<p>So, I live in South Carolina.
Anyone who lives here, hey!
So anyway it seems to me, nobody goes to any top colleges, yeah I will specify, IVY leagues, Stanford, etc.
All people go to USC (University of South Carolina, it ranks about 121 in USA universites). What interesting to me is that there are the people who known as pretty smart people in their classes. What's going on. Do you have to really genious to get in? Or you have to study so much like nerd? (Not in bad way, but I mean study so hard). Or have special talents in sports or music? Really confused....</p>
<p>No one? It is important fact!</p>
<p>Study, do well in you classes, study for standardized tests, learn about admissions, don’t be afraid to apply out of state.</p>
<p>BillyMc<<THANKS ^^…I guess I will never found out where I am go, I still have more than 3 years. I am freshman…</p>
<p>My school doesn’t really send kids far away and never sends kids to Ivies so I know exactly how you feel. I wish more kids would apply to top schools but it just doesn’t happen. Where I am from though essentially everyone goes to the same HS as their parents and never leave the county so that is what keeps everyone close to home.</p>
<p>Many smart kids go to state universities because private is veryveryvery expensive without scholarships.</p>
<p>Less competition for those applying then…shouldn’t you be happy about that?</p>
<p>It is disheartening to go to a a school with a mediocre student body, but in the end the school only matters if it happens to be one of those top-ranked feeders. Otherwise you can strive and get in without any negative handicaps.</p>
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<p>I just posted my advice for future applicants, if you want to read it.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/admissions-hindsight-lessons-learned/1099647-billymc-s-advice-future-applicants.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/admissions-hindsight-lessons-learned/1099647-billymc-s-advice-future-applicants.html</a></p>
<p>One issue is that people seem to assume that the people who they think are “really really smart” are competitive for admissions at top schools. My 2120 SAT score is higher than anyone else at my school–by far. I’m probably the first high-school student in my county to have ever taken Calculus III. Finally, the students and staff are floored by my ECs. Many of these students will literally argue with me if I even imply that I’m not a shoo-in at any college in the country. </p>
<p>I didn’t apply to a single ivy-league school–and I will not be surprised in the least if I’m rejected by Duke, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Emory, and UChicago. Except for Duke, practically no one at my school–not even many of the staff–has heard of these schools. </p>
<p>The truth is, top schools are incredibly difficult to get into. As “The Price of Admissions” puts it, “For [a student from a schools who isn’t “in the know”] to be admitted, he or she really has to walk on water.”</p>
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<p>This only applies to smart kids from privileged backgrounds. Top schools meet 100% of demonstrated need. Of course, very few kids in the middle of nowhere, from households they make 30k a year, are going to be able to compete with those at fancy metropolitan schools with parents making 200k+ a year.</p>
<p>^Don’t forget, top schools are called top for a reason. The majority of private schools and OOS schools will charge sticker price for most applicants, and give nice tuition benefits to other applicants.</p>
<p>Now, the good thing is some metrics to get nice scholarships are easier to earn than others. For instance, I heard USC (University of Southern California) gives a nice discount to National Merit Semifinalists; virtually any in-state school will knock tuition off significantly for students with a good SAT score (2100+, usually) and/or great grades.</p>
<p>Affordable tuition is plausible, but many students don’t look hard enough and end up resorting themselves to their in-state school (not that it’s a bad thing if they wanted to go there, but many students don’t fully search for every option, in my experience).</p>
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<p>i’m in GA and the only reason why alot of the kids here go to either Georgia Tech, UGA, or georgia southern is because we have in state tuition and the HOPE scholarship.</p>
<p>it’s much much MUCH cheaper. i’m just grateful that GT, one of the nation’s top universities, is in Georgia.</p>
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<p>You may be underestimating yourself, there. I don’t know much about you, so I’m not going to say you will get into at least one of those schools, but a 2120 with strong EC’s certainly may get a pleasant surprise on decision day (and I would know that for sure).</p>
<p>I live in NY and even though a lot of students would love to go to private universities that are more well-known, the price of a SUNY school makes it the better choice for most people. I could pay for three years at a SUNY school for what one year at some private schools cost.</p>
<p>So, money was problem. But I think if you can get student loan, it is great to go to very top colleges, I mean if anybody get accepted. You only get one chance (mostly one chance) to go to college, and it will follow you rest of our life…</p>
<p>@wcs381: You beat me to creating this thread.
I have been asking myself why almost everyone I know says they want to go to either a state university or BYU (not that there’s anything wrong with those schools, just why there isn’t more diversity in college choice).</p>
<p>wcs381: Excessive student loan debt will also follow you the rest of your life.</p>
<p>CommonIntuition: Money. I don’t think you realize how expensive it is to A. attend a private/out-of-state university and B. live on one’s own.</p>
<p>The majority of college students commute to a local university, usually public. Those of us who were lucky enough to move away and/or attend a private school are a relatively small minority.</p>
<p>I’m happy that Purdue’s in-state for me, and I want to be an engineer. So it just kind of worked out for me.</p>
<p>polarscribe:
I do realize that. But aigiqinf said that “top schools meet 100% of demonstrated need,” and I was just wondering why it seemed as if people I know don’t take that into consideration more.</p>
<p>Those top schools are such a tiny percentage of available slots that they’re not worth the bother for most people. The vast majority of private schools don’t have the resources for those kinds of deals and, otherwise, are outrageously expensive. ($50,000 per year?)</p>