LIberal Arts Colleges – Do It Yourself College Rankings

50-50 Highlights: Reasons to Choose a Small College

02/26/202102/28/2019 by Michelle Kretzschmar

small ball outweighing a large ball on a balance representing benefit of small colleges

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The argument over which is better, large universities or small colleges, is essentially the big fish in a small pond or little fish in a big pond debate. Ultimately, the fish is the same size, it’s more a matter of where the fish will thrive. Having already discussed the advantages of a large university, I think it’s only fair to go over the reasons to choose a small college. Of course, there are disadvantages just as there are for large colleges. I’m not going to cover them here since the point is to focus on the advantages of a small college.

50-50 Highlights: Don’t Overlook These 105 Liberal Arts Colleges

02/26/202105/10/2018 by Michelle Kretzschmar

Students on lawn considering liberal arts colleges

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Students on lawn considering Liberal Arts Colleges US News Best College Rankings consists of two national lists: National Universities and National Liberal Arts Colleges. Most people recognize the schools at the top of the National Universities list. Those at the top of the National Liberal Arts lists? Not so much. The reason is because by definition, Liberal Arts Colleges (LAC) are smaller, have a limited number of majors, and few, if any graduate students. And this makes them some of the most effective college teaching experiences around.

36 Best Bets for Test Optional Merit Aid

02/26/202107/18/2017 by Michelle Kretzschmar

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dollar signs on chalk board representing best options for test optional colleges merit aid Think because you’re a miserable test taker, you don’t have a chance at merit aid? Maybe not. If you’re willing to step away from the limelight of prestige and top 50 college rankings, you can find some excellent opportunities among the growing number of test optional colleges. With just a little digging into the data, I came up with 36 possible test optional colleges for merit aid.

50-50 Highlights: Liberal Arts Colleges Ranked by Median Earnings

07/26/201612/10/2015 by Michelle Kretzschmar

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Stacks of money representing liberal arts colleges ranked by salary Evaluating Liberal Arts Colleges by how much graduates make is antithetical to the concept of a liberal arts education in so many ways. But given the fact that 100 Liberal Arts Colleges now cost more than $50,000, I don’t care how much aid the students are receiving, families have every right to know what kind of pay-off the student can expect. This doesn’t mean that families don’t appreciate the value of a liberal arts education. It’s just recognition that there will bills and loans to repay after graduation.

How to Pay Less for College: The Value of Rankings

02/28/202110/27/2015 by Michelle Kretzschmar

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In my last post, I talked about how even colleges are subjected to the laws of supply and demand. The more students want to attend a college, the more the college can charge. If you want to pay less for college, you need to consider colleges with higher acceptance rates. Now I want to look at why so many students are interested in the same college. What makes 50 or fewer colleges so much more attractive than the remaining 1,500? Can you say “college rankings?”

50-50 Highlights: Schools in The Washington Monthly College Rankings

07/26/201609/03/2015 by Michelle Kretzschmar

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With the increasing number of college rankings available, it’s easy to forget that the US News Best College Rankings reigned without competition for 20 years. In 2005, The Washington Monthly published its alternative college rankings designed to evaluate the value of colleges as a social institution. For 10 years, The Washington Monthly College Rankings have been asking what can colleges do for society rather than ranking them on the quality of their students.

6 Options for Public Liberal Arts Colleges

07/26/201608/28/2014 by Michelle Kretzschmar

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Liberal Arts Colleges are known for their focus on undergraduate teaching. They’re generally small with few or no graduate students and rank high in student engagement in research, internships, and culminating senior experiences. They can be very good for preparing students for graduate school. And they’re overwhelmingly private institutions.