<p>I came to US at 29 years old to study for MS degree. I can see how much fun I missed just by my kid’s elementary school life. So I guess I could go to any college and be happy.</p>
<p>When I was 18, I struggled between the decision to attend Stanford or MIT. I picked Stanford, and would do so again. However, this time it would be an easy decision. I truly believe Stanford was the best college was the best college in the world for me.</p>
<p>I majored in EE, even though I was equally interested in and more talented in CS. One of the reasons I favored EE over CS was not having a computer and finding it awkward to use the shared computing resources. If I could do it again, I would make sure to have a computer… not necessarily an expensive one, but one that was good enough to do basic assignments from my dorm room. I probably would have still picked EE, but I’d give CS a more fair chance and might have chosen a double major. For grad school, I struggled with the decision between med school and engineering school and decided on engineering. After working as an engineer, I’ve come to see that I’d far enjoy working in engineering over medicine, so it would be an easy decision this time.</p>
<p>Some things I would have changed are focusing more on engineering-related work and internships, such as not always putting my part time day job at a Palo Alto engineering company at a lower priority than anything related to school; and generally focusing more on what I plan to do after graduating. I would have not been in such a rush to graduate (BS+ first MS in slightly under 4 years) and instead would have spent more time on social activities and general connections with other students. When choosing where to work, I’d be more open to working a small startups instead of focusing on the big name companies that most students find highly desirable. One of those small startups I had a chance to work at is now worth billions. In addition, I’ve come to see that I generally favor working at small companies over large ones.</p>
<p>I was first generation college and only applied to the two top schools in my state (1 public 1 private) for my major. My school no longer holds that distinction so I probably would not even apply today. I was so focused on keeping my sizable scholarship and “getting a degree” that I missed the “college experience”. I am encouraging my DS to have one as I think I could have benefitted from it. However I have had several senior co-workers inquire about how to get their children (close to my age) to be as focused as I was so it was not all bad. </p>
<p>I have enjoyed my career but sometimes what might have been if I had pursued architecture or engineering as I was encouraged to do. Funny, those are what my DD and DS are interested in without any prodding from me. </p>
<p>I think I would have applied to the U of C as an undergraduate. Never considered it at the time.</p>
<p>I went to Michigan State, and certainly could have gotten into more selective schools with my near-4.0 and 1440 SAT. If I were to go back, I think I would have applied to Carnegie Mellon (Pittsburgh and the application essays turned me off) and gone there if I’d been accepted. But MSU was a great choice and a great experience, more for what happened off-campus in my housing co-op, my jobs and volunteer experiences, and my social life. For me, college was more about getting out on my own, making my own choices, living a life, etc., than about the academics or on-campus ECs. I think I would have found a similar experience at any moderately large school back in the early '80s.</p>
<p>If I were doing it again NOW, as an 18-year-old, of course it would be much more difficult to get in anywhere, and my lower SES parents would not have been able to afford many schools. Hopefully I would have it together to figure out the whole financial picture and apply to ‘meet full need’ or high merit aid schools. But I’d still shoot for a larger university with a nice community so I could live off-campus after the first year, explore a lot of majors (or minors), and meet a wide variety of people. MSU would probably fit the bill, but my parents would not have been able to afford it OOS. So who knows where I would have ended up? Since Social Security no longer pays benefits to college kids whose parents are over 65 (that being the money that paid my tuition), I could very well have had to go to CC for 2 years, or to go to UMBC as a commuter from home. THAT would have given me a drastically different college experience. But maybe I’d’ve been less likely, given the present economy and job market, to start as a theater tech major, and more likely to major in CS (which I did end up working in for many years before law school) from the start.</p>
<p>Crystal ball is VERY cloudy…</p>
<p>I went to UC Berkeley because my dad, my uncle, and my grandfather went there. I wouldn’t trade the experience but today, I would go to St. Mary’s College, California, or another LAC, and then go to grad school at Berkeley. As for major, I was done with my first major in 3 years and stuck around for a second major. I should have graduated in the 3 years and then gone to grad school immediately. UCB provided absolutely no guidance in the late 70’s early 80’s. </p>
<p>I would have actually applied to some colleges (I did have some dream schools that looking back on I probably could have gotten into and maybe even gotten $$). I had no idea about merit scholarships and other financial options. I knew my parents and I couldn’t afford it and no one told me I would probably be able to earn scholarships. I went to the local CC for two years then transferred to the local Uni for the remaining two years.</p>
<p>CalTech :)</p>
<p>I would have applied to Williams and Amherst. I would have liked an LAC instead of a massive university.</p>
<p>I would have liked a smaller, less competitive school, but I attended the college I did because my father taught there. The tuition benefits were: 100% if the student went to the school or $900 if the student went elsewhere. Freshman tuition was around $5000. The deal was if I wanted to go elsewhere, I had to make up the difference in tuition. That was too daunting a task for the 17 year old me. </p>
<p>Today the tuition benefit split is 75% at the home school, 40% elsewhere. So even though tuition is much higher today, I’d probably work much harder to make up the tuition difference with merit aid at a lower tier small LAC. </p>
