<p>Hawk, I’m a chemistry washout from a state university where I was definitely on the upper end of the academic spectrum going in. I don’t think it’s a matter of the average SAT scores of the other students. </p>
<p>Does your daughter have any smaller colleges to consider? What killed me was the huge lecture coupled with the Chinese-speaking TA who presided over our lab. It wasn’t an environment conducive to learning – at least not for me. I don’t have any regrets in hindsight - nor do I place blame on the school, like the fictional Caroline Sacks – I’m sure I could have pulled through if I had been motivated to focus more attention on school and less on my boyfriend. But if you are advising your daughter, please also consider the impact of class size and whatever support systems the school has in place.</p>
<p>My d. is a Barnard grad and hands down, I would say that the best place for a woman to get a start in sciences with plenty of support and encouragement, along with inspiring role models, is a women’s college . – but my d. is not a STEM major. (However, my d. did have some wonderful experiences with the science faculty at her college – so I have no doubt that she would have found it a supportive environment if that had been her goal). Of course your daughter already has acceptances in hand – and I’m guessing it doesn’t include any of the Seven Sisters. But just in case some other parents are reading this… I thought I would throw that out.</p>
<p>That brings me to another point. Stat-wise, Barnard was a big reach for my daughter, and she had some bumps in the road her first semester. Got a C on her first midterm and was devastated. But she rose to the challenge, maintained an A average after that, and graduated summa cum laude.</p>
<p>Now in grad school she feels that she is at an advantage over her classmates, who seem to be more stressed and have a harder time with assignments. She feels the rigor of her undergraduate experience has now put her at an advantage. So she’s the other side of the coin – some people excel in an environment that provides more challenge- and a more demanding undergraduate school might also provide better preparation for the next step. </p>
<p>I think the answer to your question, besides finances, depends a whole lot on your daughter’s personality. My d. was never cutthroat, but she tended to do pretty well in competitive settings. I think she has the right mix of willingness to up her game and put in intense effort to excel, a long with a sense of humor and a dash of cynicism that make it easy for her to shrug things off and move on when things don’t go as planned. </p>
<p>Your daughter has the capacity to do well at any of the colleges that have admitted her – the question is: will she do well? That depends a lot more on her personality and level of motivation than on whatever message Malcolm Gladwell is trying to sell. </p>