As a parent, watching admissions decisions roll in…a philosophical question I’ve been debating…is there any merit (no pun intended) in your kid attending a safety school, maybe one where there is acceptance into an Honors program, over the reach school, where there will be no Honors and you’re likely to be just another number…
Kiddo has been a small fish in a VERY big and competitive pond…attending the reach school would be more of the same.
I guess i’m wondering: might the quality of the student’s experience be better at a school that has shown them the love, rather than one where they were lucky to just get in?
We obssess a lot about getting in to a Fancy Prestigious Reach school, but for my money it’s better to concentrate on getting OUT of a good fit school. I think Honors at a safety is a far bettr path to a successful launch than the rocky road of life at a school you are underqualified for. Plenty of CC parents will disagree, but CC forums are also full of stories of students barely getting through, burning out, needing counseling, etc.
College is plenty hard on its own. I see no particular need to purposefully choose to make it harder.
Read Frank Bruni’s book. Where you go is not who you are. He chose NC over Yale. You can be successful at either place but need to look at how the college will support you.
Malcolm Gladwell would say it was better to go to the school where you would be at or near the top of your class. His opinion is that it would build confidence and self esteem where being in the middle of the pack or lower at a more difficult school would have the reverse effect.
In actuality it depends upon your kid and what environment they will thrive in. The fit part of the equation.
My daughter is thriving at Susquehanna. I am really glad she didn’t end up at a reach school. She has an art history professor who has turned out to be a wonderful mentor - the woman searches for internships for her students and is always available for advice. D has gained a lot of confidence from being a big fish in a small pond.
Every kid is different, though - I’m not saying this is the best path for everybody.
For me it would depend on what the reach and safety schools are. If the reach was Cornell and the safety was UMass Amherst, fine. If he safety was Salem State University or Oklahoma Panhandle State University, I’d be concerned.
My son chose safeties. He didn’t even apply to his reach schools because we had a discussion and he wouldn’t have gone even it he was accepted (which did have a decent chance). He got into the Honors college but may not even continue in it. His major is animal science and he is pre-vet with early acceptance into his school’s veterinary college after three years. Grades are everything (and keeping dept down). Even though the Honors classes are more challenging he really wants to get A’s in everything that he can. The safety gave him great scholarships and the vet program he wanted. His safety makes him happy. He has had success. Found great friends, become friends with teachers and TAs. I think that you have to go to a school that fits your student and their major and their plans for the future. For us the safety was the perfect option. His courses (including his Honors class) have been challenging but reasonable enough for him to enjoy going to sporting events, social events and having some personal time (still studying a great deal but not so that he is miserable). I think people should not put down the safety schools. Some have excellent departments within them that are wonderful!
My D did not choose a safety, but she also did not choose the school with the 10% acceptance rate after coming off the WL. She chose the school with the right fit… which coincidently is the same school attended by Bruni.
There is no easy way to answer your question other than to say it depends on the student and the type of environment they would thrive in.
My son is a STEM major who was accepted to a very nice private college with guaranteed transfer to Columbia. He chose a competitive state school so he’d have more money as an undergrad to spend on traveling and career related conferences. He loves his school. He’ll graduate without debt and he loves that even more. There are plenty of smart kids out there, and many, many come from families who can’t afford expensive residential colleges. Our state schools are full of them.
I think the honors program at a safety school can be an excellent choice- do not underestimate the academic rigor. I know plenty of very smart kids who went this route and are happy… the academics are more challenging than they anticipated.
My daughter was accepted to her reach school (Tufts had been her dream school for several years) and instead attended her safety (honors program with merit $ at Northeastern.) Best decision ever. She graduated with a perfect 4.0 average (was a valedictorian and it wasn’t because the classes were easy she worked like a dog), found her tribe (for the first time in her life - she hadn’t found people like her in her large competitive HS), and thrived (now living and working in Boston where most of her college friends are still living).
