Frustration over LAC's

oatmealia
Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:53:06 +0000

I went to a very rural midwestern high school, and my guidance counselor knew all about national LACs. She was very involved in the business of encouraging the top 1% to apply to schools that would stimulate and challenge them, and I can’t imagine having to deal with a GC who didn’t have that perspective. She was also fastidious about searching out good fits for the other 99% of the student body. She knew about the Ivies, LACs, state colleges, urban campuses, rural campuses, certification programs, career options, etc. She was certainly also very good at crisis control and took care of her scheduling duties. She loved her job and wanted to see students succeed. I don’t know why we should expect apathy in a guidance counselor rather than mourning it.

And no, the top 1% is not always self-sufficient, and they often need as much specialized attention as any other kid to meet their goals. High school is a very small world, and independence of thought and motivation are often not very developed at that point, regardless of intelligence. Speaking as a college student with four younger sisters in high school, I see this every time I visit home. I’m a transfer student because I largely didn’t know what I was doing in high school, despite being at the top of my class (I was way too shy to consult with my guidance counselor regularly). I definitely don’t think any group of students should be ignored for another, but it’s not asking a terrible amount of a guidance counselor to believe that they should know about the major LACs, and have a view toward student satisfaction rather than mere prestige.

OP, I agree with everything that has been said here about following your instincts. I’ve never formally attended an LAC, but I’ve spent time around several of them (for summer programs, visits, etc.) and there are so many amazing LAC campuses out there. They’re definitely my taste also. I think it’s great that you’re exploring your options. Also, what pointoforder said. Right now it might feel like you’re letting people down, but as soon as you arrive at that LAC campus, the greater academic world will have a much clearer view of things. I made the decision to attend my first school based on what other people wanted, and now I couldn’t be more glad to be transferring out. I hope you can avoid making the mistake I made!