<p>"My contrarian point of view: part of the reason for the insanity is that people are using a TOP-DOWN approach to college selection rather than a BOTTOM-UP approach."</p>
<p>A good deal of this thinking is fostered by school guidance counselors. When my D discussed her "safety" schools with GC, (one of which has already promised her merit money!) the GC told her that the school was "below her." </p>
<p>Tell me, how does a parent give THAT statement a positive spin?</p>
<p>Sozo -- (post 34)</p>
<p>You don't have to wait until April. The suggested bottom up approach, and to apply early to Big 10 w/ rolling admissions or other early admissions colleges can ease April angst.</p>
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When, oh when, oh when, will we stop letting USN&WR tell us what schools are worthy of our kids?
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A good deal of this thinking is fostered by school guidance counselors. When my D discussed her "safety" schools with GC, (one of which has already promised her merit money!) the GC told her that the school was "below her."
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<p>I agree with the above, but I also have to say "we have met the enemy, and he is us". Let's face it -- particularly on the student side of the street, CC justifies its existence by pushing the "tricks" and "tips" of gaining admission to the elite schools. I've found the Parents Forum to generally be an oasis of perspective, but even so there is a marked "edge" to the postings when the EA and RD envelopes come out and S's and D's don't get into the top US News schools.</p>
<p>evitajr1 </p>
<p>The most important factor when I applied to school was staying in state. I love CA and applying to out of state schools did not even cross my mind. Most of my friends attended the UC's not because they lacked ambition to apply to the "top schools" (we all had the grades and scores) but because they wanted to stay close to home. Factors like family, lifestlye, culture, and weather were all important. I think that it is silly to say that students at your daughter's school "lack ambition" because they aspire to attend a state university and did not apply anywhere else. Having a state school like UCLA or UCI (in your case UT) as a top choice over Cornell or Harvard is nothing to be embarrassed about. It makes perfect sense to apply only to schools that you want to attend even if you have the grades for a more prestigous school.</p>
<p>Have to agree with you TritonBruin--top kid in my D's class gave up appointment to the naval academy to go Navy ROTC at Univ of San Diego. Why? He loves to surf. . .</p>
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The system is a mess. Everyone wants to go to the same schools. I guess the secret is to find a high quality school that is not on the radar screen.
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Exactly why my sights are set on Tulsa. But it still would be nice to be accepted to Rice. If I can afford Rice and I get accepted, I will choose it over tulsa. If not, Tulsa is an absolutely awesome alternative.</p>
<p>Tulsa is an outstanding choice -- too far it's a geographic "no go" for my S (or, more accurately, a "no go" for my DW).</p>