<p>We didn’t vet our kids’ college choices based in the USNew rankings…or any other rankings for that matter. As a matter if fact, we didn’t know the rankings of the schools until well after they had matriculated.</p>
<p>We had never seen a USNews college ranking, or magazine with them prior to our kids’ college searches.</p>
<p>To be honest, those rankings did t matter to us…at all.</p>
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<p>If you mean rankings, then I dont know how objective those are. They are from a magazine…not some authoritative source.</p>
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<p>What’s “superior” depends very much on what u want to study. Princeton may be at the top of USNWR, but Texas A&M is going to be where the recruiters are if you u want to be a petroleum engineering. </p>
<p>@mom2collegekids I would just like to point out that such respect for generalized online rankings a la US News is not my personal point of view. My parents grew up abroad and aren’t overly familiar with the US college system beyond 1. Their general reputation (and the occasional strong program at a school) and 2. Those online rankings. My dad in particular had always heard about the Ivy Leagues and a few of the “main” UC schools and thus, in his mind, they are the standard for excellence in education under all circumstances.
@GMTplus7 That much my family does understand. The problem is they have a mindset that the “better” school as stated by various rankings and by reputation is going to have better professors and a better student body no matter what I study. So sure, they understand that UC Davis, for example, will have a fantastic agricultural program. But why go to Davis when you could go to Dartmouth? It’s a “better” school, so it must just be better, right? I’m not sure exactly how to disprove that mentality, mostly because I don’t even know if its totally wrong or not :(</p>
<p>I don’t get into all the in’s and out’s of critiquing US News, but it is just a successful formula someone came up with to sell magazines. They did a fantastic marketing job as you see. It is not authoritative, official or objective, but there are criteria (they disclose some of it online.) Some of the criteria make publics come out lower. It doesn’t have much to do with the quality of professors. It has to do with admissions rates and endowments, class size.</p>
<p>But a lot of people think if they have heard of it or not makes a university or college good, for some reason. They don’t understand that there are employers, grad schools and industry that know more. However, regional recruiting is common and CA industry are going to naturally draw more from CA colleges.</p>
<p>I suppose you could say that at privates you are sometimes paying a premium for some luxuries such as class size, perks, easier access to opportunities. And it isn’t like the private colleges you mention aren’t very very good. I also would have a hard time paying a premium over UC to send kid to similar college. Kids in NC are clamoring to go to OOS too, to CA and get into a UC. Grass is always greener- familiarity breeds contempt syndrome. I think it is a great experience to get to go away when you are willing, but it is hard to justify a premium price when you have been paying taxes in CA for all your kids life. Very hard to swallow 80k extra, safe to say most would not do that.</p>
<p>Maybe start planning some summers away look into visiting student programs, abroad programs in summer with the cost savings.</p>
<p>@BrownParent It’s not that I have any particular contempt for the schools in California. It’s just that, based on my visit and internet research, the only one that my parents would really approve of me going to also made me feel like attending would make me miserable for four years. I don’t know if I’m…allowed (that’s not quite the right word) to feel this way, but I just couldn’t picture myself going there. UNC is just a school of similar “caliber” to the flagship UC and one that I happen to like a lot of things about (further judgement pending until I visit, of course). It’s a strange situation that I have a hard time explaining properly without sounding really dumb. It basically boils down to the fact that I’m only really allowed to go to “good” schools, but the in-state “good” school is a terrible match for me. Unfortunately, out of state “good” schools are going to charge a lot of money, and the ones that will give me a scholarship are not “good” enough. On top of all that, my stats aren’t strong enough to get into the absolute top schools, which narrows my options even further. I suppose the final answer to the problem is whether or not I’m right to not want to attend a school that feels like a bad fit, or if I should suck it up and go anyway (all on the assumption that I get in, of course).</p>
<p>You would make your self miserable. Not the school. Get that realization.</p>
<p>@BrownParent So your advice is just to get over it and go anyway? Not trying to be snarky, honest question from an honestly confused kid</p>
<p>So the UC that your parents want you to go to is probably UCLA or UCB.</p>
<p>Why do you think it is a bad fit and that you would be miserable.</p>
<p>Why do you think UNC would be different and a better fit. </p>
<p>The good thing about California is that there are a number of top schools and it will be easier for you to get into one of them than to an OOS school of similar rank. There really isn’t a lot your parents can do about it if you can’t get in - if you aren’t accepted, you can’t go. Do they want you to not go to school at all if you can’t go to UCB or UCLA? They won’t pay for Davis or Irvine?</p>
<p>I think you just have to apply to the UC’s and hope for the best.</p>
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<p>Here’s me:</p>
<p>Academics:
Ton of AP/Honors classes (If its available, I’ve taken it)
Honor Role all three years
4.5 Weighted GPA, 4.0 Unweighted
CFA lifetime member (not quite yet, but it’s almost surely going to happen)
2290 SAT score
Currently rank 1 in class</p>
<p>But then you visit the campus. I can’t speak as much for UCLA but Berkeley. Man. That place is terrible for me. A lot of people won’t agree with me, but the place just feels…oppressive. I couldn’t even imagine having to be there for a month let alone 4 years. I feel like college is about the experience as much as the education and I feel like UNC is a place that I would really enjoy myself,</p>
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<p>You mention that your parents earn well into the 6 figures. Do they own their own business? </p>
<p>Since you would be full-pay at UNC and your parents wont pay for it, you really have to accept that UNC wont be a reality for you. </p>
<p>Please tell us why Cal isnt desirable for you (oppressive???) and why UNC is (YOU HAVEN’T EVEN visited UNC!!!). I’m not saying that all state schools are the same, but I doubt there is enough difference between UNC and Cal for a student to think, " I would hate Cal, but I would LOVE UNC." (but maybe I’m crazy…lol)</p>
<p>In another thread you say that you plan on visiting UNC “soon”. I cant imagine your parents paying for a visit to a school that they wont pay for.</p>
<p>Sounds to me that you just really want to go OOS or do some exploring. If so, then there is more than one way to achieve your goals. </p>
<p>If your goal is just to “get out of Dodge,” and your parents will pay $30k for a UC, then look for schools where your stats would get you merit awards that would be substantially less than $30k…then your parents might relent. </p>
<p>What is your major? If it is Engineering, then UNC wouldnt be a good choice anyway. </p>
<p>I think OP should visit UCLA and possibly apply to USC (Southern California) as well.
OP should also look into UIUC and Texas A&M. UIUC will be a bit harder to afford (about 35k/year WITH a 12k/year merit scholarship), but you can probably get an OOS tuition waiver at Texas A&M if you get a $1000 scholarship.
As far as I know, the Aggies are very lenient about giving non-residents tuition differential waivers.</p>