<p>I guess I'll start with this: I've wanted to go to Appalachian State my whole life. The town of Boone is an amazing place to live and it has such a quaint spot in the Appalachian Mountains. People say that if you don't want your kid to go to ASU, then don't take them on a tour, because they will immediately fall in love with it. Obviously, it's no Harvard or U of Chicago, but since my dad and mom both attended and fell in love with eachother at ASU, the college has always held a special place in my heart. </p>
<p>That said, my mom and I were talking about applying to both ASU and more esteemed colleges so I could play them off ASU to try to get a scholarship just for attending college at ASU. However, we keep running into a really thought provoking question. What if I do get into a more esteemed school like State, MIT, or Duke? Does a full ride to ASU outweigh the prestige of being at MIT, one of the best schools in the country? Even more, if I get money to go to State, MIT, or Duke, do I give up the life-long dream of hanging out in the mountains of ASU to go to the more "boring" cities of Raleigh or Cambridge? </p>
<p>I just want to know if anyone out there has had a similar choice to make or if you can help me wrestle with the pros and cons..</p>
<p>Yep, definitely apply to all (assuming you have a shot at the more prestigious ones). If your family has money that the need-based financial aid will want to tap, but the money isn’t actually available for whatever reason, MIT may be financially out of the question. If your family makes less than about $120K, MIT will be astoundingly inexpensive, but Duke may be financially out of reach.</p>
<p>Yes, been there a number of times at this point. Here are my thoughts: </p>
<p>If you really like ASU and it works well for you, then you have nothing to lose by testing the waters at the other schools you mentioned, except your time. I highly recommend you apply as broadly as your interests take you. Unfortunately, you are simply not going to have a high degree of certainty about all the various scenarios until you have firm acceptances and financial information in your hands. You should take comfort in the relative satisfaction you have with attending ASU while enjoying the excitment of what may come of the other schools in which you are interested. That’s the best you can do right now until all the chips are on the table. Everything up to that point is just conjecture and guesswork. Although it can be fun and interesting, don’t drive yourself crazy playing all the “what if” games between now and April. You’ll figure out what to do once you actually know what you are working with.</p>
<p>Congrats to aBlingguy! You’ve solved your safety school problem. You know what you like about ASU and can afford it. Apply to other schools and if you get in, you have something positive (for you) to compare against. If hanging out in the mountains is important to you, it should be a consideration in your decision.</p>
<p>I don’t think that’s quite right grabbit…It’s more like, “You want to own a Ford Mustang when you get older because your dad owned a classic Mustang all his life. Your dad’s first kiss was in that Mustang, it’s the fastest car you guys have owned, and some of your favorite memories happened with that Mustang. Now, you can only own ONE car and you potentially can have a Porsche, a Ferrari, or a brand new Mustang. Yea, the Mustang isn’t the greatest car, but it’s still near and dear to your heart.”</p>
<p>is asu your dream school or your parents dream for you to relive their past? asu is a great school I am sure! but, all things being equal from what you wrote , I think you need to maybe exaime your dream vs your parents dream! being a legacy is not a bad thing as long as it is what you want! now if money is the most important thing on your list then that is one thing but if you really love boone,nc so much you can always move there after graduating college and / or go to asu for grad school. I would look at more schools in a larger radius then just boone /boston and RDU-raleigh/durham /chapel hill. you have a whole country with many many great options that maybe a great fit for you money wise and school wise.</p>
<p>The only reason to choose a college is not prestige. Many people have far less realistic dreams than Appalachian State, so it’s refreshing that you really want to go to a regional public school that your parents can probably afford.</p>
<p>If you get into MIT or Duke…so what? You sound like you really want to go to ASU and I would wager that you will find ASU far more affordable than the other schools, even with substantial merit aid. (Possibly MIT will give you enough merit aid to make the cost similar to ASU.) So go to the school you want to go to, and don’t worry about the prestige. “Best” school is subjective, and not always the most highly-ranked or prestigious one.</p>
<p>I agree with other posters that I’d recommend you expand your horizons with your applications and then next April 1st decide where to go and if ASU is still your first choice go for it.</p>
<p>That said I would not add schools purely by their prestige ranking. Determine the attributes about ASU you like and maybe there are other schools which you will naturally be drawn to that share these attributes.</p>
<p>Given you’re talking about Duke and MIT as examples then I assume you’re an excellent student … it sounds like you’d like a college town … and prefer access to nature (does it have to be mountains?). Just throwing some schools out while typing (I know more northeast and mid-atlantic schools) … what about
U Colorado … Boulder is fantastic
U Washington … in big city but fantastic nature all around
U Vermont … great college town in the mountains
Lehigh … excellent school with a beautiful campus built into the side of a hill
Williams … terrific school in small town in beautiful natural area
Smith … great school, great college town, beautiful area
Etc ( I could go on but you get the idea)</p>
<p>There are lots of terrific options. I’d also suggest that you and your parents discuss how much they are willing to pay and run financial aid calculators to see what level of financial aid is likely. For top students if their application list is broad enough there will typically be less selective schools which present a much cheaper option than some of the more selective schools … now is a great time for your family to start thinking about what of you got a big merit scholarship to ASU but also had an offer to attend Williams with $x of financial aid.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>My two oldest did not build lists using the reach, match, safety process (of which I am not a huge fan). Instead they determined the attributes they wanted in a school and sought schools that met those criteria ignoring selectivity … they ended up with lists of schools that were similar in many dimensions and also whose selectivity was varied (their list naturally had a mix of reach, match, and safety schools).</p>
<p>Well, I’m slightly (okay, very) biased, but here’s what I think. </p>
<p>First, I think people on this thread, including you, are underselling Appalachian here. Is it Duke or MIT? No. But it IS a good school, one that has really made huge strides in recent years, where you can still be academically challenged in classes that are quite small for a school of its size, and taught by highly qualified faculty in an all around great environment. </p>
<p>Second, if the only basis of your college decision becomes academics, and you don’t consider the surrounding town and environment, you’re going to regret it. Raleigh, Durham, and Cambridge aren’t bad cities, (actually I lied about Durham, but that’s another discussion) but they’re all a complete 180 from the college town environment in Boone. </p>
<p>Third, there is good to be had in going to a school that isn’t a stretch to get into. I’m doing the same thing you’re considering doing by choosing App. I have stats that might have given me a chance at more selective schools like UNC, but because App is a safety-level school for me, I have merit scholarships and admission to the honors college, something that would be unlikely for me (and for you, I would presume) at a more selective school like Duke. </p>
<p>I would highly recommend visiting all the schools you’re considering, especially if they’re in-state because it wouldn’t be too difficult. I think you will fall in love with Appalachian just as I have.</p>
<p>This is what I’d tell my child: Apply to Appalachian, plus the other schools you mentioned. Visit them all. Once you get your acceptances and find out what financial help you might get, visit again if you can. If Appalachian has the major(s) you think you will want and if you still love it more than anywhere else (and really, does anyone ever NOT like that school?), go there. A degree from Appalachian is a good, solid degree.</p>
<p>Also, forgive the double post, but feel free to PM me with any question you have about Appalachian. I’m very familiar with the school already, and I know many people there as well. I truly believe that if you choose App you won’t regret it.</p>