<p>Which of these is the most prestigious school?</p>
<p>Rice
Bowdoin
Davidson
UCLA
Carleton
Emory</p>
<p>either Rice or Bowdoin</p>
<p>It’s difficult to compare small liberal arts schools to universities … those are all wonderful choices!</p>
<p>Depends on regions I guess.</p>
<p>I don’t really know about southern schools in terms of prestige, but Bowdoin is pretty prestigious.</p>
<p>For liberal arts: Bowdoin
For universities: UCLA</p>
<p>Unless you live in the South…then it’s probably Rice not UCLA</p>
<p>Carleton is most prestigious</p>
<p>BOWDOIN is the most prestigious.</p>
<p>Bowdoin fo’ sho’</p>
<p>Northeast: Bowdoin
Southeast: Davidson
Midwest: Carleton
West: UCLA
Southwest: Rice</p>
<p>^^
Carleton is a wonderful school. But the name recognition is quite low for Carleton outside academic circles, even in Minnesota.</p>
<p>Rice
Bowdoin
Davidson
UCLA
Carleton
Emory</p>
<p>In New England we don’t really hear much about Emory, Carleton, Davidson, Rice.</p>
<p>Out of all those Bowdoin is the most prestigious.</p>
<p>Maybe Emory and Rice are more prestigious in the south?</p>
<p>I disagree. I hear lots about Emory. I know many people who’ve gone there. And I’m in New England.</p>
<p>My impression is that Bowdoin has an illustrious early history, but somehow lost some of the spark towards the late 20th century, and is now picking up people’s interests again, though still not anywhere near its 19th century level of prominence.</p>
<p>I believe the “lost spark” issue was the ACT/SAT-optional backlash of the ‘70s, which at the time was ground-breaking. (Today most students submit their scores for application, because it’s harder to get in otherwise; ALL students must submit scores before enrolling, so technically the optional component is a misnomer, and the college has scores on file for everyone.)
But you can’t argue with the fact that among college ranking services Bowdoin was a very prominent “college of the year” last year, ranked A+ for academics, 99 for competitiveness, (can’t be any higher!) and this year, reports a much more rigorous acceptance rate than most LACs because Bowdoin’s applications didn’t fall off the way schools like Williams’ and Midd’s did. (Does that mean those schools are worse this year? NO! It’s just the capricious nature of admissions.)
These schools are apples and oranges, all great! Go where you’ll get the best education in your field, or where you feel most comfortable. Our experience: Bowdoin is amazing beyond compare; you can’t beat the relationships with professors you develop at small schools, and the location is heaven. I’m sure others have their own positive stories about THEIR schools. At the end of the day, it’s what feels right for YOU!<br>
Good luck! :)</p>
<p>Lessismor, what is the basis for your statement that it is harder to get in if you do not submit your scores? When I attended an information session, the admissions officer said that while most applicants submit the scores, there is absolutely no penalty or negative inference if you don’t.</p>
<p>there is a slightly lower acceptance rate for kids who do not submit their scores.</p>
<p>who knows if that is solely because they do not submit their scores, though</p>
<p>Yeah, who knows. It could be that as a group the kids that don’t submit are not as strong. I guess it comes down to common sense: if your scores make your application stronger submit them; if they make your application weaker, don’t.</p>
<p>
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<p>What the admissions staff has said in the past is that the applicant’s academic record receives closer and more exacting scrutiny if the applicant does not submit SAT or ACT scores. The reason provided for this higher level of scrutiny is that the college must dig deeper to measure that applicant’s intellectual capabilities in the absence of scores on the standardized tests. I suspect that this more exacting process would make for slightly tougher higher admissions standards for these applicants . .</p>
<p>Yes, to all of the above. If you don’t submit your scores, you have to prove “worthiness” in other ways, creating the closer scrutiny of the rest of the application. This to me, means it’s tougher. A high score is a number that says, hey, I am good at something! I won’t go into whether the opposite is also true! 
Additionally, acceptance rates ARE lower among those who don’t submit. Obviously, even if admissions people deny that they assume the unsubmitted scores are lower than, say, the average 1300ish for CR/Math, they likely assume that if you were above the average, you’d submit. (And actually, OF COURSE you’d submit above-average scores! Who wouldn’t?) Thus, it’s not a leap to assume the converse must be true: unsubmitted scores are lower.
Plus, as I said, ALL students must submit their scores after they’re accepted, so they have ample anecdotal evidence that unsubmitted scores tend to be below the average.<br>
If you have below-average scores, it’s harder, maybe impossible, to get in if you submit them, so the fact that it’s harder if you don’t, as well, shouldn’t be a surprise. So yes, Bowdoin says it’s SAT optional, but with lower SATs, it’s harder to get in, either way!</p>