The "I settled for my safety" thread

[Hithle]

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@AnagramPanda

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<p>**Well, I am one going to an admissions safety school for primarily financial reasons, but I think I can answer why one would choose Michigan State- a clear safety- over UChicago- anybody’s reach. (UVA versus VT is trickier in terms of admissions categorization, so I’m leaving that out for now.)
At Michigan State, or similar lower-tier state schools, bright students have a world of opportunities. The school really wants top students, so they’ll offer unique programs- honors, research opportunities, etc- to attract them. Plus, their GPA will probably be higher for grad school.
At UChicago, or similar elites, there’s more competition for the few research positions, honors, etc. that are available. Additionally, one’s GPA will be lower, hurting grad school opportunities, and causing more stress. Plus, they won’t stand out for intelligence anymore- being a bright student just makes you one of the crowd there, not anybody special.
Plus, there’s the whole “fit” concept- maybe a large school simply fits the student better. **

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<p>I agree to a certain extent, on the other hand, where is the intellectual stimulation? How much will you improve if you are that much smarter than everyone else? It will be hard to find people on your level and it will be easy to be dragged down by people who are just very, very average and mainly there to party unless you get into a small (brainy) niche for yourself and have very strong discipline.</p>