People with kids at a safety school — How are they doing?

[Anonymous]

^ idea of a top private.

[Anonymous]

Any big state/football school in the south breeds the happiest students. Auburn, Alabama, USC, GA, Ole Miss, Fla State, UF, LSU. A happy...and drunk 4 or usually 5 years...with a rabid alumni network that will make sure your DC becomes successful and...a regular university donor. It's a script that has proven itself over and over but y'all are so obsessed with those NE schools you miss this blissful and well worn path to a life of success and comfort and happiness.

[Anonymous]

My DD is at Pitt, with a merit scholarship. She was waitlisted at many top 20 schools and rejected at top 10. We were there for parents weekend and she told us she is so happy she is at Pitt. That everything happens for a reason, that she likes her classes, suite-mates, the city (has been to Pirates, Steelers and Penguins games in the past 2.5 months) and is so glad she is at Pitt.

It was her safety school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD is at Pitt, with a merit scholarship. She was waitlisted at many top 20 schools and rejected at top 10. We were there for parents weekend and she told us she is so happy she is at Pitt. That everything happens for a reason, that she likes her classes, suite-mates, the city (has been to Pirates, Steelers and Penguins games in the past 2.5 months) and is so glad she is at Pitt.

It was her safety school.

Pitt is a great example of a "safety" school which will be a destination school within the next decade if not sooner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, that's all made up.

You don't have kids at top private. People are crazy. And obnoxious. I can totally believe a parent was made to feel embarrassed their DC was going to Indiana. Not that they should feel that way, or have any reason to feel that way, but that they did, and I appreciate the honesty. I recently had a parent at my DCs school tell me that another DC was going to INdiana, but they quickly followed up with "they're in Kelley," which is the Business School. Indiana is a great school in a great college town.

Help me understand though. What makes these privates "top privates"?? And what did you (and other parents) think college process will end up? Did you honestly think there aren't enough smart/qualified kids in public??

- np

Come on. You know. The top privates are the name brand schools. Where parents think the "college process will end up" varies greatly by parent. I have a kid at one of these and I'd say that at least 80% of the parent body went to top 50 schools themselves. Probably 50% went to top 20 schools. So they hope for the same or their kids, although college admissions are entirely different today than they were in the late 80s or early 90s. Some of their kids are incredibly smart and some are just bright but all have worked really hard. I have a two kids in public and one in a top private and the amount of work the private school expects dwarfs the expectations of the public school. These kids are really put through their paces with reading, writing, etc. It's a grind. There are no retakes, no late assignments, just continual stream of homework and more homework. So I can see why parents expect a decent college result because their kids have slogged through a lot. It's sink or swim. Those who graduate (and kids are counseled out) are pretty impressive even if they were not outlying geniuses to start with. They've been beaten into being great writers, etc.

I have yet to go through the college admissions process but I'm dreading it. Almost everyone wants the same schools. Clearly that won't come close to happening.

We have been pleasantly surprised to find that it is not true that almost everyone wants the same schools. Smart kids really invest in finding the school that best meets what they want and need and often it isn't the schools you'd expect the "top kids" to apply to. It makes one look at all those lists of where kids from X school go to college in a whole new light after you've been through the process. There are so many more important factors that kids care about than rank and prestige and where mom and dad went.

[Anonymous]

I have a friend who went to a top DC private who ended up at Penn followed by Chicago law. Her parents still consider her "not that smart" because she didn't get into HYP for undergrad. Some parents are just nutty.

[Anonymous]

UC Boulder has basically become a MoCo satellite campus.......

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Choosing the right safety school is important. Feel free to share any comments, experiences, or advice if this applies to you.

My kid's safety was Indiana. He was at a fancy private school and for a while he was embarrassed and truth be told so was I. He had been shut out of all the SLACs, and mid-tier mid-sized universities (Lehigh, Bucknell, etc.). 3 years later, he is happier than any one of his high school classmates and is the only one who has lined up a great internship which has a good chance of turning into a permanent offer upon graduation.

What? Did he take a poll?

Ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Choosing the right safety school is important. Feel free to share any comments, experiences, or advice if this applies to you.

My kid's safety was Indiana. He was at a fancy private school and for a while he was embarrassed and truth be told so was I. He had been shut out of all the SLACs, and mid-tier mid-sized universities (Lehigh, Bucknell, etc.). 3 years later, he is happier than any one of his high school classmates and is the only one who has lined up a great internship which has a good chance of turning into a permanent offer upon graduation.

Is he in Kelley though?

I tried so hard to convince DS to apply to Indiana, could have been direct admit to Kelley and Honors. He wanted something closer to a city. Bummer, beautiful campus, great school and not impossible to get in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UC Boulder has basically become a MoCo satellite campus.......

I thought that was Clemson

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Choosing the right safety school is important. Feel free to share any comments, experiences, or advice if this applies to you.

My kid's safety was Indiana. He was at a fancy private school and for a while he was embarrassed and truth be told so was I. He had been shut out of all the SLACs, and mid-tier mid-sized universities (Lehigh, Bucknell, etc.). 3 years later, he is happier than any one of his high school classmates and is the only one who has lined up a great internship which has a good chance of turning into a permanent offer upon graduation.

Is he in Kelley though?

I tried so hard to convince DS to apply to Indiana, could have been direct admit to Kelley and Honors. He wanted something closer to a city. Bummer, beautiful campus, great school and not impossible to get in.

I grew up in the midwest and Indiana (or "IU" as we all called it) was where a lot of my very smart high school friends went--it was considered to be maybe a notch down from Michigan but very strong--maybe in the same league as Wisconsin. And everyone that I knew who went there loved it.

[Anonymous]

My DC in at Indiana, waiting on the Kelley admit. Well within the range for direct admit with SAT and GPA stats. For those in the know, how did you hear from Kelley? Got an email for the IU admit, does Kelley do the same or is it just via the portal? Also, do they usually let you know within 6 weeks of the university admit? Thanks for any info!

[Anonymous]

Michigan and Northwestern dominate the Big 10, but honestly any Big 10 school will provide a top notch education and generate a lot of school spirit. Can’t go wrong!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UC Boulder has basically become a MoCo satellite campus.......

I thought that was Clemson

Actually 10 years ago it was USC (South Carolina). Not sure if this is still the case. Great school if folks out there want a school which will provide a solid education in a fun atmosphere though you have to love football and southern culture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any big state/football school in the south breeds the happiest students. Auburn, Alabama, USC, GA, Ole Miss, Fla State, UF, LSU. A happy...and drunk 4 or usually 5 years...with a rabid alumni network that will make sure your DC becomes successful and...a regular university donor. It's a script that has proven itself over and over but y'all are so obsessed with those NE schools you miss this blissful and well worn path to a life of success and comfort and happiness.

I went to one of those schools eons ago. It’s not all you are saying…