@exlibris97: People post links in their responses for a reason. This is the second time that you’ve responded after clearly not reading a link.
Please read them before responding next time.
I disagree with the OP’s premise. As @citymama9 noted LACs are great fits for the right kids. My S felt LACs were too small and that was the right decision for him. But my D recently graduated from a LAC and some of the benefits she found included:
–she thrived in that close-knit environment and developed strong friendships with her fellow students and close relationships with some professors.
–she found it easy to get involved in a wide range of ECs and take on leadership positions
–she loved the smaller classes (she had a two “large” lecture classes of 60, a lot of classes in the 15 - 30 range, and a couple of really small classes of 6 or so).
–she was able to work on multiple research projects on campus one of which has been published in a peer review journal with her as the second author.
–when she applied to grad school she is sure that her recommendations were very strong and personalized as she had classes with and done work outside of the classroom with the two of the three professors she asked.
Fortunately there are many options out there and each individual should choose the environment that is right for him/her.
And to the OP – there is not reason to denigrate the options that are not right for you.
@exlibris It’s hard to see why you’ve started this? Do you have any concrete examples of what you’re calling “herd factor” or “in” colleges, etc.? Where’s the evidence of overrated LACS – did half of your high school apply to Williams?
Anyway, an obvious if general selling point is that liberal arts colleges don’t have graduate students eating up professors’ time and attention. Universities tend to use (cheap) graduate students to staff classes / labs/ discussion sections/ review sessions etc.
At an LAC, not only are most of your classes smaller, you take them from faculty & not from people who are trying to do research, finish their PhD coursework, and learn how to teach at the same time.
And when you’re applying for internships, fellowships, scholarships, graduate school… who’s going to write strong, personalized, recommendations? LAC faculty do that quite well.
LAC fan here, and I disagree 100%. You are joking, right? When was the last time you went on the Chances forum? Everyone and his brother wants to get into Stanford, Harvard, Columbia. People are totally obsessed.
I agree that LACs are underrated. I have been on this site for three years now and the number of kids who want to be chanced for universities, esepcially HYPS, far outnumbers kid wanting to be chanced for LACs.
There is something to be said for sitting in a lecture hall at UC Berkeley with 1100, yes 1100 students, being taught by a grad student versus sitting in a large class of 60 at an LAC and being taught by a prominent professor. Give me an LAC any day over a university.
@PurpleTitan I was responding to your comment above alumni achievements. You provided zero evidence to support the thesis you advanced.
@LadyMeowMeow If you failed to see any vaiue in my OP, why did you respond?
@PurpleTitan Columbia College IS known for its small classes outside of Core (and even there, it is primarily the science lectures that are large). Moreover, outside of Foundations, there are relatively few “Barnard” courses. (I trust you will find this directly related to your post and so it meets your criteria for linking to you).
@citymama9 With the cuts being proposed to federal student aid, I wonder how many small colleges will survive.
Editing after reading OP’s posting history. I don’t see that suggesting LACs is detrimental in any way. Do you really think that a kid who goes to Amherst or Williams or Swat or Mudd or Wellsley or Pomona or Carleton is getting an inferior education? What evidence do you have? (And have you ever even visited a school like that, or just posting based on hearsay in your family?)
And you don’t think Ivies and top 15 universities don’t have herd factor that has nothing to do with academics in the student’s specific area of interest or campus vibe? You need to read a lot more posts out here, because “brand name fever” drives a lot of students to apply for superficial reasons to those schools. That is a herd mentality.
@exlibris97 My reason for answering you was explicitly stated: to ask for evidence or examples of what you’re calling “herd” behavior and "in"colleges, etc. If you take the time to consider and respond to the substance of the points being made in this thread, and concede what you can when you can, you might learn something new and maybe even change your mind about LACs.
@exlibris97: I in fact did provide evidence but you are evidently too lazy to click on a link (and evidently seem to have some reading comprehension issues).
Do you understand what a “link” is?
@exlibris97 If you read this post from a mother with kids at Brown & Harvard, maybe you’ll glimpse some advantages to an LAC. http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/20540825/#Comment_20540825
@LadyMeowMeow Interesting link. I’m certain individuals have had that experience, as I am certain that there are individuals with kids who are unhappy at LACs. I can fully understand why some people prefer LACs, just as I know there are many students who prefer and thrive at major research universities.
So am I to deduce from this that LACs are better than Harvard?
Again, by per capita alumni accomplishments, the top LACs are comparable. Please click on the link in response #6.
" You provided zero evidence to support the thesis you advanced."
OP, this statement of yours applies to your initial post and your comments on this entire thread? Where’s the beef? Or evidence of YOUR thesis?
Overrated LOL. I can’t count the number of times when someone has asked where my son is going to school (Swarthmore) and I get “Oh, never heard of it, I thought it was all-female” but then go on about some nephew, who is a superstar because he’s going to a university mostly known for a great Div I football or b’ball team. 
Haha, so true, @donnaleighg. Back when my oldest was graduating HS, I bumped into a mom in town and she was telling me about her daughter going to a big out-of-state school with mediocre academics and big football. She asked about my oldest and I mentioned her well-regarded, academically rigorous LAC. Got the usual blank look followed by, “Well, do you think your child will be able to transfer out next year?”
MODERATOR’S NOTE: Since people aren’t answering to the OP’s satisfaction, I am closing the thread.