<p>I don’t know. I only applied to “reach” schools as well. Granted, I didn’t KNOW they would be consider reach schools at the time, but I’m just one of the lucky people who actually got into them so am not freaking out about going “nowhere.” But yes, the tendency to view state schools as only slightly worse than hell is rather prevalent on this site, isn’t it?</p>
<p>We feel good that we did everything right… DD applied to and was accepted at a range of reach, match, and safety schools, with merit aid and Honors invitations… And at the end of the day, she’s <em>choosing</em> to go to our state university. I hate to think that she’ll be looked down upon as “settling” for something beneath her, but know that some people wonder about it. She honestly feels that it’s the best fit in her unique circumstances. (Grew up overseas so she’s never really been “home” - strong research focus in her major interest - Honors College acceptance with a whole range of benefits - acceptance of transfer credits for her IB diploma - close to home/extended family who can help ease the “repatriation” process - save money for graduate/medical school.) She evaluated all of her options, made a very conscious choice, and I’m proud of her for thinking it through and having the maturity to stand by her decision even though people look at her and think, “You did all <em>this</em> to go to <em>state</em>?”</p>
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<p>Only among the northeasterners. The Californian residents certainly have very nice state options to choose from, and the midwestern / Big 10 state flagships are very reputable and no one would think twice at a valedictorian choosing to attend one of them. It’s just a small regional group that thinks that way.</p>
<p>Those that are well motivated will find the information for themselves. And the minority of those who are well motivated and don’t will still eventually find something that allows them to get ahead in life.</p>
<p>And yes, what’s up with people thinking public schools are no good? There are plenty of public schools that could easily run laps around some privates!</p>
<p>Getting into our state school - The University of Texas at Austin - is considered prestigious by those in our town and it is extremely competitive to get into if one is not in the top 8 percent of hs graduating class. My S chose not to apply there because he wanted to go to smaller school and he certainly does not look down on those accepted there because it is the state school - quite the opposite. Lots of top students from his school have gone on to attend UT!</p>
<p>PG. I wonder if the regional group you speak of is overrepresented on this site? It would be interesting to see the analytics. And it sure seems dominated by people with an east coast bias.</p>
<p>My niece works for Paypal in Israel. This is I gather a highly sought company to work for. Call it one tier under Google :)</p>
<p>She was accepted because she had just finished an MSc at Weizmann Institute of Tech. While Biology was not going to be used in her new job, they reasoned that she had proved herself to be an adaptable and intelligent person, one they could train for a complex job.</p>
<p>Now she tells us (as an insider) that this company ignores HS matriculation grades and simply requires a threshold SAT score (or local equivalent) to be hired.</p>
<p>The reason I am posting these anecdotes is to warn parents and students that grade inflation is so rampant (even more in the US than Israel) that it is a mistake to feel confident simply based on a high GPA or student ranking. Nowadays in the US the only two (somewhat reliable) objective measures of student ability are AP grades and SAT scores.</p>
<p>My son is a dual degree physics and math upcoming senior. Just like HS, I keep reminding him that an ‘A’ does not mean he is competent; all we can say is that less than 100% means there is core material he has not figured out yet.</p>
<p>Pizzagirl is right. There were plenty of brainy kids in both my sons’ classes who chose CA state universities over privates. S1’s best friend is at CalPoly as an architecture major, a highly competitive program. </p>
<p>I would love to know how the CC users skew geographically; there do seem to be far more northeast users, thus the heavy emphasis (way too heavy, IMHO) on Ivies. We know very few students here who were even interested in applying to Ivies, and our sons attended a competitive private HS. The vals of both my sons’ classes applied to and chose CA schools (one is at Stanford, the other at USC; the USC kid is on a free academic ride).</p>
<p>Stats from 2011</p>
<p>[Where</a> Most Students End Up Attending College | The College Solution](<a href=“http://www.thecollegesolution.com/where-most-students-end-up-attending-college/]Where”>Where Most Students End Up Attending College)</p>
<p>Region .Percentage of Students Attending Their Own State Schools</p>
<p>Northeast
Massachusetts 44%
Rhode Island 51%
Pennsylvania 55%
New York 55%
New Hampshire 59%
Vermont 60%
Connecticut 64%
Maine 71%
Delaware 73%
New Jersey 81%
Midwest</p>
<p>Missouri 58%
Iowa 49%
Minnesota 61%
Illinois 65%
Ohio 73%
Indiana 74%
Wisconsin 79%
Michigan 81% </p>
<p>South
