<p>wow maybe its just because im from texas but rice certainly holds quite a bit of prestige in my opinion....if you get in to rice you are pretty much hailed as a genius. have many people from out of state not heard of it or something?</p>
<p>yeah Rice is very prestigious in Texas. I think it's disappointing that the Texan LACs don't get as much attention from Texas... Trinity U and Austin College and Southwestern (to a lesser extent imo). Baylor is SO overrated.</p>
<p>definitely all of the LACs outside the USNews top 10.</p>
<p>cal poly pomona, very good engineering school for locals yet unheard of outside california</p>
<p>i agree. its shocking that people give me such a blank look when i tell them im considering southwestern, especially since its about 2 hours away from where i live. then again i live in a bubble. same goes for austin college and trinity.. i mean we dont all want to go to texas state, honestly</p>
<p>Carleton, St. Olaf, Lawrence, et al in the Midwest.</p>
<p>to be more specific: hamilton, colby, bates, trinity, conn coll, kenyon, earlham, lehigh, carnegie mellon, william and mary, tulane, miami (oh).</p>
<p>Whitman College</p>
<p>I think BC is not appreciated academically. It is well-known due to its prolific athletic program, but I think many people don't give it it's due worth as an academic institution. Hopefully in the future this changes.</p>
<p>Big ups to "Toothpaste U", Colgate University.</p>
<p>Definitely Washington and Lee. Forget Davidson; W&L is the most selective, academically rigorous, and prestigious (among professional and academic circles) liberal college in the south. It's a premiere institution of higher learning that can compete with the best schools in the nation.</p>
<p>TCNJ is a good public school, but it's something like 95% NJ kids so not many people out of state know of it/think it's a good school. Avg SAT is 1300 or so which is not bad for a state school.</p>
<p>Also agree with W&L and BC</p>
<p>I think it is possible to support one school without being negative about others; I don't have firsthand knowledge of W and L but know of its reputation and assume it is a fine school. I do know Davidson, however, and certainly would say that it is a first-rate liberal arts college and deserves more widespread recognition--it compares well with the Northeastern LACs I'm familiar with. But it is true, as many posters on CC have noted, that excellent schools in both the South and the Midwest often don't get quite the same recognition that comparable Northeastern schools do.</p>
<p>Belmont University, Nashville, TN--extremely well-developed music, dance, theatre and performing arts programs. Has a School of Music Business and College of Performing Arts. If you want to do anything commercial in music, Belmont is an excellent choice (and fairly well-known for that)</p>
<p>Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, CA (Los Angeles)--top 10 orientation and student development program in the country; rated 2nd most beautiful student body (in the US) 2 yrs straight; prestigious nursing school; well-recognized music and commercial music degrees; medium-small student body (4500 undergrad, 4000 grad/post-grad/doctoral); over 70 majors; unbelievably good community (as every student at APU--including transfers--attests); an administration that is quick to respond to student concerns; many, many opportunities for student leadership; approachable deans and dept chairs in each school; top athletics school in the NAIA; consistently ranks 1st or 2nd in most sports in the NAIA; Strengths-based philosophy of education (meaning it focuses first on developing students' talents and strengths in order to encourage and motivate students, and then later helps students to apply those strengths to fill it for weaknesses)</p>
<p>Colgate, Davidson, Holy Cross and W&L -very good LAC'S with tremendous alumni networks with alumni giving rates of 50%.</p>
<p>I agree with Davidson, it is a very good LAC that doesn't get much attention</p>
<p>Also have to agree with Rice, incredible school with the college system which gives it a great social atmosphere but it is ignored often.</p>
<p>Also will concur with Washington and Lee, very good school that you hardly see mentioned.</p>
<p>Reed is amazing. AMAZING.</p>
<p>My vote goes to Grinnell College in Iowa.</p>
<p>I mentioned these when this thread was started last year but I think highly of the academics at the following schools (in no particular order except how my brain cells dredged them up), which many on these boards seem to either overlook or put down as "not prestigious enough":</p>
<p>LAC's:
Whitman College (Washington state)
Davidson College (SC)
Southwestern University (Texas)
Trinity U (Texas)
St. Olaf College (Minnesota)
Earlham College (Indiana)
Reed College (Oregon)
Furman University (SC)
Holy Cross (par, this one's for you)
Lawrence U (Wisc.)
Beloit (Wisc.)
Grinnell (Iowa)
Carleton (Minn.)
Willamette (Oregon)
St. Mary's College of Maryland
Macalester (Minn.)
Wabash College (Indiana)
Sewanee/The University of the South (Tenn)
Rhodes College (Tenn)
Centre College (KY)</p>
<p>Universities:
U of Rochester
University of Wisconsin-Madison
UC Davis
Case Western Reserve
University of Washington
University of Oregon
SUNY Binghamton
SUNY Geneseo
Wake Forest
U of Pittsburgh
Indiana U
University of South Dakota
University of Tulsa
Miami U (Ohio)
Ohio U (especially their OUTSTANDING honors college)
University of South Carolina (honors college)</p>
<p>None of these schools will be "right" for everyone, but for those who find one to their liking can get terrific educations at any of them. There are, however, MANY other excellent schools out there that are NEVER mentioned here on CC.</p>
<p>The Evergreen State College
Michigan Tech University
Kettering University
Hillsdale College</p>