<p>...I dragged mine :) and she and her classmates loved it. The event came through our city a few days ago...here's a map of their events -- <a href="http://www.ctcl.org/events/map">http://www.ctcl.org/events/map</a> I kind of <em>vaguely</em> knew about this...I had heard of the New York Times reporter who started it...but, wow, very interesting to attend. The pluses:
1. your kid gets to visit with admissions counselors from 42 schools in one room
2. these are actually very cool schools...we were most impressed with St. John's College out of Annapolis and Rhodes College (it looks like Oxford!) which is right in the arts district of Memphis and St. Mary's College in the green hills outside of San Francisco.
3. The schools were chosen to be part of this based on superb academics but also the extras...for example, at one of the colleges, you have great teachers, you work on a farm, and you do community service...but they alll vary.
4. And the best part is that they all want your kid! My D's classmates were walking on air when they left simply because it was 1) reassuring to see great colleges outside of the top 25 and 2) great to talk with colleges that 100% want you....</p>
<p>Yeah, I wish they were coming to our area.</p>
<p>Just PLEASE don’t believe that they say about students receiving personal attention etc etc etc. Your child can be lost and alone and ignored at a tiny CTCL LAC just as much as at a huge state U.</p>
<p>I totally agree.</p>
<p>D and I went to the CTCL event in Northern Virginia last spring. Best college fair ever. Not too big. You could spend five minutes talking to a college rep about their school instead of the pass and scan tables at the large college fairs. These reps were genuinely interested in the students. Presentation uplifted and encouraged high school students instead of fostering a competitive environment.</p>
<p>The book, “Colleges That Change Lives”, was recommended to us by a high school teacher friend of mine. We read it and found it to be very inspiring. The author, Loren Pope, profiled 40 great schools that provide wonderful experiences and opportunities for students, but were not well known to the general public because they are mostly small LACs and aren’t in the top 25 USNWR rankings. Loren Pope was an advocate of smaller schools that offer large amounts of student/faculty interaction, strong alumni support and connections, plus a great quality of life on campus. They give students with less than tippy-top stats a wonderful education. Merit aid is available at most of them, so they are also a good choice for those with tippy-top stats who need financial assistance.
After the book was successful, advocates for these schools formed the CTCL group as a way of acquainting more people with great schools that usually fly under the radar. Not all will appeal to every student, they represent a wide variety of academic approaches and social environments, but we loved the philosophy and many of the schools represented. When the book was first written all the schools had an acceptance rate of 50% or more, that has changed over the years.</p>
<p>S just graduated from Whitman, a college that is part of CTCL, and he had a great experience! Whitman has sort of been “discovered” and this year and the acceptance rate fell to 39%. Reed has gained a national reputation for it’s academic rigor, and Rhodes is more widely known and respected now.</p>
<p>For some prospective students, small LACs whose names are unknown to their family and friends won’t cut the mustard, but Loren Pope was doing his best to change the way we value educational institutions and he spent decades trying to shake us out of the prestige myopia that grips this country.</p>
<p>missypie, that was an interesting post. Is there a personal story to accompany it? </p>
<p>I think they are colleges that offer a different experience, but the college fairs and material they produce is marketing, just like other schools may join together to have a college fair (military academies, Jesuit schools, southeastern schools) because they want to market to similar students.</p>
<p>I don’t even find the schools in the ‘club’ all that similar, or necessarily better than an LAC not in the group. The college fair certainly makes learning about the schools easier.</p>
<p>They may be for some kids but I couldn’t them for me or son. ALL colleges change lives. Wonderful experiences at large top flagships for the kind of student son and I were. I dislike the way people jump on this as if the schools should replace many other much better academic and social choices for most.</p>
<p>CTCL is one resource among many, but I always mention it. I personally have heard of many schools on the list and thought very well of them even without CTCL. There are some schools that are not on the list that would seem to belong (Bennington as one example).</p>
<p>Loren Pope also wrote a very comprehensive book entitled “Looking Beyond the Ivies.”</p>
<p>When thinking about schools, it is good to look at all kinds of information sources. Pope’s books are great contributors. I also had a book entitled “Creative Colleges” for the arts, and, of course one of those bigger guides, Peterson’s et al.</p>
<p>A personal story? There are quite a few. But I’ll just fast forward to the one that was the last straw. The one where the prof thought my son was suicidal by the doodles on his test paper, so he put the test paper in the interoffice mail to Student Affairs where it arrived 7 days later, after which Student Affairs showed the paper to a counselor, who concluded that yes, he might be suicidal, whereupon the school called me to come and get him…ALL WITHOUT EVER CHECKING TO SEE IF MY SON WAS STILL ALIVE. He was, but didn’t return to the school the next year.</p>
<p>I hear what you’re all saying about “all” colleges changing lives…and not to concentrate just on the smaller schools…my D and I have been on the circuit that many of you have traveled…from BU and NYU to UChicago to Duke to Georgetown, etc…and my D is still bound & determined to apply (and be rejected from 
