<p>Gracious! Ivoryk, you ought to publish an article. That was so funny. My reasons ( cheap, 15 mins from home) are very dull. Yours are priceless! Neil Young! That is the grrrrrreatest!</p>
<p>In 1973, I had applied to Glassboro College (now Rowan U. in NJ) mainly because my grandmother went there. Then my cousin asked if I had applied to the University of South Carolina. My cousin was accepted there and my uncle was an engineering professor. These seemed like good reasons to apply. I was accepted, loved it and graduated with a BA in education.</p>
<p>overseas: PSA flights!!! Jeez that brings back memories. The pilots joking during the entire flight over the intercom were a riot!</p>
<p>I chose Princeton because my dad didn't teach there and it had nice lawns.</p>
<p>M&B, unfortunately I don't remember very much from those days but I did fly between LA and Oakland a lot with a flower in my hair. :)</p>
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I chose Princeton because my dad didn't teach there and it had nice lawns.
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<p>Heh. I chose Princeton because I had been to England the summer before my senior year, and it reminded me of Oxford and Cambridge, which I loved.</p>
<p>Let me start by saying it was the late 60's. When that really cute Admissions Counselor pulled up in front of my all-girl high school in a brand new Corvette, I knew where I wanted to apply. All the girls were acting very silly, but we really couldn't help ourselves - a cute guy in our hallowed halls! </p>
<p>I got in, dated him for awhile and realized after a couple months in college that it wasn't a good match for me. I left after the first semester and came back home finishing up at a great Chicago college. I absolutely love the memories of living in a dorm, but had nowhere near the maturity that my daughters exhibited during their college search process.</p>
<p>I think one of the dumbest reasons to choose a school is because a friend or b/gfriend is going there. </p>
<p>On the other hand... I transferred to another college to get away from seeing a recent exboyfriend and his new fiancee (after dating 2 weeks!) walk around the campus together all the time. I don't think my decision was "dumb", because I was then able to better concentrate on my studies. (I felt even better when I learned that they divorced a bit later on -- ok, I shouldn't be happy about that! ;) )</p>
<p>Another dumb reason: Because a parent went there and he/she insists that you go to his/her alma mater.</p>
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When that really cute Admissions Counselor pulled up in front of my all-girl high school in a brand new Corvette, I knew where I wanted to apply
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<p>no intent to hijack here, but doesn't that phrase remind you of something: when those macho Marines in their spiffy uniforms show up at the high school in their super-sexy Hummer. F@@k!</p>
<p>Well, this wasn't so much my ridiculous reason, but more my dad's ridiculous reason. Mid 70's and I wanted to go to Kent State. It had a great program in my intended major. This wasn't too long after the May 4th shootings. Basically my dad said "no way, ever." His choice of school for me was a small all girls Catholic college several hours away. This school required home ec for 2 years, and had no doors on the dorm rooms (just curtains). Basically I said to my dad "no way,ever." So we were at an impasse. Somehow I was able to talk my dad into going on a tour of KSU hoping that he would receive a more favorable impression. Of course the day we went, there was a huge protest on campus complete with "hippies" and marijuana. I saw my future there quickly evaporate. Lucky for me, we went to a presentation for my major and a nun was the assistant dean. My dad spent a great deal of time tallking the her and was very impressed by her. At the end of the day, he said that if Kent was good enough for this nun, then it was good enough for me. So I got to go where I wanted and I had a great four years there. In fact, when a younger sister wanted to go to Kent, my dad had no qualms about saying yes.</p>
<p>momof2, if I were a believer I'd say God was with you that day; I'm not, but I won't shut up anyway.</p>
<p>Let me add my husband's story. Not being a diligent student in high school my husband had not put a lot of thought into his college choice. Time was running out and he was walking down the hall at school and saw a poster in front of the guidance office for an Lac in Kentucky. It was a scenic poster of a horse running across a field and my husband thinks "I like horses, I'll apply there!" Keeping in mind that my husband does not ride or ever have any intention of doing so! He applied, was accepted and showed up on campus the first day never having set on eyes on the place. He had a great experience and it just goes to show that even a blind squirrel gets a nut now and then!</p>
