<p>I'm in the middle of junior year and everyone is talking about College Admissions from the Ivies, Stanford, MIT etc.</p>
<p>I was wondering what the difference was between LAC's and regular universities. Are they harder to get into? Are they easier/harder to get into a good graduate school?</p>
<p>I heard that they have smaller classes and emphasize more on undergrads than regular universities do.</p>
<p>Why does everyone want to flock to universities such as the Ivies if LAC's (supposedly) offer a better learning environment for undergrads with smaller class sizes etc.?</p>
<p>LAC’s usually dont have real campuses and you dont choose your major for 2 years. Kinda like high school, boring to some. This is why theyre not very known. </p>
<p>I’m not sure where you are getting your information from. There are many LAC’s that have a campus with a variety of social options. Also, many LAC’s offer classes in your major in the first year. There are many LAC’s that are well known and highly esteemed. I see that you are not from the States so you are likely to be misinformed.</p>
<p>@internationalInt is almost completely wrong. They DO have “real” campuses (which often times are small, but appropriate considering the size of the colleges) and when you can declare your major is dependent on the college or university, but at the end of your second year/beginning of third year is generally the latest. </p>
<p>The key differences are a lack of graduate programs, undergraduate focus, and size.</p>
<p>OP, Use the search function. This question is asked EVERY year.</p>
<p>People flock to the Ivies because they are prestige conscious only. We know one family who is encouraging their child to apply to all the Ivies even though he has sub par stats and average EC’s. He has virtually no chance yet this family will likely spend hundred’s of dollars on application fees. I have tried to steer him to more realistic colleges but to no avail. They are stuck on the prestige factor and not seeing that there are many outstanding schools out there.</p>
<p>Yes the only reason people apply to Ives is for prestige. What an accurate statement that completely reflects the motives of tens of thousands of applicants, many of whom come from regions of the country where Cornell is seen as a small school in Iowa, Dartmouth is virtually unknown, and Brown is just a color. </p>
<p>“LAC’s usually dont have real campuses and you dont choose your major for 2 years. Kinda like high school, boring to some. This is why theyre not very known.”</p>
<p>I have rarely, if ever, seen a more inaccurate statement on CC:
Many LACs – and virtually all of those in the highly-selective and most-selective categories – have have wonderful, albeit sometimes smaller, campuses.
At many LACs one can select his major at any time (and, incidentally, at some elite National Research Universities, a major cannot be formally declared until the fourth semester).
Finally, of course, we all are aware that institutions including Williams, Amherst, Oberlin, Kenyon, Reed, Davidson, W&L, Smith, Wellesley, and MANY others are simply unknown (especially when compared to East Swampy State University).</p>
Maybe some people, but when you attend an Ivy what you find is a very high percentage of students who want to be challenged by the most rigorous courses, world-renowned professors and an abundance of opportunity doing everything from research to participating in The Arts. Oh, and go to school with other bright, interesting and motivated students.</p>
<p>@KunjiBoy I don’t think it’s baloney that some (emphasis on the some) people are interested in Ivy League schools seeking a community of bright people who want to take on new challenges, and I don’t think it’s wrong that you can find one of the most rigorous course loads there, but I think too many people underestimate LACs. A couple years ago as a sophomore, no a single school I was considering was a liberal arts college. Now, though, even as a prospective STEM major, I am interested in a bunch of LACs because I think they will offer me a great education with a wonderful atmosphere.</p>
<p>LACs and universities BOTH span a wide range of admit rates and average SAT scores (although far fewer LACs have open admission policies, as many public universities do.)</p>
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<p>Attending a LAC, per se, will not necessarily make it either easier or harder to get into a good graduate school. Selective LACs do seem to have higher per capita rates of alumni PhD completions than selective universities (although it isn’t entirely clear why this is the case; it may or may not have much to do with college instructional quality.)</p>
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<p>Generally speaking, this is true (although research universities often offer a very large selection of advanced courses with small enrollments.)</p>
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<p>If “everyone” chose universities, LACs would go out of business. Your perception may be clouded by the fact that LACs simply enroll a smaller percentage of all college students due to their smaller size and smaller numbers.</p>
<p>Try investigating a few LACs in greater depth (through campus visits and online research) before deciding if they are right for you.</p>
<p>IMO it comes down to personal preference. For example my S felt a LAC setting was too small for him while my D is absolutely thriving at one. Some people simply prefer the more intimate setting, smaller classes etc. offered by a LAC (and yes, many LACs do have wonderful campuses – they are just smaller than those of large universities) while others prefer a bigger environment. Both LACs and universities offer opportunities for great educations. And while some LACs are not as well known by some people (I think largely because they don’t have big time sports programs or as many alums), anyone who looks at grad school applications or who hires for a major company knows the good LACs. </p>
<p>I suggest that the OP visit a LAC, a mid-sized university, and a large university and see what is the most comfortable environment for him/her.</p>
<p>LACs are usually smaller with smaller classes, few teaching assistants. Us are usually larger with more things to do (more people to see/get to know) but there may be some much larger classes, frequently accompanied by large school sports. Some students like the small intimate environment of a LAC while others don’t want to see the same people for four years and have many other things to do.</p>