<p>We all want to go to a good college, but why? Is it for the prestige? To get away from home? Enlighten me, CC.</p>
<p>So many reasons. For one, nobody in my family has really gone to university. My dad did for about a semester when he wanted to become an engineer, but he also didn’t graduate high school. In a sense, I want to be the first person to go to a top school.</p>
<p>Plus, I love learning, and want to get the best educational experience as possible.</p>
<p>And I want to get away from my town. It’s kind of the black sheep of my area. We’re surrounded by nicer communities, but there is nothing exceptional or special. A lot of the students just aren’t intellectual types, so I want to be surrounded by like minds.</p>
<p>I’m poor so my only focus is getting to the top.</p>
<p>^Exactly, I am the same way.</p>
<p>the idea of being surrounded by intellectuals sounds inspiring.</p>
<p>The top schools are pretty generous with financial aid which will be needed. Also ^</p>
<p>Not to mention the prestige xD</p>
<p>^ and ^^ basically sum it up for me.
I’m not interested in the prestige much (maybe it would decide between two schools all other things equal), but definitely the aid and definitely being surrounded by like-minded people.
Also, they are usually smaller, which also means they have smaller classes.</p>
<p>Being surrounded with other highly intelligent motivated people.</p>
<p>cuz im a commom middle-class asian immigrant and i dont wanna stay that way(commom middle-class, that is)</p>
<p>so I can make a lot of money so I can give all of it away before I die. </p>
<p>also I don’t know what else to do with my life</p>
<p>To escape my conceited town.</p>
<p>To break into investment banking.</p>
<p>to give myself the opportunity to make a boatload of money, and then use that money to help those in need. and for the awesome overachieving community. and the prestige…</p>
<p>To become an entrepreneur and continue my education past high school.</p>
<p>A little bit for the prestige (who wouldn’t want to say I go to Harvard?), but getting into a top university is more than that for me. I need to prove to myself that I can do it, that I am among the ranks of the best. </p>
<p>Also, I want a kick-ass education from professors who actually care, not just some State grad who got a job as a professor at a big university and doesn’t really care. The intellectual environment for sure, as well as the financial aid that comes along with a top university.</p>
<p>:) Hopefully this doesn’t make me a bad person.</p>
<p>P.S. doesn’t hurt trying to get a job with ‘Harvard’ on your degree either…justsayin…</p>
<p>One thing honestly is to make my family, mostly just my parents, proud. Aside from my cousins nearly everyone in my family has not gone college and basically my whole life has been leading up to this. 
Not to say that’s a bad thing, I’m glad they motivate me. I know it’ll make 'em happy too. Other reasons have already been mentioned; the intellectual climate, moving away, job prospects, love of learning.</p>
<p>^^This made me Lol in real life.
You do know most prof’s at Harvard GOT their education at a state university and got a job there and a lot of them DON’T care about you, but rather they care about their own research</p>
<p>And you can find intelligent motivated driven people at any college.</p>
<p>What if said intellectual could only afford a state school? Would that make him any less driven than any harvard person? No. But surely there aren’t that many students that can’t afford an ivy and settle for a state, surely not in THIS economy.</p>
<p>Shoot for the best by all means. It’s a great thing to want the best. But some of the reasons why people choose these schools is a bit…</p>
<p>I really love learning. I’d go to school forever if I could.
Fo shizzle.</p>