Can anyone tell me, firsthand, about any of these small liberal arts schools?

Question

Haverford, Amherst, Bates, Oberlin, Wesleyan, Carleton, Macalester, Reed...
If you attend/have attended any of these schools, could you please tell me honestly about how you like life at the schools?
The teachers, food, dorms, overall attitude towards learning, anything else...
THANKS!

Answer 1

I have close friends who attended 5 of those colleges, and I have treasured colleagues who teach at 4 of those colleges. (I did my undergraduate work at Vassar.)

They're all fantastic schools. You've got to be a great professor (in terms of both research and teaching) to get a gig at any of them. I guarantee you'll find your professors to be deeply interested in their fields of study, and deeply committed to imparting their knowledge and passion to their students.

Also, all of the schools you've mentioned have cultures of learning, meaning that the vast majority of students have academic bents, and are finding and developing their scholarly passions. Most of these schools also have great cultural resources on campus (film, theatre, lectures, etc.), so that students are never at a loss as to what to do evenings and weekends.

Best dorms? Not on your list. Bryn Mawr.

Finally, here's an excellent site on which you might be able to find great answers to your questions about each of these schools. College Confidential has very active message boards for LACs (top liberal arts colleges). Parents, prospective students, and current students post on these boards, answering each other's questions, and comparing their experiences.

OId board, now threads are closed, but good for reviewing:
http://www.collegeconfidential.com/cgi-bin/discus/show.cgi?4/55959

New board, active.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/forumdisplay.php?f=53

Answer 2

try google.com. good luck