<p>I doubt I could be admitted today, but who knows? I truly believe I got in on the merits of my siblings as well as being a faculty dependent. The admissions office was well aware of them, their performance at the school, and where one was headed for graduate school. (A rep at a college fair not only knew my name when I approached, he knew my siblings’ names).</p>
<p>I grew up thinking I’d go just down the road to Carolina or NC State, but after going to a few parties there senior year, I wisely realized they wouldn’t be good places for me (and it seemed like my whole HS went to one of those two). My father refused to consider financial aid, so my vague thoughts of Wake Forest or Davidson were never encouraged. So, I took a full scholarship offer at Appalachian State, and was a very Happy Appy. It was the only place I applied. </p>
<p>My regret is going back to App State for graduate school. I should’ve gone to UNC for that. I think I wanted to relive my happy undergraduate years, and of course it’s not the same a few years later!</p>
<p>I am obsessed with showing my kids all the places they can go to school, and the wide variety of careers their interests could lead them to. They have so many choices!</p>
<p>No regrets, I would have applied to the very same colleges and probably attended the one that I did attend.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The OP didn’t ask if we could get in. :D</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>However, today’s you would not be able to attend if today’s you would not be admitted.</p>
<p>Don’t be so literal… this is a fantasy thread.</p>
<p>Actually the OP did ask " Also, do you think the college you attended at 18 would still accept you now?" But I agree with @intparent - this is fantasy so we can answer however we want. </p>
<p>Can I assume I would be rejected, thus unable to attend? I would have liked that (but maybe not my parents’ reactions). Really.</p>
<p>I would have attended Carnegie Mellon University. I was the poster child for the holistic admission - interviewed and got in with less than impressive stats, but having lettered in two sports, worked full-time in the summers and part-time during the school years, and was involved a full range of volunteer and school activities. I was first generation college-bound and scared to death that I wouldn’t have the chops to make it in what everyone had told me was a cut-throat environment. Lesson learned is that I never let fear hold me back again - wound up transferring two years later from the LAC I had chosen to a university that provided much better preparation for working after graduation. </p>
<p>Well, ok, when I was growing up, Princeton was my dream school - and then when I went on my college tour, I told my family I didn’t like it since it was too “out in the sticks” compared to the other schools I was looking at. (And frankly 30 years ago it was. The area around there is barely comparable to what it used to be, it’s so much more suburban and built up.) But I love the campus / town – I was nuts to take it off my list, as in those days I would have absolutely have had a very good chance of getting in. My nephew just graduated from there, and I could spend hours on that campus - it’s pretty idyllic to my way of thinking and my tastes.</p>
<p>I also kicked myself for not attending Georgetown (which I had gotten into) because I liked it so much when doing college tours with my kids.</p>
<p>I applied to and was admitted to 4 schools that today are all top 20 (one right below): Northwestern, Penn, Georgetown, Wash U (Wash U was my back-up). I strongly considered U Va and William & Mary as well. In hindsight, I should have considered Harvard or Stanford; I don’t know why I didn’t put them on my radar screen, but I didn’t. I might have also liked a Bryn Mawr or Swarthmore (Haverford at the time was still all-men). </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Not “which”, but “what type”. I would have loved a small liberal arts college, and have become a stronger advocate for such an environment. </p>
<p>My undergrad choice was very logical at the time. A top 5 university in my engineering field. However, in time I gave up using that engineering degree for what has turned out to be a very successful career change. Much of that success is due to loving what I do for work. Love your job and you’ll never work a day in your life. I want my kids to love their jobs. Engineering curriculums tend to be very specific with little flexibility to explore electives (or life). I used to mock “softer” subjects, but now have a greater appreciation for the “arts”. </p>
<p>I am also now an advocate for smaller schools that can show interest in all students. Bigger schools can have superior facilities and better sports teams but they can also be impersonal and easy for one to get lost with long-reaching adverse consequences. </p>
<p>That said, the overall hindsight premise is difficult to truly assess because my undergrad selection was still beneficial to my career progression as the rigor of the program was recognized by my grad school and my employers.</p>
<p>Here is an article I enjoyed about “The Goals of a Liberal Education”:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.williamcronon.net/writing/Cronon_Only_Connect.pdf”>http://www.williamcronon.net/writing/Cronon_Only_Connect.pdf</a></p>
<p>Tl;dr:
- They listen and they hear.
- They read and they understand.
- They can talk with anyone.
- They can write clearly and persuasively and movingly.
- They can solve a wide variety of puzzles and problems.
- They respect rigor not so much for its own sake but as a way of seeking truth.
- They practice humility, tolerance, and self-criticism.
- They understand how to get things done in the world.
- They nurture and empower the people around them.</p>
<p>I would attend the same school (UCSD, Revelle college, economics). Looking back, it was a very good choice. I wish I had had the opportunity to live on campus for a year at least, but it wasn’t possible financially. Commuting an hour each way meant a lot of missed opportunities socially. If I had things to do over again I wouldn’t change the college but I would take more advantage of the resources and opportunities I had, even as a commuter. I would spend a lot more time in the career center preparing for job after college, do an internship, and get an on-campus job. I would also spend even more time studying at the beach! I should have learned to surf.</p>