<p>Hi!</p>
<p>I'm curious as to what this forum thinks about the CTCL. For those that are unfamiliar with this list, it can be found at ctcl.org under member colleges (there's a neat map here as well: CTCL</a> Member Map | Colleges That Change Lives)</p>
<p>I'm going to stay out of the discussion for the most part, since I'm a proud Earlhamite and rather biased. Just looking for honest opinion, positive or negative (or both! I definitely have both pro- and con- viewpoints).</p>
<p>Pretty sure that attending any college changes one’s life in some way…</p>
<p>I think that the colleges on that list are fine schools but I found that they are all similar in certain respects – and they will not be the right fit for every person. We visited a couple of the CTCL schools with both my S and my D. The schools were just too small to feel comfortable to my S (he ended up at an urban mid-size school with small classes). And I promise you that he was changed for the better in every possible way during the four years at his university. My D wanted a smaller school but just didn’t click with the ones on the CTCL list that we visited and will start at a LAC not on that list in the fall. </p>
<p>In short, the CTCL list can be a point of reference just as the USNWR or other rankings can be a point of reference, but each individual should seek out the place(s) that feels right. The CTCL list should absolutely not the be-all and end-all of schools one should consider. I firmly believe that in the college process two reasonable and intelligent individuals can come up with two different best fit schools based on their personality, interests and gut feeling.</p>
<p>@happy1 I definitely agree.</p>
<p>There was a lengthy thread on this a couple of months ago:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1330997-did-one-colleges-change-lives-change-your-life-your-childs.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1330997-did-one-colleges-change-lives-change-your-life-your-childs.html</a></p>
<p>There are some distracting side conversations and misconceptions laid out by a poster or two on that thread, but there is some good information as well.</p>
<p>In my experience, I found the schools all really different. Of the 40 on the list, there were maybe 8-10 that seemed to fit what my son was looking for, and he ended up applying to about 4 or 5 of them, along with other colleges with similar attributes–small class sizes, no TAs, personal attention from faculty, research and internship opportunities, and a tight-knit community. They range in admission standards, so the makeup of the student body will vary from place to place, of course. We also looked closely at outcome measures, such as student satisfaction, acceptance rates into law school/med school/PhD programs, and so on. </p>
<p>I guess I’d say the best thing about the CTCL list is its utility as a starting point for thinking about the values/attributes one is looking for, and getting outside the brand-name/ranking madness.</p>
<p>many people on this web site need to be enlightened to the fact the world does not revolve around the ivies ( and maybe stanford, duke and john hopkins as back ups)
this book, which I own a copy will help those who do read it a chance to expand their narrow view if they are willing to open their eyes! the problem with the writing style is that it sometimes feels like it needs to justify the 40 schools compared to the ivies ( a slight insecurity does show up in the writing) but, over all it is a great tool!</p>
<p>I would add another 40 schools, to another book if I was chosen to write part 2.</p>
<p>muhlenberg would be number on on that list!</p>