<p>No reason to be sorry, GoNavyXC! </p>
<p>The military academies are now included in the LAC category because the Carnegie Foundation recognized their undergraduate focus. As we know, US News adopted the classification. </p>
<p>This said, it remains unsure if this reclassification will benefit the schools in any shape or form.</p>
<p>I like the OP question and we have been attempting to apply the 'Aunt Roslyn smell test'. Aunt Rosyln is an 88 year old who worked as a secretary at U of C in the 40s and who has a great memory. Again, we're Chicago people. If it is in still on her radar/mind, then it must have some 'well known-ness'.</p>
<p>She heard of </p>
<p>Carleton
St Olaf
Lawrence
Knox</p>
<p>but did not hear of Earlham.</p>
<p>My D's HS gc did not know even know where Carleton was. Ouch. She was the UIUC expert. Flagship state and nothing else.</p>
<p>Before this search, I never heard of Olaf or Lawrence. Just Knox and Carleton.</p>
<p>I'd say I heard of Amherst, but really I knew that Emily Dickinson was from Amherst. Did she go there? I am a college educated professional, who does nt drink- except tea.</p>
<p>I tend to agree with Corbett about the elite women's colleges; Radcliffe, which only exists as a shadow institute within Harvard now, probably has more name recognition, at least among those over 35 or 40, than Williams.</p>
<p>joecollegedad, </p>
<p>Thanks a lot for your concern. Your private mailbox is full so I'm responding here:</p>
<p>Unfortunately prestige is important, particularly for opening doors in the future -- </p>
<p>But then, top LAC's open doors too right? </p>
<p>I guess our kids will just have to go by what their hearts tell them. They've worked hard and they have a right to enjoy their college life. I don't mean booze and partying, I mean really feeling good about where they are. </p>
<p>So Oxford or otherwise, all I feel like doing right now is to support my child whatever he chooses.</p>
<p>Quote:</p>
<br>
<blockquote> <p>So far (1/4/08), Wesleyan is the most popular LAC on the CC board:<< </p> </blockquote>
<p>Wesleyan, while a great school, lacks national name recognition. The honest truth is that whenever the name comes up in casual conversation, most people confuse it with Wellesley.<</p>
<br>
<p>I hope for their sake they applied to the right school. :)</p>
<p>did n't hillary go to wesleyan?</p>
<p>No..Wellesley. lol. Madeleine Albright and Madame Chiang Kai-shek went to Wellesley too.</p>
<p>Bill Belicheat went to Wellesley and Hilldebeast went Wesleyan.</p>
<p>The Wesleyan bench is pretty deep:
Wesleyan</a> University people - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</p>
<p>Selective Lac's that benefit from sports coverage of Div1 sports-Colgate, Holy Cross and Davidson.</p>
<p>maybe Holy Cross...because of its sports...i seriously think less than 1% of entire population will name more than 10 LACs...</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>agree. about the population part.</p>
<p>the CC community is a freakishly unique one. one where we know, argue, debate, quibble over things like PA and salivate over the next USNWR ranking.</p>
<p>no one outside this community really knows the difference between a LAC and a research U, let alone cares to know.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>doesn't that beg the question why anyone <em>inside</em> this community (or, anyone else privy to specialized knowledge) would care what the other 99% thought? I mean, the OP's question is almost asking us to close our eyes and pretend we don't know what we know.</p>
<p>
[quote]
doesn't that beg the question why anyone <em>inside</em> this community (or, anyone else privy to specialized knowledge) would care what the other 99% thought? I mean, the OP's question is almost asking us to close our eyes and pretend we don't know what we know.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>You make a great point. We should really be asking OTHER people, because basically everyone here is biased by a more profound understanding of the college system. Bleh, useless overachieving CC members :p</p>
<p>yes, I recommend everyone ask random non cc people on the street or people you know in the family or at work or whereever what small colleges they heard of or ask leading questions such as did you hear of a,b,c, college?</p>
<p>then report back in this space.</p>
<p>Before our search, my wife (writer w/ masters degree from ui and iowa) had heard of Knox. She heard of Oberlin 'cause her cousin went there. She also heard of Augustana when I asked a yes/no leading question.</p>
<p>Back in arizona, its:
Claremont McKenna
Vassar
Pomona</p>
<p>Pretty messed up right?
California is so close and a lot of kids from the catholic schools in arizona end up at PC and CMC. When I told people that I applied to Vassar they would all ask me why I was applying to an all girls school, so some recognition. Williams/Amherst, blank stares.</p>
<p>It's strange, I guess the seven sisters are more known than Amherst/Swat/Will in some places... or at least some of them (Vassar, Barnard, Wellesley).. the others not so much.</p>
<p>^Not so strange. Those schools were the equivalent HYP for half the population a generation ago.</p>
<p>if it isn't in the SEC, i had never heard of it until joining CC...</p>
<p>but i would say williams and amherst because their football game was on espn.</p>
<p>Smiles1011, I think that most of the other 7 sisters are pretty well known, not just Barnard, Vassar, and Wellesley. Even before HS I recognized the names of all except Bryn Mawr. Most people seem to still think of Vassar as single sex though. In the past, whenever I mentioned that I was looking at Vassar others would say something along the lines of, "oh, that's the all girls school, right?" </p>
<p>Marathonman is right. The sisters schools were the female ivy league, so it makes sense that they'd be well-known.</p>