Does anyone actually care where someone, other than their child, goes to college?

[Anonymous]

people do care when an athlete goes to a "better" college.

[Anonymous]

People care a lot more at high schools that don’t rank, imho. Silence doesn’t eliminate stress, just displaces it, and increases the stakes for the one piece of information related to academic achievement that people basically have to disclose: college matriculations. That’s why folks get salty when athletes, etc., jump the line.

[Anonymous]

Another thing that social media has ruined. Doesn't stop at admissions either - wait until rush, internship announcements, etc. Constant competition from people who cannot stop posting about every single second of their lives.

[Anonymous]

Yes and No.

DS ended up going to an instate school due to finances. He could have (and got in) to much higher ranked schools than he ended up attending (got into schools ranked in the 50s and ended up at one closer to 200.) It isn't his dream school, but it was what we could afford without massive debt.

But all in all, I am happy that he is in school, doing well, and neither he nor we will end up with debt at the end.

[Anonymous]

Of course people care. Almost everyone cares and is impressed by names of smart-kid schools. The reaction was the same everywhere when I graduated my T10 years ago. The name causes people to assume you are smart. It is a very predictable reaction and happened at every level of job seeking and meeting fellow parents at the preschool and up. The name should not matter as much but it does. In my job more than half of the leaders went to ivy/elite names so no one cares anymore because everyone treats each other the same at this level. When we hire we try not to care but it comes up sometimes.

[Anonymous]

I'm curious about where my kid's friends are going, and always happy to hear about *any* school they're going to, be it community college, technical school, or the big state university.

I couldn't care less what anyone else thinks about my kids' college choices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If someone else’s kid gets into HYPS and yours is at JMU (or maybe even UVA) then you know on some level you’re going to feel salty about it.

I would rather my kid go to uva! Better fit and less money. Great school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm curious about where my kid's friends are going, and always happy to hear about *any* school they're going to, be it community college, technical school, or the big state university.

I couldn't care less what anyone else thinks about my kids' college choices.

Me too, I like education so I’m always curious.

[Anonymous]

I care because I know people will judge negatively. I am trying very hard not to care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m very non-intense about college but that’s because I remember the deep stress of it when I was in high school and I don’t think it’s necessary. I think kids can thrive and excel, or not, in a lot of colleges. There are a few career paths where it matters more, but only for the middling people.

+1 to the bolded

Frankly, I think the fixation on ranks and tiers is a disservice to kids, as though parents don't think they can be successful w/o the name brand to prop them up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If someone else’s kid gets into HYPS and yours is at JMU (or maybe even UVA) then you know on some level you’re going to feel salty about it.

My kid went to JMU and truly is a superstar. STFU if you think that way. It’s insane. Only thing I’m salty about is the people who talk down to people for just living their lives the way they want and being envious and condescending about their success for reasons that make absolutely no sense to a rational human being. You are a loser PP.

That doesn't sound salty at all.

[Anonymous]

I care where the one toxic friend lands.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Of course people care. Almost everyone cares and is impressed by names of smart-kid schools. The reaction was the same everywhere when I graduated my T10 years ago. The name causes people to assume you are smart. It is a very predictable reaction and happened at every level of job seeking and meeting fellow parents at the preschool and up. The name should not matter as much but it does. In my job more than half of the leaders went to ivy/elite names so no one cares anymore because everyone treats each other the same at this level. When we hire we try not to care but it comes up sometimes.

Yeah, this surprised me. I went in-state because it's all my parents could afford. My kid is at an Ivy and my kid didn't post on Instagram and we didn't broadcast it--but when I'm with him and people ask where is attending school--there is a lot of 'oh wow', 'holy cow' type stuff. One grandpa (asian) of my kid's friends started poking his finger and shouting 'ivy, ivy' in a grocery store which highly embarrassed us. lol
I will say, after having a kid at a non-Ivy it really is a much different reaction from people, more than the usual 'that's great', etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Of course people care. Almost everyone cares and is impressed by names of smart-kid schools. The reaction was the same everywhere when I graduated my T10 years ago. The name causes people to assume you are smart. It is a very predictable reaction and happened at every level of job seeking and meeting fellow parents at the preschool and up. The name should not matter as much but it does. In my job more than half of the leaders went to ivy/elite names so no one cares anymore because everyone treats each other the same at this level. When we hire we try not to care but it comes up sometimes.

Agree with this. But what's annoying is that so many of the kids, that I know of at least, are getting into top schools because of athletics. And some of these kids are no smarter than anyone else.

[Anonymous]

Of course I care where the kids I love go! All the kids!