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<p>I don’t buy that. I went to the Ivy most famous – at least, once upon a time – for the best foreign language study in the country, and I know that it’s still strong, if not still the best. And my D sat in on a language class at Brown and found it far superior to any of the other language classes she sat in on, including the one at Smith (which was the best of the LACs she tested out). Yes, these are limited examples, but they are as anecdotal as yours.</p>
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<p>The two don’t necessarily go together because you can be a star in your department, or for one professor, without having to be at the top of the class. You can wow your professors in Italian, but not in poly sci. You’ll still get excellent recommendations. In fact, I’ll wager that professors of any university have no idea where their students stand in relation to their peers; all they know is who performed well in their classes.</p>
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<p>Your daughter was an exception at Smith because she was part of a small group of entering students offered STRIDE scholarships to do independent research. Most Smith students do not get the same opportunity their first year. Afterward, they have to actively seek out professors for research opportunities, something I’m not sure is readily available in the humanities once you get past the STRIDE projects.</p>
<p>As Venkat says, there are plenty of independent study opportunities at the Ivies, just as I assume there are elsewhere. </p>
<p>Also, the preference for graduate students for research varies from department to department, and from Ivy to Ivy. Some Ivies have more of the LAC philosophy while others are more heavily into graduate programs. </p>
<p>I don’t think there is anything inherently substandard about an Ivy education, just as I don’t think it’s impossible to go from a non-Ivy to an Ivy grad school.</p>