My college junior came home for the Thanksgiving break a few days ago, and I can hardly believe she’s the same girl who had a terrible start to her freshman year. She was shy and awkward, but has become confident and eagerly pursues opportunities. I feel that her college is worth every penny and that she simply would have NEVER been able to make progress and evolve if she had gone to a bigger university.
This isn’t to imply that only shy students should consider LAC’s. At my daughter’s college, there are students who are super-involved in campus life, who perform, who design, who are socially and politically involved, who are gregarious, or quiet, or sporty, or brainy, or everything in between. The thing they all have in common is that they all know their professors, their professors know them, and they love being part of a close-knit community. They have access to good opportunities, whether it’s the campus career center, internships, campus jobs, research positions, community engagement, dedicated advising, and much more.
Here are some strong reasons for considering an LAC:
Small classes right from the start meant she has able to speak and engage with others in her classes, and get to know her professors.
--She said that in her first year, she was always incredibly nervous to speak in class, but participating in class is not optional at a lot of LAC's. Most classes are small, and often, participation is a large part of a grade. She says now she never even thinks about talking in class.
Easy access to professors.
--She regularly sees professors on campus and they greet her by name when they cross paths. She goes to office hours all the time and is so comfortable consulting with them that she relies on them for advice even more than her academic advisor. They leave personalized comments on her work and she incorporates it into her next assignment. She is currently consulting with a couple of her professors about summer research positions.
Great opportunities for jobs (on campus, as well as during summer), internships, volunteering, and research opportunities.
--Because her college has an active alumni network and an excellent career center, she has access to a ton of opportunities. She currently works two campus tutoring jobs, has had two long-term volunteer positions, and has been asked to be a TA in her senior year for the professor she currently works with. This just wouldn't have happened at a big university. The environment is, for lack of a better word, nurturing. It's not hand-holding, because she had to make these things happen, but she is well-supported. The college has incorporated volunteering into the curriculum of some of her classes, because that enables students to experience the course material. The professors encourage students to engage with them.
It feels like a community. Campus events are well-attended and popular.
--Simply put, the students love it. They are happy.
She is getting a great education.
--Because classes are small, the profs are able to offer better teaching.
LAC's are generally inclusive.
--They are small, so they can't afford to exclude people from clubs or make them try out in order to be part of something. IN her first semester, my daughter joined the debate team, despite never having done debate before. Campus groups tend to have active and enthusiastic club participation.
Students can learn about a bit of everything, if they choose to.
--Many LAC's are quite loose about core requirements. It means that students have a lot of flexibility in choosing their courses and get to experiment with what interests them before declaring a major.
Graduates of LAC's have a high acceptance rate to grad schools of all kinds.
--They are well-prepared for the rigors of grad school and because LAC's focus on undergrads, they often have research opportunities that are useful for grad school.
Many of them are very generous with financial aid, and/or have lots of merit scholarships, making them reasonably affordable. They can be more affordable than a public university.
No doubt there are a lot of other great reasons for choosing an LAC, so feel free to add yours. Perhaps some will think I am looking at them through rose-tinted glasses, and LAC’s are definitely not for everyone. I strongly feel though that if more people knew of LAC’s and the advantages they offer, people would give them more consideration. If your child is struggling to come up with a college list, ask him or her to take a look at some of the many excellent LACs.
I would also add that if graduate school is in the plans, a LAC provides a great foundation. All of the time spent reading and writing makes the transition very easy.
My D’s BF is finding that the workload in his master’s program is actually slightly lower than his typical workload as an undergrad.
My kids both thrived at LACs. It was a much better and more personal experience than my own at a highly regarded public flagship. While all kids won’t end up choosing a LAC, I think it is a great idea to at least consider them when starting the college search.
Our oldest crashed and burned at a large state university and is now, after a break of a year and a half, hoping to attend a LAC spring semester. He sat in on a class when he did a campus visit, and he was surprised to see that the entire class was smaller than the breakout groups with grad students had been at his previous school.
When I was helping my son make the list of his colleges to apply, our top priority was to look at LAC-like undergraduate population and, more importantly, undergraduate focus. We really didn’t want a large research universities where grad students outnumber the undergrads and where things could work in a trickle-down education effect. So, we looked not only at undergrad student population but also teacher to student ratio, endowment per student, readily available access to professors and who actually teaches the undergrads, and so on. I’m a big fan of LAC institutions, so we ended up applying to several LAC’s among others.
OP - It is great when a kid is enjoying the college experience.
Both of my kids went to the same large Uni, 13k+ UGs. What you stated:
Both of my kids had all of that at their school. D1 was a TA at their business school even though she was a student at the A&S school. D2 had an on campus work which turned out to be a coordinator for the school’s volunteer programs. She was able to represent her school for a very important national program through her work study. Both of my kids got their summer internships and jobs through their school.
I went to a well known LAC. It was good for me the first 2 years, but by the third year I had outgrown the place. I do not think LAC is right for everyone and it is not always very inclusive - it is inclusive if you fit the mode. It can be cliquey like high school if it is too small. My LAC was very preppy and jockey, and if you didn’t play sports it was hard to fit in sometimes.
