Choosing a lesser-known college

College Search & Selection
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<p>I'm starting this thread in hopes of giving some moral support to those students who want to venture off the beaten path, but are worried about making a choice that their friends and family may not understand. I'm talking about students who can be accepted almost anywhere they choose, but opt for a lesser-known college because it suits them best. </p>

<p>This is a tough choice to make when all you hear about senior year is college, college, college. If you are a top student, you know people expect you to say you are going to a top-20 school, or at least the honors program at your state flagship. They are perplexed when they have never heard of your choice, and might assume something went terribly wrong with your SAT. It is tough to hold your ground in the face of all that pressure, and choose the college that you love, rather than the one everybody's heard of. </p>

<p>My D chose a college completely unknown to all her friends and extended family. She chose it over several "prestigious" schools that the whole world has heard of. She endured a lot of head-scratching reactions, mispronunciations on Senior Night, assumptions that she was not as bright as previously thought, etc. She is not the type to brag, so did not list off all the places she was accepted to, just smiled and took it on the chin. </p>

<p>Fast-forward a few months - she is ecstatically happy, living and learning in the place she chose for all the right reasons. It truly suits her, she has made tons of friends, and she loves her environment and her classes. No regrets whatsoever. </p>

<p>So if you are a HS student and are drawn to a school off the beaten path, please keep in mind that while you may feel awkward about your choice during the acceptance and graduation season, that's a relatively short time compared with the four years you will actually be living at the school you choose to attend. Bragging rights will fall off the priority list in favor of things like excellent undergrad teaching, thoughtful and intellectual peers, leadership opportunities, an appealing location, and friendly atmosphere. </p>

<p>Anyone else have a story/advice to add?</p>

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<p>Can you share with us the name of the “lesser known college”? It’s difficult for me to understand the point of your post without a sense of which college your D selected.</p>

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<p>I’m glad you posted this. It would be so much easier for me if I could say, when my friends ask me, that D is looking at a national name brand. Certainly at this point she could be accepted at many. I would be happier avoiding the quizzical looks and gentle nods that follow when I mention where she’s applying. She has her sights on an LAC not one of my friends has heard of and she won’t apply to a single “name brand” school. </p>

<p>Family members (graduates of Yale and Cornell) are gently nudging me to get her to add well-known schools to her list, and are asking her a lot of probing questions about her choices. She is unfazed, clear in her own head that she wants a small school where she’ll not be over-challenged academically and where she’ll be happy socially. She believes a not-quite-so-highly-ranked LAC would be perfect.</p>

<p>With her I’ve been nothing but supportive, but inside I struggle with the notion she’s making a mistake by opting for a relatively unknown school. A counselor advised me that in her experience students end up happiest and most successful if they choose the school themselves, rather than going where their parents want them to. Your story and perspective also give me some comfort.</p>

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<p>Sure. She is at Scripps in Claremont, CA. Probably fairly well-known on the west coast, but draws blank stares in Virginia. </p>

<p>I don’t really think her choice is that relevant to the intent of the thread, though. There are many schools, and many reasons why a student might choose them. I just feel that prestige often gets in the way of making a good choice on fit, and I’d like to see more students dig a little deeper to find a place where they can thrive and be happy, rather than just going to the highest-ranked place they can get accepted to (as I did, so I understand the pressure).</p>

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<p>My daughter not only turned down Yale but she was a MT major. Senior year she would tell people who asked what school she was going to that it was our local community college and usually got a blank stare. Once in college and still since graduating in June she says she was a History or Math major.</p>

<p>My younger daughter is going to a small LAC in the midwest that no one in the northeast has ever heard of but it is the absolutely right school for her. </p>

<p>People always have comments about your choices for your kids (or now, their choices for themselves); think back to when they were 0-4 years old. I always ignored whatever friends and family said and continue to do so. No one knows or cares about your kid more than you do (except of course your kid his/herself).</p>

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<p>She sounds like me! What schools is she looking at? I don’t want to get too stressed - I want to be challenged but in a supportive way.
I am looking at Skidmore, Dickinson, Lafayette, Clark Uni, Oberlin, Denison, Earlham, Knox and Hendrix.</p>

