<p>Daughter turned down UPenn for Columbia. She loved both schools. Being a named scholar at Columbia was a factor in her decision.</p>
<p>D has a guaranteed transfer to Cornell for next year and will not be using it. She is a Marine Science/Biology major and is at the University of Miami where they have a fantastic program. Lots of research opportunites as an undergrad and great merit aid. I am very glad that she did not get outright accepted to Cornell as Miami is a much better fit for her. Most times students end up where they were meant to be, it is just hard to know this while going through the process!</p>
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<p>OMG…that wins the prize as the silliest reason (and maybe the parents should have their heads examined for allowing this.)</p>
<p>On the other hand, he clearly demonstrated that he really wasn’t smart enough for Yale.</p>
<p>I second that. This proves both that he wasn’t smart enough for Yale, and that the girlfriend wasn’t worth turning down Yale for.</p>
<p>A girl from my Ds high school turned down Yale to go to Northwestern, to be closer to her boyfriend at a local college, although the boyfriend has been trying to break up with her. Northwestern definitely not the same as community college, but I’ve wondered what the regrets will be later on. Yale was cheaper for her family as well.</p>
<p>I turned down Dartmouth and Cornell for Rice.
Reasons:
- Rices residential college system
- Cost (Rice gave me merit-based aid)
- Rice-Baylor Program
- Century Scholars research fellowship</p>
<p>S turned down UCSD for USF; D turned down UCB for Pitzer.
Reason: Mainly cost, as we are OOS.</p>
<p>I should add that both are quite happy where they are and have absolutely no regrets about the schools they ultimately chose to attend.</p>
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Be careful with that one. Lots of sensitivity here regarding Penn’s placement in USNWR.</p>
<p>^
Ditto. I’ve never heard anyone claim UPenn to be inherently superior to Columbia. </p>
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<p>Why would anyone regret going to Northwestern?</p>
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<p>I’m glad things have worked out for your children at the best school for them, but you seem to have a perception of Cornell that isn’t really accurate. While it’s definitely not a “laid-back” school, after the intro courses, classes can get really small. A lot are 15-20 students, or big lectures with breakout sessions where you’re working directly with professors.</p>
<p>I had personal relationships with numerous professors, some of which continue to this day. As students we’d go out for a drink after classes, get invited to their homes on the weekends, spend time chatting after class, have them volunteer to assist me in getting into graduate school / job market. It was a great experience that you shouldn’t dismiss simply because Cornell is large and other schools are small. I started at a small LAC and didn’t have nearly as close relationships with professors.</p>
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<p>Well if anyone gets into the Rice/Baylor program it’s pretty much a no-brainer. I would go to the Rice/Baylor program over Harvard/Princeton/most top ranked schools. I think I remember seeing you on the Rice forum… congrats.</p>
<p>I turned down a few other Ivies for Penn/Wharton… I’m not sure how things would have turned out at those other schools. My experience at Penn has been mixed, and sometimes I just have to wonder if I would have been happier elsewhere. Overall, I think I liked my experience, but it’s a combination of both happy and sad memories.</p>
<p>I chose Penn for a variety of reasons (finances, majors, proximity to gf at the time, centralized location, the city, etc), but I really ignored personal fit. Looking back, it was a mistake to do that, but at the same time, you can’t go wrong with a strong Ivy. Although it IS four years of your life, and sometimes I wish I would have spent a bit more time truly weighing the options.</p>
<p>Long story short, personal fit is so important, guys. You’ll likely have a fun college experience at most places, but you don’t often have this kind of opportunity in life, so really take the time and be sure you’re going to be happy at the place you choose.</p>
<p>Son turned down Washington U.-St. Louis, William & Mary, Richmond and the U. of Rochester, among others, for the U. of Alabama. He was a National Merit Scholar and felt that Alabama’s financial offer (tuition and honors housing among other perks) was just too good to pass up. He also got into the three honors programs and received plenty of AP credit, so that he could finish his four years with two bachelors and a masters. All without debt.</p>
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<p>mantori.suzuki, you are one of the wittiest writers on these boards – thanks for keeping us light!</p>
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<p>hahahahahaha…</p>
<p>Not my kids, of course, but two turn-downs of Harvard in the past decade:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>For the dance BFA program at Indiana University. Which was never completed because the student joined a professional ballet company after two years (and is now a principal). Even the parents are willing to admit it was the right choice for their kid. Now.</p></li>
<li><p>For Northwestern’s communications school, because the student knew she wanted to be a documentary filmmaker, and was disappointed that Harvard did not offer a major in that. Fell out of love with Northwestern’s film program in two semesters. Stayed at Northwestern, was a very engaged student, president of a major organization there, but generally disliked it. Said it was an intellectual wasteland, and told my kids not to apply.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Other vicarious examples:</p>
<p>McGill over Penn – cost (lower tuition, favorable exchange, merit scholarship vs. need-based aid) and desire to be farther from home</p>
<p>Pitt over Penn – cost (full ride scholarship vs. need-based aid)</p>
<p>Amherst over Williams – What? You don’t think that’s an example of a “clear ranking difference”? That’s not what this student’s parents thought! “Wah! Wah! Wah! How can you turn down No. 1?” (More vibrant town, 5-college consortium, no requirements curriculum.)</p>
<p>I find it incredibly funny what people think are superior/inferior colleges.</p>
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<p>I’m sure there are more.</p>
<p>I think the original poster asked about turning down “higher ranked” schools. That’s NOT necessarily the same thing as superior/inferior. BTW, I answered using the standard rankings (USNWR) but in reality, my kids ranked schools for themselves, depending on their own criteria.</p>
<p>Well, yea. The stupidity of the USNWR rankings is enshrined on CC.</p>