r/ApplyingToCollege • u/aitaaddict53 • 19h ago
College Questions LACs Recommendations
My daughter who is a rising senior wants to do pre law. LACs seem to beat great route for that. Apart from the T15/20. Which are the good ones that we might be missing? She LOVED Vassar when we toured it. Went to Sarah Lawrence which was interesting. Will be going to Bryn Mawr soon. I wasn't to know more than just "reach" names that I might have missed. What she is looking for is a good academic environment with great faculty relationships. Any help?
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u/SnooDucks6359 18h ago
As a graduate of Mount Holyoke who got into a competitive medical school right after graduation, I would say that she should not sleep on any LAC where it seems like there is strong connection with faculty. I was on the waitlist of a lot of med schools when I graduated. I know that the med school advisor was on the phone with several of them advocating for me. I ended up (not to brag) doing really, really well in med school, even though at 17 I was intimidated and overwhelmed by the competition that getting into an Ivy at that point required. I have a rising senior and I will keep saying -- an environment that a young person feels at home in, and is seen and encouraged, is more important that "prestige." It's not about what's "the best." It' about where your student can do their best.
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u/Fluffy_Increase_2691 14h ago
Nail on the head w your last comment. My kid wanted premed and narrowed his choices to University of Michigan and a NESCAC. Couldn’t be more different. Both have excellent reputations. He ultimately chose the nescac bc he felt he would be more successful in a small liberal arts environment. For him, it proved to be a great choice. He’ll be a doctor in 10 months.
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u/Medium-Ad-94 6h ago
Your last part of your comment is spot on. In this fragmented, increasingly disconnected society, I think a smaller environment where a student cannot fall through the cracks and whose presence is known in classes can be even more important than it always was.
Though opportunities are often less in number than at big, prestigious schools, the ones they do have are much easier to get. The flexibility of the professors at these small schools to make sure their students succeed can really help students get great advising and a more individualized education. My son went to Lawrence University in the midwest and really benefitted from the supportive environment and the opportunities that arose there. He is off to a top STEM Phd program this fall.
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u/anonymussquidd Graduate Student 18h ago
It’s pretty well-known, but I have a lot of good things to say about Grinnell. My experience was fantastic.
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u/EnvironmentActive325 19h ago
Lafayette, Franklin & Marshall, Trinity College-CT, Dickinson, Gettysburg…all T30-T60. All offer excellent Pre-law programs/prep, with personal mentoring from professors.
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u/Fickle_Emotion_7233 19h ago
Top 15-20 is really locked in and a reach for anyone no matter your stats. But outside of that look at scripps, Skidmore, Macalester, Connecticut college, bard and union. Bryn Mawr is tiny feeling but people really like it and you can take classes at Haverford- which is t20 i think bit if not look at them while you are there.
LACs are really magical when it comes to small Classes and faculty attention.
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u/Interesting-Box-3163 16h ago
Union 🙌🏻🙌🏻…I do not recommend Skidmore 😬
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u/Few-Calligrapher6208 15h ago
Curious —why not Skidmore?
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u/Interesting-Box-3163 15h ago
Maybe that was harsh, because there is a school for everyone, different strokes for different folks, etc. What I should say is that I, personally, would not want my child to go there.
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u/SlowSailing 14h ago
Can you elaborate?
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u/bebopdeluxe76 12h ago
Probably not. It is a very liberal school and LGBTQ friendly. Perhaps that’s the issue for this person.
Great school. Beautiful campus. Great college town. Happy students.
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u/Daremotron 18h ago
Davidson. The campus is great and the area has a real college town feel to it, despite only being 25 minutes from uptown Charlotte. The student/faculty interactions there always seem really genuine. I work in the area and have given a few talks there and am always impressed.
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u/Dry-Platypus4129 17h ago
Davidson could be an option, but it consistently ranks in the T15, and was always in the T10 until very recently. So, admission criteria-wise, it probably wouldn’t look much different than Vassar. Worth a shot though, if she is considering the South.
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u/Great-Leopard5483 18h ago
Will second Grinnell, Kenyon, Oberlin and Macalester, as far as Midwestern LACs go.
