<p>Parents, I've often wanted to know what you are looking for in a school. In trip reports, tirades, and advice-seeking, it is usually one talking for their child. </p>
<p>Of all of the schools you know of, what is YOUR dream school? Where would you choose to spend the next four years of your life if you were an 18 year old student today? </p>
<p>I asked my mom this question today after she heard me singing "Three Cheers for Old Nassau" in the shower and told me she wished she could go to college too, and she told me she probably would choose Harvard. She loves Boston, especially Cambridge, and found the school beautiful and academically inclined. I found this an interesting answer, as I too loved Harvard (though not as much as Princeton, of course!)</p>
<p>Heh, my mom also told me she would consider University of Miami...ever since they sent that damn DVD she has been obsessed. I guess the marketing works for some people.</p>
<p>Ilcapo, I'd go back to Berkeley in the blink of an eye -- I attended law school there and those were very happy years for me -- but I didn't want my son there and I'm pretty sure my daughter won't want that either (not a good fit + too close to home).</p>
<p>The problem with your question is that the one most important thing we parents can do is let go of OUR dreams and allow our children to follow THEIRS. Actually - its more fun that way - my kids have both done things that I would never have been able to do because of my different inclinations and talents, or would have thought of in my wildest imagination... and our lives are all more interesting and exciting as a result.</p>
<p>Ilcapo
You pose a good question. I knew so little about schools back then, and only applied to a few. Offered ED to women's college, and at last moment switched to large state college where I was accepted rolling. I never liked it, graduated early, and did get acceptances to all grad schools applied.
My S could have followed my route; gone for free to honors program at state, graduate in 2 years. Instead, he is going to private university, with class size smaller than most LACs, and be lucky to graduate in 4 years. He won't be the shining star. BUT, he will probably know most of his classmates, develop friends for life, become a troll for his school, pursue ECs to his heart's content, live in one house all 4 years, and be surrounded by bright, passionate kids interested in learning.
Is it worth the high tuition? Will it open doors for him? I don't know yet. I hope so.</p>
<p>What an interesting question--which I've never thought about! In the dark ages when I was applying to college, I applied ED to one school--because my mom told me I should go there; they had a good language department, and I was going to major in languages. Why was I a language major? Because it came easily to me and my mom told me I should. I was very happy there and have lifelong friends from that experience. Yet . . . I was all set to apply to UPenn. It really struck my fancy but I decided it might be too cold in Philly and it was too much of a bother to write that essay. Remember, this is even before ELECTRIC typewriters were in widespread use!</p>
<p>In retrospect, even though I live nowhere near Philadelphia, over the years I have met MANY people who went to Penn and from what I have gathered, I would have been very happy there, both socially and academically.<br>
My life also would have been radically different because the unintended, seemingly inconsequential (at the time) choices made then could have led me to a totally different path in my career and the place I ultimately chose to live--and whom I chose to marry. </p>
<p>I certainly don't want to change how my life has gone--thank goodness!--but it's interesting to contemplate what would have happened if I had gone to Penn instead of where I did.</p>
<pre><code>Thanks for the chance to do a little mental gymnastics!
</code></pre>
<p>I went to large state U (Indiana), which was out of state for me. I chose it because I was a music major. Well, turned out the music school was too good for MY level of talent! I wound up majoring in business and going to a top law school (Chicago). In retrospect, I did not have enough "like minded peers" at Indiana. I enjoyed many things about my years there, but academically I would have been happier and more challenged at a smaller university or LAC. I did develop a passion for college basketball, which, believe it or not, has served me very well in the business world. (Lesson to all you smart kids out there- don't underestimate things like that.)
My problem is as I tour colleges with kid #2, I love them all. I was the same way with kid #1. All in all, Stanford would be my dream school because of the top academics, athletics, climate and size of the school. I couldn't have gotten in back then, of course.
