Don’t Forget the Small Liberal Arts Colleges

Last week, I met with a family who inquired about my services. I asked the student if she has a “dream” school or perhaps what her top most-desired schools are. To my surprise, she mentioned a liberal arts college as her first choice.

Many (though not all) of the families that approached me for help want a boost for their child to get into top-tier schools and often, that means the big name universities that we all know so well. Small liberal arts colleges do not seem to appear on the horizons of many parents and students. In fact, I have even come across families who told me they have never heard of great schools like Williams, Amherst, Pomona or Swarthmore.

Of course, not all of them are the same, whether you’re talking about location, quality of the faculty/teaching and student demographics. But, as a college counselor, I always feel I need to at least highlight this option to my students. My past students and associates who have enrolled in a small liberal arts college have gone on to successful careers in medical schools, surgical practice, research, fintech and academia.

There are many articles out there singing praises for small liberal arts colleges. So, this blog will not repeat what one can easily google and find out. I’ll just share a reflection from a student I worked with:

Going to a small liberal arts college truly reignited my love of learning. I received an incredibly well-rounded education at Pomona College where I felt supported to explore anything that fascinated me. Because of this, my entire worldview has expanded immensely, leading me to be a better employee, researcher, and ultimately a more thoughtful human being as a whole now. In addition, the small class sizes meant that I got to know my professors really well and many of them still serve as important mentors to me many years out of college. Lastly, the intimate student body gave me a community that I could rely on from day one, erasing any intimidation I might have had about moving from high school to college.

~ L.Y., Pomona Class of 2016, current doctoral student at Columbia University