<p>With college admissions being more holistic,universities becoming more difficult to get into, and tuition on the rise alongside other differences, knowing what you know now, what college would you attend and why and what would be your major. Also, do you think the college you attended at 18 would still accept you now?</p>
<p>I ask parents this question because they have seen the aftermath(whether good or bad) of attending college and have also gone through the application process(assuming they went to college ). Also, if they have a child that is/was/about to be in college then (this is an assumption) they have been affected financially by paying for or helping pay for college and have/will witnessed the college application process again with the perspective of a parent rather than an applicant. </p>
<p>I attended U of Iowa, mostly because my friends went their. </p>
<p>Although that was a stupid reason, it ended up being a good match for me and yes, they would still accept someone with my application. . </p>
<p>I would encourage every student to look schools that are less selective (easier to get into) in addition to other match/reach schools. In some cases they offer an affordable alternative that may be a good match. </p>
<p>Very few employers care what school you went to after you have a couple years experience. Many don’t care even before that. Your resume is an entire sheet of paper (or 2). The school you went to is one line. </p>
<p>I attended the University of Florida (duh), for mostly the same reasons, friends, family(cousins), state flagship, and it had an engineeirng program. They would NOT accept me today (I was a “B” student). I likely would go to a local CC (save on expenses) and then transfer to UF.</p>
<p>UC Berkeley instead of taking the full ride at Texas A&M. Got admitted at MIT and RPT, but still don’t think there would have been any way for those to be financially feasible, even back then when MIT was only $15K or so. </p>
<p>Well, my application list if I were a high school senior today would be different from what it actually was.</p>
<ul>
<li>Then: four reaches, two apparent matches that I found out later were really safeties, one safety.</li>
<li>Now hypothetical: wouldn’t bother with the four reaches, the two apparent matches that were really safeties would be reaches or high matches, and the safety would be a low match, and would add a less selective safety and possibly other matches. Higher costs now may also alter the list (big merit scholarships).</li>
</ul>
<p>Of course, this means that today’s me would probably attend a different college, because today’s me probably would not be admitted to the college I actually attended. I would not be surprised if that were true for a lot of today’s parents or others of today’s parent generation.</p>
<p>I’ve got no regrets about past-me’s choice but if I had a time machine to go back, I would tell her to really consider the whole lifestyle/out of class experience in the choice. Past-me chose the “hardest” college with an aim to be tested by fire and see I could compete. I did. And it was fine. But nobody told 16 year old me that I should look for a college where I could be nurtured or mentored or have a social life. My college experience was like going to war and coming home on the victorious side - still wasn’t an enjoyable experience. </p>
<p>As I tour with my daughter this year, I fell in love with Dartmouth - all those camping trips and people painting themselves green and running around the quad really struck a chord. Visiting MIT (not my undergrad) was a PTSD experience. </p>
<p>I attended UC Irvine back in the 70s, which was brand new and close to home. I had no guidance at all from my parents regarding college. I was spending my own money that I received from veterans’ benefits to children, and I was pretty much on my own as far as decision making. My mom never finished college, and she thought it really didn’t matter if I went, or just went to work, as she did.
