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<p>Perhaps it may be that it is hard for some parent-generation people to admit that they may not be able to be admitted to the college that they attended if they applied now (even after SAT recentering and accounting for any HS grade inflation).</p>
<p>I went ot local college while working full time only because employers are paying. I got all thru MBA on various employer’s dime. I would do the same, I would not do anything different. My situation may not be applicable to others. Some carrer choices would not favor any UG over another while it may be important in other cases. Specifically, if one is going for engineering, CS, Medical school, go to any place and as cheaply as possible. If person goes for design, though, it maybe a good idea to attend at recognised program. So, if all depend, but in my case, I would definitely repeat what I have done.</p>
<p>Are you directing that at me? @UCBalumnus? How silly.</p>
<p>I went to big state U. I paid my own way. I would be admitted to that school today. I would get the same scholarship. I would still be able to pay my own way. I would still be in honors. Even with the same stats and scores I applied with back then. And it’s always been a great State U.</p>
<p>So, ummmmmm, yeah, how bizarre I find your post and how oddly pointed and rude…</p>
<p>Momzie, your post resonated with me. I agree with so much of what you wrote, especially the part about wishing I lived closer to my widely-scattered siblings.</p>
<p>I went to a widely respected Southern mid-sized university known for its grade deflation and its excellence in teaching. I got a great education, but in many ways it was a terrible social fit - like Momzie, I felt out-of-place among the conspicuously wealthy girls on my hall/in my classes. (They were perfectly nice girls and always treated me well, but it was clear that we were from different worlds. I can still remember their polite amazement when I mentioned that I had never traveled outside the country.)</p>
<p>In my case, I felt like the lone liberal on a fairy conservative campus. If I had it to do over again, I think I’d go to UNC, even though I’m not a big fan of that baby blue color.</p>
<p>Nope, no way would I go through RPI again, and it is the one school from which my kids are banned. At the time, I only looked at top 20 engineering programs, pretty much skipping any other considerations.</p>
<p>I would have moved out west way earlier, looked for a better male:female ratio and a mix of liberal arts and STEM people, maybe UC Davis.</p>
<p>My choice was Yale vs Williams. (Had other choices, but that was the final decision.) LOVED Yale, but always have felt that I would have been better served by Williams. I tended to hide in big classes my first few years, and I don’t think I could have gotten away with that. I believe I could still get in–tons of leadership, elite school, stellar grades/test scores, all-state athlete. But it was a gamble then and is now too. </p>
<p>The real question for me now is whether it was a good financial choice. Probably not. I had a merit scholarship to Bucknell, but did not chase money at all. I feel like my parents spent more than they should have. I’d probably seek out merit money now. </p>
<p>Thinking back, the other really stupid decision I made was to not apply anywhere it didn’t snow. Because I wanted to ski. I literally Never (not even once!) went skiing in college.</p>
<p>Ah- the male:female ratio. Women’s Lib and the Vietnam war were primary concerns for my era. How different it would have been to have women STEM professors (had women science teachers in HS) and grad students for TA’s. I never paid attention to the overall ratio for UW but there were far fewer women in Chemistry back then than I notice in the annual Badger Chemist currently (I know of at least 4 of us women who became friends). Of course my Honors general chemistry professor favored women in science- his wife had a PhD in PChem (couldn’t work in the same dept per rules then, however). Medical school was twice the women as the year ahead- we had 20 of 120 to their 10. It isn’t only the socioeconomic differences in privates schools of that era that were different. Fast forward a few decades. A HS classmate told me he “only” had a bachelor’s degree (we were in some of the top classes together in a flagship U suburb HS) while in the blue collar city was living in a proud grandma said her grandchild was in college- meaning the local tech school. In my day some local students should not have started college while in the mill towns most just got jobs. A lot depends on where you grew up. There are students of my generation who should have gone to college but never did. I’m talking about top tier students, not the average college student.</p>
<p>I don’t have regrets about the mid-size Jesuit school I attended, as it got me into a top law school, but with hindsight I might have had a better experience at my state flagship (Penn State), which at $600 for tuition back then would also have been less expensive (and less debt) than the school I attended. Since I paid everything on my own, cheaper (and probably better) would have been good.</p>
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<p>…maybe going to school back in the 70’s/80’s does have some advantages over today. :)</p>
<p>Any self respecting male here is going to answer “I would have gone to Arizona State” or is at least thinking it. :)) </p>
<p>Knowing what I know now, I should have gone to a small liberal arts college. I loved the feel of Bates when I visited with my son. At the time, however, I was graduating from high school in a town with little diversity and where one social circle ran the school. I could only think of going to a college which was nothing like my high school. Thus I chose BU because I loved Boston, it was far enough away that I could live in the dorms but an easy bus ride home, if I needed a break. Also, it was big enough that I could find my own niche. My son now attends BU and I said to him not to choose going there because I went there because I don’t know if I would choose BU again, if I could turn back time. I do know that not seeking out clubs and places to be involved resulted in my disappointment in college but being painfully shy I think I would have the same issues in any school. </p>
<p>Same one if I could get in. </p>
<p>A bit of a complicated question for me as my family’s financial situation changed significantly shortly after I finished college. When I finished HS, my family was middle class, Dad had a good job as an engineer, but we were in the donut hole for FA and my parents had 4 kids to educate. My only option was to start at the local cc and then transfer. That said I really loved both the cc and the medium sized ( non expensive) private school that I transferred to. It turned out to be a perfect fit socially as well as academically.
