@seekingpam I think a lot of kids can “fit” at different schools. There are extremes like Cal Tech or Brown where maybe there is more of a type but my son would fit in fine at UC or UM. I’m a UM grad so he may have just applied there to make me happy but I never pressed him on it. He fell in love the industrial engineering program and Ross. He’s also way smarter than me and has an insatiable intellectual curiosity that is perfectly suited for UC but would have been great at UM too. Or USC for that matter. I’m not sure what that quote from UM means though. Seems like every school probably feels that way. When I went there back in the dark ages it was less about fit and more about the A students went to Michigan, the B students went to MSU, and the C students went to a directional. I think we had the fit thing down to a science back then:)
Ironically when this whole process started the two schools I didn’t want him to apply to were CMU and UChicago. Both even back in my day had a reputation of being brutally hard. And those were the first two schools he wanted to visit. I had to work full time to put myself through UM and didn’t have a lot of “fun” at school. Plus UM is pretty hard by itself even if you are just a full time student. I kind of envisioned him being in a fraternity at USC, having loads of fun, and coasting to a 4.0 before he had to deal with the real world. His idea of a good time was finding the hardest schools he could find that would take him and busting his butt for 4 years to learn as much as he can. I think he could do that just fine in Ann Arbor or Chicago.
@SeekingPam The secret is that people can be happy at a large variety of colleges. Every university is naturally different, but the essential baseline of experience typically remains the same. The whole “fit” discussion really ought to be referred to as best fit. It’s not as if people are not flexible and do not adapt to their surroundings.
The guy who did our UM tour was clearly trying to have as much fun as possible and seemed to be a big sports fan. Although he made it clear that he studied as well. He said my kid had to buy the season football tickets. That about did it for us as my kid has never voluntarily gone to a spectator sporting event, ever. Apparently what he did not explain is that you can sell them for a premium and people do. Had explained that part we would have considered it a little more.
I think UChicago is trying to lighten up and seems to be attracting a more diverse group. I think it has become a little more relaxed or so the reputation states but it is no Michigan or USC. We did not tour there or CMU. I will encourage my next one to look at USC as it may suit that kid.
@Nedcone I agree and I think fit is a BS concept most of the time that is the excuse when “crafting a class” or why one person was accepted instead of another. It is just that, an excuse.
I think fit is a bit of a joke with state schools. With the volume of applicants and the volume of acceptances, it’s a lot more about hitting gpa and test score numbers. A couple of the California colleges had north of 90,000 applications this year. And a bunch of $15/HR application readers scoring the apps for admit deny decisions. I don’t think they were spending a whole lot of time thinking about fit. The top 20 privates have far fewer applications and far fewer spots. You may get a 5 minute look to get past the initial screening but after that I’m assuming there is some real discussion about each kid. At a large public that 5 minute look is probably all there is.
@dedex13, not sure what you’re upset about. Macalester with generous FA is a really good option. Some kids in your D’s circumstance don’t even have that.
And RPI with half-scholarship (if affordable) is also a really good option. None of the denials are surprising. Texas OOS and the rest are all lottery schools, and admissions is idiosyncratic so you can’t expect to get in to any of them unless you’re top 10 in the country in something.
@SeekingPam, a giant public like UMich will have all types, and UChicago will have have many types as well. Plus, many people are multi-faceted, so could be happy at both.
Likewise, both those unis seek many different types. Neither wants a completely homogenous student body, so seeing people get admitted to both should not be surprising at all. I mean sure, a party animal may not be what UChicago seeks, but a kid who loves Michigan athletics traditions and also wants to look for the next big idea may be desirable to both.
@seekingpam he’s going to UChicago, it wasn’t even close. He would have been perfectly content and happy at UM but UChicago was always his dream school. He knew it was a one in a million chance and would have survived a rejection. He’s still a little “butt hurt” about some local rejections but none of those schools were ever in serious consideration for him. Even so, those rejections sting. And it’s hard not to take it personally.
A year from now, when you have had a great freshman year at one of the schools that you get to choose from, you will be almost finished the school year. And you won’t give a hoot where you didn’t get in at that point, only what is ahead of your. The admission denials hurt, but this hurt will pass.