<p>Haven’t read this thread, just this page, but I’ll add my 2c for whatever it’s worth. Any kid who wants to go on to a PhD program, whether they’re coming from a national university or LAC, is going to do fine w/ acceptances if they have a decent GPA, particularly in their discipline, great GRE scores, some research (yes, even in the humanities), and other related ECs. I went to a small woman’s LAC in MA, majored in art history, researched w/ my profs (did research for their journal articles/chapters of books they were writing and was graciously acknowledged in print), did internships at RISD’s Museum of Art and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Got a Mellon Fellowship for grad school and went to a leading state university…nothing like my undergrad experience. Could I have done the same thing coming from a university? Absolutely. My S is a freshman at a national university. Over winter break he emailed 10 profs who head up STEM labs, 7 responded, interviewed him and all offered a job. He applied to that many b/c he thought that as a freshman, he have little chance of getting a spot in labs that are filled w/ doctoral candidates and post-docs. In the end, what matters is that the kid find a school that fits him/her academically and socially because really, most schools offer research opps and most offer great classes. Kids know them when they see them, just as they’ll later recognize the right spouse, house or bridal gown – for all our discourse and mental energy, it comes down to gut reactions.</p>