“question of whether or not an elite college improves post-college outcomes has been studied ad nauseam, and it has been discussed ad nauseam on CC.”
Some of us don’t measure the value of an elite school experience by $ gained, any more than we’d measure a trip to Europe by whether we made more in salary afterwards.
“Some of us don’t measure” But you clearly value the “elite school experience” and having to have that to begin with. Not everyone does. You will never know how your children would have turned out if they had attended another school that seemed lesser to you. And I don’t mean that just in term of income.
Of course. I never said everyone has to value the experience as much as I personally do.
@servmom “You will never know how your children would have turned out if they had attended another school that seemed lesser to you. And I don’t mean that just in term of income.”
True, but it is true for both sides of the discussion. It is difficult to measure the impact of choosing one path versus another.
Even just limiting the assessment to income, it is difficult because colleges do not clearly and consistently report salaries and employment rates.
I totally agree about the path and not knowing the impact.
It is pretty funny, for someone with an Ivy League education to say “it doesn’t matter where you go”. It’s like a rich person saying “it doesn’t matter if you have money or not”.
@greenohio I think you can be very proud of your kid’s accomplishments and his sense of responsibility and empathy for his younger sibs. I bet he will really go far in life. Kudos & congrats for raising such a great kid.
The moral of the story is that in our nation there is a school for some kid. No we can’t all go to Harvard–the system is rigged by setting up an elite model. A degree is basically a piece of paper that shows that you can think. While some schools may lack the depth of curriculum that well-endowed schools do, it all about taking advantage of what your choice offers. You have to like where you are. Some of the elite schools may come off as snobbish or expect more from a student. You don’t want to have to struggle.
what’s ‘Amherst?’ :))
@rhandco “It is pretty funny, for someone with an Ivy League education to say “it doesn’t matter where you go”. It’s like a rich person saying “it doesn’t matter if you have money or not”.”
This varies a lot by interest area. Ironically, it is also more true for the student who is wealthy. They are more likely to have better connections, opportunities, and support, so the advantages of a top school are less valuable to them.
I know how you feel. My son picked a school that in my opinion should have been the third or fourth choice. And to make it even harder to swallow, it wasn’t a school he was even that enthused about in November when he applied, which makes me confused about his thought process. I don’t really understand all the negative comments on here. Of course we support our kids and let them make their own decisions, but we are allowed to have feelings, too. I keep my feelings on the subject pretty much to myself, but he has an inkling. It almost makes me want to go back to college!
Oh, give me a break.
Well I’ve finally got to the post about parents not willing to pay for beach and surfing type of school, well my kid is the type who likes beach/surfing or any water type of activities. Apparently it didn’t hurt the CEO of GoPro. In fact, he was in same college as my daughter, Muir.
http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/feature/for_gopro_founder_nick_woodman_uc_san_diego_was_a_catalyst_for_creativity
^^^And a visual arts graduate to boot!
Any disappointment I have is in myself for not being as college app savvy as I could be, for not being wealthy, etc.
@greeninohio I commend you for doing what was best for your son. I am sure there were some folks in your life that did not understand. We all do need to know our children and let them know that it is their race, not ours, to run. Only they can decide which pace is manageable. Teachers, coaches and parents can so easily get caught up in pursuing a goal without realizing the things being sacrificed along the way. I am glad your son spoke up and that you were able to listen. My DS has always been one to dig in his heels when not ready for a particular challenge. I am determined to let him choose his own college pace, even if his scores would lead some to think he “should” be looking at certain schools.
Update: first day of classes at MSU. The FA package resulted in him getting a check from MSU 10 days before the semester started and a paid research position with a professor that he meets on Friday. My 15 yr. old son inherited all of the Northwestern sweatshirts/t-shirts/etc. I estimate that choosing MSU will save him/us about $25000 over the next four years.
$25,000/year or $6,000/year?
@greeninohio, here’s hoping your son’s college experience is everything he hopes it will be. He sounds like the kind of young man who will make that happen. 
I was surprised that my daughter picked Stanford over Harvard and Princeton since I thought she liked the East Coast better, but I can’t say that it was disappointing. The main disappointment is that we have to find the right skin care products that protect her from the constant sun and that is harder than we thought (plenty of beach-type lotions, but need something for everyday wear that is not greasy).