Lets just call it...The TRAP

College Search & Selection
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<p>Its been sometime since ive last posted a new thread on the forum, but I feel i need to share some valuable insight, well I believe it is valuable. I recently read through a thread titled Why elite Schools? If you have not viewed this thread I would recommend it, it sheds important concepts on the ability to identify what colleges fit YOU. That is going to be a central topic in this thread. Now before I begin, I would like to come out and say this is my opinion, and I know theres going to be people who disagree with me. Thats perfectly fine, id encourage it, but lets attack only faulty reasoning. Oh and lastly, I coined this little philosophy, the trap...</p>

<p>College is an investment in higher education, I believe most people would agree with that statement. For better, or for worse, this statement is the only aspect students and parents see college as being,and in turn solely focus on. But when you really examine what college is about, it consist of much more than the education you will receive. It consist of the people you will meet and share life long memories with, the clubs you will join, the experience of independence, good and bad choices, part time jobs to pay the bills, and last, but most importantly, college is an avenue to discovering who you really are, your priorities, desires and goals, and much much more. It is for all these reasons that picking a college that is right for YOU, is essential in the big picture of your life. And that is where students and parents stray from the right path to choosing a college. Im guilty of this crime, and im sure a great majority of you are too. </p>

<p>For simplicity, lets just call it...the TRAP. Students and parents alike get caught up in the prestige, the "famous" graduates, the name recoginition, the "ivy feeling", is it in the top ten?, its the public ivy, etc, etc...Seriously people rip the blind fold that covers your virgin eyes. Does it REALLY matter if Mr.X or Mrs.Y graduated from that college? If your answer is yes, then you need to reconsider why your going to college asap. Dont fall into this trap. If I had the power to , I would shoot down the college rankings, and for that matter any rankings related to college "stats." How is a ranking relevent to why you should choose that college? As a personal trait, can you coincide with a ranking? Can you based off that ranking, determine how well you will fit into that college? No, no you can not! People its not about the rankings or the prestige feeling. If I had it my way I would ban the word prestige from these forums..What the hell does name recoginition have to do with how well you will fit into that college? Come on, Mr. the guy who is writing this post is a dumbass, give me an answer...Heres how a conversation goes between someone who wants to go to harvard and a peer. </p>

<p>" So Johnny where you thinkin about applin' to?"
" Um..well after a lot of research ive decided harvard is right for me"
" Hmm why do you say that?"
With a dumbfounded look on his face, Johnny replies " Its harvard,...harvard you know like the most prestigeous school in the nation. Its like where all the amazing, most bright students go..."</p>

<p>Im betting that is how the conversation goes. People, be honest with yourself, and actually try to identify with colleges, not based off of a ranking system or the prestige feeling, or the name. Believe me, there is a much better criteria to use to determine what college is right for you. Once you remove this blind fold from your eyes, and truely know what you want out of a college, then you know you are well on your way to a very successful and enjoyable college life...</p>

<p>take it for what its worth </p>

<p>jake</p>

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<p>VERY good post. I completely agree, even though I am a victim of the trap and I probably won't get out of the trap until I get through my first two years of college. Still, good post.</p>

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<p>GREAT thread, OP. A wonderful reality check for all CCers (myself included).</p>

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<p>I COMPLETELY AGREE!!!!</p>

<p>i was asking this girl the other day why she was applying to the schools she was and she couldn't give me any more insight than: the campus was pretty and its a good school. she is applying to like harvard, yale, etc....</p>

<p>I was originally really wrapped up in the names and the big hype behind big name schools but as i started to explore the colleges more thoroughly i made the decision that those places really weren't for me. And i really didn't have any legitimate reason i liked them any more than any other school. I then dropped this idea of names and decided to look for what i felt like was a fit for me. and i MADE SURE that there were legitimate reasons behind each one of my choices.
I ended up settling on Bowdoin College, where i will be attending this fall, and i really think it has everything i want....not just superb academics but also a social life that i feel would be comfortable for me. That is just in short...there are many other reason why i love the school and feel like it is the best for me.
And yes....Bowdoin still is one of the top LACs in the country i know...but i don't consider it a name like ivy brand. I think the name can draw someone in but in the end they need to have better reasons than just the name for why they like the school.<br>
It is like a superficial attraction.....
"oh why do you like them....?"
"they are HOT!!!!!!"</p>

<p>Don't get me wrong....ivy league institutions are the correct place for some people and it does go far deeper than the name. but for a vast majority i think that the name is why they apply. In the end though....the people who are applying to a school because of specific reasona dns not just the names are the ones who are offered admissions because their applications come across more genuine and not as forced.</p>

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<p>I agree for the majority of people.</p>

<p>This does not apply to me... I didn't use any sort of ranking or look at prestige when picking my schools, I read about them from 5-6 different sources, looked at their website, etc.</p>

<p>I came up with all LACs: Beloit, Knox, Cornell College, Bowdoin, St. Olaf, Grinnell, and luther. Of those the only well known ones are Grinnell and Bowdoin, and I only picked those because of there academic philosophy.</p>

