<p>I totally agree with you, kelseyg. There are some people that are not qualified to receive large scholarships. Sure, there are other smaller scholarships that people can apply for, but it’s not going to pay for someone’s whole, or even most, of their tuition. In my eyes, I do not find it’s worth it to go to a school where I’ll have to take out loans that I will be paying off for the next 10 or so years. I can see if someone is passionate about a certain school, and they believe that’s worth it, then I would say go for it as long as they know what kind of financial situation they are getting themselves into.</p>
<p>What if you just want to have a good time…</p>
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<p>OK, I’M going to disagree with this. I’m not sure where exactly I fit in my admitted class in terms of high-school stats, but I’m pretty sure it was in the top half (though not by a ton…I imagine I was somewhere around the middle, though I’m not sure). I’ve now been in the top 10% of my class based on college grades for the last two semesters, and hope to keep it up.</p>
<p>And you know what? I’ve been plenty challenged. Sure, I’ve gotten a lot of As and A-s, but I’ve had to work plenty hard for them, and totally re-evaluate the way I think about papers (the first grade I got here was a C). I’m still astounded by how smart many of my peers are—I find it hard to believe I’m in the top 10%, really (I think I’m just lucky to be a really good paper writer, naturally, it doesn’t mean I’m actually smarter than other people here. Often I feel like my comment in class aren’t nearly as insightful as others’). I’ve grown intellectually, definitely. And even more than that, I’ve grown as a person, because even if I’m getting better grades than a lot of the people I know, they are doing amazing things with their time here, and inspire me to do the same.</p>
<p>So, yeah. If I was struggling to keep up academically all the time, I don’t think I’d be nearly as fulfilled as I am now, when I can grow academically without being overwhelmed all of the time, giving me time to devote myself to a few ECs and really learn to take responsibility and leadership.</p>
<p>I also thought about the possible mistake of going where you are UNDERqualified but I don’t think that is a common mistake. I think the admissions offices are pretty astute and know who can do the work. So, if you get in and have reasonable motivation I think you have a good chance of success. Being UNDERqualified is generally not a problem.</p>
<p>And, then there is the one about going where your boyfriend/girlfriend is going.</p>
<p>A lot of people think that IS a mistake but I don’t. I think relationships are important. If you go your separate ways, your relationship could suffer. Having your girlfrind/boyfriend at college takes a lot of the social pressures off. I think it helps you focus on studying.</p>
<p>But, if the girlfriend/boyfriend goes to a school where you would be overqualified, then it is a problem. You should both go where you can be challenged.</p>
<p>^I would disagree with this because the chances you are going to stay with the BF/GF is small. College is more about social challenges/growth than about focus on studying; especially looking back after the fact.</p>
<p>I would also say that it is usually a mistake to go more than 500 miles away from home. You can almost always find a good school with your major within 500 miles. Travelling is very inconvenient. I think quite a few college students transfer to be closer to home.</p>
<p>The thing about “getting away from home” is overrated and mostly a function of teenage angst.</p>
<p>Experiencing different cultures is overrated. America is pretty homogeneous. Every Starbucks is pretty much the same. There are Chinese restaurants everywhere if you want culture.</p>
<p>I would qualify this by saying that the better the school, the more it is worth the drive. And, if you have an unusual major, you might have to travel. And, if you live in Montana, you might have to travel farther.</p>
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<p>I know (well, only online, but we have a lot of mutual friends who have face-met both of us) a man whose mother specified when he was looking for colleges that he should make sure to go more than 500 miles from home. He applied to and was admitted to Stanford, Harvard, and Princeton, and chose to attend Princeton. He made a sufficient fortune as a “quant” on Wall Street that he was able to retire and set up a nonprofit foundation while still in his thirties. Nice.</p>
<p>Last year I made the mistake of attending a school I was overqualified for because of a specific program they had (great theatre program) and the scholarship offer. Worst decision I ever made. I ended up with a 4.0 my freshman year, including supposed “honors” courses and a class in my worst subject (math). I did less work than I did at my highly competitive high school and also received less constructive criticism. There was no learning, no growth. My high school was much harder than college – and so I transferred to a better school, and now I am very happy. :)</p>
<p>A University of Colorado Journalism student interviewed a bunch of students to find out what they wish they would have considered when choosing a college. Good insight:</p>
<p>[Choosing</a> a College: What I Wish I’d Considered | myUsearch blog](<a href=“http://myusearchblog.com/choosing-a-college-what-i-wish-id-considered]Choosing”>Choosing a College: What I Wish I’d Considered | myUsearch blog)</p>
<p>There is a lot of debate going on about what you should consider when picking a school. Should you pick a school that will be more difficult for you and be in the bottom 50% or should students go to a school where they are in the top 50%.</p>
