<p>i know that as a whole, LACs don't get much name recognition. but which 5 or 6 get the most?</p>
<p>hmm I would say Amherst, Williams, Wellesley, Wesleyan,</p>
<p>What about Middlebury?</p>
<p>Amherst, Swarthmore, Williams, Pomona, Haverford, Wellesley, Middlebury, and many others</p>
<p>colgate, maybe?</p>
<p>williams, amherst, middlebury, colgate, swarthmore, pomona, and washington and lee. i am going to w&l next year and i find the reactions i get very interesting. people either have heard of it and have worlds of respect for it, or raise an eyebrow and say "o yeah, in DC right?" or "is that the one in st. louis?" a couple of my good buddies are going to midd and williams; they have similar stories. as conceited as this sounds, i think that if someone who considers himself educated has not heard of the nation's top LAC's, he needs to take a step back and re-evaluate just how educated he thinks he is.</p>
<p>Really, I would say none of them, unless you happen to live in a city near one, in which case people probably know of it. A friend of mine and I were in a local coffee shop (in Los Angeles) just a few weeks ago when we saw an old family friend of hers. She asked where we were attending college. My friend responded that she was going to Amherst and I said I was heading to the University of Virginia. The family friend immediately recognized UVA, but had never heard of Amherst.</p>
<p>It's important to remember that name recognition does not equal academic quality (not to say that UVA has no academic quality--it certainly does!). Many of the most recognized schools are recognized not for their academics, but for their sports programs. A person off the street is much, much more likely to have heard of U of Oklahoma than to have heard of Williams or Middlebury.</p>
<p>If you mean name recoginition in terms of job-seeking, I would say any of the top 30 schools in either national universities or liberal arts colleges is going to get some recognition, or at least elicit a "You went to _____, hmm?" But while a top-notch education might get your foot in the door, it won't keep you there. You're going to have to do that out of your own skill.</p>
<p>I agree with semiserious.</p>
<p>If you want name recognition, don't go to a LAC.</p>
<p>Job-wise, any of the top LACs that you normally think of as top LACs have pretty good placement offices that make sure companies know them.</p>
<p>Academia-wise, as in for graduate school, they'll know well the top LACs.</p>
<p>The only one I had really heard of before I became familiar with LACs was Oberlin. And yes, I'm from Ohio (Toledo).</p>
<p>As an international student, only Amherst, Williams and Swarthmore..</p>
<p>None of the others are as well known, or get the same respect.. These are the only LAC's that are treated on par with the IVY's..</p>
<p>Dartmouth is LAC-y in atmosphere, size, etc., but it gets the Ivy recognition.</p>
<p>Depends on where you live in terms of the average person knowing. And even knowledgable on the weat coast don't seem to know about the Claremont colleges. But in terms of the moat selective jobs, such as at consulting firms and on Wall Street, Williams, Amherst and Swat are very well known and appreciated.</p>
<p>Sarah Lawrence.</p>
<p>Lol, Sarah Lawrence gets recognition for being...um...out there.</p>
<p>I always hear people say that Williams, Amherst and Swarthmore are the "ivy league" of the LACs. Is it true that for prestige they are on a par with the middle ivies (Dartmouth, Columbia, etc.)?</p>
<p>i'm biased in the sense that i would have never ever picked a huge university over a small LAC, yet i dont think the average person could name 3 LACs that were further than an hour from their home. but im not aiming to impress a mailman from north dakota.</p>
<p>If you mean international prestige, it isn't true.</p>
<p>Most people recognize Harvard, Princeton, and Yale--and not too much else. People also know schools like Penn State, Ohio State, etc., because of their sheer size and notable athletics.</p>
<p>I can't tell you how many people thought I was applying to Penn State when I was really applying to the University of Pennsylvania. I live about 15 minutes from UPenn, and I took a class there last semester through a high school program-- I had to repeatedly convince many people that in fact I was NOT commuting 8 hours round trip to State College, PA every Thursday night.</p>
<p>I'm going to Wellesley next year, and I usually get one of two reactions: either, "Wow! Wellesley!" or "Where's that?" (The latter reaction is a lot more popular.) </p>
<p>The blank stares I get are annoying at times, simply because going to Wellesley is an accomplishment I'm proud of, and I'd like other people to share in my excitement. It's important to remember, however, that as far as grad school placement and employment goes, the names of the prominent LACs are taken very seriously.</p>
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The blank stares I get are annoying at times, simply because going to Wellesley is an accomplishment I'm proud of, and I'd like other people to share in my excitement
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<p>I absolutely agree! I guess we'll just have to be super famous geniuses and get our schools names out there. :)</p>
<p>I live in Europe and have to say that Liberal Art colleges are not very famous over here. You would be hard pressed to find someone that could name one or two. Regarding the greater fame of some unis such as University of Lousiana and etc... it could also be due to their names having geographical locations in them. Bringing with it some kinda of recognition in peoples minds. </p>
<p>About the UPenn and Penn State name problem that even happend to me in Europe. When I told my uncle I was applying to Penn he told me that it was a great idea to apply to Penn State.</p>