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<p>Even on the West Coast Scripps is not that well known, it is a very small school and the vast majority of students are in the UC and CSU systems.</p>

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<p>BrownParent - Yup, plus it’s all-girls which often compounds the “blank stare” reaction! The Claremont Consortium is certainly better known as a whole, but has nowhere near the name recognition of places like UCLA and Berkeley.</p>

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<p>alyanj - You are the type of student I meant to reach when starting this thread! You have a nice list of schools - good luck with your apps and finding the right place for you and your goals!</p>

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<p>I only know of it because my dd’s GC mentioned it for her. I understand it has great mentoring, and the best food in the consortium. I even had many people here in CA who never heard of Brown, so even with that we had to do the explaining for people who didn’t understand. </p>

<p>Another thing to add to your original post, is that grad schools are going to be familiar with quality schools, so that is going to matter more than man on the street name recognition, if further education might be on your horizon.</p>

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<p>Thanks Nova2Nola - if you have any insight on any of my colleges, or any other suggestions, I’d be grateful. B+ student, 1300 SAT (retaking Oct), lots of community service locally and internationally including advocacy at state level.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

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<p>Alyanj, I don’t have any direct experience with your schools, so I only have general advice, which you probably already know. Visit your schools if you can, attend some classes, spend the night to get a feel for social life and dorm situation. Make sure the school has the programs important to you, and that it is affordable. Make sure you like the location and that there are on-campus activities that appeal to you. Check out transportation options, parking, whether a car is needed/good to have. Most of all, use your own judgment when choosing because you are the one who will be there for four years!</p>

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<p>It matters a great deal that (relatively) sophisticated employers and (as pointed out in a post above) that (when relevant) professional and graduate schools know the college. And by know I don’t mean “know” in the sense of name recognition but in the sense of excellence.</p>

<p>It matters little whether or not your neighbor and cousin knows the school.</p>

<p>All the above said, Scripps and (most generally) the Claremont colleges are well known and respected by those that matter.</p>

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<p>I appreciate this thread. However I think folks in the know have most definetly heard of Scripps.</p>

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<p>Bigdaddy, while I agree that grad schools and such are familiar with Scripps and other small schools, the point really is that people in a hs student’s day-to-day life have probably not heard of these lesser-known schools. That makes it harder for these students to feel confident and positive in their choices. When all your friends are getting pats on the back for deciding on UVA, Cornell, Georgetown, Va Tech, and your coach of four years butchers the name of your little (but still excellent) college on Senior Night, it can really take the wind out of your sails.</p>

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<p>I totally agree…both of my kids went to schools that suited them rather than the biggest name school they could get into and we never regretted it. And, each of my children were drawn to different types of schools. My S chose to attend a mid-sized Jesuit university over some higher ranked schools because he loved the community, the campus, the location, the Jesuit ideals, the small classes, the fact that there was wellness housing for freshman (to name but a few reasons). He had a fantastic four years and went on to a top grad school in his field. My D, knew from the start that she wanted to attend a LAC (we did take her to visit two mid-sized universities which she immediately shot down) because she felt that a LAC would provide that close-knit and supportive environment she loves-- and she is also tremendously happy with her choice. </p>

<p>In the end, both of my kids who went for a school that was a good fit ended up happier and more successful than a number of their friends who only based their college decision only on the “prestige” of the school.</p>

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<p>How do you butcher, “Scripps?” That takes talent!</p>

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<p>Mirabile, try “Snapple.” He didn’t have his glasses on, apparently, and was not familiar with the school. Got great laughs out of everyone but us!</p>

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<p>I get it. My D is a senior with great stats. She is applying to schools that 90% of her friends have never heard of. She actually feels great about that. It makes her feel unique…like she’s being bold. It’s easy to go to school where everyone else is going.</p>

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<p>Thank you for this post - I have been having a hard time of late with this forum because everyone wants to go to an Ivy and none are willing to consider that those might not be the right schools for them. Some kids are better for different environments.</p>