My twins just finished junior year. They slacked off and don’t have very good gpas at this point, but good ACT scores. Twin A finished with a 3.19 and 28 ACT, and twin B 3.22 and 30 ACT score. Grrrr. Laziness for such smart kids! Anyways, they both are football players, and we have been looking at LAC division 3 schools so they can continue to play. Twin A is very interested in Loras, we have visited twice, once for open visit, than he was invited to junior day for recruiting. Twin B is going to a recruiting day at a different school in Iowa. Than, the family gets involved. They think with their ACT scores they should be looking at bigger schools, even if it means giving up their dreams of football. Be a walk on (and never play??), play club football… But they have been telling them a degree from a University has more weight than a private school.
Twin A is going for Engineering… Twin B undecided.
My question… Are they right? Is a University Diploma THAT much better than a Private school? I thought we had it figured out. Trying to find and visit for twins who do NOT want to go to the same school is hard enough and now we are being pressured to expand the search.
FWIW, I think twin B will stick to his guns, D3 so he can play his sport. Twin B is a little more easily influenced and now saying maybe it wont be so bad not to play.
UGH! So frustrated!
I do not think that where the diploma comes from is that important, rather what you do at the school. But the small LAC have a lot of benefits for engineering and science students like twin A. LAC are also good for undecided because they allow for the student to take a wide array of courses before he chooses a major.
Best of luck!
I don’t think that by definition a university degree is more valuable than a degree from a LAC. In fact a LAC has benefits some students many prefer over a university (smaller class sizes, chance to know professors well, there can be more research opportunities as there are no grad students to compete with etc. ). If you look on CC you can find many threads discussing the difference between a LAC and a university. One is not better than the other, but they offer somewhat different experiences. What matters is the quality of the school and the education and experience that the student has. (I live out east and I’m not familiar with Loras College so I cannot offer an opinion on that particular school).
For full disclosure my D went to a LAC, had a great experience and got into grad school at Columbia University.
Perhaps it’s not relevant to your own children’s search, but with an ACT score middle-range of 30-33, Grinnell College is by far the most selective college in Iowa (compare to the University Iowa at 23-28). The academic qualities of LACs should not be under-regarded as a general rule.
The one going for engineering may find few LACs that offer engineering natively (as opposed to 3+2 programs, which are only rarely completed by transfer to the “2” school). He may want to focus on schools with engineering (there are smaller ones that focus on engineering, not all of which are highly selective). Loras does have an ABET accredited general engineering major that appears to have mostly a mechanical emphasis: http://www.loras.edu/majors-programs/engineering/ .
What general areas of interest does the undecided one have?
Thank you everyone for the replies! I tried to explain that as a parent, I feel better with the small school environ,ent… 20 to a class rather than 100ish, more one on one with professors, etc. I guess I just need to follow my parent instinct on his one!
Twin A is interested in mechanical engineering, and Loras is one of our top choices since they are accredited. Most of them have the 3-2 program which my son has zero interest in. As far as twin B, he has absolutely no idea what he wants. Ugh! We are trying to find schools with the broadest range of majors. I do have a feeling he will wind up in some math or science field.
I did sit them down today and remind them this is their decision, and to not let anyone else influence them. I realize my family is only teying for the best for them… But man, college search for one is stressful enough… But two at the same time? I dont need them adding to it. Lol
Definitely relevant. Not sure why my family thinks that a hiner ACT means public school. Lol