<p>A very grave question begets a brave answer: they are all prestigious. Sort of like asking which opportunity is the most prestigious. Since you listed these schools without any order, I presume you subconsciously listed them by your listing priorities.</p>
<p>Thus, with confidence, Rice is the most prestigious for you, with Bowdoin a close second, followed by Davidson, etc.</p>
<p>Grab what fits and make the most of it.</p>
<p>You have four years to make the most of it. Pick the one that suits your personality and your needs.</p>
<p>It also appears that though you favor Rice, your doubts rest with the prestige factor. Prestige is not a factor in these choices. They are all very good academic institutions.</p>
<p>Growing up in the Northeast, I heard about Carleton before I heard of Bowdoin. I only heard of Bowdoin because my sister once dated a guy in high school who announced he was going to Bowdoin. </p>
<p>Having lived in the Midwest for 16 years (Minnesota and Illinois), no one I met out there has heard of Bowdoin. Everyone I know out there has heard of Carleton (or Grinnell or Oberlin). </p>
<p>Let’s admit that accept for academic circles, LACs are strictly regional in name recognition. Even Williams, Amherst and Swarthmore drew blanks from most folks out in the upper midwest. I think people in each region, but ESPECIALLY in the northeast, assume their region’s “prestigous” colleges also impress people outside their region, but that’s not the case.</p>
<p>The Midwest can’t be used to gauge name recognition or prestige of colleges throughout the country. Midwestern kids tend to apply only to Midwestern schools. Those who don’t are considered exceptions to the rule. They prefer to stay close to home in record numbers and are entirely unfamiliar with schools on either coast. To use Carleton as an example of name recognition or prestige (vs. Bowdoin or any NE LAC) is useless. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to poll the top 5% of the top high schools in the Midwest and find that even half of them could name all of the Ivies!!</p>
<p>Well, as someone who grew up in the midwest and attended Ivies for undergrad and law school, I can attest that kids from the NE are at least (if not more) ignorant about midwest schools as midwesterners are of what the NE offers.</p>
<p>Have to say Carleton’s name recognition is extremely weak outside academic circles. Many people from Minnesota don’t keven now about it. They sort of know Northfield/St.Olaf, but oddly not Carleton.</p>
<p>With the exception of UCLA, most people in most places would not have heard of any of these schools. Same with most large employers. As for graduate school school admissions offices, these schools would all be seen as comparable. </p>
<p>This discussion of which is “more presitigous” is simply a conversation about the “narcissism of small difference” among an insecure few.</p>
<p>I would take Bowdoin over them all…the date of foundation…the person who chartted it…the unique experience…the region, and neighbouring colleges…the quality of education and professors; but i have much partial on Bowdoin so ur own search would be the best advice to you!</p>
<p>Just to clarify, as someone who has participated in dozens of Bowdoin info sessions, there is usually no discernible difference in admissions rate b/w admits who submit and those who don’t. The way this is phrased at info sessions is: usually about 20% of students choose not to submit their scores and about 20% of our admits were not score submitters.</p>