<p>I think there can be arguments for both, but most people seem to think that you’ll grow more at a school where you are in the bottom 50%. I’d like to first point out that every student is different so it’s hard to say what’s best for an entire group. </p>
<p>I was an above average student in high school, but didn’t make it into the honors society or receive any terrific academic awards. I went to a college that was good, but I was definitely in the top 50%. And you know what, I really did grow a lot! I think that some students (like me) can benefit from the confidence that comes with being at the top of your class. I was still challenged because I was excited that I stacked up so well against my classmates.</p>
<p>Just another point of view that I thought I’d share! A boost of confidence can be all a kid needs to reach their full potential</p>
<p>JulieVCF-
Interesting point. How can you tell whether you will benefit more from a confidence-builder school or a challenging school? How can you tell which type of person you are?</p>
<p>That’s a good question, and I’m not sure I have the perfect answer. I know that when I was in high school, it wasn’t obvious to me that what I needed was more confidence.</p>
<p>I think that you really need to assess yourself as a student. I felt a bit stifled in high school, like I was always in the same place as an above average student with very smart friends that I really couldn’t compete with. I chose not to be competitive about school, because I believe that in the back of my mind I didn’t think I would ever win. You don’t necessarily notice it at the time, but that really limits your ability. You accept the fact that you’ll never be great at school rather than striving to be better.</p>
<p>So my advice would be to ask students to determine whether competition drive them or not. Do you work harder when there are people a lot better than you? Does it make you want to reach them and really push? Or, do you shy away from competition? Does praise motivate you more than criticism? For me, praise is huge. Even now as a professional in the work world, praise motivates me much more than criticism. So, when I went to college and did very well, consistently getting praise from my professors, that motivated me to be a better student.</p>
<p>I’d love to hear any other thoughts on the subject!</p>
<p>I really agree with JulieVCF. This argument really depends on the individual students. So while that advice may be useful to some, it’s not applicable 100% of the time. However one point that I feel particularly strongly about is the money issue. If you did not grow up in a household where money is always tight it can be hard to relate to the fact your parent really can’t afford to take out huge loans. I know that my Mom can’t take out these loans, but that’s not at all an indication that she doesn’t love me. She’s spent the last 17 years of my life striving to make sure that I grow up cultured and not feeling inferior to any of my peers. And thinking back on a few trips abroad we took, yes we could have not gone and saved a couple thousand, but the experience gained from that travel was well worth that money. But that’s just my two cents.</p>
<p>I would saying making the choice for anyone but yourself.</p>
<p>I don’t think it matters where you stand- top or bottom of 50%. It’s how you make use of the resources offered at the school. Use them well, and you will grow.</p>
<p>A particularly dumb reason is to choose college solely for the city. I nearly fell for that, thinking it’d be awesome to live in DC for four years when the school was just eh. I did end up spending two summers in DC for internships. The city isnt going to go anywhere and you can always go there for jobs and internships down the road a bit.</p>
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<p>QFT. Knowing how to make the best of any situation is a valuable skill to learn. And I mean that literally, not in a “make the best of a bad thing” way, but in a “take advantage of every opportunity around you” kind of way.</p>
<p>I haven’t read this whole thread but this is nonsense. A student who gets admitted to Harvard, Yale <em>and</em> Princeton could still go to the community and learn stuff they’ve never learned! I have several degrees-- but if I go to the community college and take German I (I have never learned a word of German in my life), I will be challenged.</p>
<p>Here are a couple of two-part mistakes:</p>
<p>The Visit
part one: not visiting-the visit tells you things that hard facts do not
part two: placing too much emphasis on the visit at the expense of objective facts-The visit provides a very narrow slice of life at the school.</p>
<p>The Essay
part one: having someone write your essay for you-you can spot this a mile away
part two: not having someone proofread and critique your essay-short of re-writing it for you</p>
<p>Someone mentioned not having a safety school…that’s a good one.</p>
<p>Also not having a FINANCIAL safety school in case your aid offers are disappointing.</p>
<p>But, I still say a good college is worth the cost. College is not where you should scrimp.</p>
<p>And generally… being careless about your application. Missing a deadline. Waiting until the last minute. A typed app is better-looking.</p>
<p>Waiting too long to start the college search.</p>
<p>And, really, a very big mistake is to slack off Senior or Junior year.</p>
<p>In a larger sense it is a mistake to not study really hard begiinning in Middle School.</p>
<p>It is a mistake to have lots of superficial extra-curriculars. Better to pursue a passion in-depth. Find something you love to do early-on in high school or middle school and pursue it seriously. Even if it is unusual.</p>