<p>Because for a lot of people, they decide what kind of college they want, then weigh the non-academic factors. For example, I want to go to a small LAC, so I will look at Williams, Amherst, Dartmouth, CMC, Bowdoin, etc. Because that is what I want from a college, I am more likely to go somewhere like that for a safety than go to Big City Institute of Mechanical Engineering</p>