<p>Look, molliebatmit, again, I'm not saying that the LAC's are 'better' than MIT. That's not the point. That's not what I'm saying. </p>
<p>What I am saying is that it obviously isn't that bad to be at a LAC, because clearly the LAC's have demonstrated decent success at getting their people into top doctoral programs. Is that success comparable to MIT's? I don't know. But the point is, the LAC's certainly don't suck. Just because you go to a LAC does not mean you're doomed to never get into a top doctoral program. </p>
<p>Which then calls into serious question, at least to me, about just how important it really is to work with superfamous profs or go to schools with highly ranked research departments with myriad bigtime research projects and so forth. The LAC's don't have superfamous profs. The LAC's don't have highly ranked research departments. So then how exactly are all these Harvey Mudd, Williams, and Amherst graduates getting into places like Caltech for graduate school? Is Caltech being dumb? </p>
<p>Consider this quote:</p>
<p>"According to data from the National Research Council and the U.S. Department of Education, Harvey Mudd College has the highest percentage of graduates who go on to earn doctoral degrees in science and technology.
* A Ford Foundation study entitled "Undergraduate Origins of Women and Men 1970-1982-Graduates Who Received Doctorates Between 1970 and 1986" showed that nationwide, the leading colleges for production of students who went on to earn engineering Ph.D.s were 1) Caltech, 2) MIT, and 3) Harvey Mudd College. The leading colleges that produced Ph.D. recipients in mathematics and the natural sciences were 1) Caltech, 2) Harvey Mudd College, and 3) MIT."</p>
<p>"Everyone has heard of M.I.T. and Cal Tech, but most laymen would be surprised to learn that Harvey Mudd College has a higher percentage of its graduates go on to receive doctorates than either of these renowned institutions. Many would be surprised that Cooper Union comes next among engineering schools in this respect."</p>
<p>Look, again, I'm not saying that the LAC's are the greatest thing in the world. What I am saying is that I think they are pretty good. In particular, I am saying that places like Harvey Mudd, Cooper Union, Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Wellesley, Pomona, Middlebury, and places like that are pretty good places to go to school. </p>
<p>However ultimately, my real point is that you can get into doctoral programs just fine without going to an undergrad school that has major research departments. The LAC's are living proof of this. Plenty of people from the elite LAC's get into plenty of elite doctoral programs, after you've accounted for just how small the LAC's are.</p>