A decade after my undergraduate “career” ended, I read two books about colleges that had a significant impact on me & confirmed what I had experienced during my undergraduate years, grad school & during a summer session at another university.
In short, I craved diversity in all of its forms which was something lacking in my preppy, rich kid, very athletic, Greek-system dominated LAC.
One of the two influential books was a college guide book written by two men who did not enjoy their undergraduate experiences. The other was about public state school honors colleges.
The first college guide described my undergraduate school perfectly although not in a diplomatic fashion. The second book taught me that students could have it all–diversity, personal attention & advising, small classes, D-I athletics and a big college experience while enjoying a small college community in a large university setting.
Looking back over the decades, US colleges & universities have changed for the better due in large part to a focus on increasing diversity, in my opinion.
I feel compelled to share my knowledge about elite prep schools, colleges & universities, MBA programs, & law schools because I want folks to make informed decisions.