Thoughts? My kid is deciding between an HYP and a top LAC.
The HYP is decent (not outstanding) in the intended major, + very appealing for many other reasons.
The LAC is like a custom fit for all strong areas of interest, plus is appealing for many other reasons, but is kind of remote.
The LAC, when visited, had small classes, and WOW teaching – really important to him.
The HYP’s teaching disappointed during the visit, but we’ve heard teaching is supposed to be better than he experienced.
The HYP is winning in the court of public opinion (family etc.) probably because of prestige, and also because the peers would be more diverse and enriching here. But, the pull of the excellent teaching and wondering if he would be stretched to grow more intellectually at the SLAC, be more of an independent thinker, keeps coming up. Strong connections to mentors & teachers bring out the best in him. Is this going to happen at a HYP?
Well, if he likes the LAC, and it is good breadth and depth in all of his academic interests, and he does not mind the remoteness and whatever other characteristics may be associated with it (e.g. remoteness is often associated with a heavier drinking culture), then it seems like the obvious choice, unless it has a significantly higher cost that would require heavy debt, compromise parental household finances (for retirement, younger kids’ college, etc.), or limit options for professional school (if desired), or if he has some specific post-graduation goal where the LAC is somehow much less suitable for other reasons (e.g. if he wants to work in Wall Street or consulting, and the LAC is not really a targeted recruiting school like HYP).
Congratulations to your child, who has clearly worked hard.
Overall, you have described the H/Y/P choice as being suboptimal. This seems like an entirely rational analysis. I could easily concur, then, with ucbalumnus who states, at least under one set of assumptions, that the SLAC could be the obvious choice. My feeling is only slightly different. If the meaningful differences between the colleges are still somewhat murky to interpret – as they honestly appear to be – then I think it is entirely appropriate to use family knowledge and consensus as the deciding factor.
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker was faced with a similar decision and spoke to the Boston Globe about it. However, I think your child’s circumstances are both too personal and too immediate for him or her to now begin to weigh one particular response to the Proust Questionnaire.