<p>Post #94. I am not Jewish and your post is pretty offensive regardless. Why don’t you tell us how you really feel?</p>
<p>Hifi-</p>
<p>Post # 94 really intrigued me to the point I looked up your posts on CC. </p>
<p>Guess you asked God for forgiveness for the post I quoted below and continued to spread your intolerance on CC. I hope you don’t think you are doing his work. I have never read in “the book” that hate is a gift worth sharing.</p>
<p>Hifi posted, "if your christianity is not a threat to the world then you are not a christian. try reading the book. does anyone read the book anymore?</p>
<p>hifi signing off from CC forever - to spend time with the Book.</p>
<p>thanks to all, and to those i’ve offended - i forgive you."</p>
<p>Your post sounds like a spoiled child who didn’t read what they liked and stomped out of the room.</p>
<p>The “Jews” post did sound pretty vitriolic, but they do tend to help each other financially. But that’s not a bad thing. Many religious and cultural communities do that.</p>
<p>collegeshopping – hifi didn’t write post #94.
But, yes, the comment was offensive.</p>
<h1>94 is bitter. Move on. You don’t like the other side, so you make up things bad about them.</h1>
<p>Tough call if the more prestigious college is not considered as intellectually appealing (in the student’s mind). But if not, choose the presitigious name college over the state school - it stays with you forever.</p>
<p>Careful, crescent22. I still have scars from where I got skewered for saying the same thing not long ago. :)</p>
<p>Moms aren’t determining your career path. The fellow in a suit sitting across the table asking where you want to school is.</p>
<p>I know that on CC it is generally considered non-PC to say that elite, prestigious colleges are well worth the money. Well, if I am accused of being an elitist, so be it. We let our S1 go to U Chicago with a full sticker price, sort of, other than the scholarship competition money he earned in an external competition, which essentially obliterated what little aid the school provided as grants (I am still sore about this!). To make things even worse (for me to look even more elitist and foolish), we turned turn a full ride offer that covers everything and anything for four years from a good out of state public school that is ranked within top 10 in the field of his interest (economics). </p>
<p>Why did we do this? </p>
<p>My reason. S1 is one of the most intellectually gifted individuals I have seen, and I want him to be in an environment where there is undiluted concentration of gifted minds that aggressively pursue intellectual excellence and where the campus norms and standards reflect this as a default mode of operation. Good state schools may be just fine, but still, there is a big difference between an environment where kids like him set the standard, as opposed to where they are an island. I want him to be rigorously challenged by other kids who are like him or even more intellectually gifted. Bright minds go further and more rigorously developed when they are in an environment of high concentration of like minds. Just look at history. It’s no coincidence that human advancement of any kind did not take place uniformly. Rather, it happens like a spark in a certain geographical area during a certain period where there is a very high concentration of gifted minds (e.g., Renaissance in Florence).</p>
<p>His reason: Uchicago’s reputation in the area of economics carries a weight - big time. The world of high finance is still very much insular, and unfortunately not as “democratic” as say, engineering/high tech setting (my field). It may have already played a role in him getting a summer paid internship at Wall Street as soon as he graduated from HS. </p>
<p>Both of the benefits are well worth the money we are shelling out. After all, this is why we worked hard and saved even harder. This is what we value and choose to spend money on. Truthfully, this anti intellectual slant is rather annoying. Nobody would go up in arms about somebody buying a Mercedes. I have yet to see many women excoriated for being elitist because of the designer brand clothes (may be considered vain, but NOT elitist). How about men who are really into expensive electronics. They all think the luxury goods are superior and worth the money. Where is the outburst? So why such accusation of “elitism” when some others decide to spend their money for a prestigious school? </p>
<p>As for S2, he wants to join military, so he will go through the ROTC route. His gift is of a different kind than that of his older brother. So, for him, a good state school with an outstanding ROTC unit will be great. That said, he stands a very good chance of snatching an army ROTC scholarship that pays tuition and stipends. So, for him, the tuition is a mute point. In that case, I would recommend he go to a private school - I like the idea of smaller classes, more individual attention and ample DC internship opportunities these private schools are known for that no state school can match.</p>
<p>All our life, we lived a comparatively modest middle class life style while we are earning top dollars: we drive old, reliable cars (never luxury cars). I never buy designer anything - never owned name brand clothes/accessories. I get a $ 15 haircut. Never had a manicure/pedicure in my life. We buy discount furnitures. We live in the same house the kids were born in (no McMansion). Two areas we spend money with wild abandon are: travelling all around the world with the kids so that they develop an understanding of this diverse place called planet earth (kids have been to over 40 countries - many developing, third world, remote places), and anything that has anything to do with kids’ education. </p>
<p>We are very happy with out choice. AND, I am happy for other people making choices that fit their value system and life style. </p>
<p>Peace!</p>
<p>Many families overestimate the importance of the college name. While the Ivy League may be the traditional recruiting destination for Wall St., this is not the case in many fields, particularly for high tech and engineering companies. During the academic year, companies like Microsoft, Google, Apple, etc., publicly post their campus recruiting schedules and I think a lot of parents would be surprised by the colleges on these lists (as well as the schools that are not visited.)</p>