Tennessee 70%
Florida, 74%
Virginia 74%
Georgia 79%
Kentucky 80%
South Carolina 81%
Alabama 83%
North Carolina 83%
Louisiana 86%
Arkansas 89%
Mississippi 90% </p>
<p>Southwest
Arizona 58%
Oklahoma 86%
Texas 87%
New Mexico 92% </p>
<p>Plains
Nebraska 75%
South Dakota 78%
North Dakota 86%
Montana 90%
Wyoming 96% </p>
<p>West
Utah 72%
Colorado 75%
Idaho 75%
Hawaii 77%
Oregon 81%
California 84%
Washington 85%
Nevada 91%
Alaska 94%</p>
<p>Some of us made a mistake in high school. I’m Canadian and I didn’t know that I wanted to attend a US college until it was too late. The deadline was close and I hadn’t taken the SAT, so I enrolled in my “safety” in Canada (which is still a top 5). I loathe my current university. If I don’t get accepted for transfer I’m not sure what I’ll do.</p>
<p>According to the Minnesota Office of Higher Education (which is just the site I happened to find the statistic at) [Facts</a> About Enrollment](<a href=“404”>Facts About Enrollment)</p>
<p>Nationally, 19 percent of all new entering freshmen leave their home state to attend a college out-of-state.</p>
<p>The statistics of why those 19% of freshman leave their home states is not tracked, but I’d wager that a significant number of them are simply in a neighboring state. Through programs such as the Midwest Student Exchange Program, tuition reductions are granted to students from surrounding states. Also some of those students seek out schools where they are in the top percentage of applicants in order to maximize aid. Others go off because they have friends or relatives in another region. The percentage of students that go out of state to go to a ‘reach’ school is incredibly small and very over-represented on this site.</p>
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It’s not really that surprising, most of those arrogant kids ended up that way because everyone around them told them they’re amazing and special. I know many kids like that, and right now, many of them are in shock as rejections keep coming and have to face the “horrible” prospect of education in our own country. And yeah, they’re annoying, and I frequently feel the need of punching them in the face, but they wouldn’t be acting that way if their teachers and parents didn’t tell them they’re amazing every minute. I don’t think they should’ve gotten what they wanted, but I do feel sorry for them for having had such awful college (or life, really) counseling.</p>
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<p>When I was applying I only applied to one school. A state school. And my backup was community college. How pathetic of me. I should be disappointed in myself.</p>
<p>I don’t understand a policy of having no sympathy. Arrogance is very destructive to the person walking around with it. Why shouldn’t we sympathize with anyone who shoots themselves in the foot?</p>
<p>Jamminj:
Your kid is shortsighted. It would be better for him/her to try to get a better score. It is not that the SAT defines him/her. It is that higher scores help with admission and merit.
Given the competitiveness of the admissions game, it is a good idea to try to take advantage of any opportunity you may have.</p>
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<p>Ditto @GMT7</p>
<p>I’m not sure why students apply to ANY school they wouldn’t be happy attending. But I also think there is an erroneous assumption that “prestige” means “better” and that a state school will provide a poor education. </p>
<p>There are state universities with more funding and alumni networks than some private colleges.</p>
<p>In a nutshell, I think adults should stop stoking expectations. Because they often forget that a student may be tops in their class, or tops in the school, but they are headed for applicant pools (at competitive colleges) where almost every student fits that description - and 90% of them will be declined for lack of space or fit.</p>
<p>IM surprised by the number for california.</p>
<p>I gave you a reason exieMIT. I loathe every moment I’m in that hellhole with few exceptions. The sad thing is I had to apply to all reaches for transfer since I can’t afford anything else. I applied to lots though, so hopefully there’s some safety in numbers.</p>
<p>Actually the california number makes sense to me. They have an excellent state system and if I lived in California I wouldn’t look any further.</p>
<p>Jamminj - My recommendation (from experience) is that you encourage your son to retake the SAT (and perhaps the ACT, too) in June. That’s the last testing date before fall. This way, if he does well - guess what, he’s done. If he doesn’t, then you can do Sept/Oct testing. It also allows for Ooops, I’m sick (or in our case, being totally prepared, rested, psyched, etc. and then the test gets interrupted, and you have to retake it the day after prom…).</p>
<p>At least he has the other half of the equation - solid grades and standing in his class. Tell him to keep that up, as well. Students frequently don’t realize that 7th semester grades are considered in admissions decisions (for non-early action). I know my son made the error of thinking that his really good ECs would outweigh some sagging grades…nope.</p>
<p>Best of luck.</p>