My kids didn’t get lost in their large uni. They had their own community through Greek life, ECs, and major(s), and they very appreciated all the opportunities their school had to offer. The school had so many activities that my kids often had a hard time choosing what to do when they were not in class.
I think there are pros and cons of going to LAC vs large Uni. It’s not one size fits all and I wouldn’t advise all students to choose LAC over large Uni.
@Lindagaf I agree with all of the positives you stated about LACs (and am delighted at how happy your D is). My D also had an extraordinary expereince at her LAC and we saw first-hand many of the same advantages your D is now experiencing. My D is the outgoing one of my two kids but she has always thrived in small nurturing environments and a LAC was a great fit for her.
Interestingly, my quiet/shy son was not at all interested in LACs (we visited and I tried) – he felt they were too small and said, “everyone on campus will know when you have a cold.” I think what he really wanted to say is that there was no place to hide or getaway if he ever wanted to fade back for a bit. For him the “sweet spot” was the mid-sized universities which did provide him many of the same advantages of a LAC that you noted above (small classes, access to professors, his freshman living/learning dorm provided a great sense of community, he got into a top grad school, he received a well rounded education (dictated by a large core which insured that he as a business student he also got an strong liberal arts education) etc. I have no doubt that a mid-size university was the right choice for him.
I went to a large university and loved it so my family has all the bases covered. So I guess my bottom line is that there is no “one size fits all” for colleges. For those fortunate enough to be able to choose between schools, the size of a college is a time where fit comes into play – but I absolutely agree that LACs should not be overlooked in the process.
@Lindagaf Oh how I agree. And S19 does as well. It’s my husband who is not sure about our full-price status at a LAC. He’s afraid S19 won’t be recruited for jobs as much. He wonders if, like @oldfort, he will outgrow the experience in two years. When we visit LACs, there’s a lot of talk about grad school and not as much about job placement. Since S19 is undecided, we need to consider his outcome after undergrad. I’ve been scouring each of his schools’ career centers to get info and make my husband feel better. He’s still insisting that going to an elite university is better for name recognition than a place like Hamilton or Davidson. I’m exhausted trying to make the case.
So, S19 applied to mostly LACs and a few elite universities. We will see where the chips fall. Trying to “trust the process” and, after re-visits, I’m hoping there will be an obvious choice that we all feel good about!
As a graduate of a small liberal arts college, I agree with absolutely everything you said. Unfortunately my children have not been interested in following that path. One currently goes to a mid-sized university and it looks like the next two will likely do so as well.
@oldfort , I am not implying that kids can’t have a great experience at a large university, and I don’t think LAC’s are “better” than universities. I also said they aren’t for everyone. I just want people to consider them. There are so many people who simply do not have LAC’s on their radar. They may not even know they exist. They may have misconceptions that LAC’s don’t lead to jobs, or careers, or grad school, or whatever it may be. And because they are small, for many kids the experience at an LAC is going to be beneficial in ways that a university might not be.
My husband, who is foreign and had no concept of the LAC experience, was reluctant to let our daughter attend one. He is now a convert, especially because over time he has met several people whom he respects a great deal, who attended LACs. HE has seen how the environment has been great for our daughter. My son, a high school senior, has zero interest in a small college. He will most likely end up at a large university, and that’s fine too. He has (hopefully) enough gumption to ensure that it will work for him.
ETA: I asked my D the other day if she was getting sick of the small school and town she is at. She said no, but that she is glad for the chance to study abroad this spring. She feels that by next year, she will be ready to move on. The same could be true for any senior at any college or university, so I don’t think it’s just small schools that students get sick of.
DS has only a small list of schools he’s applying to, and only 1 of those is a state school. However it’s a small public ivy that’s really a larger LAC. LOL
DH & I are both products of LAC as are most our parents (my FIL went to an Ivy) and we’re now beginning to focus on our little guy. He’s still very young, but we’re emphasizing the LAC tradition with him as well.
I agree with all the benefits of small LAC’s that @Lindagaf described, I am a fan of them too, and my own kid is overflowing with enthusiasm for his small LAC experience. But I do believe that individual preferences and personalities matter, and there would be other students for whom a small rural LAC might not be as good a fit. There will be students who prefer other types of colleges.
As friends compare college experiences over Thanksgiving break, another thing that is striking is the difference in experience in the actual classes at a top LAC and at less competitive colleges. Part of this is the size of the college, but part is also the difference in selectivity and resources. For example, a similarly titled and described political science course at a top LAC and at a not-as-selective-but-still-reputable state university has provided two smart students I know with very different experiences. It is partly the difference in expertise and enthusiasm of the professor, partly the difference in class size… and, strikingly, a difference in rigor. The kid at the top LAC is reading the actual writings by the political theorists; the student at the less elite university is reading summaries of their work in a textbook. The LAC kid has had much more intellectually challenging class discussions and assignments. It is an entirely different college experience.