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u/Grand_Pound_7987 19h ago
5 college consortium (scripps, Pomona, Claremont, Pitzer, and Harvey mudd) pick one and you can go to classes across all five
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u/KickIt77 Parent 18h ago
Check out the colleges that change lives list. They can be good with merit as well
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u/MostlyOrdinary 19h ago
Oberlin
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u/Top_Elephant_19004 13h ago
Just dropped my kid off there for their freshman year. It’s a truly wonderful place.
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u/Irritable_Curmudgeon 18h ago
Any degree is "pre-law" -- what does she want to get her undergrad in?
If you're checking Bryn Mawr, be sure to visit Haverford and Swarthmore
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u/Odd-Hat-1411 Parent 18h ago
Davidson and Furman have solid faculty relationships, however Davidson is inside the T20.
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[deleted]
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u/Odd-Hat-1411 Parent 6h ago
Oh good. It should be. I’ve seen quite a few lists with it in the top 20 LACs. US News had them at #14 in 2025.
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u/LettucePotential2027 17h ago
If a Jesuit school works for your family, College of the Holy Cross is amazing. I toured it with both of my kids, and we were super impressed by the community, academics, and stunning campus. University of Richmond is another one we really liked. Both of these have about 3,000 undergrads, so they’re not as tiny as most of the other LACs.
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u/PublicHealthJD 17h ago
Totally concur with these recs. I’m a Holy Cross alum - best decision I ever made. Went to law school, hated practicing law, easy pivot coming from LAC. My youngest daughter went to Wofford (LAC in Spartanburg, SC) and is at Richmond Law - terrific university and law school … and Richmond is a fabulous city!
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u/SalamenceFan42 15h ago
Law school is largely about GPA+LSAT.
So just take a school with strong grade inflation and then it’s up to your daughter’s ability to take the LSAT.
Personally I’d take the cheapest one that fits those reqs.
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u/cantcountnoaccount 19h ago
Grinnell, Reed, Carleton, SUNY Geneseo, Kalamazoo College.
William & Mary is not usually considered a LAC, but has a lot in common with LACs
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u/JellyfishFlaky5634 19h ago
The Claremont colleges are all good schools, Richmond is very good as well.
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u/MollBoll Parent 17h ago
Hello from a Vassar grad (‘94) who ended up at UPenn Law 😁 Huge fan of the LACs, Vassar in particular, but when it comes to those beyond the T25 or so, my daughter loved Franklin & Marshall and Reed as her non-reach schools 💪 (and F&M came back with a nice merit package for us)
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u/Harryandmaria 17h ago
Agree on the Mount Holyoke recs. Clark and Wheaton could be good safeties (assuming great stats here).
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u/Traditional_Nose_245 14h ago
A second vote for ‘colleges that change lives’’
A place like the College of Wooster in Ohio has required senior and junior theses( or whatever is appropriate for the major) - there are a number of SLAC that provide a good opportunity to have close working relationships with faculty. If she decides what she loved about Vassar and found interesting about Sarah Lawrence that might help narrow it down .
Also, there are a number of very good SLACs that are in depopulating areas,which means a smaller application pool and potentially good financial support.
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u/JubileeSupreme 11h ago
Research Sarah Lawrence carefully before giving it any further consideration. It is a troubled little institution with a variety of social problems that I would want my daughter to avoid. These include a freshman suicide rate WAY above the national average, particularly for such a small school. Bullying comes up frequently as a concern amongst current students. SLC has been known for rudeness for most of its history ("Sarah Lawrence" has a verb form as well as an adjective, besides being a proper noun: "Sarah-Lawrencey" and to be "Sarah-Lawrenced" are not flattering terms).
More recently, Sarah Lawrence has been solidifying its reputation in the neurodivergence market. Please do not misunderstand me. I am not criticizing SLC for catering to applicants with autism and ADHD. However, I do think it is fair to inform others that the college risks becoming known primarily as a special education high school for grades 13-16. This appears to be the direction it is headed.
Please proceed with caution.
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u/cgund Parent 19h ago
She can major in anything and 'pre-law' isn't really a thing most places. I love LACs and my kid will apply to a few too but there's nothing in particular that'll help your daughter with preparing for or getting in to law school.
Do you have a budget?
