<p>I think that most kids eventually realize that schools are not for them. And that kids, not parents, are more often the ones pulling schools off the table. Every one of my friends has visited a school that, upon pulling onto the campus, lost all appeal. Three of these friends refused to even get out of the car.</p>
<p>If a parent really has objections, I think that they should be voiced gently (ie are you sure that a big/small school is going to be the best fit). In financial situations, however, it is best to be realistic as early as possible to avoid disappointment later.</p>
<p>More often, though, I think that parents force their children to pick the school they like rather than the to eschew the school that they dislike. Often it's an issue of prestige, making a kid who loves Brown to go Harvard or refusing to allow a kid to attend a state school that they love (NC State and Penn, for example) because it isn't 'good enough'.</p>
<p>I think those situations are more worrisome.</p>