Although the money difference was big (no merit or FA at Tufts) she made her decision by comparing the two schools after admitted students days. She just felt she fit in better at Northeastern, the students were down to earth and not competitive. Technically she was a bigger fish at Northeastern, but she never felt (despite being in the honors program) that she was part of an elite group (which is what she wanted).
My daughter is the type who works very hard and I have no doubt she would have been successful at any school, but she was very happy where she went which to me was most important.
My D turned down Harvard for UGA with honors and a top scholarship. I can confidently say that she would not have the same opportunities she is getting handed to her at UGA had she gone to Harvard. And she is enjoying being at the top of her classes without having to study all the time. It leaves lots of time for involvement in lots of other things, as there are so many great opportunities and just not enough time. And I’m happy about keeping my money in my pocket and to provide other enriching experiences like extensive international travel and work experience. I don’t know what she’ll ultimately do, but I do know her degree won’t limit her. Grads from her program are very impressive and go on to do impressive things, eg, top national and international scholarships, top grad/med/law/business schools, jobs with top companies, including IB and consulting. I did ask to see outcomes before she committed. They maintain a book and it’s very impressive - no difference in outcomes from not going Ivy.
It depends on the student and the school. My D chose an Honors program in a decent school that was definitely a safety for her. She found the classes themselves challenging enough, but rose to the top in them much too easily. Didn’t feel a sense of engagement in “learning” as opposed to “moving ahead” from her peers, little in-class discussion, profs tended to lean on her to talk–which was not something she wanted. She wanted to be part of the discussion, not the only one talking. (Also the extreme party atmosphere of the school really depressed her.)
Ultimately she transferred to a selective LAC–reachy but we’re not talking HYP. There she found her peeps and a thriving intellectual vibe, and also a slightly less out of control partying style.
Another great student might have been fine at the first school, or at a similar school. But for D it was just not the right place. So, as usual, YMMV.
My DD chose the safety (money) over her two dream (Top 10) schools and debt. She couldn’t be happier. She’s in an honors program that gives her small class sizes (not a single one above 25 students) and access to professors. She’s a “high flyer” and loves the attention it brings and the ease of getting LORs for some programs she’s applying to. One of her professors even emailed her to let her know of an opportunity for a study abroad grant for this summer that DD had never heard of. (Professor only emailed two students about it.) She’s a finalist for that grant and I doubt this would have happened if she’d been just one in the crowd at the reach schools where class sizes were bigger and she’d have dealt with TAs. Living in the honors dorm made it easy for her to find friends who also take academics very seriously and she has a nice balance with a social life.
My D is at a highly ranked public university… not a safety… but also not an Ivy. Last spring I ran into a mom whose son graduated HS with my daughter. They both graduated at the very top of their class and this kid now attends an Ivy. This mom was venting to me about the difficulties her son was having finding an internship. My D had already secured an outstanding research position for the summer and was also able keep her current research position. Her friends secured internships working for major news organizations, start ups, governors offices etc.
Going to a reachier school does not always mean better opportunities. It might… or it might not… and there are many variables that come into play. To answer your question… the quality of the students experience does not necessarily improve if they attend the higher ranked school… there are many factors to consider.
Neither of my kids picked the highest ranked school they got into. D2 picked purely on fit. D1 combined fit & merit aid, and really did attend her safety. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa and had a great experience. Her safety was a LAC, though, not a large university…
Our student got WL at Harvard, and didn’t want to pursue it. She was already in love with Pomona College, a small LAC. She was afraid we’d want to try to turn the WL into admission when her heart was somewhere else. Life is short. Go with your gut…and of course your heart. Your student will be happier.
Depends on a student. If a student is a type that take advantage of every opportunity that reach school can offer and family can afford it without debt, then reach school might be the better choice. My DD attending her rich school and it definitely was a right choice for her. She would never get the same opportunities at her other also very good choices.
