<p>I'm curious to see how other highschoolers feel about the idea of applying to top tier schools in the future. I have friends who range from wanting to go to the university five minutes from their house to friends that want to apply to Harvard, and that has nothing to do with their capabilities. I mean, a lot of us still have years to think about it, but it's cool to stop and think about where we envision ourselves going to school.</p>
<p>I personally think that it would be in my best interest to consider all of the possibilities and apply according to my interests. If that's at a top tier school, that's great, but just as well to me if it's at UCF or UF. I'll still probably apply to UChicago, Stanford, and Harvard. I don't like the opinion that the only schools worth going to are the ones that have a 5% acceptance rate though, haha.</p>
<p>@d0texe - Actually, elite schools like Cornell (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc.) are known to give very generous financial aid - Cornell might be far more affordable than you think. </p>
<p>It’s not a secret what type of attitude this community overwhelmingly has about top schools, and there are legitimate reasons to think like that, but I’ll share my reasons for passing up offers from 3 top 25 USNWR schools this fall to go to a big public school that’s offering me a full ride.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Money. I got a big scholarship from one of the T25 schools and probably could’ve afforded the others (didn’t look at financial aid offers), but I’m going to get paid next year. This decision moves me closer to independence and I’ll have some disposable cash in the meantime without having to have a job.</p></li>
<li><p>Competition. I can be one of the best students at a decent school or be a decent student at one of the best schools. My school is giving me a sizable stipend, a dorm nicer than my house, preference in class selection, a free trip abroad, and an iPad. It’s clear that they want me a lot more, and that reflects how above average I’ll be there.</p></li>
<li><p>It doesn’t matter where you go for undergrad as much as this forum wants to believe. I’m planning to go to grad school, and the general advice for grad school admissions is that it’s better to get close to a 4.0 somewhere easier than to get worse grades at a better school. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>I applied to two top 10 colleges as well and got rejected, but I realized before decisions came out that I still wouldn’t have gone there. As paradoxical as it sounds, I think the people who are able to get into elite colleges have the most to gain by passing them up.</p>
<p>@d0texe
Ooooh. I might go to UF. And you’re right, money is a big factor when it comes to college decisions. Even if I got into my top choice, Stanford (unlikely), odds are I wouldn’t go. My sister got into University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, her top choice, and she didn’t go because of the price. Albeit she also didn’t get into her major.</p>
<p>@HateBeinSober
“I can be one of the best students at a decent school or be a decent student at one of the best schools.”
I understand why that would be tempting, but wouldn’t it also be nice to be able to connect with student peers at a higher-end university?</p>
<p>@preamble1776 Yes, I have heard that. But I will still probably be left with 35K-45K per year at any top tier school (even if I get accepted). UF is only 20K per year because I am in state and I have the Florida Bright Futures scholarship which covers 75% of tuition, so it would be around 16K per year. And I plan on going to grad school, so that is where I’ll spend the $$$$$$$$$$$$</p>
<p>@awakeningvenus
Well i guess all the schools I want to go to are considered elite (UCLA #23, UCSB #41, and UCB #20) but it isn’t really because they are elite. Those are the schools I feel most comfortable at. Especially UCLA.</p>
<p>I’m in the honors college at the state school so I don’t think that’s going to be an issue. I don’t really enjoy being singled out for my performance in school now, but I can’t imagine that would continue. My school gets over 100 National Merit scholars every year; I’m not going to be the smartest person in the room most of the time.</p>
<p>@SwaggyC
I don’t think someone should go to an elite school just because of the name, but because they actually think that it’d be a great fit, like you do. I wanted to go to Stanford before I realized that the acceptance rate was so low and the name was so big. The school in general just sounds like it would be comfortable for me.</p>
<p>I didn’t bother too much with reach schools because I didn’t see the point in obsessing over schools that weren’t likely to accept me…for the most part I try to avoid unrequited love. I did apply to the University of Chicago, but I didn’t spend much time on the application and I didn’t care very much when they rejected me. My biggest accomplishment was getting into the University of Michigan, but I’m going to Case Western (top 40ish) next year because I got a lot of merit aid and I’ll be able to commute.</p>
<p>@HateBeinSober
Oh okay, sorry, I misunderstood. I’ve considered going to the Honors College at UCF like my sister. I can see a lot of reasons why it would be convenient but at the same time academically rigorous.</p>
<p>@halcyonheather
I don’t really consider top schools as the best option for me, but I think I really use them among other thngs to set goals for myself. It’s a really weird way of thinking, but if I set my determination somewhere really high I feel like and can’t fall too short. My “unrequited love” isn’t love for the school, but the idea of reaching that kind of achievement. (Not to say that I wouldn’t want to go to a top tier if it was more probable.)</p>
<p>I can understand that. I definitely got a bit of an ego boost from turning down the more prestigious schools and I still would’ve liked to be admitted everywhere, just so I could feel more accomplished.</p>
<p>I, too, like @HateBeinSober, am turning down a handful of top tier schools in lieu of my local public university - for one, they gave me a full scholarship (I’m literally not paying a cent), plus a spot in their inaugural honors college; second - my interests are in grad school and I’d much rather thrive at a lower ranked school and maintain higher grades, thus bolstering my chances of getting into a far more elite grad school, rather than struggle to maintain decent grades at a far more “prestigious” school - especially at my options that were notorious for grade deflation. </p>
<p>With full scholarships, you aren’t burdened by the thought of breaking your parents’ bank account or the dreadful thought of loan repayments looming over you while you’re trying to study for your next test. Huge debt for a brand name school can often mean putting a delay (or even an end) to a lot of the splendors of young adulthood - including grad school, buying your first car, house, or even getting married – why would I want to come out of school at 21 years old with huge financial obligations when I’ve barely even lived. Uncle Sam and Sallie Mae can wait. </p>
<p>Not to mention - the full ride is academic based; so I, and only I, am the one putting myself through school - no one else is helping me - not my family, not Sallie Mae, and not the government. </p>
<p>It’s hard to express this to the prestige-monster core of CC; but I am really so thankful for the opportunity to get a free education; even though it isn’t ivy. </p>
<p>@HateBeinSober
I guess that everyone has to get motivation from somewhere. I can imagine that it would give an accomplished feeling to know that you had what it takes to go to higher-end schools.</p>
<p>@preamble1776
The fear of loans and debt is one of the reasons that I don’t think I’ll go to a top tier school. My mom said that if I got into a school like Stanford or Harvard (unlikely), she’d do whatever it took for me to be able to attend. But I would feel really uncomfortable with that, and frankly, I don’t think it’s worth it.</p>
</p>