<p>I'm curious about how everyone feels about their safety schools. Son was accepted at a few reach schools but decided yesterday he'd rather go to his safety school for several reasons: He's close to home, it pays for EVERYTHING (food, apartment, fees, books, tuition, travel etc) and he'd rather be a top student there than a bottom student at his reach schools. Anyone else consider a similar decision?</p>
<p>Bottom line is with the honors program at his safety school, everything is paid for and he won't have to work his way through college and can concentrate on his studies (and I suspect sleep a lot).</p>
<p>Pros: full ride, honors college, individual advising, early course selection, admission to great paying summer internships, acceptance into research groups as a freshman, lots of AP credit, with close HS friends and then branched out. Able to do many EC’s without grades dropping. Ended up Phi betta kappa, 2 degrees,published research and got into top 10 grad school.</p>
<p>Cons: Waitlisted at top #1 grad school choice (only accepted 20/ waitlisted 2). I think he would have gotten in with the more prestigious undergrads. Some early courses were too easy. If he doesn’t plan on grad school may have to rethink it. As much as I hate to admit it prestige does matter to most people. However, if he’s engineering local is great.</p>
<p>“I think he would have gotten in with the more prestigious undergrads.”</p>
<p>However, without sitting in on that graduate admissions committee, you have no way of knowing whether this is true. If your son really wants/needs to know, he can talk with his advisor who may be able to get some inside scoop.</p>
<p>My son went to his safety (state flagship) and has been accepted to EVERY ONE of his grad schools (including top ones)…and all full tuition and large stipends…and campus visit budgets (that was cool!) </p>
<p>I’m sure he was accepted because of his 4.0 GPA, his super GRE scores, his research, and his LORs. He was also PBK as a junior and will grad Summa Cum Laude in May. </p>
<p>I do not think that Sax’s example of his child getting WL for his top choice is any reason to think that spending gobs on a pricey undergrad would have been worth it. As he said, his child still got into a top 10 grad school…certainly nothing to sniff at. Unless he’s doing some kind of Wall Street Finance, going “all the way down” to a top 10 grad school is hardly going to hurt him.</p>
<p>BTW…grad school admissions were tough this year…maybe worse than undergrad admission. When son visited his “safety grad school” after he was admitted, he was told that they had 400 apps and only accepted 20. so…5% acceptance rate…at what we thought was a SAFETY.</p>
<p>Some kids will thrive as a Big Fish at a school instead of being just another Small Fish at a Reach school.</p>
<p>In other words, best academic fit for a kid includes the question of ehere they believe they are more likely to thrive.</p>
<p>The common jive on these boards about “prestige matters” depends on the assumption that everything else is equal AND assumes that how a kid does is not influenced by issues like Big Fish/Little Fish. </p>
<p>Two additional comments:
1- Sax’s comment in #2 is an almost perfect example of how we all tend to reach for explanations that fit our biases and make sense to us when things do not go as we expect them to. Since Sax believes that prestige matters, then it must have been the lack of sufficient prestige at son’s undergrad that was THE deciding factor of getting waitlisted at graduate school of choice . . . as if Sax has data enough to do that analysis.</p>
<p>Second, prestige matters ONLY to the extent it helps for your field; there are top, most prestigious schools for certain fields that you will NEVER find on a generalized list of “most prestigious schools in the country”: Kenyon for English; Lehigh for aeronautical engineering; Cal Poly SLO for mechanical engineering; WPI for highest earnings; Babson for business; The OSU for turf management.</p>
Top student in fields with reasonably objective criteria for accomplishment such as engineering or the sciences is wonderful. Top student in the squishier subjects like History or English will likely carry less prestige and open fewer doors.</p>
<p>Also its interesting to think about what this approach says. Its one thing to say “sure, I can get a great education at Elite U but I can do just as well here at State in the honors program.” Son instead seems to be saying he can’t stand out at Elite U, which is not exactly the same thing. And certainly future employers and grad schools have an interest in ferreting out those who are actually the best, not just the best because they competed against weak competition.</p>
<p>Mike - I don’t know, maybe I’m biased as this is my baby boy, but the more I think about it, the more I think it was a mature decision for him. I don’t think it was a decision of how lazy he wanted to be (that was a joke at the end of my first post) as much as knowing he could earn a debt-free education versus amassing a huge debt before he’s even legal age. I see way too many adults who haven’t yet learned that lesson (i.e. living in your means or below them not above and beyond). If he can finish school on merit scholarships graduating without a quarter million debt on his back at a small school, then that’s a practical decision, especially for a 17 year-old. </p>
<p>Sure, as a parent, I was a tiny bit disappointed for a minute but I’m still proud he is attending college at all and writing his own ticket to get there. In fact, I’ll say that same thing for all kids on this board who are attempting to further their education. A very small percentage will “get” their reach schools and the pressure some of these kids feel at such a tender age is very unfair. </p>
<p>As far as prestige, he is aiming for a PhD in environmental studies so his undergrad performance is paramount to receiving future grad school opps. </p>
<p>Sax - I think you should be very proud! Same to you Momof2. Thanks to everyone else for the advice.</p>
<p>The kids who choose the scholarship are happy to be contributing to their education; I know mine is. It is a mature decision and it is really nice to be able to graduate without debt.</p>