<p>My first year of college was at a Jr College, as they were called then, but the second year I wanted to transfer to a 4 year school, which I did. I never saw the school, read the catalog or even a brochure, or visited before attending. I applied for three reasons, 1) I liked that the name of the school started with Western, (I always liked Western's), 2) I head the women were beautiful (turned out to be true), and the most important, a girl I went to HS with was a student there and offered to give me a ride to the school if I attended, that sealed the deal.</p>
<p>My parents wanted desperately for me to go to Harvard (where my two older sisters went) and so I went to visit. Both sisters told me I shouldn't go there and when I asked the interviewer why she liked it so much, she said she didn't know. After the interviewer told me I should consider MIT (which my sisters also said), I borrowed the interviewer's phone, made an appt at MIT, left my Harvard interview in the middle, and went down to MIT to check it out. Liked it a lot. And the interviewer--Pete Richardson, the head of admissions--said I would probably get in, too. </p>
<p>However, I also applied to Yale because my boyfriend was applying there. I am SO glad I didn't get in to Yale.</p>
<p>I wanted to apply to Reed as my safety, but my parents refused to sign the application (I was under age) because it was too far away, so I applied to only the two schools. Why Reed? I don't know, it sounded pretty cool. </p>
<p>It wasn't for many years that I realized that the three schools I wrote applications for were the top three at the time for student suicides.</p>
<p>My husband visited two FL schools. He was mugged in Tallahassee while visiting FSU, so he chose USF. I thought I wanted to attend Michigan State (honors dorm, unusual in those days, and far from home) but my parents wisely nixed it. I'm not sure I would have survived a Michigan winter.</p>
<p>I wrote off Bucknell because it was seemed just like Wake Forest, but Wake was cheaper. I wrote off Wake because it seemed just like Bucknell but Bucknell was closer (I lived in NJ). Don't you love the logic of a 17 year old? </p>
<p>Also didn't apply to Princeton (even though they called me up!) because I was afraid I wouldn't fit in with a bunch of rich, brilliant kids. Thought about applying just to see the result, but didn't want to spend the $20 and go for the interview. Looking back, I could just throttle myself.</p>
<p>Eventually picked Lafayette because the campus was beautiful, and it was far-and-away the CLEANEST place we saw. Loved my 4 years there.</p>
<p>My niece had her jaw drop when she heard from interviewer that UCSD had NO football team (she's a great fan)--she matriculated at Notre Dame instead & is crushed that they lost to parent's alma mater, Michigan.</p>
<p>I went to state flagship U & decided I wanted to see a bit more of the world, so I researched & found out there is a National Student Exchange program (now Western Undergraduate Exchange). I looked thru the brochure & chose the University of Oregon because the name "sounded good" and was somewhere in the west (also, my parents had heard of it, probably because they had a decent sports program my dad had heard of them). It was the only school I applied to, was accepted & shipped off with my ticket & luggage, having never seen the school, looked at the catalog, or indeed with any idea of what field I wanted to study. Had a wonderful 3 years there & got my BA.</p>
<p>For law school, to this day, I can't remember how I chose the schools I applied to. Got into two (sight unseen & never having looked at the catalogs of either). I chose the campus that was a "college town" instead of an urban environment & LOVED it! Again, caught my 1st glimpse of the campus on move-in day.</p>
<p>In fall 1970 I applied to six schools. I was going to study journalism and somehow became enamored of a flagship state U down south with a fabulous j-school. I decided to apply ED and my parents and I flew down from NY to interview in October. I was CRUSHED when I was rejected. Who knew only 15% of OOS students were accepted? </p>
<p>The other schools included two with urban campuses in major cities in the Northeast, one in the midwest with a first class j-school, and two I threw in just for fun: one in a VERY VERY COLD AND SNOWY state capital because I loved hockey-- not playing it, watching it-- and another state U in a warm Sunbelt state. In March my parents and I visited the hockey school (nasty, cold day) and the midwest school (unseasonably beautiful spring day). Guess where I wound up? Oh, I was accepted at all the other schools; just not the ED college.</p>
<p>My S is attending one of the Northeast schools I had considered.</p>
<p>My h grew up as a military brat on an island in the south pacific. He hadn't lived in any other climate, but told his dad he wanted to see snow. His dad suggested his alma mater- U of Wisconsin (Madison). It is SO cold there it sometimes is too cold to snow! My h. survived just fine- and loved it.</p>
<p>On of my priorities in choosing my college way back when was that (1) I didnt want a greek system and (2) I didn't want to have to take another language course...ever.</p>
<p>BTW mom2boys- I took the SAT on the day of the Kent State shootings/riots
....May 4, 1970.</p>
<p>i applied to columbia because Peter Parker went there, Princeton because bruce Wayne went there, and dartmouth because Michael corleone went there.</p>