Why would you pay full freight to send your kid to Middlebury?

[Anonymous]

Boy this is a dumb thread even by DCUM standards. Still, I'll add my two cents.

All of our kids are five years or more out of college. When they were applying most were very good students and we were, to put it mildly, full pay. Yet it never occurred either to them or to us to pay ridiculous amounts of money for a college education. Study after study has shown that the only group of students who does significantly better in life by attending an "elite" college over, say, a state school, are URMs from modest economic backgrounds. Fast forward five or ten years post graduation, for the vast majority of DCUM posters you won't be able to tell which of your kid's friends went to State U a school like Middlebury. It simply doesn't matter. It won't even matter at cocktail parties -- instead of bragging about what school your kid got into, you'll be bragging about their job.

[Anonymous]

PP here. I mean OR a school like MIddlebury

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Boy this is a dumb thread even by DCUM standards. Still, I'll add my two cents.

All of our kids are five years or more out of college. When they were applying most were very good students and we were, to put it mildly, full pay. Yet it never occurred either to them or to us to pay ridiculous amounts of money for a college education. Study after study has shown that the only group of students who does significantly better in life by attending an "elite" college over, say, a state school, are URMs from modest economic backgrounds. Fast forward five or ten years post graduation, for the vast majority of DCUM posters you won't be able to tell which of your kid's friends went to State U a school like Middlebury. It simply doesn't matter. It won't even matter at cocktail parties -- instead of bragging about what school your kid got into, you'll be bragging about their job.

Not even worth two cents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:College of Wooster is just as good as Middlebury. Better calibre of people, too.

Excellent. Care to support that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:College of Wooster is just as good as Middlebury. Better calibre of people, too.

And THAT's why they have college counselors.

[Anonymous]

Wooster 6 year graduation rate: 75%
Middlebury 6 year graduation rate: 90%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wooster 6 year graduation rate: 75%
Middlebury 6 year graduation rate: 90%

You and your pesky facts. This is the internet, where people just say stuff.

[Anonymous]

Middleburry Cheerleader sure has a lot of time on her hands.

[Anonymous]

OP, very clever stealth marketing for the.school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College of Wooster is just as good as Middlebury. Better calibre of people, too.

Excellent. Care to support that?

I think they offer different things to different people. And that’s not taking anything away from Middlebury nor am I agreeing with the assertion. I do wonder about PhD placement as I suspect Wooster may punch (significantly) above its weight class. And the truth is schools attract their own tribes. My DD would have went to Denison but refused to go to W&L after visiting and being admitted. There’s no doubt W&L is a fine school with a very high caliber cohort but that doesn’t mean it would have been the right environment for my DD.

And for the record my DD was waitlisted at Midd. Had she been accepted and the numbers worked I would have pushed hard for it as I think it’s an excellent school. I will say that if you look at their ED vs RD stats they remind of a Kenyon in terms of their (lack of) SES diversity (as in aka Club Midd) which I actually think is important. There’s a real world out there - nothing wrong with our kids experiencing it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College of Wooster is just as good as Middlebury. Better calibre of people, too.

Excellent. Care to support that?

I think they offer different things to different people. And that’s not taking anything away from Middlebury nor am I agreeing with the assertion. I do wonder about PhD placement as I suspect Wooster may punch (significantly) above its weight class. And the truth is schools attract their own tribes. My DD would have went to Denison but refused to go to W&L after visiting and being admitted. There’s no doubt W&L is a fine school with a very high caliber cohort but that doesn’t mean it would have been the right environment for my DD.

And for the record my DD was waitlisted at Midd. Had she been accepted and the numbers worked I would have pushed hard for it as I think it’s an excellent school. I will say that if you look at their ED vs RD stats they remind of a Kenyon in terms of their (lack of) SES diversity (as in aka Club Midd) which I actually think is important. There’s a real world out there - nothing wrong with our kids experiencing it.

Nicely written and sensible. Nothing like the goofball blanket Wooster > Middlebury statement above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wooster 6 year graduation rate: 75%
Middlebury 6 year graduation rate: 90%

You and your pesky facts. This is the internet, where people just say stuff.

'
So a school that is made up almost entirely of extremely high performers and is predominately affluent students has a high graduation rate. YOU DON'T SAY! What does that have to do with quality of education? I'm FAR more impressed by a school that may have lower barriers to entry but can help those kids to great places. A school that already only accepts the best of the best? Meh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wooster 6 year graduation rate: 75%
Middlebury 6 year graduation rate: 90%

You and your pesky facts. This is the internet, where people just say stuff.

'
So a school that is made up almost entirely of extremely high performers and is predominately affluent students has a high graduation rate. YOU DON'T SAY! What does that have to do with quality of education? I'm FAR more impressed by a school that may have lower barriers to entry but can help those kids to great places. A school that already only accepts the best of the best? Meh.

Cool story.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Boy this is a dumb thread even by DCUM standards. Still, I'll add my two cents.

All of our kids are five years or more out of college. When they were applying most were very good students and we were, to put it mildly, full pay. Yet it never occurred either to them or to us to pay ridiculous amounts of money for a college education. Study after study has shown that the only group of students who does significantly better in life by attending an "elite" college over, say, a state school, are URMs from modest economic backgrounds. Fast forward five or ten years post graduation, for the vast majority of DCUM posters you won't be able to tell which of your kid's friends went to State U a school like Middlebury. It simply doesn't matter. It won't even matter at cocktail parties -- instead of bragging about what school your kid got into, you'll be bragging about their job.

You and your pesky facts. This is the internet, where people just say stuff.

[Anonymous]

Wow, I sure am glad i don't live where you people do, where apparently they force you to attend Middlebury against your will.

Where I live, if you don't like a college you just don't go there, and if you don't want to pay for (or can't afford) a thing you just don't buy it.

Trust me, it's a great way of life.