the top 10 schools…but it was truly refreshing to have in-depth conversations with admission counselors (some of them were heads of the admissions offices) and have them seem (even if they were faking it…they did a good job) truly interested in talking with the students. And it opened our eyes to the intriguing colleges & professors who are out there…</p>
<p>I thought that “Colleges that Change Lives” was a very inspiring book. However, I also believe that it was a double edged sword. For the longest time after I read that book, I became very biased against large schools, even ones that were cheaper in cost, like the state flagship. As a result, I didn’t truly consider it until when I talked to some of my friends that went there, who said they were still able to have great experiences if they make their own path.</p>
<p>I don’t believe any college can “change lives.” Only you can do that, whether at a large school or a small school. Just because you go to one of those schools doesn’t mean your life will magically change nor does it mean you won’t have amazing meaningful experiences elsewhere. The main advantage I see of smaller schools is it’s personal attention. My friend that currently attends Sarah Lawrence has “dons” that meet with them outside of basic class advising and helps write really personal recommendations and evaluations, that can only help with grad school. However, it is also very expensive, and I do believe cost should be considered.</p>
<p>I currently attend William and Mary, a medium sized school, with the best of both worlds. The personal attention provided at a smaller school with the resources, recognition, and research opportunities of a larger one, but also a great “fit.” I was very impressed with the book and it was the reason I started looking into amazing smaller schools like Hamilton, Carleton, and Grinnell.</p>
<p>But if I listened to every single thing in that book, I would have almost applied to a school like “Antioch” which Mr. Pope mentioned, but I later learned to be unaccredited, a major no, no in the academic world. So it’s important to do your own research and not to be too heavily influenced by a single book, like I was at one point</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>missypie, I am sorry your S had a bad experience–and I believe that kids can fall through the cracks anywhere–but I think it is less likely in a school that prides itself on personal attention, kids knowing faculty and advisors, etc.</p>
<p>My son is about to start his third year at a CTCL school and loves it. Many of his top choices came from the list. They are not the only great “hidden gems,” but they represent many of them. Most important, I think, is the philosophy behind the list and, as SouthernHope says, exposing kids to schools that WANT them at a time when many are focused on long shots that may not.</p>
<p>missypie, that’s a horrifying experience! Yes, small schools can screw up too, it sounds like a pretty disfunctional administration. Can you tell us which one it was?</p>
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<p>I think that many parents who have kids with “issues” feel more comfortable sending their kids to a CTCL school. But in many cases, the small LAC is exactly the wrong environment. Many larger schools - especially the not all that selective state U’s - have a depth of resources…myriad sources of help in just about any area you can think of… Writing center, counseling center, health center, group tutoring, individual tutoring, TREO programs, etc etc etc. Many of the small LACs have none of the above.</p>
<p>Also, if you are looking into a CTLC school, ask about their use of adjuncts. No, I don’t believe that adjuncts provide inferior instruction. My sister in an adjunct and is terrific. But they may well be less likely to get to know the students because they are running off to the other job they have to make ends meet. And their only office hours are likely to be right before or after class, whereas the student may need help between classes.</p>
<p>Wow, your experience could not be more different from my son’s. And I don’t know what you mean about kids with “issues.” None of the kids I know at CTCL schools fit that description–they are generally high achievers who have chosen these schools because of the quality of academics, close-knit campus community, etc. (including, of course, substantial merit aid in some cases). I do agree with you that large schools often have more resources for a wider range of kids, simply because of their size.</p>
<p>As for adjuncts, the information on full-time faculty is readily available and we looked at that when evaluating schools. We also looked at the quality of faculty (i.e., where they had gotten their degrees, their areas of research, etc.) and–most important–student outcomes. The only school I know of that uses adjuncts extensively is NYU–my son’s friend is there and his program is almost ALL adjuncts.</p>
<p>Anyone familiar with McDaniel?</p>
<p>My brother went to one of the CTCL schools way before it was a CTCL. I don’t think it was a life changing experience other than providing him with a solid liberal arts education. That college would not have been on my brother’s list because my folks (working class/immigrants) weren’t particularly knowledgeable about college selection. My brother applied because one of our older cousins had graduated from the CTCL and recommended it.</p>
<p>In most cases what kids do at college will change their lives, not what college they attend. My D. thinks so and trying to instill it in younger family members. That what she believed when she was applying to college, that what she believed when she graduated from college, that is waht she believes 3 years later as a 4th year Medical Student. Back in HS she simply said: “I will do fine anywhere” and she did at the place that was a good match for her personality and very wide range of interests, not the palce that she found on some lists or ranks or read about in a book. </p>
<p>^ Very healthy opinion to have IMO - I will do fine anywhere</p>