If I knew then that my Dad would start a very successful business, I would have applied to Northwestern. At that time, my grades and test scores were competitive. </p>
<p>I went to Spelman College and I would go there again.</p>
<p>But if I could have a different experience, I might have liked to go to the University of Alabama or University of Georgia, for the Big Football/large state flagship experience.</p>
<p>When I was in HS I didn’t apply to Columbia and Yale (two dream schools) because I didn’t know about financial aid, and didn’t realize that if I were admitted they would probably cover the tab…however, having attending Columbia for grad school, I don’t think I would’ve thrived at either anyway. I’m plenty smart, but I’m not competitive, and this is a competitive environment. I just wanted to chill and have fun in college, so a tight-knit LAC or a huge fun football school would’ve suited me best.</p>
<p>I would have been better off at a small LAC for sure, perhaps even a single sex college.</p>
<p>GoldenState2015 - I’ve got to say that you ask the best questions. I’m wondering whether this post has helped at all with your application process? I went to a large Midwestern flagship where I went to UG and med school at a time where costs were so reasonable for in-state students I was able to graduate without debt. Loved med school - great size, great experience, but UG really was too large for me. Did well, but felt lost, still was looking at a map trying to find classes the last quarter of my senior year. I looked at a range of UG schools and had been accepted at Bryn Mawr as well as US Naval Academy (I know pretty different!). On our trip to Bryn Mawr we toured NA and I was impressed by the apparent dedication of the students and feeling of tradition. Glad I didn’t go to NA, as I think it would have been difficult so soon after integration. Always wonder what it might have been like to go to LAC. Glad my son will be able to attend an LAC and looking forward to see how it is for him.</p>
<p>I definitely have no regrets about going to my home state flagship, the University of Alabama. It was, by far, the best choice I could have possibly made. Even in the 80’s, I was given the most amazing opportunities–a legal internship as a sophomore, a paid internship at a local publishing company that I got credit for, then turned into a job after college, an alumni network that helped me land a great job in DC and immediately opened new doors that changed my life. I was in New College and, according to the Dean, at that time, I was the only UA student ever to take classes in all of the schools at Bama, so the flexibility I had in designing my own major and curriculum was extraordinary. The only other school I applied to was SMU, which was close to my grandparents’ home. </p>
<p>It’s so fascinating reading all of the posts here. So many of you were so savvy and knowledgeable in high school. We didn’t have APs. We didn’t prep for the ACT, or take the SAT. We took the ACT once. Done. I swear to you, I don’t think I had ever heard of the Ivy League. In 1994, I was pregnant with DS1 (now at Brown), and my husband had to go speak at Brown. I went along, thought it was a lovely campus, people were nice. The end. No recollection of thinking it was anything special. Just another speaking gig.</p>
<p>When I was in HS, the super smart kids went to Alabama, GA Tech, Vandy and, if they were in engineering, maybe Auburn. The “elite” school kids went to W&L or Hampden-Sydney (if they were boys) or one of the VA girls’ schools–Sweet Briar, Hollins, etc. One friend from another city went to UVA, and that was…WOW…the ultimate in prestige! I had never heard of it until he got in, but it was clear that people were in awe that he was going to Thomas Jefferson’s college. That’s it. I honestly don’t think I had ever heard of any of the NE schools in high school. </p>
<p>Too many variables to control for in choosing a “dream school” now. But, knowing what I know now about schools all over the US, the only school that really tempts me past UA is Brown, simply because of the Open Curriculum, flexible grading policies, beautiful campus, great faculty and overall happy, relaxed environment. UA now has the Core Curriculum, which I would not be a fan of–too confining for what I wanted to do. So, Brown would probably get the edge today. However, UA, even with the Core, offers so many amazing opportunities, I think I would probably still choose it for my particular majors and minors over other Open Curriculum schools. People who haven’t been to Bama really have no idea what a wonderful experience it provides. So, I would apply to Brown and UA and let the chips fall where they may.</p>
<p>That’s a great story, @happykidsmom! </p>
<p>I remember the first time I walked on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, when I was a senior in high school, and it just gave me chills. I applied late and was accepted and am very grateful for the education I received there. Fast forward 30+ years, and I’ve visited a LOT of colleges and universities, including some very selective ones with my DS1, but Bama was the only school that gave me a similar chill. I’m thrilled he’s one of many out-of-state freshmen there this fall! He has several HS classmates at Brown, and I’m sure their parents are equally thrilled with their choices. </p>
<p>@LucieTheLakie , I am so glad you had that experience! And, congrats to your DS1! UA is truly a unique collegiate experience. There is no way to convey to people who haven’t experienced it how amazing it is. My DS1 was accepted to several top-ranked schools, but Bama really got under his skin, and he ultimately chose between Bama and Brown. He is a lot like me–varied in his interests, but wants to choose his own “Core Curriculum”. That was pretty much what put Brown ahead of Bama for him. But, he still wears his Bama sweatshirt to watch big games in Providence, and has found a group of 10 or more hard-core Bama fans at Brown, so it all worked out. </p>
<p>I hope your son is happy at Bama. There are fabulous opportunities around every corner. Tell your DS to Seize the Day, take the opportunities that present themselves, and if the opportunity he’s looking for doesn’t pop up, he needs to just make it up! UA loves and supports their innovators and creative thinkers. If he doesn’t get the answer he wants from someone, he needs to ask someone else. That is one of the true strengths of UA. For being a huge university, their personal focus on individual motivated students is extraordinary. Good luck to your son!</p>
<p>@magnetron why not rpi? I regret going here too, looking to transfer. I’d just like your reasons</p>