I really really wanted my STEM boys would consider small LACs. Did not work out.
They want a large student body. They felt claustrophobic at a small college campus.
Not necessarily 3+2 programs, but I thought a liberal arts undergraduate degree would be good.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/chadorzel/2015/04/10/why-small-colleges-are-great-for-science-students/#24abe0097bb9
http://www.swarthmore.edu/aydelotte-foundation/why-liberal-arts-matter
http://www.thecollegesolution.com/the-colleges-where-phds-get-their-start/
http://www.thecollegesolution.com/50-schools-that-produce-the-most-science-and-engineering-phds-2/
I read too much. Oh well, it is not me going to the college. =((
Congratulations @RightCoaster on UNH ! <:-P <:-P
@RightCoaster Haha! āBullet points of Hateā is going to be the name of my next punk rock band.
Where does everyone stand on the āprestigeā vs āfitā spectrum?
DD did the summer program at Rose Hulman, and lovvved it. So much so that she applied to mainly colleges in the area - Purdue, IU, WashU (and of course Rose). (Weāre from California.) Rose Hulman is her top choice at this point, and TBH I think itās an excellent choice. Theyāre her kind of kids (i.e. nerdy, but go out and have fun nerdy, not study all day long nerdy). The school focuses on teaching, the classes are small, I suspect theyāll be very willing to give her extra time for her ADHD, plus it will be very easy for her to change her major if she so desiresā¦
But how do I really feel about it??? 
Last night, at a mixer with other senior parents, talk turned to colleges of course. I reminded my friends how Rose Hulman was her top choice (they still canāt remember its name), and they said āI think itās so awesome that (D) is willing to forgo prestige, and go to a school that she really likes.ā
Hmmm, they were being nice, but it didnāt make me feel good. I guess I want prestige - a little more than Iām willing to admit.
Is anyone else in a similar situation, and willing to confess?
I guess what weāre doing to satisfy my ego is have her apply to some schools that are more prestigious (WashU, RPI, maybe Mudd) - certainly more well known - even if she would prefer Rose over them.
Fit vs. prestige: As someone whose academic (and, thus, professional) career was saved by the existence of open-access colleges, Iāll even admit to having a possible bias against prestige.
@thshadow Iām in the fit corner, and I have the prestigious degrees. For my D, we are looking for a college where she can have the ultimate college experience - strong academics, unlimited opportunities, and a great social life. And for her, that wouldnāt be at a prestigious university and definitely not at an elite liberal arts school. Each school to which she applied, not only offered great merit, but also fit her interests well, and are schools where sheād get a great education and have an incredible time while doing so. Iām actually jealous of the opportunities she will have in college by going to a ālesser schoolā than I did and very excited for her.
PS: I have no bias against elite schools. I just know from experience that they arenāt the end all be all. And I loved, loved the more prestigious of the two schools I attended. Itās just not for D.
Congratulations to your son on the UNH acceptance, @rightcoaster!
I agree with others on the 3/2 approach to engineering. We looked into it for D and are very glad that we decided against that route. She started taking engineering classes her first semester freshman year. Consider that a liberal arts school is not likely to have engineering-related clubs, chapters for professional engineering organizations on campus, or engineering-related laboratory and research opportunities. Learning how to collaborate between disciplines and gaining perspective on technical issues is really important for engineers, and IMO this happens most effectively in an engineering program (again, IMO).
Itās impossible to avoid talking about college at events or with family, but this is the honeymoon phase. Itās worse once decisions start coming in. Iāve seen parents get pretty upset when snowflake isnāt accepted into the ivy of choice (or any ivy), particularly when someone else from their school did get accepted. Itās also hard when kids get into their reach school but sticker shock hits and tough choices have to be made. Itās an emotional time.
@thshadow I feel the same way and my D, too. We donāt think prestige is more important than fit, but still, itās nice if the prestige comes with the fit.
Not really into prestige. I didnāt go to a prestigious institution and neither did my wife. Somehow weāve found a way to be OK.
Son has applied to RPI.Northeastern and Babson. His choices. He has a legit 50/50 chance. Are they prestigious, no. But they are in that slot somewhere between state school and IVY?NESCAC/Cali schools. Decent, yet not great, but you canāt be a total buffoon and get accepted.
I think the prestige types of schools are a great opportunity if you have the right kind of smart and ambitious kid. I donāt have a kid like that, so I donāt even worry about it. I think I said this before on here, but my son was so happy one of the schools he applied to only holds classes Monday-Thurs, every Friday off. Ha. That was the huge selling feature, he talked about it for days. I donāt think the kids seeking āprestigeā are worried about going to school on Friday.
