<p>akdaddy--I could point out one reason to attend say, U of Illinois for computer science over CMU or MIT, even setting aside the large price differential. All 3 schools are considered to be in the top 5 among CS schools. But a top student at Illinois, where not <em>everyone</em> is a genius, will stand out more and have more opportunities.</p>
<p>My son is a member of the 3-person UIUC team going to the World Finals of the ACM programming competition in Tokyo. He is one of only 2 undergrads on the team. Would this have happened at a school where the competition is keener? I doubt it. MIT probably could field 10 teams but unfortunately, only 2 per region can advance to the finals.</p>
<p>Similar good things happen in areas such as research and interacting with professors. Sometimes it is better to be a big frog in a slightly smaller (but not too small) pond. And then when you consider the price difference...it's an easy decision.</p>
<p>Again as I said it depends on the person. In DD case she did not like being at the top. She specifically wanted to be at a school where she would be constantly challenged to do better by being around students with better background and abilities. She knew herself well enough to know she would not perform at her best if she was a "big frog".</p>
<p>We know a young lady who chose CMU over MIT. Small aid package at both, no merit. She preferred the atmosphere at CMU, particularly the number of artsy types there.</p>
<p>I don't see how to decide which school if "preferable" to another without going by "yield", which involves head to head decisions. Though kids will not apply to schools that do not interest them, they also are not going to apply to schools that are way over their marks. There are many kids who would love to go to Harvard but know that it just isn't going to happen. Also kids don't apply to certain schools for financial reasons when they would have had they been assured that they could afford it. There are any number of kids here who have applied only to state schools and those where merit money is probable for those reasons.</p>
<p>Ive been reading these posts and i believe i happen to b just darn lucky my dad makes a good salary owns a business in a growing industry might sell his buisness to investment bankers still do his job..for 5 yrs then get a comfortable 90k every yr for 20 yrs..plus he plans on getting a easier job then his during those 20..+ he has a good amount of money set aside for me and my sisters have said adios to college my oldest said bb 4 yrs ago to boston and officially 3 yrs ago to college(she needed 2 extra courses..) my middle 2 yrs ago
they both went to unheard of 6th tier schools(no joke they dont have no purpose on usnews ranking except middle sister whos school which will soon be unknown was apart of fordham...my parents paid at least 30k a yr for them my dream schools r at least 30k-40k a yr</p>
<p>Although a lot depends on the student's desires/goals/interests, I agree with mommusic. A very bright student could have more opportunities open to him in a non-elite school, especially where honors programs/honors colleges exist. Some of the state uni's and non-Ivy's are outstanding in particular fields.... There are many issues to consider.</p>
<p>You may be right LBP. My son has friends at Amherst, Cornell and Duke. None have had either the success or opportunities that have come his way at RPI. All are doing well academically but those extra opportunities may be difference makers in a number of ways.</p>
<p>Yes, I think in this discussion, there are just so many personal factors that come into play. What might be fine for one family and student may not be the best scenario for others. Certainly, financial consideration is often a major factor in the final college selection. Then there's the issue of academic opportunities that can be offered to the student, as well as the environment of the campus (i.e., living arrangements/security). In the end, what each student and family must consider is: how important is prestige?</p>
<p>I 2nd several postings, as the old saying goes "it's not what you know it's who you know". However, today with global competition it's more "what you know, and who you know".</p>
<p>My d went to an elite HS and she already has two serious job offers at top law firms for when (or if) she graduates from law school. just imagine the networking (relationship) opportunities at an elite college. That said your s/d need to be capable of taking advantage of the relationship building opportunities in life.</p>
<p>the one thing somewhat missing from all the posts is "passion"! if your child is passionate about attending an elite then i'd do everything i could to pay for it. If he or she worked that hard for it and got in I think you need to figure out a way to make it work. This conversation is about a top 10 or 20 school or even if it's top 50, your child is smart and worked hard to get in to this group and deserves the best possible college experience, the one that fits his/her dreams!</p>
<p>Lesmizzie, your post #225 looked really interesting but I could not follow it. It seems a shame that you spent time to post but the message is garbled. Any chance you could revise it using standard punctuation and grammar?</p>
<p>Thus far, the comparison has been made between UNC and some unnamed private universities. One piece of the puzzle that we don't have is any information on the caliber of the astronomy / physics departments at these schools.</p>
<p>Astrophysics is not that large a universe - at least academically - and grad school admissions will look at the department / rec more than the school.</p>
<p>UNC has a promising physics and astronomy department - they have consortia time at installations, someone gave them a pile of money for intrumentation, they have a Carnegie Fellow, a steal from Caltech .... all to the good. But, we don't have a clue as to what the alternatives are. 'Elite' as in USNWR does not mean that a specific department is top tier. UNC could easily be the best department ... but we don't know. </p>
<p>One additional area of concern is the lack of a WISE chapter at UNC.</p>
<p>how can HS kids be unaware of caltech? what are they teaching in science classes back there? caltech and JBL (jet propulsion laboratory) are in charge of planning and designing all of the unmanned missions for NASA, all of them! </p>
<p>At caltech there may very well be the highest concentration of smart people, in the world. </p>
<p>Caltech is a rather remarkable institution and easily as well known as MIT.</p>
<p>what is this a philly thing where almost no one has heard of caltech? Tell me the kids in philly science classes have heard of Feynman?</p>
<p>I certainly was WELL aware of Caltech from quite early in childhood (in Minnesota). Alas, nothing in my high school curriculum was adequate to prepare me to go there, so I ended up not even applying to my dream school. These days I make sure that my children are exposed to lots of information about colleges from sources outside our public school system.</p>
<p>crumdgeon: "We were way out of budget when we told her we could do some more if she could do some more..We can't borrow. For a variety of reasons it wouldn't be prudent."</p>
<p>wow, maybe if you had learned how to network more in life you'd be able to afford college for your d.</p>
app, your kid is going to USC for God's sake. Get a grip. Is that as good as she could do? She didn't get in anywhere elite even WITH your networking?</p>
<p>the US public is way to complacent regarding their child’s public education...it's the most important thing in their child’s life and most people do zero research, they just walk little Johnny down to the neighborhood school.</p>
<p>or drop them off in their 40k suv. I'm continually astounded by how people spend more money on their cars then their child’s education, although I hear this is less true back east where a larger segment of people understand the value of education better.</p>
<p>You see appstressin, I may be a horrible failure in life not worthy of breath (I don't deny it. It is what it is.) , but my daughter is another story. Success seems to be a generation skipping thing in your family, too. Doesn't it? LOL.</p>
<p>and BTW that post of yours on how this decade's winners will be decided on the school their kid attends? Brilliant . Just brilliant. I'd have stuck with your "the ranch in Montana" line as the decider myself.</p>
<p>Get a hold of your ego. No one offered a high school kid a job as a lawyer. It didn't happen or they were drunk as a skunk. ;)</p>
<p>Curm: you sound really angry, I'm sorry you're so upset.</p>
<p>Networking is a very important life skill and that is the point, with proof, regarding my post about d job offers. Business owners, in my d’s case, law firms, send their kids to elite schools (as well as other schools obviously) but there is a large proportion of "decision makes" (parents, college personnel, and students aka future biz relationships) at elite HS and colleges. So it’s a completely valid post to demonstrate to the OP that being at elite schools works in regards to life opportunities,</p>