<p>You hear so much emphasis placed on college fit on CC and I wonder did the fit warrant the extra costs? In our case, it kind of did. DD is happy and likes her college. She doesn't like not having a car though and that was the trade she made. We did not let her apply to any college that we could not afford for her to attend. We do not have a major financial problem. I am still saving for years 3 and 4 of college but I can do that with current income. I know I would feel different had we had to take large loans. </p>
<p>So now the reality of college costs has set in for most of you, how do you feel?</p>
<p>Both my kids in college have been very satisfied with their choices. That doesn’t mean they would not have been happy elsewhere though. Oldest D did turn down cheaper alternatives, while S did not apply widely because I knew how much scholarship he would qualify for at his #1 choice.</p>
<p>Now, youngest who is still in HS will be looking at highly ranked LAC’s which do not give merit, so she will have to choose between more expensive schools and those that give her scholarships. Fit may be one of her considerations, as well as the possibility of playing her sport.</p>
<p>In our cases the colleges our kids chose (neither chose the least expensive option) were excellent for them. There were some extenuating circumstances for DD that probably would have added an additional year of college onto her plate if she had chosen the second choice (more money) school. Her college worked with her to graduate on the four year plan with her class. The larger public university would likely have required her to withdraw for a term, thus putting her totally out of sequence.</p>
<p>Beyond our wildest dreams. Thankfully, it was the second-cheapest option, and only about $1K/year more than the cheapest option so it was so worth the tiny cost differential.</p>
<p>We will dip into 401k if we need to do so. But UG was free (Merit awards), I am talking about Med. School. UG was the perfect place, D. is still visiting it a lot, will always remain in her heart, good times, experiences well beyond our expectations and the great reasult at the end. Treatment of top kids is great, not just financially…just riding on the top in all kind of aspects including tremendous personal growth</p>
<p>My D is so like Barnard that it almost makes me giggle. She’s the poster child for urban, savvy, passionate feminist. When Hilary spoke at her graduation, I think she really thought she was in Nirvana. Hilary was already Secy. of State. D had worked in the NYC office of her prez campaign.</p>
<p>S found a lot of things to love about Williams and I can’t think of a place he would have fit better, but he was not as socially integrated into the school though he did do many EC’s. However, his is now pursuing a career that he had no thought of before Williams that was very nurtured there.</p>
<p>Yes, it did. The “extra” cost of this school over another was less than 2K/year. Since I had enough saved to cover the difference, I do think the modest extra cost was worth it. It would have ceased to become “worth it” when the cost difference exceeded what I could cover without loans.</p>
<p>I think kids can be happy anywhere if they decide to be. Had that 2K been too much, I think the kid would have been happy enough at another school.</p>
<p>Our kids have both been very happy at their chosen U. It fit them very well–probably MUCH better than any other U S applied to & it was the only U D applied to. S continues to keep in touch with folks he met there. He got 3 great job offers after graduation & is happy with the job he started after graduation. </p>
<p>We are very happy that neither we nor the kids have had to take out loans for their education. Glad that S got significant merit aid that greatly lowered his COA. It IS a very expensive U any way you look at it.</p>
<p>^Not everybody will be happy everywhere. Each have important criteria at the top of thier list. As an example, location is extremely important for my D. as well as haveing a car. She definitely does not like urban location and have hard time without a car. These top factors are different for different kids and should be highly regarded. As I have mentioned, misery does not produce results and being miserable for 4 years is way too much to ask. We did not interfere with D’s decision making in regard to choosing both UG and Med. School.</p>
<p>Fit for both my kids was GREAT! Two very different kids - two very different schools. The first - an introverted future absent-minded professor with a hankering after everything and a way with languages - was a great fit at Smith. The second - an exgtroverted pre-professional all the way, with an international slant - and a need to learn through work - found herself at American. In neither case were their choices the most expensive, or the “highest ranking” of schools to which they were accepted. </p>
<p>My older one would have been unhappy at the athletic, alcohol-fueled alma mater of mine (with excellent academics) - she would have gotten a fine education and “managed”, but why should she have to? The younger one probably would not have thrived in a rural, academically intense environment without a strong mix of working adults in her life.</p>
<p>I think most kids, in fact, can “fit in”, but the question is really why they should want to?</p>
<p>The “I’ve loved this school for most of my life” dream school has, in fact, turned out to be even better than a dream school for my daughter. To her, it is the most perfect place on Earth.</p>
<p>I’m not getting too smug, though. We have very different children, and I anticipate some difficult decisions and possible “fit” challenges in the years to come!</p>
<p>My D thought she wanted small and urban, and four years later is about to graduate. Turns out she doesn’t like small at all, and there’s more to “urban” than just being near a city–it needs to be the right city, which hers wasn’t.</p>
<p>She considered transferring, but instead she spent her junior year abroad and that invigorated her enough that she is tolerating her senior year.</p>
<p>So, she didn’t make the right choice because she didn’t really know what she wanted.</p>
<p>Our S was very happy with his choice and is now very happy in his chosen graduate school.</p>
<p>But I don’t think either kid had delusions that college would be perfect. Both chose schools that were appropriate for them, and both had mostly positive experiences. Not perfect, but mostly positive. Neither has ever said, “I wish I had gone to ________ instead.” Well, at least they haven’t said it to me.</p>
<p>Also yes and yes. Older s absolutely loved his school. It was a great experience and he blossomed. Younger s would probably had been fine as several places, but followed the money and it was a good choice for him. He Has been very happy and will stay in that city for a job after graduation next month.</p>
<p>Yes and yes. Both have had great experiences. Two really different kids having “different experiences” but both picked their college and have never looked back. Neither picked the “cheapest” college they were accepted to, but both picked colleges that were within the budget we gave them so finances were not necessarily a part of their choice and not part of our “value” equation. I am exactly half way through college payments for 3 kids. 6 years down…6 more to go.</p>
<p>The question for my kids was whether or not they could find the same or better fulfillment at schools that awarded them scholarships as they perceived in other peer institutions, which they liked very much, but did not offer merit $$. </p>
<p>In the end, all three hold the schools they chose above all others without exception. Given that, it’s extremely hard to imagine that attending one of the non merit schools would have been even remotely worth the additional expense under the notion of being a better “fit”. Of course, it’s very easy to understand that in retrospect seeing how perfectly it all worked out. At the time, each case felt like a challenging decision.</p>
<p>It was shock and awe at the size of Penn State when we first visited. 4 yrs later son laughed and could not have imagined having gone to a smaller school.</p>
<p>DD1 was frustrated by her college administration. I personally think that was colored by her friends’ views. DD2 has blossomed at her school. I don’t know if she could have made a better choice.</p>
<p>D1’s college was a perfect fit and she had a great time. D1’s college would have been a perfect fit for D2–but D2 didn’t get in. She is having a good time at the college she is attending, but there are aspects of the social life that just don’t fit her.</p>