Of course, wouldn’t just about any college, even the one with the most “hand holding” by college standards, have less “hand holding” than most high schools?
So, what nurturing experiences that you would call “hand-holding” have your children had at an LAC that you are sure would not have been available at a larger university?
My son attended an LAC, and I do think he benefited from what some might consider “hand holding,” although I prefer to think of it as “opportunities extended.” ; - ) One example was their frequent on-campus job postings. When an opportunity came up within the university for some kind of paid work, the college highlighted it online and encouraged students to apply. Ds was commissioned to produce a film his first year this way for incoming students, a job that was basically handed to him. As a sophomore, he created a new website for his department- an opportunity that came to him through his department connections/professors. Every summer he had some kind of paid internship that was in some way related to his major, found primarily through the college’s outreach programs.
Probably the most obvious “hand holding” example that comes to mind was the encouragement by one of his profs to apply for a specific graduate fellowship that resulted in a position in our state executive branch upon graduation. This position led to wonderful contacts and government experience, and gave him a path, four years later, to his current private sector job, which is a perfect fit for his environmental policy background and college major. I don’t think he would have applied for that original fellowship had his professor not told him about it and encouraged him to go for it.
The reason these opportunities were available to him, imho, is because of the intimate contact within the college community. Professors do get to know the students very well in a smaller setting, and because of that, they are able to steer them in academic and career directions that make sense and fit with their talents and goals.
This same son spent his junior year semester abroad in South Africa, in a program that was supplemented by courses and enrollment at the University of Cape Town. The first day he showed up at campus to complete his registration at the university, the office had no record of him being enrolled or a part of the program. He was able to get it worked out, but it took a couple of days and several conversations while he waited for the university to verify everything and get the approval.
He joked when he came home that this was the first time he really appreciated the “red-tape” differences between his LAC and a very large university. " At LAC, I would have talked to Ms. Brown in registration, and she would have said, ‘OK, (son’s name), I’ll call/email you this afternoon when it’s all final,’ and it would be done." 
The college I am most interested in seems to have a lot of “hand holding”. But I don’t mind. I think it is nice to have that support as a new student. Hearing that the various administration truly care to the point of making sure you go to class, put this small, woman’s college at the top. Maybe it is just me but I like that.
Hand-holding to me often seems to be a phrase that is thrown out there nowadays. But I do believe there is a significant difference between U.S. colleges and their European counterparts. Close relationships with professors is one example of this. Whereas in the U.S. there is more of an expectation that you get to know your professors and even more informal meetings with them, there is less of that overseas.
Similarily, academic advising could be a difference between a college that pays more attention to its students versus one that doesn’t. Typically these could help students navigate through their years in college, what classes to take, career advice, and to make sure they graduate on time. Closer relationships also mean that you are in the know about research opportunities and other things on campus where you may be expected to figure that out on your own otherwise. Like someone else mentioned above, RA’s with residence life, counseling centers, and college staff that are available to help students are examples of support systems for students that may not be available everywhere.
How professors treat students are also different. Certain professors may require you to show up and participate in class discussions part of your grade versus another one where they might just lecture, have a final on the last day, and have that be your grade. In my opinion, it is less easy to get lost at a small school where a professor will recognize you than at a bigger school that may be more bureacratic and the professor won’t even know your name. This doesn’t necessarily translate into hand-holding or not, just differences between how people interact
The school that I consider “hand holding” was a small college that told parents that if their students seemed homesick or not involved outside of class after a month or so, that they could call school and someone would manage to “run into” student on campus and specifically invite them to get involved.
@moonchild, it’s not fair to compare a large university in South Africa to one in the US. I have been to that country three times and will be going again next month. While I love the wildlife and friendly people, I’m always taken aback at the inefficiencies and screw ups! Even buying something with a credit card can take 30 minutes, no joke.
My favorite class at UT, American History, had 350 people in it. The prof, George Forgie was an amazing storyteller and was always available if I wanted to speak with him. He tried unsuccessfully to get me to change my major from engineering to history! He’s still going strong, 30 years later, and was recently named as one of the best 10 teachers at the University.
The only advantage I see for an LAC over a private university is much small classes. You could go to top private universities and still end up in very large classes when they are required or popular beginner classes. The RAs, assigned dorm masters, advisors and whatever else - everybody has them.
On several tours of LACs we were told stories about “how the professor called when I wasn’t in class.” Not sure where the line is between hand holding and involvedness (if that’s a word).
Where I work there is a support system in place that links student life and academics through information sharing. The goal is to be supportive and to allow students to achieve success, but not to facilitate helicopter behavior.
I can’t even imagine calling students because they weren’t in class. What am I, their mother?
If that person were your faculty advisor and it was a small symposium I could see it happening. My kid (dual enrollment CC) was texting and calling back and forth with his prof last weekend getting feedback on a paper. The prof was texting with him on a sunny Sunday afternoon which floored me but maybe he was just glad to have a student who was that enthusiastic about his field.
My D’s “Writing the Essay” prof at NYU (required freshman course no matter major, AP scores etc) brought bagels every time a paper was due. Bagels came from various places, and final assignment had a component on choosing the best bagel in NYC
Any school that claimed that they’d call me when I’m not in class would be immediately off my list. That’s creepy.
@romanigypsyeyes Those are the schools that stayed on my list. I like the close, family feeling. Makes it feel more personal.
I guess I just feel that I don’t need yet another set of parents. To each his/her own. I’m glad there’s an option for everyone
That is pretty outer limits compared to much of what people term “hand-holding”.
Two experiences my D had at a LAC:
- Taking a course way outside her comfort zone and not doing very well. Professor called her in and required her to meet with him weekly until the semester was over. My H teaches at a large research uni. He was blown away by this.
- D had a campus catering job and was working at a gig for the professors in her major. Her advisor recognized and acknowledged her. Wound up that she got a research job out of it.
Hand-holding has a “baby sitting” sensibility about it to me. I think, though, that that is not always what is implied. The personalized attention our kid experienced at a small LAC was more related to how known our student was to the profs and deans, allowing for customized recommendations for opportunities that were a good fit. These relationships were cultivated by our student and also the norm at the school. They optimized the undergrad experience, yet were anything but regressive.
The OP here. I just want to say that I did not invent the term “hand-holding” with regard to colleges, but rather chose that expression because it was the one I saw most used on CC. I don’t want any negative connotations of the word to be a distraction from the essence of the discussion.