams would carry the most weight anyway.
http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2015
LAC’s generally outperform universities when it comes to Fulbrights. Pitzer produces five times the number of per capita Fulbright students as Harvard or Yale. Smith produces twice as many as Stanford in absolute numbers. Bates produces more than Georgetown, Cornell or Duke.
Is there anyone out there who is able to give the OP some informed opinions on her questions? I am curious about this topic too.
This is a common question arising from a belief that the word “University” conveys quality of some sort. Coming from a European this makes perfect sense, as the American LAC, an independent school, is not a well known concept there. Even some UK friends of mine needed some time to get their arms around this.
The truth is students at LACs in many fields of study will achieve a PhD at a substantially higher rate per capita as a University. College professors choose or recommend LACs to their own kids much more frequently than a University. There are studies on both these topics. Kids that go to LACs are generally more inclined to go to graduate school. I am talking in a relative sense not in pure numbers obviously because the schools are small.
Admissions Committees at graduate schools don’t generally view undergraduate education the way the general public does. Size of the school or how it is chartered are not important. They know the college landscape very well and won’t make decisions based on glamour or terminology.
@OnTheBubble , I am very aware of the European lack of knowledge in regards to LACs. My husband is a Brit and I have had a hard time getting him to understand that our child will get a good education at an LAC. I am more interested in the issue of a kid going aborad with a BA from a LAC, and trying to get on a post grad program. Will the Eruopean unis be fine with a BA, no matter where it’s from? Would they question it?
@Lindagaf Your question is different than the OPs. He is asking about perception. You in post 13 seem to be asking a different question.
Here is my take. Academia is not a large world. Professors from schools from all over the world read journals, go to conferences and know countless professors with whom they worked in the past.
Using Lafayette College as an example, it seems to me utterly ridiculous that professors at a university in Germany or that graduate school admissions officer has not received a Lafayette application in the past or has no direct or indirect knowledge of Lafayette College. It is unthinkable now. This same German university probably has had Lafayette kids on abroad programs at some point.
I don’t think you can ask this question as a pedestrian would. Academia is a small and close knit community.
Maybe not Lafayette, but what about Elmira, or a less prestigious LAC? I think the OP and I are asking the same thing: how are BAs from American LACs perceived abroad? My child is becoming fluent in French. Will my kid with a BA from xxxx College be able to easily get on a postgrad program in France, for example? I really am curious. As I said above, I suspect there probably isn’t a problem, as LACs produce many Fulbright scholars and have many study abroad programs. I would love to hear the view of someone involved in academia in Europe or elsewhere.
To clarify, it is known that US students study subjects that are not related to,their major. My nephew attended Uni of East Anglia and said the Americans were usually behind in the class because they didn’t have enough core knowledge of their major. So my kid shows up with her BA from Elmira and applies to do a Masters at UEA, will she be viewed the same as anyone else with a BA degree?
They would likely view Eckerd the same way an American graduate school would.
American graduate schools would operate the same way with European applications.
I don’t think oceans matter. In fact I think an American student even from a less prestigious US school would be very interesting from a French standpoint.
So, the fact that a school is called a College vs University means nothing to another academic in any part of the world.
I honestly don’t think it matters, but if you want a nuanced opinion from a European academic you’d probably have a hard time finding that here specifically. You might want to contact someone with some power in deciding admissions for postgrad European programs with that question. And even then, it will vary by country and by program, just like it would here in the U.S.
My daughter is a senior at Williams College and she was accepted into 3 PHD programs.