I feel like I may have gotten into 5 copies of the same school.
So I really like liberal arts colleges and I managed to get into the 5 that I wanted to and now I’m having a tough time deciding between them, because I’m having a really hard time finding any meaningful difference between them. Oh, for the record, I want to major in Philosophy wherever I go.
Pomona and Swarthmore seem like the toppest tier places, maybe with the best brand names, with Reed and Vassar maybe a little behind them and Macalester somewhat less well-known. Reed is probably the weirdest, the others are maybe a tiny bit more conservative. Reed’s also probably in the best city, but they’re all to some extent urban (except Vassar which is still not that far from NYC) but Pomona probably has better weather…but the differences are tiny. And they’re all cooperative, liberal/activisty, and have super rigorous academics (although Swat and Reed might be more intense).
Swarthmore and Mac are the cheapest by far right now, but I’m in talks with financial aid offices at all the schools & they’re pretty cooperative so I don’t want to rule anything out based solely on money (and I haven’t even gotten all the packages yet).
I feel like I’m splitting hairs here. Can you guys help me get a better picture of the differences between the atmospheres, faculties, and most importantly student bodies of these schools?
Have you visited any of these schools? They may be similarities but each will have a distinct feel when you visit. My daughter had a favorite school she lusted after until she visited and it lost its luster. It was money well spent. Visit as many as you can and price should be be a contributing factor with your decision. Good luck.
I would agree that Swarthmore and Reed have the most intense academics, and that Reed is the most counter-cultural. Also agree with artrell’s suggestion to try to visit.
One notable difference: Pomona would give you access to the Claremont consortium, meaning that you could take part in the “feel” of a 5000 student body school if you wish, while also having the smaller LAC experience. Yes, Swarthmore is part of a consortium as well, but it’s not located right next to the other schools, and the access to courses isn’t as tightly integrated. You might like this, or not–just to be aware it’s a difference.
If there does end up being a big price difference at the end, chop off the expensive options. Make sure you include travel costs as well when comparing.
Reed (together with Amherst and Wellesley, I think) was singled out as an undergraduate institution with an exceptionally strong philosophy department by The Philosophy Gourmet, which is the most popular, albeit also controversial, ranking for graduate departments in philosophy. This may be worth considering if you’re absolutely sure you want to major in philosophy.
I do think there is a fair amount of consistency in the quality and style of the top ~40 or more LACs. They all offer a similar arts & science curriculum, the same small classes, professors with PhDs (often from top universities), usually no graduate student TAs, small student bodies (~2000 students), etc. Many feature old collegiate gothic buildings set around tree-lined quads.They differ in selectivity.They differ a little in “vibe” and sometimes in the strength of individual majors. However, in general they don’t have nearly the variation you’d find among top national universities.
They are all good. For me it’d probably come down to Swarthmore, Pomona, or Reed … without considering costs. If Swarthmore is among the cheapest by far, go with Swarthmore.
I’ve never been too fond of Macalester, but considering its location in a big city it is one of the rare urban LACs. This will lead to an ultimately very different experience than more rural and suburban schools like Swarthmore and Vassar.
Among everyday people, Vassar is the most well known and this can translate into impressing people who matter in the future. However, I feel the academics are not as intense and grade inflation plagues the school, to a certain degree. Among the CC crowd, your typical user will usually say something along the lines of “Go to Swat, Amherst, or Williams because these are the only 3 LACs that matter the rest suck” with the occasional “Pomona’s up there, too,” thrown in. The above mentioned is foolishness. Choose a school that YOU fit in at, that YOU like, one where you will be at home for the next, hopefully, best years of your transition into adulthood.
With that said, as a Swattie parent, I’d vouch for this school due to its rigorous RIGOROUS academics. Many schools claim the former, but at Swat, academics are NO joke. Classes are hard and you will get lower grades than you could have ever imagined, especially since everyone there was their high school’s star student. That being said, Swat grads usually are very successful and end up in great jobs and get into the best graduate schools.
@lalalemma I wound up going with Pomona after visiting all 5 except vassar, for a few reasons. One, they revised their aid to the point where it was the most affordable, two, I liked the Pomona professors I met the most, especially their area/ethnic studies people, three, it felt like it found a balance between academic rigor and actual life, plus I felt it provided the best opportunities, and four, the people I met were all right at the intersection of kind, relaxed and interesting. Plus racial and socioeconomic diversity.
Mac and Vassar seemed a little too easy for me, and the people I met at Swarthmore were a little too…twitchy. Strung-out. I’m still sad to not be going to Reed, but I have friends there and plans to fly out and visit from time to time.
Since you’re not my parents, I’ll admit that I actually made my decision 30 minutes into my visit when something in my heart moved.
A little bit of info on Reed. Great school, but you also need to be fully aware that it is quite alternative, and has no “rah-rah” college type atmosphere. Portland is a great city, but Reed sort of sits by itself. For some, this is just the perfect school, really intelligent student body, and some top notch faculty, but as another poster placed it, it is quasi-counterculture, (e.g. drugs, pretty liberal, alternative, non-athletic, …etc) and so for others, it can be a pretty painful 4-5 years.
I love this! OP, one of life’s supreme ironies is that many of the most important decisions we make - the real game changers - are born not from careful research and analysis, not from objective weighting of pros and cons, but simply because ‘my heart moved.’ Learning to trust your heart is one of the most important lessons you can learn. Have fun at Pomona.
