Sometimes I mention them. Sometimes I can just tell the family will turn their nose up so I just keep it to myself. But if a family really wanted a quality education for their child, they would be surprised by the colleges I would suggest.
They aren't the national football champions, nor are they an Ivy League school. They are colleges that you might not have heard of. But I have. And, the people "in the know" will know them too. The graduate school admissions officers. The medical school admissions officers. The law school admissions officers. The hiring folks at the major accounting firms, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and every publicly traded company know them.
They are the gems of higher education: small liberal arts colleges.
I went to one of them. The president of the college said, "Hello, Sara" my first week of class my freshman year. Honestly, though, all of my professors knew my name. I babysat for several of them. I got lead roles in the theatre productions—as a freshman. I became an intern in the admissions office, chair of the judicial board, and winner of countless public speaking competitions on campus. When it came time to graduate, I got to speak at my college graduation. This is the beauty of attending a small liberal arts college. You are not one of thousands. You are special.
Yesterday, my daughter, a college freshman at another small, liberal arts college FaceTimed me. Sophie had just finished a long but extraordinary day. After three classes, all under 35 students, she headed to the campus coffee shop to do a little work. In walks her advisor who taught her freshman seminar last semester and her current Latin professor. Her advisor says hello to her by name, compliments her grades from fall semester, and mentions looking forward to meeting with her about her sophomore fall semester courses soon. The Latin professor incredulously asks Sophie's advisor, "You know Sophie?" And Sophie's advisor says, "Of course." Later that day, her art history professor from last semester sent her a letter of recommendation for her summer internship applications. She read it aloud to me. I cried. He went to bat for her after just one semester on campus. That's the magic of a small liberal arts college. Your professors know you immediately and they will do anything to help you succeed.
Many students are attracted to the big name university. They want the rah-rah. They want the tailgates. They want big sports. They want their college to be recognized. But what about you wanting to be recognized by your college? What about wanting an education? What about wanting to have an immediate impact on that college? What about wanting to make an impact on that college for all four years?
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Where you go to college is a personal decision. Yes, it should be fun. But it also should be educational and personally transformative. Not for the better of the university. For the better of you.
When you do your work and show interest at a small liberal arts college, you soar. Hamilton College did that for me. I wouldn't trade that four-year experience for anything. If you care about growing, if you care about professors caring about you, and if you care about leaving a legacy, then I hope you will consider a small liberal arts college. That's where everyone can be special.
