<p>And to the NUSHS dude, all the colleges I’m applying to are liberal arts colleges. I’m not Singaporean though. </p>
<p>You should really think about what you want from your education. you go to a renowned us university, you probably will have a good shot at raking in the big bucks. If that’s the case then go there. If you want something more like equipping yourself with the powerful tools of clear expression, critical thinking etc and you want breadth and depth in what you study along with accessible professors, then go to an LAC. Now, I’m not selling the other normal unis short here but it’s just easier to achieve those things in an LAC by virtue of its size and its focus on pedagogy and a student’s holistic devt.</p>
<p>Or if you have varied interests and really want to explore them like me, an LAC would be the perfect place. Few of the colleges I’m applying to like Marlboro College and Hampshire College even allows me to combine my areas of interest because the focus of the school is on interdisciplinary learning. But then again, you really must be sure that that’s what you want and that you’re ready to go out there and be independent for your own learning. If that’s what you desire but are apprehensive about name recognition in Singapore for job prospects, then you can always try for Brown where there are no core requirements! Or there are Swarthmore, Amherst, Williams, Bowdoin etc who have a good name recognition in Sg too, I think.</p>
<p>But if you really want hardcore LAC curriculum, you should consider St. John’s College in Annapolis and Santa Fe which I considered for quite a while. Awesome but intimidating college.</p>
<p>Also, even if your interested in the sciences, an LAC could still be a great choice. A lot of the good/great LACs have just an outstanding record of sending its graduates to the top grad colleges as the Ivy League colleges. And if you were to look at the last 25 americans to win the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Chemistry, you’d see a significant LAC presence.</p>
<p>I chose LACs because as much as Sg has seemed to squeeze out any joy in learning possible, I still really just want to learn for its sake; like a few of the LSCs I’m applying to does not even offer grades but narrative evaluations instead! I want to have contact with my professors and be friends with them. I want a place where everyone is not just there to get a degree but to simply learn because that kind of environment can only stimulate immense intellectual growth. </p>
<p>Singapore preaches about practicality and pragmatism a hell lot and living here for your entire life, it is easy to completely buy it and thus an LAC might look like a volatile choice. But ultimately, it is up to you; what do you want from your education? Answer that without any kind of that Singaporean practicality, pragmatism, forward-looking etc and then decide on your colleges.</p>
<p>And fyi, apparently, an average college grad changes his career 6 to 7 times which would mean that the skills taught to you by an LAC would be vital and extremely useful especially in today’s volatile world, though I’m guessing that that statistic holds true only for the Americans.</p>
<p>Yeah, be sure of what you want and good luck!</p>