@thshadow if my son had a clear cut favorite that he was already accepted to Iād be so happy. No worrying about prestige, just thrilled with how happy he would be there. I think Rose Hulman sounds great for your D!
@theshadow --Iām just shocked someone was ballsy enough to say that to your face!! DANG!
I think it would be hard to have a response. No matter what you say, people like that arenāt going to get it. Helping our kids choose a school where they can be successful is what this is all about.
I think this would be a smile and nod moment!
The funny thing about prestige is I would be overjoyed if younger D got in to RoseHulman or Mudd, but half, at least, of our friends and family would have no clue what those are!
@thshadow Iām not sure you should let obviously uninformed people influence your decision. They donāt understand engineering very well to make those types of comment.
In many cases, I think prestige is more about the bumper sticker the parents put on their car than anything else.
@thshadow We are extremely far removed from caring about prestige. I skimmed part of that current thread and between the responses on that thread and the vacation discussions on this thread, I know that the vast majority of posters on CC cannot relate to our financial reality or the reality of people who cannot contemplate the discussion from a ācanāt make it work perspective.ā (I really cringe at the ignorance of posters who post, ābut the elites are really affordable for most families.ā) We have a high income, but raising our family has consumes/d most of it. So, I read the prestige thread, know our family situation and the outcomes we have personally had (ps grads), our older kids have had, and I dismiss most of what I read.
I have a niece who has her masterās from an international college which depending on which ranking you look at is around 130th in the world. She makes significantly less money (about 2/3) of what my CC Allied Health grad Dd makes. (She graduated several yrs ago, so she is not a new grad.) My ds who graduated from a small public tech university makes on par with every top school ChemE pay analysis I have looked at (even MITās website). I have a niece who graduated from a directional state university who is noted as one of the top up and coming female execs in NYC. Her school name didnāt impact her career, either.
So that is the long and short of my opinion. We canāt afford what we canāt afford and can what we can. And our kids thrive and excel and rise to the top wherever they have attended school and where they work. They are self-starters and self-motivated. They are the result of their work ethic. I read CC, but it is a bubble that really does not reflect the real world outcomes we see around us.
I was at a small dinner party this weekend. Normally, I donāt speak about colleges except to say she wants STEM and is applying across a range of schools but I was pressed until I gave in. I said where sheād been accepted (heads shake), explained she wants x career (to be told there is a glut), and said she hopes for x,y,z prestigious schools (again, heads shake).
Lesson learned! I will only discuss this with people I know will be happy for her, not judging.
Thatās why I like this specific thread: people are supportive of each other.
Fit over Prestige. But fit means different things to different people and prestige also means different things to different people. Personality fit, major fit, financial fit; we all prioritize these differently. All three of my kids walked on ātheirā campus and felt āhomeā or āhereā. That can be fit. But, my DD13 felt 'home" on two campuses: Tulane and URochester. They are very different schools and they both spoke to different parts of her personality. She choose URochester because they had a stronger program in her intended major, BME. She has had some terrific experiences at UR, but she would have likely enjoyed Tulane as well. Sometimes you just have to leap and make the best of the experience, and not worry about it. UR is ranked #32 in the country and many people have never heard of it.
Prestige vs Fit
Fit, fit, fit. Great if you happen to end up with both fit and prestige (and thereās nothing wrong with wanting that!), but otherwise be very happy if your student finds a good fit. Even when things gets difficult or stressful, if your D/S feels like they are in the right place it gives them a strong foundation and confidence.
@thshadow, keep in mind - those parents are bragging that their kids are APPLYING to prestigious schools. Doesnāt mean they are going to get in.
Supplemental QOTD - what do people consider to be prestigious? just the ivies? USNWR top 10? top 15? top 50? Just curious. Itās so subjective.
@thshadow I thought Rose Hulman is prestigious for engineering. Donāt they have a very highly regarded program? Iām sure it doesnāt have the name recognition of MIT or CalPoly but still. Iād be thrilled if S would apply and be accepted there.
But, anyway, fit over prestige for us. Only one school on Sās list is prestigious per CC, although our friends and families arenāt familiar with it.
Weāre all about the fit here. Not many schools have enough Arabic. Perhaps if we lived in California sheād try for Berkeley, or Michigan or Wisconsin if we lived in those states.
Iām glad D is homeschooled because then I donāt have to deal with the prestige conversations like I did with my older two.
@snoozn Good advice, lol. ;))
@theshadow Prestigious is a subjective word. To me, lots of schools beyond the Ivies are prestigious. I would include schools like Rose and Case Western, although they were not known to me before my DSās engineering program search.
I would be thrilled if my DC was in love with a school and program, and there was a very good fit. Our search would be complete.
I do think there is some value in prestige. However, it is just one of many factors to consider.