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<p>Thank you all for the great replies...and zfox the last part of your post is very important and I was going to add that into the original post but it was getting lengthy. Some people are meant to go to ivies, and the ivies are good fits for those people...that being said..most people DO apply to the institutions for the name..thanks again for the great replies and I hope I can help the people who are or have yet to fall into the TRAP...</p>

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<p>Any other thoughts?</p>

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<p>Yo LIL LIBERAL! its yo boy Notorious Big D(Democrat) ;)</p>

<p>You are correct. A person has to choose a school that meets the criteria of every individual. I simply threw out my criteria when selecting my school, and because of it will be transferring to a LAC after spring.</p>

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<p>Very nice post, OP. It's always great to have a reminder that name is NOT that important, and that it's more about fit; after all, you're more likely to succeed in a place where you're comfortable than in a place where you're not.</p>

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<p>Notorious Big D...gotta love that. Thanks for posting Rutgers and Sabster. Oh and Sabster, the last point of your post, great point...Exactly what i want people to get at once they finish reading my post.</p>

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<p>While there is a LOT to be said for relying on "fit," you must be aware of its flaws.</p>

<p>When someone is 17 years old, their sense of fit might be whatever feels familiar and reminds them of their previous experiences, as opposed to what might be new, different, invigorating, challenging.</p>

<p>Or they might base fit on factors that have impacts that are just as superficial and short-lived as rankings and big names...many college decisions are made during winter, making warmer-weather schools seem like they'd fit well. They are also made during college football and basketball seasons, making schools whose sports teams are successful look more inviting. </p>

<p>My own advice is to narrow the field down using more-objective criteria (do they have the major I want? Can I afford it? Is it too far away? Does it have a level of academic rigor that I can compete in? etc.) and then among those schools, make the final choice based on fit.</p>

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<p>I think fit is more than just finding a school that you think you'll like. It includes things like class size, majors offered, distance from home and cost. If you are into the greek scene, you won't be a good fit at a small LAC that doesn't have fraternities or soroities. If you really want to partcipate in sports but aren't a star athlete, you'll be more at home at a Division III school than a Division I school. I think both of my kids have found schools that are good fits for them. In making that decision they considered distance from home, activities and study programs offered, and the social scene on campus. They might not have considered cost but their dad and I certainly did. One is at a top 20 school, the other will be attending a small liberal arts school that most people haven't even heard of. You have to find what works for you based upon all factors.</p>

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<p>I think that while you're perspective is quite correct in the context of NYT articles and CC, one has to realize that there are quite a few students out there who ARE taking the healthy perspective.</p>

<p>Most of the people I've met in college would think you're nuts for choosing a place based on rankings or any of the statistics that go into that. The reason I joined this page was because of a great thread about when mailings were coming about dorm assignments and which dorms were good for what reasons. This was once I was already in. I stayed to fight the prevailing, idiotic sentiment that is all over this web page that prestige and ranking and all of this extra baggage somehow matters more.</p>

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<p>To tourguide and Mmom, yuo both bring good points to the table, first tourguide, at the youthful age of 17 or 18, prioritizing your individual needs is difficult, but to address Mmoms statement as well, When I state "fit", I do not simply mean do you like the college. Thats way to simplistic, theres a lot of colleges I like, some which fit me, others that dont. When I mean fit, I think I made it somewhat clear in my post that it consists of the college experience as a whole, including the social scene, clubs, etc...not just do I like the college, its much deeper than that. Im not arguing, just supplementing what you stated with the info in my post..thank you both.</p>

<p>To modestmelody...I have similiar reasons for being on this forum as well, as you can see by my thread. I want to change the perspective of these forums geared towards a philosophy, which consist of the substance of my post....I will agree with you that there are students taking the "healthy perspective", but I can assure you there is a sufficient majority doing just the opposite...</p>

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<p>I agree with you... college rankings are a big scam, and there is a lot more to the college experience than just the name of the school...</p>

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<p>If you have a 2400, lots of dough, and a great app, you'd be crazy to choose u maryland over harvard if you got in.</p>

<p>a diploma from a top school opens doors.</p>

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<p>U Maryland opened a lot of doors for one of the Google founders.</p>

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<p>If you enjoy bigtime sports, national politics (UMd is adjacent to Wash DC), and want to go to med school or law school (both of which highly value gaudy GPAs), I can see going to U of Maryland and getting a 3.95, rather than go to Harvard and getting maybe a 3.45. College Confidential posters are always encouraging people to got to the best/most-difficult college possible, as if there is nothing to be said for being the smartest kid in every class and getting straight A's.</p>

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<p>CC in general forgets that you have to live somewhere for four years, that you have to grow into adulthood there, that you are taking, for many, the last chance to mature your intellect before you're on your own as a learner, that the opportunities you create for yourself and seize outside of the classroom will often affect you more than what happens within the classroom, and that no one gives a **** about your GPA or your alma mater after your first job.</p>

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<p>CC in general forgets that you have to live somewhere for four years, that you have to grow into adulthood there, that you are taking, for many, the last chance to mature your intellect before you're on your own as a learner, that the opportunities you create for yourself and seize outside of the classroom will often affect you more than what happens within the classroom, and that no one gives a **** about your GPA or your alma mater after your first job. ModestMelody</p>

<p>Great, great, great point...if only there were more of you and me on this forum :)</p>