If I could turn back the clock, I would have loved one of the Claremont colleges- maybe Scripps
or Pomona. It was easier to get into those in the 70s, so I think I would have had a shot.</p>
<p>I would have attended Wellesley or Smith if I could go back in the time machine. I turned down Notre Dame for a boy but realize that the school was not a good fit. After attending a large state school, then a tiny women’s LAC I would have like to combine the two worlds at a school with strong connections. </p>
<p>I only applied to one school for my freshman year (I later transferred and then transferred back) – UT Austin. I would still apply there today and would still be accepted, given the auto admit rule, but I probably would apply to Rice as well. My S is going to Rice in the Fall and all I have learned about it has been positive. Back then, it had a reputation as a depressing place with a high suicide rate, but today it seems far removed from that. </p>
<p>I got into PSU, GW and Syracuse back in '78 with a 3.2 GPA and 1240 SAT, and no significant ECs. Needlessly to say, I wouldn’t get into any of them now. But then again, I basically worked as hard as I had to back then to get into the schools I wanted. If I were in school now, with today’s very different expectations, I think I would work harder, and probably could get a 3.5 or 3.6 with some APs. </p>
<p>I’m happy I went to Penn State. It was good for me in so many ways - academically and much more. Other schools that I really like are Northwestern, UChicago, and UCLA - but there’s no way I could have gotten into those schools. I was a good student but not the over-achiever it takes to get accepted at that level of school.</p>
<p>Back in '81 Grinnell College was my dream school. We were fairly poor, I was from the NE, and didn’t know anything about financial aid. Was there financial aid back then? I never applied to any college as I just couldn’t see a way to pay for it. I got a full time factory job in “hi-tech” and went to CC at night, using the tuition reimbursement benefit to pay to earn AS degree in electronic technology. I got a great promotion and made decent money for the times. Then the “hi-tech” boom crashed and I became a nurse. I have no regrets, but I’m happy that my D has the opportunity to live my dream of sleep-away college at an LAC!!!</p>
<p>Remember how much some colleges have changed since our days. I’m satisfied with where I went and my major, I learned many skills, made many friends and had some great wild times. But it turns out, for the person I became, I should have gone somewhere bigger, with the influences of more majors, more research going on. </p>
<p>The irony is that I wanted a particular Ivy and never applied. Now I work there and people assume it’s my alma mater. I could have thrived there. </p>
<p>I went to Wellesley and think I would be borderline to be admitted there today, but I think I would have a shot. I would happily go there now as well, but I would seriously look at Rice. Loved it when I visited with my son. I probably would end up at Wellesley though, lol!</p>
<p>I went to the University of Michigan and majored in English in the late 70’s. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat, wouldn’t change a thing. I dropped out of beauty school to attend; doubt I could get in today. We’d love to see ChoatieKid at U-M, but it will chafe to pay today’s OOS tuition when I remember my tuition being around $700/semester in-state. Ouch.</p>
<p>Trying to be honest here. I was a first-generation college-goer and never considered going away. I went to a juco while living at home and then transferred to a little-known state school about 45 minutes away. I just never dreamed of where I could have gone and didn’t know about all the schools I know now. I’d like to think that I could have mustered up the courage to go to UT or Rice. I would still be able to get into UT via the top 10% rule. I doubt I would make it into Rice today. I had a crummy SAT score because I knew it didn’t matter as I was in the top 5% of my class and could get into any state U I wanted regardless of my SAT score.</p>
<p>FSU accepted me then and they probably still would. I would probably switch my major to American Studies.</p>
<p>One thing I did wrong when I was young was immediately dismiss New College, to which I was admitted with a scholarship (honestly don’t even think I applied), based on nothing more than the extremely small size of the student body. I went through a long period where I thought that I made a mistake in not attending, but have since come back around and realize that I really enjoyed my large school experience quite a bit.</p>
<p>A complicating factor to answering this question is that I moved to Florida from Pennsylvania as a junior in high school, and hoped I might use college as a way to get myself back up north, but I didn’t put enough (i.e. any) thought or planning into my applications senior year. I applied to two schools and got into one. </p>
<p>One thing I definitely would have done differently IIKTWIKN is put a lot more effort into the application for the other school (UNC-Chapel Hill). I know it’s much harder for OOS admissions now, but I think it wasn’t quite so selective back in the late 80s. Still moreso than in-state. But I’m fairly sure I half-***ed it.</p>
<p>Assuming I followed through on my “move back strategy”… Pitt or Penn State. If I resigned myself to staying in the South, maybe UGA or Emory if I could squeak in.</p>
<p>I also moved from PA in junior year- to a much, much more demanding hs in the DC area. I don’t regret that, it was considerably sharpening. But I would have had far higher standing, if we had stayed in PA. In PA, I was already thinking of leaving the state for college. </p>