Worried about school name snobbery/hierarchy

College Search & Selection
1

<p>In conversations with others yesterday, some who are in college but home for the weekend and some who are in high school, there seems to be an idea that if you COULD get in to X school, you would go there. </p>

<p>One guy went to Baylor. He started talking about the Ivy League schools and said that if a person could get in to an Ivy, of course they would go there. And that he hopes to go to one for grad school. He likes where he is at, but he definitely would have chosen Ivy or Stanford if he could have gotten in. When I mentioned that I might not even apply to UT Austin, or any "elite" schools (I did not mention the one elite school I do plan to apply to) he seemed to just not get why.</p>

<p>Then to add to it, my very good friend, no longer boyfriend as he is long distance now, cannot seem to understand why I am not applying to schools like HYP or U of Chicago, especially since I had a parent graduate from one of those schools. </p>

<p>We had some events with school over the weekend which is what led to some of these conversations, but, the general student body at my Texas high school seems to think if you can get in to TAMU or UTAustin, you would definitely go there. But for me, I have sat in on classes and was miserable in the large lecture classes and loved the smaller, more conversational classes. As a result, if I do not get in to my first choice ED school, the other schools on my list are Trinity University, Austin College, Hendrix, and Rhodes. I also am planning to look at OU. I hear they might be smaller and have a lot to offer that I would like. Money is also an issue, so even if I loved large classes at the state U, I probably won't be able to afford TAMU or UTA anyway. I know I could get a lot more financial aid if I headed east, but I spent a portion of my summer traveling and realized that I like home....I like Texas. </p>

<p>I know I sound like I am being silly, but while I love some of these schools for what they are, the smaller ones, I worry I am making a mistake, based on the reactions of others when I tell them that I am passing on the bigger named schools for a smaller, lessor known, LAC. Please give me good advice. The consensus here (people from here near my own age) is that the only people who would go elsewhere, not UTA or TAMU, are the ones who got rejected from UTA or TAMU. Unless of course you head to a better known college far way, such as HYP or Harvey Mudd (which seems to be well liked at my high school) or Stanford, etc.</p>

2

<p>You sound like you know what you want. Good for you! Don’t substitute someone else’s judgment for your own. Apply to schools that you like, where you would be happy, and that have academic programs that interest you. Make sure you have one or two safety schools on your list – places that your family can afford and where you will almost certainly get in. Location, cost, academic programs, social fit, family tradition, and athletic allegiances are all reasons that students apply to some colleges over others. You have already mentioned location, cost, and social fit. That sounds sensible to me.</p>

<p>I don’t think you’re silly because you have doubts. However, I hope you will stand firm and keep your level-headed way of looking at what you want in life. You know yourself and what would be best for you more than these other people do. Life is too short to try to conform to someone else’s idea of prestige. </p>

<p>The Baylor guy must not have been reading his Baylor news! Two years ago a young woman turned down Harvard, Duke, and Rice for Baylor. [Incoming</a> freshman explains why she turned down Harvard, Duke and Rice for Baylor « Baylor Proud](<a href=“http://www2.baylor.edu/baylorproud/2011/07/incoming-freshman-explains-why-she-turned-down-harvard-duke-and-rice-for-baylor/]Incoming”>BaylorProud » Incoming freshman explains why she turned down Harvard, Duke and Rice for Baylor)</p>

3

<p>You do sound like you know what you want and have good reasons for choosing the schools you like. If your friends don’t support those choices, then change the subject. You’ll find new friends who support your choice (which will be their choice too) if you go away to college.</p>

<p>For most liberal arts majors, the quality of education at schools like Hendrix or Rhodes compares very favorably to what you’d get at TAMU or UT-A. Back East the snobbery often works in the other direction (against state schools and in favor of private schools big or small). Either way, uninformed snobbery is not a very reliable guide.</p>

<p>If you like the smaller classes of a LAC like Hendrix but do want to consider a more prestigious school … and also would prefer not to leave Texas … then you have one obvious choice.That’s Rice University. One of the best reasons to consider Rice is that it has excellent need-based financial aid (as well as relatively generous merit aid compared to most other highly selective private universities). But then, it’s very hard to get in. Hendrix and Rhodes are excellent as well as less selective.</p>

4

<p>Rice is the school I am applying to ED. I love that school! It is perfect in every way for me! But it is very hard to get in to and I keep feeling like my essays and short answers might not be good enough. I think my essay is great now. But I am still working on the short answers. Most are done, I hope to be done by the end of the day in fact.</p>

5

<p>Employers do know the “prestigious” liberal arts schools as well as ones in their area (if you plan to be working in that area). ie St. Louis University isn’t as “prestigious” of a school nationwide, but has a good reputation in the Midwest.</p>

<p>To be honest, the “prestige” of schools is really hyped up, and unfortunately pushes people into these decisions that end up making their 4 years really bad, so I’ve heard. Follow your instict…</p>

6

<p>Your instincts are good and your reasoning sound. Anyway, never base your choices on someone else’s, especially when they base their choice for you on their knowledge of either a football team or a vague sense “everyone knows the name so it must be good”. The same people who acclaim Harvard may think nothing of Amherst, for example, and extol TAMU over Wellesley. :slight_smile:
Addendum: Perhaps if you could go a little farther away without “going East” too much you could look into Davidson, another very respectable LAC.</p>

7

<p>I totally understand what it feels like to have other students ask why you’re not applying to all the top schools. Just today, I overheard a few people from my class really bashing… Georgia Tech, I think it was. I was pretty shocked. </p>

<p>There was also somebody who was ranting about how Cornell College, a “terrible place” wouldn’t leave him alone because he accidentally forgot that Cornell University is different than Cornell College. </p>

<p>So, basically at my school, so many people are hellbent on those Ivy Leagues and a few select others. I am not - I’m not even applying to one Ivy. People are pretty confused when I tell them this. But really, it’s not up to them to decide where you or I decide to apply. I also prefer smaller class sizes, although I’m more looking towards medium sized university/colleges. </p>

<p>Good job in articulating what you want, and well, I think it matters more what you do at the school than just going to a specific school…</p>

8

<p>I don’t think so. I passed on some bigger name schools for my smaller, lesser-known LAC, and I don’t regret it. I got a great education and I love my LAC and I still donate as an alumna. You know what’s best for you, so do what you know to be best. Some people prefer the small classes; others don’t really want to deal with the competition at top schools, and would rather be a big fish in a small pond, and that’s okay too. Some people just really need the merit aid (which is one of the reasons I chose my small LAC over bigger-named schools - they gave me a full scholarship).</p>

<p>However, I will say that you’re more likely to be able to afford TAMU or UT-Austin than an OOS public. Hendrix or Rhodes may give you some merit aid, though.</p>