what are the differences between the college admissions process of a top university like harvard and amherst or middlebury?
thanks
The differences have to do with the specific schools, not whether or not they are LACs.
No major difference.
The differences have to do with selectivity, not size.
There are no major differences, but a few small ones:
- Because of LACs’ smaller class sizes, a larger percentage of the student body tends to be recruited athletes.
- Top LACs tend to have higher acceptance rates than top universities because of less widespread recognition.
- Asians are over-represented at top universities, but under-represented at most of the top LACs.
This is not true for all LACs, some of which recruit very few athletes, and some, like Harvey Mudd, recruit approximately zero.
For the schools you mentioned I don’t think there is any appreciable difference in the admissions process.
As stated earlier, the differences may be school specific. For example, Amherst doesn’t conduct interviews, Harvard’s SAT averages are among the few highest in the country, etc. The generality of LACs having a higher percentage of recruited athletes, as well as other conceivable generalities, may be true, however.
At the smaller schools, everything is more personal. Your essay, interview, and teacher recommendations matter immensely. The admissions officers will really get to know you. Consider this a microcosm of the school experience to come: at a small liberal arts college, you will interact more frequently with more professors both in and out of the classrooms, sometimes be invited to dine at their homes, etc.
P.S. If you are really interested in getting insight into the admissions process, The Gatekeepers is a wonderful book to read. It takes you through one year’s admissions cycle at Wesleyan.