And then there’s the out-of-classroom aspect. One kid is discussing those theories with his dorm mates in a bathroom at 3 a.m. in the morning, because that’s what the culture at the top LAC is all about: people loving to think about ideas and forming a community around that love.
There are certainly students with an intellectual bent who will thrive and find their like-minded peers and the inspiring professors at less competitive colleges. But the top small LAC is designed for that, so just about every class, every professor, and every peer will be that way.
I believe that different students will thrive in different environments and seek different types of college experiences. Other experiences are not “lesser,” just different. But the experience at an academically elite LAC is very, very special indeed.
So I echo @Lindagaf - if you are a strong student, take a serious look at some small liberal arts colleges as well as some larger universities, and see which suits you best!
One of mine just graduated from a midsized Tech focused university and the other graduates next spring from an LAC.
I agree with what OP has said regarding LAC’s. I think the notable things are that D has many professors who will write her excellent recommendations whenever she needs them. She knows them all, they know her and her work. She’s at office hours all the time. It’s easy to connect with professors. It’s easy to be noticed.
She’s been applying and interviewing for jobs since she graduates soon. She got an interview and her career services connected her with an alum that worked for this organization. She was able to speak to this person and ask questions and get interview advice. She landed the job—a dream job for her major. This is a top 100 LAC, but not a tippy top. She’s had a ton of opportunities. It’s not so much that this isn’t available at bigger schools—my other kid also gotten to know some professors and those connections helped her land a great job, but at the LAC its just more available. It’s markedly different than the experience other kids we know have had at the state university. It’s not that they don’t get to know professors or have opportunities, its just that they have to look harder for those opportunities.
I’d say the downside is that D has sort of grown out of where she is.professors are willing to work more with her, and she does fine with making her own opportunities, but there’s no masters level classes to enroll in. But she’s also about done. Another downside is fewer course offerings, it she’s been able to get all the classes she needs. Other D at the midsized university also had minor trouble with fewer course offerings in a small major.
I feel like the LAC gave D exactly the experience she chose an LAC to receive. It has been as advertised, and both the pros and cons were what we had anticipated. That has been a good thing.
You could make a ‘good things about’ list for any size school and it would be true for some kids.
At a big university:
So many options for class size, so take a small seminar if you like and a large lecture where you can just absorb.
Ability to switch majors without having to transfer.
Different sections of the same class so you can pick morning, noon, or night, pick the professor.
Endless activities, sports, clubs, speakers.
This week, there were many Rhodes Scholars from big/medium schools.
Often in a larger urban area with jobs, hospitals, shopping malls, theaters.
A friend of my daughter’s picked a large (the largest, UCF) and I was very surprised. I thought she’d pick a school like Emory or Duke because she was a little on the mousy side but very smart. She thrived. She got a lead roll in a musical (and there wasn’t just one going on but 4 or 5 productions at the same time), had several majors, got a boyfriend, and just ate it all up.
I know a lot of students who started at LACs and didn’t last a year. Many picked them for sports or because a sibling had attended and they just didn’t like any of the things listed above - the small classes, the same professors, the lack of diversity of the students, rural, no big sports. Most, I think, just missed their friends.
S19’s friend originally had his heart set on Harvard. When S suggested also looking at LACs this friend didn’t even know what they were. He thought my son was trying to get him to go to a school for liberals… :))
I agree with the benefits of a LAC, and that kids should consider them, but have a few thoughts. For kids thinking of engineering, not very many offer that, so you must go to grad school. Same thing for future doctors and lawyers. For a full pay family, that’s something to consider. To get the merit aid at the top LACs that offer them, your child really needs to be a superstar. So, you have to drop down a bit in selectivity to get merit aid, which for some/maybe most? kids is fine, but you’ll probably get a better deal financially from a big university (depending on stats), at least that was the case for us. Finally, there is no magic bullet. While only the first semester at a LAC for S18, we don’t see any change. While the opportunities are there, and perhaps easier to find in the LAC setting, it’s up to the kids to take them, wherever they may be.
Reasons 1, 2, and part of 5 are the attributes that LACs sell themselves on and distinguish themselves from other schools (but usually at the cost of having fewer courses and majors available – whether the tradeoff is favorable depends on the student), but all of the other reasons are dependent on the specific school, and are not exclusive to LACs.
For example, reasons 4 and 6 can depend on how well the social fit between the student and the other students works. Also, some LACs have heavy fraternity and sorority participation, which can divide an already-small community and foster exclusivity.
Reason 7 is not specific to LACs or non-LACs. The range of curricular openness can vary among LACs (e.g. compare Evergreen State or Amherst to Harvey Mudd, or even more so St. John’s College) as well as non-LACs (e.g. compare Brown to MIT, Columbia, or Chicago).
Reasons 3, 8, and 9 are likewise much more dependent on the specific school rather than whether or not it is a LAC.
With LACs or other small schools, fit (both academic and non-academic) may be a more important factor in selection. A large school may have enough to be an acceptable fit for more students even if it is not a great fit for that many, while a small school may be a great fit for some but a poor fit for others.