<p>I am new to CC and find comfort reading other parents' messages...misery and confusion love company! Our oldest was accepted into ten schools and has it narrowed down to Davidson and Duke. Any thoughts would be much appreciated!</p>
<p>My best advice would be to let your child make the final decision by his or herself. It will show him/her that you trust his/her judgement, and that you feel he/she is grown up enough to handle college. Once he/she gets to college, he/she will hopefully try a little harder knowing that h/she is the one who chose to be there, rather than feeling like he/she was forced by his/her parents. (even if he/she wasn't) Deciding on a college is a big commitment, but graduating from that college is an even bigger commitment. If the student really wants to be at a particular college, then they will be more likely to succeed once they get there.</p>
<p>Have him make a list of the differences that matter, rank it and choose the school with the best fit. It is always hardest to choose between two equal choices. If finances are significantly different and other factors not as much, go with the cheaper school. He will always have to give up one of the schools, don't be remorseful after the final choice. Forget the other school and be excited about the chosen one. At worst, toss a coin.</p>
<p>Many thanks for the comments. My d just called and said she decided on Davidson. It was difficult for her because the two schools were very different but have excellent reputations and academics. We had many discussions on the merits of prestige, size, academics, lifestyle and the biggie, money. We didn't qualify for need-based aid and are in the "too rich to be poor, too poor to be rich" group. It is a stretch just to do Davidson though they gave a very generous and much appreciate merit scholarship of $10,000/year. She has long term goals in mind so coming out of undergrad debt-free was more important than taking out large student loans for Duke. Since she is the oldest of three, the loans will be there for grad school!</p>
<p>You didn't have time for people to throw in their comments on the relative merits of each school, all of which would not have made her decision, she had to do it. This made your day, now you can relax for a moment, then get excited about what you can do to help her prepare. You will be busy searching the web for her dorm needs, transportation, etc, etc,- enjoy!</p>
<p>Snowgator, good luck to both of you. With two more in the pipeline, we'll be hearing from you.</p>
<p>Congratulations--she had great choices and made a great decision!</p>