<p>Ok. I'm a junior who would like to go into theatre or psychology. For either, i would most likely go to get my masters. I'm a "top" student. 33 ACT, top 1% of class, national competitions, etc, but have no drive to go to a top school. I would much rather go to a less expensive school where i can excel(and by this, i don't mean CC's definition of not a top school, i'm talking like point park or clarion, maybe U of Utah). Is anybody else in my boat???
I'd love to see someone else who thinks like i do, because my everyone else thinks im crazy</p>
<p>Oh my gosh, by all means, if you don’t want HYPS, etc. DON’T GO THERE. It’s entirely possible that a top school isn’t the “best fit” for you. You should go where you’ll be happy, not where you will have the best prestige. Remember that people on CC are FREAKS and overly obsessed with prestige, top 30 schools, and generally bragging rights. No offense to CC in general, but this group of people isn’t a normal data set for college hunters. Honestly, I’ve found that on CC if you’re not considering only Ivies, you’re viewed as a little deficient, which is totally unfair. Harvard isn’t perfect for everyone, either is Yale or Stanford or MIT or any other elite school. If you’ll be happier at University of Utah, go there; I think if you decide to go to a top school that you don’t really like, you won’t get out of it what you want, and you’ll end up paying more for something you wanted less. Which is illogical.</p>
<p>Go U of Utah!</p>
<p>^ Exactly.</p>
<p>THANKS
i’m glad someone shares my sentiment
other responses i’ve gotten from CC are “you’re wasting your life” and such</p>
<p>My son is not interested in any of the “top” schools. The main reason? He wants to major in classical music performance and many of the supposedly “top” schools aren’t good choices for that major. But he’s also not interested in many of the “top” music schools (for his bachelor’s)! He’s a contender academically for many of the top academic schools, and musically for many of the top conservatories. But when we visited several of them, he just didn’t feel the sort of “fit” he felt at the colleges he chose to apply to. I very much respect his decision to think for himself, recognizing what it is he wants in a college and choosing to apply only to those that feel like the best fit for him, no matter what “the book” or “society” say. I applaud his decision to think for himself. I see his independent thinking (and yours) as a sign of “emotional intelligence” and a forecast for success. It’s so much smarter to go in with your eyes open and pick what makes YOU feel good about your college prospects. Good for you!</p>
<p>^^^^ Best of Luck to your son and congrats to you to let him choose for himself, more parents should be as open as you are</p>
<p>Lol “you’re wasting your life”? That’s a little harsh, isn’t it? If you don’t have the $cash$ to pay for a top college/university and ESPECIALLY you want to go to graduate school, it is the SMARTEST choice.</p>
<p>Yeah, good for you!</p>
<p>When I first decided I was going to apply to the US I was just going to go for CUNY but sadly I can’t afford to even go to a community college so I have to apply to the ones with financial aid. Wherever you go you’re still going to get an education. That’s what’s important. Go where feels right :)</p>
<p>I’m not looking at a top school. The highest I’m going for is William and Mary. If I don’t get in there (which I’m doubting now that I’ve actually started studying for the SAT…I’m bad at standardized testing, especially timed.) I’ll probably be going the University of Mary Washington, even if I get in to UVA. </p>
<p>It’s cheaper and they have a large focus on English/Creative Writing, which I want to major in. They usually produce several award-winning writers, and if W&M doesn’t work out, I’d like to join the ranks of those writers someday. :)</p>
<p>Top schools are nice, but they aren’t everything. I’d prefer a smaller, cheaper, school with a friendlier less-stress atmosphere than an Ivy League, personally.</p>
<p>If you’ve compiled the stats that you have, then you probably enjoy the exchange of ideas and the stimulation of peers who challenge you to discover new interests. If you choose to go to a school such as Point Park, you’re not going to find that. You will however, probably get a full ride to be a source of stimulation and challenge for other students.</p>
<p>Understand the difference between a BA theatre program and a BFA (Bachelor of Arts vs. Bachelor of Fine Arts). A BFA is pre-professional training with very limited academics (Point Park would be a BFA). It’ll require about 3/4 of your academic hours plus most of your free time, while coursework for a BA would constitute about a quarter of your academic hours. If you’re OK with a Psychology major, then you’re probably not committed to a BFA program. You might want to check into the most prominent BA theatre program in the country - Northwestern’s. At Northwestern, you can major in theatre without an audition, in the program that produced Charlton Heston, while attending a top academic school with the freedom to take elective courses that appeal to you or to even double-major. And, the NWern student body generates the greatest number of theatrical opportunities - for majors and non-majors - of any campus in the country.</p>
<p>Absolutely. One of my top choices right now is a public university, not even a top-25 one. And I’ve had teachers ask why I didn’t apply to any Ivies, etc.</p>
<p>I went to my local public school. It didn’t even occur to me at the time to apply to non-local schools, but I probably could have gotten into the UChicago level. No regrets though, I saved a year, $100K and 4 years of bad weather, and ended up in just as good a position.</p>
<p>Hey, I hear you.</p>
<p>I’m “gifted” (for what it’s worth) and entirely capable of taking straight AP classes and devoting countless hours to doing everything “right” just so I can attend a top school.</p>
<p>But you know what? I don’t want to! Because I have a lot of outside hobbies and interests which are far too important to me than going to a status school. And it is my hobbies and interests which will eventually guide me down the career path that I choose. College is merely one of the tools that will assist me. </p>
<p>My mom knew a girl who went to Harvard. The girl came out of Harvard without any clear idea of what she was going to do with her Harvard degree. However, she had a friend at Harvard whose dad was on the board of a major corporation. So the dad (on the board of directors) “found” a job for this girl in his company. Her job was as a customer service representative. Well, hello…that’s not quite what I want out of my life. I would rather go to a state school and have enough spare time to develop an outside interest–and the connections that go with it–which will enable me to get somewhere near the general area of where I would like to be.</p>
<p>In my humble opinion, you’re absolutely fine. There’s no reason to listen to anyone else when you’re looking where you personally want to go. Chances are, if you end up in a program you love, you’ll meet plenty of other people you like being around - and probably at least a few who also could have gone to a “top” school but turned it down.</p>
<p>A friend of mine wants to major in art therapy, which isn’t exactly a major you find everywhere, and she’s looking at a lot of lesser-known and less-expensive schools. At first a lot of people were surprised - she’s incredibly smart - but I think after a while she convinced them that she knew what she wanted to do.</p>
<p>Honestly, it isn’t really the business of anyone else. “You’re wasting your life” seems a tad harsh…as long as you’re somewhere that works for you, why should anyone else be a factor? :)</p>
<p>It’s fine not to look at top schools, but it would concern me if my kid was doing it to be best in an easy environment. I’ve seen kids take that approach and not have the best outcomes. Whatever school you attend, hopefully it will be challenging and provide growth opportunities.</p>
<p>as kinda of a follow up, do you think the calibar of education is really that severelyl different. I know there will be differences, but will it be like night and day?</p>
<p>The biggest difference will be your peer group, which can be tremendously different. Another big difference will be recruitment for jobs when you graduate.</p>
<p>i guess that’s something to consider…
but at the same time, i don’t think it’s worth 51,000 a year vs 13,000</p>
<p>lol only on CC does WIlliam and Mary not count as going to a “top college”</p>
<p>(see post #9)</p>
<p>^^^^ i know right…
alot of kids would kill to go there</p>