<p>The is a great thread. My brother keeps asking my why my D chose Princeton over Harvard. Thank goodness he is not saying anything to her!</p>
<p>QM - You win!</p>
<p>When my son tells people he is going to Harvey Mudd, a common response is,âOh, heâs going to Harvard Med? How fantastic.â Then we explain about Harvey Mudd and watch them stare blankly.</p>
<p>This âHarvard Medâ mistaken reaction apparently is so common it is a standing joke around Harvey Mudd. I very seldom run into anyone where I live who has ever heard of Harvey Mudd, and yet it has been my sonâs dream school since he was in 7th grade.</p>
<p>QM, we have a winner!</p>
<p>Regarding boarding school, itâs fairly uncommon around here. The âboarding schoolâ admissions of which Iâm aware have been (a) for disciplinary problems, or (b) for mental health problems. If you mention boarding school in my area, a polite person may smile and nod, then falsely assume that your child has âissuesâ that youâd rather not talk about.</p>
<p>Wow! QM! They said that out loud? I am amazed on a daily basis that a lot of adults apparently have no verbal filter. </p>
<p>Here in TN, when D says sheâs going to U of Alabama, she usually gets an enthusiastic Roll Tide or some playful verbal banter from other SEC school supporters. However, friends & family from the Northeast are convinced sheâs going to some backwoods holler and that with her scores she should have come back âhome.â Roll Tide indeed.</p>
<p>missypie, about half the kids my son went to ****** Country Day with are now graduating from boarding school. It is fairly common and some of the most selective schools are within a reasonable distance from us, Where we have our vacation home it is much less common so Iâve answered some âinterestingâ questions about it down there!</p>
<p>âOh. A state school. I canât imagine sending my little XXX to a state school. Oh, but Iâm sure your little XXX will be fine.â (Two years later, I still hear comments like this.)</p>
<p>And I do think that if your child is going to a school that is OOS and not an Ivy, state flagship or sports powerhouse, it might be considerate to always include a brief description, as in, âItâs a small liberal arts college in upstate New Yorkâ. Or if you always get a âhuh?â reaction, include, âtheyâve got a technical theatre major that Junior is really excited about.â You really canât expect the average person to be knowledgeable or have an educated opinion about all of the schools in the nation.</p>
<p>And if you live in the south and your child is going to school in North Dakota or Buffalo, please permit some comments about the cold. We canât help itâŠweâre just moms who want to make sure everyone is warm enough.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I think a great answer would be: âbecause she canâ</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>lol. This thread is great.</p>
<p>Yes, it was said out loud to my husband in front of my D.</p>
<p>My D is going to Minnesota College of Art and Design, and no one who even remotely knows her has questioned her choice of an art career. What they ALL say is âDoes she know how cold it is there?â. We moved to Florida from Maine when she was 3, so no, she really doesnât. All she knows is that she hates the Florida heat. So my answer every time, is âProbably not, but sheâll find out soonâ. Little do they know the first year of art school, they donât have time to go out shopping, partying, etc, so hopefully it will be warm in the studios!</p>
<p>QM, I do think you win the prize. </p>
<p>My son is going to University of Texas. We live in Ohio. People who know him look truly puzzled (unless they know him well) because they assumed he would choose WashU or Duke. But the best thing was when we went to Austin for a college visit, we were on the campus TOUR and the prospective freshman girl walking with us said (when she found out where he was from) âWHY would he want to come HERE?!â I think I even laughed when she said it.</p>
<p>Also check out the Visual Arts major thread called âdealing with disapprovalâ. Art types have the stigma to deal with as well.</p>
<p>I had a decision between Stanford and Princeton. </p>
<p>Friends: âWho in their right mind would pick Princeton? Stanford is so much better/perfect/etc.!â â said AFTER I had picked Princeton</p>
<p>Headmaster: âI am telling you, if I had that choice, there would be no question. Stanford is the obvious choice.â â spoken after I had picked Princeton. When I told him, I got a disappointed âOh.â</p>
<p>Do people really think that an 18 year old is off to Harvard Med?</p>
<p>As for choosing Princeton over Harvard, is the problem that itâs your brother asking? Is it okay if the person is genuinely interested in how one decides between two terrific options? I am acquainted with a young woman who had two utterly wonderful, but very different, options and Iâd love to hear her talk about her decision-making process.</p>
<p>
Guilty. Iâve already almost bitten through my tongue in a conversation with a mom whose D wants to be a vocal performance majorâŠthe D isnât much of a singer and has zero stage presenceâŠbut again, smile and nod, smile and nod.</p>
<p>When we respond by saying D will be attending WashU, we are met with numerous comments regarding how beautiful the State of Washington is, or opinions pertaining to the mean amount of rainfall in SeattleâŠ</p>
<p>Great Thread !</p>