Best non-stressful selective schools

[Anonymous]

Consider staying out of the Northeast, where the default speed of everything is higher than the rest of the country (eg, the time between when the light turns green & the guy behind you honks his horn).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You also might want to prep her that even though she's stacked an impressive HS resume, it might not be enough to get into "selective" schools.

You should do like everyone else, find a balanced list of schools and cross any off that are known to be cut-throat like Ivy, UChicago, etc.

+1

My kid has super high stats and initially wanted to go to CMU. Went to state flagship instead. It's a much better fit. CMU is way too intense for my DC who, even with high stats, is somewhat chill. DC is happy at the state flagship, and while it is less impressive than CMU, DC's mental health and happiness is, in the words of Mastercard, "pricesless".

CMU seems like a joyless place.

I agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:William & Mary

They have an entire wellness center focused on helping kids stay balanced.

William & Mary is a 2nd tier state school and not selective.

[Anonymous]

Open curriculum schools so she can take the classes she’s really into?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Avoid engineering

And premed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:William & Mary

They have an entire wellness center focused on helping kids stay balanced.

William & Mary is a 2nd tier state school and not selective.

W&M’s admissions rate is around 36%. That certainly meets the definition of selective.

[Anonymous]

My DS attended Denison.

When he applied the acceptance rate was reasonable and I would have said it was mildly selective.

He speaks highly of it and says everyone finds their niche.

I realize on this board it’s gets press because of the decline in its acceptance rate as it has worked to evolve its reputation.

But I’m a happy parent with a happy alum.

It’s a bit of a hike - we are from New England - but once you get out there it’s nice.

Best of luck to your and your child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS attended Denison.

When he applied the acceptance rate was reasonable and I would have said it was mildly selective.

He speaks highly of it and says everyone finds their niche.

I realize on this board it’s gets press because of the decline in its acceptance rate as it has worked to evolve its reputation.

But I’m a happy parent with a happy alum.

It’s a bit of a hike - we are from New England - but once you get out there it’s nice.

Best of luck to your and your child.

Denison has a higher percentage of its FT profs with a PhD than any Ivy League school, and a higher % of its classes have ,30 students than any Ivy, too. It's not surprising your kid liked it. Lots of attention from people who love their field of study.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You also might want to prep her that even though she's stacked an impressive HS resume, it might not be enough to get into "selective" schools.

You should do like everyone else, find a balanced list of schools and cross any off that are known to be cut-throat like Ivy, UChicago, etc.

My kid is at U Chicago and does not seem stressed. I think it's the kid.

[Anonymous]

MIT

[Anonymous]

Have her go through the list of Jesuit colleges and universities. They focus on service to others and inspire community. Some of the top ones: Georgetown, Boston College, Holy Cross, etc.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn’t rule out schools because they operate on the quarter system. Yes it’s fast paced but as someone who was a stress case in high school, I loved it because I didn’t have a whole semester worth of material to study and also remember for exams. And if I didn’t like a class, it was over fairly quick. I especially appreciated only having to take three classes at a time. I wasn’t spread as thin. I always had time for extracurriculars and a job, and I even played a sport. I wasn’t stressed at all about grades either because my classmates were more relaxed than my intense high school classmates. And this was an incredibly selective school.

[Anonymous]

Rice. The answer is Rice.

[Anonymous]

Macalester

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Consider staying out of the Northeast, where the default speed of everything is higher than the rest of the country (eg, the time between when the light turns green & the guy behind you honks his horn).

+1 Both of my kids wanted out of the east coast/stress atmosphere and left the area. The difference is noticeable from academics to housing and parking. Not as crazy, not as scarce, not everyone competing for the same scare resources.