Karen</p>
<p>I have never thought about your question and am not sure at all what school would be MY dream school if applying today (for myself). I can share that my oldest D chose to visit and ultimately apply to where I (as well as her father) went to college, though neither of us suggested the school or cared two bits if she looked into it. It just so happens when she was searching college directories, our alma mater ended up on her list because it met various criteria she was looking for in a college. I found that interesting. So, in fall of her junior year, we visited. While over the years, I have stopped by or driven by the school, I had not really gone back for any amount of time, let alone done the whole college tour, info. session, yadda yadda stuff. As I went back, now a parent of course, everything that appealed to me when I was looking at the school as a 17 year old prospective student still appealed to me today that I think if I had to do it over again, I would still be choosing to apply there as a first choice (was a first choice back then too). Interestingly, just about everything that I liked as a young person about it, my D started to fall in love with as well. Throughout the college process, we have never given opinions or persuasions as to which schools to apply to or ultimately attend because in all honesty, we wanted her to go wherever she wished (if she got in) and even in April if you had asked me where I wanted her to go, I could not name a school but could tell you that I wanted her to be happy with her choices. </p>
<p>Senior year, we went back two more times to my alma mater.....once for a fall overnight because we said she could do that at her first two choices for a more in depth experience. We went back again in April of senior year to the open house to help her decide which of her schools to attend. By now, I feel like I have gone back in time and really seen my old school and still really really like it. As it turns out, as much as my child loved it, she had several acceptances to schools she liked a real lot and ultimately chose a different school, not that I minded whatsoever. </p>
<p>But through her process, I got to go back in time to my alma mater, Tufts, and see it in depth all over again and I still find it an appealing choice for a young person. I am sure I could feel this way about many schools, though. </p>
<p>I like the notion of attending a LAC that is a part of a group of schools - allowing me the opportunity to expand a little bit when I wanted to. One of the Claremont Colleges on the West Coast or Haverford on the East Coast would suit me just fine. If I chose a university I think that I would fit well at a school like Brown (compared to my daughter who is at Columbia and continues to feel that it was a great choice for her).</p>
<p>Hm.... I started out at a small LAC and hated it. I transferred to Ohio University which I really liked. If I could rewind the clock, I would have looked more "out of region" (I'm from Ohio). It just never dawned on me then that I could go to college far from home...so I didn't.</p>
<p>I went to very large state universities. During the past year we visited about twenty very small (many < 2000 students) LACs for my son. At many of these schools I found myself wanting to attend, or wishing I had attended a small school like the one we were visiting on that day. These small schools have a lot to offer in areas I feel I missed out. Very small classes, building relationships with professors, participating in research, DIII intercollegiate athletics.... :)</p>
<p>After touring 20 schools with my son this past year, I've discovered I'd still want to go to my alma mater Williams College. It was the right school for me 20+ years ago, and I'd still pick it today! (My son, however, picked somewhere else.)</p>
<p>I really liked Evergreen state college. I liked the setting: on the water amidst evergreens, I like the intregated courses and the population that seems to be a throwback to the 60's. I like that it is a public liberal arts college and instate so it is very affordable, and I like that while it is secluded it is in the state capitol and not out in the middle of a cornfield :)
I haven't really looked at many colleges to have a "dream" school, my daughter did have Evergreen as her first choice for many years and while I think she made a fine choice to attend Reed, I still really like Evergreen.</p>
<p>I would go back to Harvard, and this time would have my middle aged wisdom and big city experience that I didn't have when I went there from a very small town. Ah, if I could return as an 18-year-old with these assets, I would be able to take even more advantage of the enormous opportunities there than I was able to do as a shy girl from a hick town.</p>
<p>I went to UVa. I applied ED, never looked anywhere else. I just <em>knew</em> (haha) that I wanted to attend there. My parents never even brought up other schools. And I had to stay in-state. </p>
<p>If I had it to do all over, I wish I had looked at some of the smaller LACs in Virginia or tried to convince my parents to let me leave. Of all the schools my children have investigated, I would love to spend four years at Pomona.</p>
<p>If I had lived in this country 29 years ago as an 18-year-old, I would have gone to MIT. I loved science and technology (still do) and that is my dream school!! I would have worked very hard to get in. Hmm...now what would have been my second choice if I had been deferred EA? </p>
<p>If I had been a humanities person (who knows?) then I would have a plethora of choices, and it would have been very hard to pick among many dream schools. I keep going to Swarthmore to pick my son up and I picture myself as a Swattie..</p>
<p>This kind of question reminds me of the polling done on what we want to see on TV in the way of programming. We say we want "Masterpiece Theatre","Nova" ,and "Hallmark Presents" but we watch "The Batchelor","Oprah", and "Fear Factor".</p>
<p>The question posed on this thread is which school we would choose for ourselves if we were an 18 year old student today? 18 year old me ,dream school.....huh. If I were trying to sound intelligent and forward thinking, as if I were an adult with adult sensibilities as an 18 year old, I would say Dartmouth as it expresses to me all that is right about education at the college level. Smallish, respected, a beautiful setting with accomplished students and educators in a free thinking "mixed" political environment. Perfect. But, if I were honest and stepped into a time machine back to '74, dreaming about the perfect school I'd have been at one of Playboy's top party schools in the U.S., Southwest Texas State (now Texas State ) in San Marcos avoiding class and law enforcement with equal relish. Money and/or exposure to the larger world didn't keep me from going to Harvard in 1974. The Allman Brothers and a low threshold for studying did.</p>
<p>Are things that different for the students of today? For those students posting regularly on this board I think they may very well be but for a contra-indication, read the most recent Wash U thread on social scene to see what some students are thinking about when they choose colleges.</p>
<p>Went to a big (25,000+) university undergrad, small law school. I enjoyed the small atmosphere more. If I could live life over again, I'd go to either Wellesley or Pomona--D got into both, went to neither. So, don't worry, I'm not living my life through hers.</p>
<p>While going through this process with S2, my husband became enamored of Grinnell. And I have to say I think Tufts looked mighty attractive to me. I didn't really look at many colleges when I was in high school. I went to a Lutheran school about 90 miles from where I grew up for a year because they had a good choir. Then I transferred to UChicago. My reason for transferring?--my boyfriend went there. Oh, I so hope my children don't make their college decisions based on that criteria.</p>