<p>This may have been posted elsewhere (I have been out of touch) but if not, it is interesting.</p>
<p>That's very interesting. In particular, </p>
<p>When it comes to choosing the actual college you (or your child) will attend, which of the following do you think it is most likely to be?</p>
<p>09% College with best academic reputation <--------- I would've thought this scored higher
11% College that will be the most affordable
25% College with best program for my (my child's) career interests
55% College that will be the best overall fit <--------I would've thought this scored lower </p>
<p>Ideally, how far from home would you like the college you (your child) attend(s) to be?</p>
<p>% Overall (% Students, % Parents)
20% 0-100 miles (20% Students, 22% Parents)
45% 100-500 miles (42% Students, 59% Parents)
20% 500-1,000 miles (22% Students, 12% Parents)
15% 1,000 miles or more (16% Students, 7% Parents)</p>
<p>Apparently CC isn't a very good indication of the general student population, which I guess we knew already.</p>
<p>part of the best "overall fit" for D was a school
that was "affordable"
a school that had "good programs for her interests"
and a school that had a good academic reputation
Also part of that picture that made it a good fit that was distance- she didn't want to go to east coast- she didn't want to go to CA because of asthma concerns and she didn't want to go to the midwest because she doesn't like cold ( and as a pretty liberal lesbian she also didn't want to look at schools in the south because she perceived them rightly or wrongly as a more conservative area- "not GLBT" friendly)
So she ended up at a school less than 300 miles away :)
works for me!</p>
<p>Emerald, sound like the perfect set-up! </p>
<p>Overall fit seems really the obvious thing, since fit can imply so many factors. I think in the back of my mind, SOCIAL fit is mighty high on the list. I know it was for my first child, who would have been miserable at the best financial option, and was very happy at the school she attended. It did help that they were generous with financial aid, but certainly were not FREE, which would have helped when I was a broke single mom! :) Now that I am married and not quite broke, social fit is very important for S2 as well. And for S1, I think he is blessed to be able to get along with everyone and has a multitude of interests, so his choice was ultimately a lot more difficult to make.</p>