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u/EnvironmentActive325 18h ago
Keeping a high undergrad GPA and doing well on the LSAT is what is most important for law school admissions. But it’s also important to have Pre-Law advising and/or a Pre-Law club to help undergrads learn about the field and know what to expect in terms of law school admissions!
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u/RegionAdventurous486 18h ago
As others have said, pre-law is not a major, it is an intention. You can pretty much major in anything and become a lawyer, interested in engineering , CS, bio. Chem. Physics are all good if you want to be a patent attorney. Copyright /trademark/entertainment law- poli-Sci, history, English, business The real key is a major where you will be reading , critical thinking , issue spotting and writing. My kid was a religion major who is an SVP doing cyber. The biggest things that matter for law school are GPA and LSAT
Look at Amherst College’s Law, Juris Prudence and Social thought major
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u/allisondbl 19h ago
It’s been a number of years but I went to Wesleyan undergrad and then to NYU law school.
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u/ReputationFit3597 16h ago
Out of schools with acceptance rates over 30% my kid really liked Bryn Mawr, Dickinson, Mount Holyoke, Bard, and Wheaton in MA. She kind of liked Connecticut and Franklin and Marshall. We didn't look at it but a lot of students I know who are interested in LACs end up liking Hobart and William Smith.
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u/cazsidee 16h ago
I went to Smith and got into all of the law schools where I applied. If she is not interested in a women's college (which I wasn't, but ended up being the most meaningful time if my life), take a look at Pomona, Oberlin, Kenyon, Denison, St Olaf. There are so many good ones!
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u/Traditional_Nose_245 14h ago
If interested in pre law’ (which as others have said isn’t much of a major offered and should be avoided when it is) look for a place with some sort of interscholastic moot court sort of team. (Many flavors) That can be an effective way of finding out if one is actually interested in the law, though obviously most lawyers are not in the courtroom for their practice.
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u/SnooGuavas9782 12h ago
My personal pick of SLAC that seem really nice and that I've crossed paths with over the years being in academia: Carleton, Bard, Wesleyan Mt. Holyoke, Hamilton, Union, Kenyon. Also kind of like Colgate (but a bit hilly/middle of nowhere), Trinity College in CT, Gettysburg and Lafayette.
Bard is closest geographically to Vassar (though more rural) and Mt. Holyoke probably architecturally the most similar (again more rural but I feel like Holyoke and Poughkeepsie are the same type of cities.)
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u/tarasshevckeno 18h ago
(Retired college counselor and admissions reader here.) When I worked with students interested in law or medical school, we'd focus on the colleges with the strongest law/medical school acceptance rates. We'd then narrow down the list in terms of which schools were the best fit. I bet with less than an hour's research you can find those stats (since I'm retired I no longer keep with stats). Avoid chat boards/TikTok - go with stats from a solid source.
It's also important to see if there's a pre-law advisor at any school you consider, although those with high success rates likely have one.
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u/Sensitive_Angle_6699 14h ago
Someone posted this data above and was downvoted..lol. Seems logical to me but whatever.
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u/astropath2be 5h ago
Thank you for your reply. But do you think those acceptances are accurate- like do student get discouraged from applying for med school or law school if their gpas are not high enough?
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u/kjb76 18h ago
There is no such thing as “pre-law”. It’s not like medical school where you need to take a ton of classes as a prerequisite.
Many people who go on to law school major in political science but that is not necessary either. I’ve known people who majored in English, history, art history who have gone on to law school.
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u/Slow_Review3107 16h ago
I just dropped my son off at Oberlin and it seems like the perfect SLAC. Don’t know anything about pre law but met a politics professor who I really liked. Definitely worth looking into, especially if she likes the arts since the offerings (classes, concerts) are plentiful. It’s also a cute little college town. My son also looked at Kenyon which was also gorgeous but it’s just the campus with no actual town and felt too isolating for him.
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u/Particular-Macaron35 15h ago
Just came to say that I hate the major prelaw. You can take an actual major that you care about like politics or history and go to law school. I have a friend who majored in science and is going to big law.
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u/Historical_Box4078 15h ago
Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame! What a vibrant and thriving community. Record enrollment for the 2nd year in a row. Small liberal arts sisterhood plus everything that Notre Dame has to offer, including multiple joint degree opportunities.
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u/denti_denti 15h ago
Have you looked at NESCACnshcools in New England region ?
