<p>Im not sure if ID is fishing for trouble with his comments regarding HC, but he opened up a can in my book 
. Before that, ID may indeed have Oedipal issues JW, but I think his fixation with endowments is more Freudian, no?</p>
<p>1st, I find it a little troubling the import on bigger, luxury and more on this thread. I believe endowments per student at the top 10 LACs have grown disproportionate to inflation in the last decade but tuition expenses still climbed more so. I always thought that the purpose of a solid college education is to educate. However, many colleges seem to be in a wasteful arms race of kinds as exemplified in some of IDs “quality” measures. I dont believe having dorms that can be mistaken for high end condos or extravagant gardens is what makes for a worthy education. These things dont help many of the qualified students who could have gone to SC but could not afford to do so because the cash was spent elsewhere.</p>
<p>Also, I dont think it sets a good example for college students to be saturated with the notion that the main way to gauge the qualities of something is based on the amount of money spent. At a certain level (the top ten lacs), pouring more money into something doesnt proportionally make for a better college education as it doesnt make for better public policy, in general. </p>
<p>HC doesnt need to have Art History, or a pool, or many other things because they are all available at BMC which is less than 10 minutes away by the Blue Bus. Being redundant is wasteful, even though it may impress some parents fixated on quantity. One reason why the value proposition of HC is underestimated by US News, simple spending comparisons and by many people is that such calculations neglect the tremendous opportunities and synergies available at BMC. If HC was in the middle of Deliverance MA, as is Williams, and away from Philly and BMC, then I would say that educational resources at HC would not be comparable to the best LACs but location is key and that is what makes HC competitive with such schools. The only thing HC is weak on educationally is performing arts but is actively raising capital for that.</p>
<p>Finally, there is much to be said about the campus of HC which has an effortless beauty and simple elegance. I know my brother would trade Tarble for the Duck Pond in a heartbeat. As it demonstrates the subjectivity of taste, I also would never dream of comparing the beauty of the 2 campuses. Many aspects of SC are quite nice such as the amphitheater, but other areas seemed to be more than fussy or downright ugly, like Dupont and the very loud-looking garden of yellow and purple leafed plants.</p>