<p>D survived a North Carolina public school and is now happy at Pomona - similar blank stares from her GC when she said she was interested in LACs. When asked if any kids apply out of state, the GC told me "yeah, we have a few kids go to Georgia and Clemson". I agree the GC at an NC public school has more pressing concerns than getting a motivated kid into a top LAC. You're on your own, but you'll do fine - just take charge of your own future and good luck!</p>
<p>What's the percentage of students who go to the top LAC's cross-admits, HYPS? Realistically speaking, no effort should even be spent on such a tiny and probably self-sufficient group. =)</p>
<p>
At 18, I couldn't decipher your cryptic response. gadad & SarahsDad, thanks goodness there are parents with sensibility.<br>
[quote=kwu] What's the percentage of students who go to the top LAC's cross-admits, HYPS?
Really low. Yours truly did not get into a single one of HYPS, yet, 4 out of 4 of the top 5 LACs.</p>
<p>If it helps any, both of my kids went through the same thing with their guidance counselors. The truth is, LAC's aren't on the radar of most people, so if you feel the LAC experience is right for you, get used to having to explain why (or, just laugh off the blank stares). </p>
<p>I think that, to a certain extent, guidance counselors and high schools like to claim bragging rights to getting kids into the impressive and well-known name schools. When they see a well-qualified kid who wants to head in a different direction, they can't help feeling a bit of sadness over losing the possible bragging rights.</p>
<p>However, I strongly agree with JohnWesley: this is YOUR college experience, YOUR life, and YOUR education. Your guidance counselor likely will never see or speak to you again after graduation. YOU are in the driver's seat when it comes to your future.</p>
<p>It doesn't hurt to consider the opinions of other people, and check out some of your counselor's recommendations. I will caution you, however, that you'll get a lot of pressure to attend "Top University XYZ" if you apply and get in. I have seen kids bowing to that pressure, and turning down schools that were perfect for them, because of the "Well, it's Harvard/Yale/Stanford" syndrome that goes something like this"Yes, I know that Oberlin/Pomona/Amherst are perfect for me but, well, I also got into Harvard/Yale/Stanford and well, it's Harvard/Yale/Stanford --- how can I turn them down?"</p>
<p>Bottomline: consider all options and recommendations, but ultimately, trust your gut instinct about what path is right for you. That goes for LIFE as well as college. :)</p>
<p>I know several people admitted to Ivys who turned them down for top LACS.</p>
<p>But to respond to the orginal post, if your asking for strategies, you have to do some education to counselors or families. Explain concepts and use rhetoric like Little Ivys... refer to the Barron's ratings (i.e., "Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, and Haverford are ranked in the same category as Harvard, Princeton, Duke, and Stanford").</p>
<p>If you are expressing worry, don't worry about that. Yeah, it may be annoying, but I assure you that after you attend one the circles that you will begin to move in, travel in, live in, and work in b/c you went to an elite LAC will know your alma mater.</p>
<p>we went on tours of two amazing Maine LAC's last week with younger son. Ivy league older son came along for the ride. He said as we took the tour, "I have a strong feeling that the students here are getting a better education than I am and have more opportunities" Remember most public high school guidance counselors probably went to a local teacher's college-they aren't going to know much about the top LAC's although they should at least memorize the Fiske Guide.</p>
<p>As a fellow NC-er at a big public hs, I can tell you to just ignore your guidance counselor! Mine has experience with kids going off to little-heard of schools unless you're a top student, in which case a household name (which is pretty hard for LACs to get in the South) is practically mandatory. Ignore her. You don't have to convince her, although you might want to, as someone suggested, compare stats of your proposed LACs with Duke/Chapel Hill/even Harvard. I'm sure they'll be very impressed, especially when you elaborate on the excellent finaid at most LACs. </p>
<p>You might want to have your parents visit Davidson if you're somewhat in the area, just to get a feel of what a LAC is like. It might help to step in on some classes or see the sort of research/etc going on even in a smaller environment.</p>
<p>I went to a very rural midwestern high school, and my guidance counselor knew all about national LACs. She was very involved in the business of encouraging the top 1% to apply to schools that would stimulate and challenge them, and I can't imagine having to deal with a GC who didn't have that perspective. She was also fastidious about searching out good fits for the other 99% of the student body. She knew about the Ivies, LACs, state colleges, urban campuses, rural campuses, certification programs, career options, etc. She was certainly also very good at crisis control and took care of her scheduling duties. She loved her job and wanted to see students succeed. I don't know why we should expect apathy in a guidance counselor rather than mourning it.</p>
<p>And no, the top 1% is not always self-sufficient, and they often need as much specialized attention as any other kid to meet their goals. High school is a very small world, and independence of thought and motivation are often not very developed at that point, regardless of intelligence. Speaking as a college student with four younger sisters in high school, I see this every time I visit home. I'm a transfer student because I largely didn't know what I was doing in high school, despite being at the top of my class (I was way too shy to consult with my guidance counselor regularly). I definitely don't think any group of students should be ignored for another, but it's not asking a terrible amount of a guidance counselor to believe that they should know about the major LACs, and have a view toward student satisfaction rather than mere prestige.</p>
<p>OP, I agree with everything that has been said here about following your instincts. I've never formally attended an LAC, but I've spent time around several of them (for summer programs, visits, etc.) and there are so many amazing LAC campuses out there. They're definitely my taste also. I think it's great that you're exploring your options. Also, what pointoforder said. Right now it might feel like you're letting people down, but as soon as you arrive at that LAC campus, the greater academic world will have a much clearer view of things. I made the decision to attend my first school based on what other people wanted, and now I couldn't be more glad to be transferring out. I hope you can avoid making the mistake I made!</p>