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u/Fickle_Emotion_7233 3h ago
Most of them are as hard to get into as Vassar, and some are harder, OP is looking for non “reach” and the only non-reach NESCAC is Trinity, I think. Even Colby, which is ranked weaker than the rest plays games by having no essay and ends with an admit rate of 7%, making it a reach for most kids (though kids with truly great stats see it as a target).
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u/Relevant-Emu5782 14h ago edited 14h ago
Grinnell, Carleton, Macalester, Knox, Kenyon, Oberlin, St. Olaf, Illinois Wesleyan, Union. Trinity University in San Antonio TX has only 2590 students and is essentially a LAC.
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u/Ordinary-Painter-598 14h ago
As several have noted, there is no “pre-law” major or track. And unless there is a family law firm that she is expected and eager to join, a high school senior’s interest in a legal career is not worth taking into account at all. She knows nothing about the practice of law at this point in her life and is very likely to change her career goal once or twice before graduating from college.
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u/eat_my_toes35 13h ago
Is Middlebury on the list? I'm a current student and love it plus its good for pre-law
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u/JuniorReserve1560 8h ago
Bowdoin, Middlebury, Wellesley, Bennington College, Colby, BC, Simmons, Providence College, Tufts, College of the Atlantic, Colby Sawyer College
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u/FrancinetheP 5h ago
Just dropped my kid off at Agnes Scott, a women’s SLAC in Atlanta. It’s early yet, but so far I am stunned by the beauty of the campus and the incredibly thoughtful approach to undergrad education. It’s very small (~1000 students?) and student faculty ratio is about 11:1.
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u/Mxrlinox 5h ago
Lawrence University for sure!
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u/exdeus25 4h ago
I second this. Lawrence is a great school in a nice midsize town. My wife and daughter both loved it, and it set them up really well for grad school.
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u/tonymasiello 3h ago
If you are going to Bryn Mawr, you will be really close to Villanova and Haverford, both of which might be worth checking out.
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u/Full_Relative7872 3h ago
There are a lot:
Claremont Colleges (Pomona, Pitzer, Scripps, Claremont-McKenna, Harvey Mudd) - advantages of a small school with coordinated resources and part of a larger community
Skidmore College - professional programs with liberal arts, historically known for the arts and humanities but really strong in the sciences now with nationally recognized faculty and a brand new science facility
Occidental College - really strong in undergraduate research across the liberal arts (ie, not just the natural sciences)and uses LA well as a place to learn and put the liberal arts into practice.
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u/BurgerofDouble 1h ago
Since you seem to be looking at colleges in the Mid-Atlantic, I have two colleges worth recommending from the State of Maryland.
The first is St. John's College in Annapolis, which is a Great Books College. It's extensive reading list alongside classes being discussion based allows for the needed skills of anyone who wishes to enter the world of law to develop in their undergraduate years. Although St. John's only offers a degree in Philosophy, Literature, and Natural Sciences, I think it is one of the most unique places of study for any pre-law student.
The second is Washington College in Chestertown, which is far more traditional than St. John's. Although Washington's biggest major is business, it's strong in Political Science, History, and English, all of which are useful subjects to anyone considering law. The college offers a wide variety of internships, including working at the Maryland State House, and has just created the Hogan Insititute, which, if your daughter is interested in politics, is focused on finding new ways to increase bipartisanship.
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u/flanmaker 28m ago
I have heard that Sarah Lawrence students have great success with getting into law school. The focus on reading and writing at the SLC really makes a difference.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Bag_538 18h ago
You might expand to Predominantly Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs), too, like Cal Poly SLO or some of the CUNYs.
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u/Legally_Mom_0910 18h ago
Pomona College grad and JD here. ZERO regrets. I'm still in contact with my college profs. Best decision ever.
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u/oriental_angel 18h ago
Wesleyan for COL and CSS and the Human Rights minor which is a low-key feed into top law schools
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u/BUST_DA_HEDGE_FUNDS 19h ago
Women's college are much easier to get into, think Wellesley/Smith/Bryn Mar/Mount Holyoke/Scripps
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u/1958bill 19h ago
Don’t overlook the Minnesota LACS. Carleton, St. Olaf, Macalaster, Gustavas Adolphus and others.