<p>Ah, Well if you are in China, then that explains everything.</p>
<p>Are you planning to go back to China when you finish school? China and the US are really not the same in this college obsession.</p>
<p>But, one thing I will tell you for sure is this: getting into one of the Ivies or any top school in the US is a lottery ticket. The acceptance rates are so slim, you have to actually be lucky, or to have some sort of “hook” to make it happen. Even then, it might not be the right hook.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t obsess over this too much. It really is a feature of your age and of where you are living.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say it’s mostly luck, but at many/most Ivies, without a hook, getting in is extremely unlikely.</p>
<p>Also, @drcharisma, keep in mind that in the US, anyway, there is no one strict hierarchy, and it varies by industry and region. You’ve probably never heard of the Illinois Institute of Technology, but I recall an anecdote where a guy recounted his boss saying (of him): “I hired him because he studied chemistry at IIT, so I knew he was good”. Evidently, to that one hiring manager, anyway, IIT was the gold standard for chemistry.</p>
<p>@poetgrl: I would say that it is usually not luck, but it may seem like luck from the outside because the decision-making process may be idiosyncratic and uncomprehensible to the outside.</p>
<p>@PurpleTitan You sure the hiring manager didn’t confuse Illinois Institute of Technology with Indian Institute of Technology? The Indian IIT is supposedly tougher than MIT.</p>
<p>Look at payscale.com. My alma mater, Polytechnic University (now NYU Poly) was something like #8 in the highest graduate median income, ahead of most Ivy schools, and just behind MIT.</p>
<p>@madison85- no, I haven’t yet, maybe I spoke too soon, but the ice cream at MSU is delicious. I will have to make a point of getting some ice cream at UW-Madison one day. </p>
<p>There are a lot of great colleges out there that have cows. Here’s to the U’s with moos!</p>
<p>@drcharisma, I think it is fine to hold any opinion about any college or university. I think it is fine to share them as well.</p>
<p>But it is extremely rude to call any school a “joke school” and this is true anywhere in the world. Don’t be rude. It can only hurt you and has absolutely no upside.</p>
<p>I had to chime in since I went to Cornell and they too have cows and some great fresh ice cream!</p>
<p>But speaking of going to Cornell, I was the only one of my brothers who went to an Ivy League school, and I believe I am probably the one currently earning the lowest income (but we are all doing fine.) So just because I went to an Ivy League school and my brothers did not, that did not make them any less successful. As for my own two children, the first one attended and graduated from a top 15 “elite” school and although she survived and enjoyed the challenge, it was definitely a challenge to get through. Now my second has decided to attend a “lesser” school and I think that is perfectly fine. It is still a strong, highly respected school and I think it is a better fit for him even though he probably could have been accepted to a more “elite” school. That is where he wants to attend, and it has the program of study he wants so that is what matters most. </p>
Love it, OP and others. My gut has been screaming that this is the way to go.
The other advantage is that by having most or all of D’s aid be merit based - she is eligible for a full OOS tuition scholarship at a number of schools and at least half tuition at some others - our annual cost doesn’t shoot up if our income goes up, due to being eligible for less need-based aid … in some cases enough of a difference to put a school out of reach for us (from 30K to 60K COA before loans and student work, for example).
Thank you all so much for your reinforcement of this potential approach for us.