<p>Hey people! my friend from China has applied to all three of these top LACs as well as HYPS. I think she has a very good chance in gaining admission to at least all three of these LACs cos' she's got truly amazing stats, ECs plus she's an Olympic gymnast representing China. Since she does not have access to the internet (due to the recent earthquake in Tai Wan), she would like me to ask you all how the prestige factor varies among these three LACs, because she has a feeling that although HYPS are internationally famed, she would personally much prefer a smaller school for college, since she will definitely go to a grad school 4 years later any way.</p>
<p>In reality, to be honest, Wellesley's the more well-known of the 3 in Asia compared to Williams and Amherst. But maybe the all-women factor is holding her back a bit. What do you guys say?</p>
<p>Curious, prestige is subjective to the person doing the judging. If you mean among the average man/woman on the street in Beijing (or Hong Kong or Jakarta or Delhi) none of these schools has significant name recognition. </p>
<p>If you mean among graduate or professional school admissions committees or HR departments of Fortune 500 companies or educated Americans living on the East Coast, they are considered equally good choices.</p>
<p>If your friend's number one priority is prestige then she'd best steer clear of any LAC. They are not well recognized, understood, or respected in Asia.</p>
<p>Thanks for the comments so far.
As to the reason why I said Wellesley is more well-known in Asia compared to the other 2, it's because world-famous women like Madam Chiang Kai-Shek Madelein Albright and Hilary Clinton went there. that's why my friend told me that Wellesley is so well known in Asia. I guess Wellesley is most well-known among Chinese and Koreans in particular.</p>
<p>Anyway, is it true that Williams and Amherst are considered slightly more prestigious in the United States, since their acceptance rates are 18-19% while Wellesley's is 34%?</p>
<p>Williams and Amherst are considered way more prestigious than Wellesley here in the US and it has nothing to do with the acceptance rate. On average, the two attract stronger students unless the (women) student prefers single sex school, where Wellesley is the only option.</p>
<p>Just curious with your friend, what happened to good old pride and country? Why the rush for US schools, I'm sure China has some World class schools too.</p>
<p>Williams and Amherst are the two schools people think of almost immediately when the phrase "LAC" is mentioned. There are others that are just as good or better (Wesleyan, IMHO) but, people can hold only so much information at one time, and three or four Ivy League colleges, and two or three LACs are about all they can handle for general conversational purposes. But, for actual college application purposes, it pays to dig a little deeper. I recommend two books, The Yale Insider's Guide to Colleges and the ISI "Choosing the Right College" for birdseye views of the top American colleges.</p>
<p>I'm not so sure that I agree that "Williams and Amherst are considered way more prestigious than Wellesley." This may be true in certain circles, but in general, I would say that Wellesley might be a little better known than A or W.</p>
<p>If your friend is looking for prestige in Asia, (as momrath notes) it would be wise to steer clear of all LACS</p>
<p>"Better known" is not the same as "more prestigious". Williams and Amherst are definitely more prestigious, and likely not as well known, as Wellesley. They aren't as well known as Ohio State, either.</p>
<p>There's no question that in Asia, and especially in Chinese circles, Wellesley is bolth better known and has the most prestige - Madame Chiang Kai-Shek attended, and there has been a long line of Chinese students that have followed her. </p>
<p>(it's sorrta difficult to have prestige when no one has ever heard of you. I have traveled and worked in South Asia for much of the past 35 years after graduation from Williams, and have yet to bump into any non-American who has ever heard of it. HOWEVER, there is an entire village - T. Kallupati - where folks learned to read using my copy of the Williams Alumni Review.)</p>
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I'm not so sure that I agree that "Williams and Amherst are considered way more prestigious than Wellesley." This may be true in certain circles, but in general, I would say that Wellesley might be a little better known than A or W.
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<p>haha I agree with that. In depends on location. I might be a little Wellesley biased, of course, but from what I see Wellesley is more of a "household name." Here in Houston, Wellesley is pretty well known, Amherst is known by the people who matter, and Williams is known by a select few.</p>
<p>Yes, ohh miss zanna;
Williams is known by the select few who matter.
Back to the question at hand; if you're looking for a career in Asia; forget about the LAC's; stick with HYPS.</p>
<p>Curious,
Of the schools you mentioned, the only ones with a women's gymnastics team are Stanford and Yale. In spite of having amazing stats, everyone needs a safety school. Your friend should contact the gymnastics coaches at these schools in any way she can and possibly turn one of them into her safety. Good luck.</p>
<p>The OP made the important point that her friend plans to go on to graduate school anyway after the LAC. I think the prestige of the graduate school would carry back home with her. Just tell everyone back home that she's in the #1 or #2 Liberal Arts college in America (U.S.News and World Reports) with Williams or Amherst, who take turns for that spot every year. Explain that in America, there is value in learning in small groups with only the professors and no graduate students in between. When students finish any of those 3 schools, they are eligible for the best graduate schools/universities. Read all the threads on CC about "university vs. LAC." I would not presume to know what is the best education in China, but I would respect the opinion of the Chinese people on it. People who choose small LAC's for their first four years of higher education believe strongly in this approach, and wait for graduate school to go to prestige universities. There, their training is demonstrated handsomely, year after year, which is why someone can write "Amherst," "Williams," or "Wellesley" on their grad school application and get excellent consideration across the U.S. Of the 3 mentioned, I believe Amherst and Williams have the edge over Wellesley, but your friend could be very proud to attend any of the three. Perhaps she will choose based upon the coed vs. all-women's environment. Best wishes.</p>
<p>The only possible basis for saying Amherst and Williams are more prestigious than Wellesley would be their relative USNews rankings. I'm not sure that isn't evidence of a purple bubble at work. I mean, two of them admit men; one of them doesn't. Isn't that enough of a difference?</p>
<p>IMO, all the choices would be equally great as academic preparation for
U.S. graduate schools.
I think the question of fit might be more important for her to sort out. It seems to me that many american and foreign female Asians (or perhaps it is the Asian parents) have a preference for Wellesley precisely because it is all women and therefore a "safer", more conservative college environment.</p>
<p>If her/her family has accepted any money for gymnastics (would be pretty likely with the Chinese national team AFAIK) then she isn't eligible for NCAA gymnastics here which could be why the NCAA gymn isn't an issue.</p>
<p>hey guys! thanks for all the replies! my frd just received a likely letter from Wellesley! now she only has to wait for Williams and Amherst as well as the HYPS!
though I personally hope she would choose Wellesley eventually ;P</p>