<p>Thanks so much for all the good ideas and stimulating dialogue. The one thing that strikes me is how unique the needs of individual students and families are. What works well for one individual may not work at all for others. A few of you may remember the initial dilemma that I posted on this site some months back. We are an Orthodox Jewish family and son had specific ideas of what he wanted in a school in terms of Hillel or Chabad, the availability of traditional services and kosher food at least for Passover. This is not a family directive that's coming top down but something that is important to him. (In fact at one point we suggested he slightly loosen his criteria, but he didn't want to.) </p>
<p>We spent literally hundreds of hours contacting Hillels and local synagogues, scrutinizing the Hillel site to find out what matched and what didn't. I don't think our family is unique in having certain clear cut priorities. There are many who have specific needs whether it's for a particular sport, a geographic region, support for a child with learning disabilities, a major that's offered in only certain places... The list could go on. We all have different priorities in life. So there is an invisible cord binding all the names on son's list: each and every one at least meets his "minimum" standards in regard to the presence of a Jewish community. Each one also has strong programs in the sciences. Beyond that, there is diversity. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, many of the smaller midwestern LAC's in rural areas and smaller towns that would be natural choices as safeties or safe matches invariably got winnowed off the list because of the need for Jewish resources. So he's had to "compromise" on things like size: some of the safety and safe match schools are larger than he would like. At the same time, there were schools that initially seemed like a match on paper but when he actually saw them he went running in the opposite direction. (that's a topic for another thread!) </p>
<p>The one thing he doesn't want to do is compromise on the level of intellectual ferment at the school. Again, each child is different. I have a daughter who will be looking for a match that is "comfortable" and socially interesting. My son craves an academic challenge. </p>
<p>** Xiggi, **I believe, hit the nail on the head when he ironically pointed to the fact that son's safety--the University of Texas at Austin -- is a school that many from out-of-state are struggling to get in. The same could also be said of U. Va. where son is considered in-state because he is a legacy. Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder. I do think son would be excited if he managed to get into Plan II, Dean's Scholars, or Echolls because he would feel he really put out the effort to do that. There is admittedly a certainly lure in doing the difficult or, in the case of the Ivies, the next to impossible! For some kids, it isn't just the ranking or the prestige: we value what challenges us because in trying to meet the challenge we put so much of our heart into the goal. </p>
<p>Son has visited and, where possible, done campus interviews for every one of his schools except the pie-in-the-sky variety. He has polished and repolished his essays, sent in a theater DVD, and chanted good luck spells over his computer. He knows a pack of information about each school. I think he's done his homework and come up with the best possibilities. Now, quite frankly, the rest is luck!</p>