<p>I think my son would have loved the House system school, but they didn’t accept him, and CMU was a great fit, however I did think their housing/eating system was a big minus. OTOH I was fascintated that he not only made friends within his class, but also with alumni. I don’t know too many schools where that would happen.</p>
<p>Mathmom, great alumni relations with the current campus environment is always a good sign for a possible applicant. When a cross-section of alumni remain motivated about the ACADEMIC reputation of their alma mater, their insight can be very helpful.</p>
<p>Spend some time and research which is the best fit for her. A few road trips, maybe Michigan first (do they let students sit in on classes, can she meet with some professors or students from the department she is targeting?).</p>
<p>If folks are going to spend tens of thousands of dollars, or get loans for that amount, it is worth a few road trips, like others said.</p>
<p>I would NOT use the #1 criteria for any of my kids’ college choices to be how my friends/family/neighbors feel about their choice. </p>
<p>But why did she apply to Michigan in the first place? </p>
<p>The most selective schools are often the most competitive. If that environment is the best for the student that’s great but it’s not for everyone. Also if they want to be involved in other activities, those need to be considered as well . For example, my smart but laid-back S would love to attend UMich and play in the marching band but even the band is competitive and he may end up not in it at all. Also research opportunities will be harder to attain in a highly motivated and talented student body. Some personality types will not do their best in this environment. Also consider the student’s maturity level - lots to deal with in that first year apart from academics. </p>
<p>She applied to michigan because 1) it has direct admit nursing with highly regarded program. 2) it’s closest to us of any good direct admit 3) it has a great reputation generally…at my work we prefer michigan grads though this may not matter as much with nursing. </p>
<p>It sounds like it was quite an accomplishment to get into Michigan’s nursing. </p>
<p>Michigan is EA, so there is no hurry. And they aren’t going to rescind their offer.</p>
<p>Enjoy the holidays and the new year, and smile when your friends or family comment on how she should hurry to take her spot at Michigan. She has time to decide.</p>
<p>@maya54, sounds like your daughter has some wonderful options. My advice: Let the process play out, encourage her to visit each school and get all her questions answered and concerns addressed. Once cost/value is factored in, let her choose the one that makes the most sense to her. HS seniors frequently change a lot over the course of a very long and stressful year. What is a priority in September may be a deal-breaker come April. Regardless, what the neighbors or inlaws think should only be given weight if they’re helping to pay your daughter’s college costs!</p>
<p>All other things equal, more prestige is better than less prestige. But, all other things aren’t always equal. And, picking the highest prestige path does not mean picking the highest prestige school today. Finally, my goal is not prestige, it is helping my kids chart a path to a fulfilling, successful adult life. The question is what is the best college but what is the path to a rewarding life (in the context of a world economy that is giving the rewards to the top 1% and people with specific, non-outsourceable skills.)</p>
<p>My son tells his friends that he knew I had his best interests at hear when I advised him to go to a high-end LAC rather than Harvard because he would benefit from minimal distribution requirements given his severe dyslexia and interests. One notch down in prestige, I’d guess, but I thought he could distinguish himself there with the distribution requirement and I also thought a smaller school would help professors see more quickly how bright he was. They did. He did his part with an immense amount of effort. He is now at a high prestige school (and clearly the most prestigious place in the world for what he is studying). My guess is that the prestige of his graduate school/program and the connections he is making/will make there will help him for many years to come. </p>
<p>Similarly, I’m not sure I’d advise pre-med students to go to the most prestigious schools as I don’t think med schools really weight GPAs by school. As such, while I’d advise them to go to a high-prestige med school if they want to do academic medicine, I’d focus on a good enough school that would enable them to get a higher GPA while competing with weaker competition and focus instead on a) MCATs and b) research or other activities that medical schools weight in admissions. I’m not in the medical area and neither kid wanted to become a doctor so I haven’t turned my analytical brain to to med school admissions, but if they aren’t interested in academic medicine, I don’t know how much medical school prestige actually matters.</p>
<p>My daughter transferred from (I’d guess) a higher prestige school where she was studying biology to lower prestige to pursue nursing. In part because the concrete nature of the subject suits her better and in part because she was probably at the top 5% or so in the new school, she did really well. She got an automatic admission to grad school as part of a 5 year BSN/MSN program, so she’ll be a nurse practitioner a bit before her 23rd birthday. She had been anxious about applications in the past and might have stopped after the BSN before applying for the MSN (and maybe not applied). Here, it was guaranteed. Also, she has done extremely well in her program (clearly the top kid) and she now has a lot of self-confidence she did not have before.</p>
<p>Again, all other things equal, prestige is great and I have benefitted from going to prestigious schools. But, prestige is not a goal but one potential means among many in establishing a fulfilling, successful adult life.</p>
<p>I think that @SomeOldGuy nails it. If she stays in nursing forever, it probably doesn’t matter at all where she goes, but if she changes her academic focus, UMich will likely offer more better options. And also agree that in either giant university, she can find plenty of students who are either in to or not in to athletics/tailgating (or any other activity).</p>
<p>That said, if she is pre-med, I would advise against a top public like UMich (otherwise, I’d tell her that she decides because she has to own the decision, but also lay out the advantages of UMich; what you don’t want to see happen is her making the decision based on reasoning that seems stupid to her a decade or even a year later; or is based on ill-conceived notions).</p>
<p>@Pizzagirl, in your example, I’d say that Lawrence is close to Amherst. To most of the population, almost any LAC not in the immediate vicinity isn’t very well known, and academics recognize that Lawrence is strong in the sciences, so the only group to whom Amherst would hold a greater cachet than Lawrence would be those I’d term the “coastal elites” (which has a negative connotation, but I can’t think of a more appropriate phrase) and those who put a heavy weight on USN rankings. . . but many/most in that group would put Stanford on a higher tier than ND as well. . . .</p>
<p>Yep, which just goes to show … prestige always needs to be qualified with “among whom?” </p>
<p>Well, to answer the original poster’s question… prestige if it is backed up with the best financial offer would carry far more weight with me. That is what the most prestigious school usually means, a bigger endowment and with lower or no loans.</p>
<p>Someone earlier commented that we all influence our kids, but some of us are more honest about it. And honestly, we get out the calculator and figure out loan payments. If the 50th ranked school gave a better offer, I’d encourage it over the 13th ranked school. But that generally only happens for National Merit Finalists.</p>
<p>" prestigious school usually means, a bigger endowment and with lower or no loans." - Yes, for need-based Financial Aid. But the very top schools don’t offer merit based scholarships. </p>
<p>“Among whom” includes graduate schools and human resource departments. Plus if you go to a school like Amherst or Williams, the alumni network will be smaller than an Ivy, but, based on personal experience, more committed to helping fellow grads. </p>
<p>“If she stays in nursing forever, it probably doesn’t matter at all where she goes”</p>
<p>I’d shift this to: If she stays a practicing clinical nurse forever, it doesn’t matter where she goes. If she wants to teach nursing someday, or if she wants to become head of a nursing service, it could be a plus to have a Michigan degree.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>@Hanna, I was under the impression that Pitt is well-respected in nursing.</p>
<p>It is. Michigan just might be a plus. If you’re being selected for a leadership role by a university dean or the executive running a hospital, that person may have a mindset that goes beyond nursing training. Pitt is great. I was just responding to the idea that if you stay in the nursing field, it doesn’t matter at all where you go. For some ambitious nurses, it can. That said, Michigan vs. Pitt is a much closer call than Michigan vs. insert-local-nursing college.</p>