<p>I suspect the biggest reason is cost, but I'd like to know if there are other reasons, e.g., a better program of study from the lower ranked college.</p>
<p>I turned down Northwestern and JHU because of cost.
Narrowed it down to Case Western and Pitt because of scholarships.
Chose Pitt because of UPMC, research, location.</p>
<p>My DS1 turned down several higher ranking schools because of cost. He took the NMF full-ride to UAlabama. He doesn’t feel he’s “given up” anything…he loves it there. He’s in the Computer-Based Honors Program, and he knows that it’s more important to spend the money on grad school or law school (whichever way he ends up going). He knows that as a UA grad, he can go anywhere. </p>
<p>And, he knows that we’ll help him with law school or grad school because he chose the full-ride to UA.</p>
<p>Frankly, I think it’s a bit short-sighted to spend $150k-225k on undergrad and then be faced with another $200k for med school, law school, or grad school. It’s more important to get a grad degree or professional degree at a top 30-50 school, than to get one for undergrad.</p>
<p>I’m not sure how to define “clearly higher”</p>
<p>My oldest did not turn down admission to “clearly higher” ranked schools … but considered and visited most of the top tier research universities and LACs in the northeast … and then applied and was accepted ED at a very good school … having chosen not to apply to other higher “ranked” schools. This decision had nothing to do with cost (which were basically the same) and everything to do with liking the school and its location better … and believing she would have a better educational experience at her ED school (and after the visits I agree with her impression of what school was the best fit for her).</p>
<p>PS - When I made my college decision I also did not go to the “clearly highest ranked” school … again no cost differential … but an opportunity at an excellent school that I thought was a better fit for me … and I’ve never second thought this decision; not even for one second.</p>
<p>Kids in our family declined USC, NYU, and Vassar due to costs. There were other reasons, too, but the schools were not even on the table for serious consideration once the net costs were determined.</p>
<p>S declined a spot on the waitlist of a higher rated college. It was one of his 3 top choices, and declining the waitlist made his decision easier by narrowing it to 2 schools. He felt like he had 2 good choices that wanted him, he didn’t need to hang around and see if the top-rated school would decide to let him in. Now he says it was for the best, he thinks he is happier where he is than he would have been at the top-rated school, and it would have been “hard to turn them down.”</p>
<p>Turned down Case Western and UIUC (as well as some other not as highly ranked colleges) for a third tier public. Major reason: cost Other, much smaller reasons: location, atmosphere of campus</p>
<p>Cost…and the college he chose gave him honors prgm admission, beautiful dorms & conveyed “we really want you here!!”</p>
<p>A girl in our hs turned down Harvard to attend Tufts. The principal mentioned her decision in his commencement speech (didn’t mention her by name), saying he was proud that a 17 year old was able to see that prestige didn’t necessarily equal happiness.</p>
<p>A friend’s son turned down Harvard to attend Notre Dame. He said he just couldn’t see himself at Harvard. He got pressure from his private h.s. Guidance office to pick Harvard instead, I think they just wanted to be able to brag about having alumni at Harvard. He did ok for himself, ended up getting a full graduate scholarship to Oxford, and he’s now a policy advisor for a high-ranking Senator in Wash DC.</p>
<p>Our children selected their schools on the basis of specific academic programs and opportunities, such as access to research for them (and not just a few more accomplished academic superstars who had already done research) as early as freshman year, opportunities to double major or do interdisciplinary work, access to graduate level courses as appropriate, acceptance into special programs with nice perks, and several accomplished faculty accessible to undergrads such as themselves in areas of interest. These interests trumped rank and even cost when they made their decisions.</p>
<p>One of my kids turned down higher ranked universities because of a professional school guarantee, lower cost/scholarship and a spot in an honors college at a lower ranked school. Kid has no regrets. As noted already, the difference in cost is going to go a long way to help with study abroad or further professional graduate programs.</p>
<p>Mathson turned down Harvard for Carnegie Mellon for what seemed to be a clearly better computer science program and a place that would be fully welcome of a techie nerd type. He enjoyed his accepted student’s weekend at Harvard more than he expected to, but when he asked the department head why he should prefer Harvard they couldn’t come up with a better answer than “We’re Harvard”. He has no regrets. Harvard would have cost us a lot less.</p>
<p>S turned down U of Chicago and Brown for Williams. Not sure if there is a difference in ranking there, but most people have Ivy fever. He just liked Williams better and thought it a better fit.</p>
<p>I was pleased to have him make his own decision.</p>
<p>Costs comparable.</p>
<p>For a spot in 6-yr health sciences program. Also really liked the school.</p>
<p>Mine had no sane reason. He liked everything and nothing was going to change his mind. It had every single thing on his want list. He called me less than an hour after his plane landed and said “This is it”, I’m done. I’m coming here."</p>
<p>DS turned down Cal & UCLA for the business program at USC. Cal wasn’t a good fit and the Marshall School of Business knocked the socks off Business Economics at UCLA. Merit money didn’t hurt, but also didn’t make up the $$ difference (instate).</p>
<p>Quite frankly, being “clearly higher ranked” was not one of my son’s criteria for choosing a college. Instead, he chose the school where the kids were “not too full of themselves.”</p>
<p>Mine fell in love with the school. Completely…loved the size, the people, the professors, the location. So far so good. Like Momofthreeboys it just had every single thing she wanted whereas the others had a “name.” (She also got an incredible scholarship, but for us that really wasn’t an issue, just let her know they wanted her as much as she wanted to go there.)</p>
<p>Money & concern over the dominance of the frat scene.</p>
<p>A wonderful young woman I know turned down Cornell and Georgetown to attend Lafayette. (See [How</a> I Got Into College: 6 Stories - WSJ.com](<a href=“http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122765578387658069.html]How”>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122765578387658069.html))</p>
<p>Although the merit scholarship she got from Lafayette was certainly a factor in her choice, she decided that, above all, she wanted a smaller undergrad institution and a place where she felt she could stand out in the crowd. For her, it was definitely more about the fit than about the prestige.</p>