<p>Ignore me, folks- I 've been away and didn’t realize the CC community had already discussed the article on other threads… I should have known!! :)</p>
<p>I missed the earlier post, so thanks for again underscoring an interesting read.</p>
<p>I find it very interesting (telling?) that this article has gotten close to zero traction here in the CC/BS forum…</p>
<p>@Sevendad maybe not so surprising when you take into account all the “flaming” and defensive discussions about the value of Ivies and the expected acceptance into one after spending all that money at a boarding school which have been posted on CC over the years. :D</p>
<p>@london: I guess that’s why I expected a tad more back and forth over the article…pro or con.</p>
<p>I never understood the ROI crowd. We’re in the process of educating three kids JBS- SS- College ( you do the tuition math because I really don’t have the stomach for it 
) and it never occurred to me that they have to deliver a certain college for all the money we’ve spent. I’m not outside burning money on the Weber, but as a parent- if I’m able to provide an opportunity- I will. That’s what parents do- right? The only thing I ask for in return is that they make the most of the experience and do the best they can, It’s up to the kids to figure out where they want to go and what they want to do. </p>
<p>The other thing that kills me is how some students/ parents think one SS will lead to a certain Ivy- automatically! Even if a SS has the reputation as a feeder school - that simply is not true. It doesn’t even increase a student’s chances! It’s the student NOT the school (silly)- and an Ivy acceptance can be obtained from anywhere (Home school, HS or PDS/BS ). So, if you’re a parent running with the BS ROI crowd, you’re not only missing the point of a SS education - you’re potentially setting yourself up for disappointment. Do you really want your kid (s) to feel that? A fine education is one thing but as a parent- I’d rather put a premium on my kid’s happiness. </p>
<p>So… if I’m throwing all this money at JBS and SS and I have zero expectations about college- does that make me crazy? Absolutely not. We’re talking about the formative years here- arguably the most important years in a young person’s life. I don’t understand parents who gloss over and skip that part and are already focused on college. What my kids have learned ( about themselves) during their years away at BS will carry them through life and that alone is worth the price of admission. If you don’t believe me ask your BS grad in 10- 20 years or ask an old alum. Chances are they will tell you that it was their BS experience and education (not college) that had the greatest impact on their lives. </p>
<p>Full disclosure: My two older kids attend Ivy League schools- the younger of the two will be starting this fall. There was never a Grand College Plan and they were always free to go wherever they wanted to go. After six years of BS- my husband and I believe our kids have earned the right to choose their own path. I think our two college students would tell you that the freedom we afforded them was liberating, and in many ways helped them to achieve their goals and college dreams. </p>
<p>So- yeah, I agree with a lot that’s written in the article even though I’m already sending two kids in to fight the Zombies. After finishing the article, I took a quick quiz to determine if my kids were in fact Zombies and thankfully we’re good to go. </p>
<p>A rebuttal can be found here (in case you missed it) <a href=“New Republic's Ivy League Takedown Is Destructive to High Schoolers | The New Republic”>http://www.newrepublic.com/article/118848/new-republics-ivy-league-takedown-destructive-high-schoolers</a></p>
<p>“I don’t know many people who think it will be the end of the world if their child doesn’t attend an Ivy.”</p>
<p>Well, I certainly have met a few — in real life and on this very forum.</p>
<p>A related anecdote. This summer, 7D1 is doing an internship at a lab of a large research university. She’s surrounded by PhDs, MD/PhDs, grad students, and college students. A bunch of smart people who are working on an important cure.</p>
<p>As our summer has turned into weekend after weekend of college visits (and an upcoming week full of them), the people in her lab have invariably talked to her about college and what sorts of schools she’s considering (as part of the natural “what did you do this weekend/what are you doing next weekend” office banter). One person who turned down an MIT admit to go to a state school — and who reports zero regrets. But there’s another who advised her “go to the most prestigious school you get into”. And so on.</p>
<p>So I think she finds herself a bit conflicted as she enters the heart of college application season. And I’m trying to stay out of it as much as I can.</p>
<p>I feel like I was just tied to a chair and flogged. I highly recommend taking four Advil before reading:</p>
<p><a href=“Harvard, Ivy League Should Judge Students by Standardized Tests | The New Republic”>http://www.newrepublic.com/article/119321/harvard-ivy-league-should-judge-students-standardized-tests</a></p>
<p>Ouch. After wading through it all, I was most intrigued by this statement:</p>
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<p>Dang it. If I had gone to Harvard instead of Michigan, I would have found a more desirable ChoatieDad. Why didn’t someone tell me this long ago? I’m going to start looking at DH a bit differently from now on.</p>
<p>I liked the Pinker article.</p>
<p>It explains the atmosphere of anti-intellectualism which permeated our visit to Harvard. Didn’t hear much about courses or intellectual interests; did hear a lot about hobbies.</p>
<p>I don’t know about spouse, but was told recently (and it rings true) by someone that top/ivy universities mostly pick their graduate students largely from the same set of highly regarded universities and a handful of LACs. This may be another reason to pick the most prestigious college/university you get accepted to, to ensure you have a shot at a top notch graduate, law, business or medical school.</p>
<p>@ChoatieMom- All I can say to that statement is: Define desirable.</p>
<p>This one was my favorite:</p>
<p><em>At an orientation session for new faculty, we were told that Harvard “wants to train the future leaders of the world, not the future academics of the world,” and that “We want to read about our student in Newsweek 20 years hence” (prompting the woman next to me to mutter, “Like the Unabomer”).</em> </p>
<p>Newsweek? </p>