<p>LACS vs. Unis threads are useful in this situation because they make the trade-offs between large and small schools starker: If you can pinpoint what matters to you, what you are willing to trade off in order to get something else, then it’s easier to come up with schools that will fit, rather than disappoint. A student who understands the trade offs associated with, for example, a small student body (tight community vs. less diversity, less vs. more privacy, more personal engagement in ECs vs. higher quality semi-pro ECs, etc…) - can then look at the mid-sized and small unis as a way to get the best (and sometimes the worst) of both worlds.</p>