<p>I think its really important to teach our kids to be reality based, and to teach them value, in all things…my s (rising soph) recvd a full ride to a top LAC, w a business school–wasn’t his first choice but given all the opportunities it offered and being able to tap the college savings for grad school seemed a smart choice to him. after completing freshman year I see a young man who is proud of his choice, grateful for his scholarship and happy with where he is. He is relieved to not have financial worries, and confident he can anticipate going to grad school should that be his path. my d a rising freshman, decided to stay in state, and is going to a perfect college for her, small, artsy, and lots of research opportunities and advising from professors. She also earned several scholarships…I’m very grateful for the merit scholarships afforded my kids, and I must say I was proud of them that they recognized the need to be realistic about college education costs. </p>
<p>I work in a high tech corporation, and have much interaction with HR, I agree with the poster earlier who said it is what the person has done with their education, ie. GPA, research, internships, relationship building, that impresses hiring managers and HR – not the school.</p>
<p>sewhappy: Great post. I’ll have to remember that starting about a year from now. </p>
<p>Toneranger: Very interesting response.</p>
<p>I guess the lesson is, make your decisions carefully and then make peace with those decisions. Buyer’s remorse (or non-buyer’s remorse) is a bad thing.</p>
<p>“She got into Penn but decided to eliminate Penn when narrowing her acceptances because she liked Tufts and Smith more than Penn. I have seen some kids on CC who would think that was nuts. She cared about the school fitting her more than anything else.”</p>
<p>soozievt, I am exactly like your daughter in this regard. I was accepted to both Boston University and Duke University, and I chose BU over Duke. Whenever I’ve told someone that, they’ve stared at me like I’m insane. Really, it came down to which school had the better program in my intended majors (theatre and journalism). Also, I think another thing that contributed to the stares is the fact that I live in the South.</p>
<p>“So why such accusation of “elitism” when some others decide to spend their money for a prestigious school?” </p>
<p>It’s not the choice that makes one elitist. It’s the assumption that those can attend an elite school should ALWAYS make this choice…and that other choices are inferior. It’s pretty common thinking… and it’s simply not true. </p>
<p>hyeon…you seem to have excellent reasons to have made the choice you did…and also seem to understand others choices. I don’t see elitism in all parents and students who attend prestigious schools. Indeed, I think many students have found great fits and are quite fortunate. </p>
<p>But I see too many parents influenced by this “all or nothing” thinking. We had a neighborhood family recently pull their D from a top 25 school after two years because they literally ran out of money. How in the world? Seems they got stars in their eyes and went beyond their means. They didn’t plan for loss of employment…and when bad times hit…it was over. This young lady would have been much better off going to our state school and staying there all four years. Doesn’t make sense to me.</p>
<p>I’ve noticed a dichotomy in the way we discuss prestige.</p>
<p>Some of us talk about selecting Yale over Tufts because of Yale’s prestige. I’m in the camp that says that’s silly, because both schools are excellent. In that case, personal fit should play a bigger role than prestige.</p>
<p>Others of us talk about selecting Yale over Wichita State because of Yale’s prestige. This makes a lot more sense to me, all other things being equal. In fact, even if all other things aren’t equallet’s say Wichita State feels like a slightly better fit and is a few thousand dollars a year cheaperit still may make sense to select Yale because of its prestige.</p>
<p>Put another way: If my kid gets into Yale and Tufts and likes Tufts better, but I force him to go to Yale because of prestige, then I’m an elitist. But if my kid gets into Yale and Wichita State and likes Wichita State better, but I force him to go to Yale because of prestige, then I’m a pragmatist.</p>
<p>It’s not quite that simple, of course, but do you see my point?</p>
<p>Anneroku, yes many firms recruit at a large number of schools, but at no-name schools, they will require better grades, major exactly what they want, etc.</p>
<p>^No truth except the bible has been greater than this post.</p>
<p>In-state colleges are very well worth the money also, call them “football” or whatever. My D has reassured me many times (she is Junior) what a correct choice she made, how happy she is and how she will always cherish all her experinces at her “hokey” college (sorry, even “football” does not apply, but they are big on hokey and other “ice” sports, which D is not part at all). I cannot convince her even to apply to Grad. school at Ivy’s. She would not want anything to do with them for reason that is not clear to me. She continue having 4.0 in college as she has always had in HS.</p>
<p>Our S turned down Duke and WashU for a state U. and a big scholarship. His decision has resulted in creating opportunities that would otherwise have been impossible. Instead of having to work the summer away he’s living in NYC and writing for a great website/blog. He’s been asked to be their Washington correspondent upon his return and is generally having the time of his life. </p>
<p>It may not matter so much what you decide as long as you get behind that decision and make the most of it. People tend to find, indeed look for, evidence to support their decisions. It’s just human nature to do so. </p>
<p>BTW, I have little doubt that our s will do very well in life even though he’s completing his undergraduate education at a st. school. He’s a star wherever he goes.</p>
<p>If a state school is clearly the better choice for your student, then by all means he or she should go to the state school. I hope my example about Yale vs. Wichita State didn’t put anyone on the defensive. There definitely are circumstances in which the state school is the better choice.</p>