Kid choosing the lesser option for their major/interest

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:okay, it's Georgetown or Dartmouth

I am in the Georgetown and Brown camp. Yeah, SFS is probably better but that’s not the point: two great schools so son gets to choose. Worrying about grad school costs or kid’s “”lesser” Brown future at this point is silly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So--kid got into the best school for their major/area of interest hands down- T20. Problem--it's local, just a few miles from the house (though required to live on campus 3 years) and very much like current HS.

Also- got into a T10 that is fantastic/top-ranked, but in area of interest say #6-7 instead of #1 like school above.

Reading websites, it's clear the first school offer so much more, as well as likely have job and can do a 5-year combined program.

However, kid is ecstatic about the other school and doesn't seem to care about the offerings as much. I'm glad to see him so excited about a school because he seemed more 'resigned' vs excited for the first school and felt like we were forcing him there. He has in his head the kids and place is too competitive, people seem stressed. But, I think he's seeing what he wants to see and know so many people that went there and absolutely loved it.

My spouse is all on the Ivy train with him (2nd school), but I am being practical and just don't see the advantage.

Guess it's just a vent. But--at what point do you let the kid just go to the school that offers less in their area of interest than push them towards the one that is hands-down better for them?

I'd vote for "whenever the kid wants," but even if you're pushing more than that for a particular choice this feels like a bad place to do it. The #6 school for their interest (which might change!) is a pretty good place to be for that interest and sounds like a good school that he's excited to attend. That's a great outcome. Be happy with that.

I agree. But, 6 offers so much less other than its an Ivy in this field. The other one is #1 across the board with countless opportunities and offerings.

Frankly, I'm worried to pay that much (we are full pay) for him to go to the Ivy and come out without a job/prospects and then have to continute to pay $90k for additional schooling.

Legitimate concern. However, if the major is IR, government, or similar, then the student will likely need to earn a graduate degree to get a good job. Internships are very important with respect to post-undergraduate employment.

Is it a legitimate concern to think a student will not get a job coming out of an Ivy that is ranked in the top 10 for the area of study? Such an overblown concern.

Actually, this is a very real and reasonable concern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Might be JHU (even though not an Ivy) versus Georgetown (even though not a top 20 ranked university).

I wrote the above.

Since it is Georgetown (SFS ?) versus Dartmouth College for a DMV full-pay student, the option is Dartmouth College even for IR type study. If not admitted to the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown, then the easy--and correct--option is Dartmouth College.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a Govt/International Relations major from Dartmouth married to a Georgetown alum. Govt is one of the largest majors at Dartmouth and has a lot of special programs, including a study abroad program at the London School of Economics, Rockefeller Internship Program, etc. Also, the D-plan allows Dartmouth students to get internships in the fall/winter/spring terms at places like the White House, Wall Street, etc. without having to compete against the thousands of kids who apply for the same summer internships. I did a senior thesis and considered going to grad school, but decided to go to Harvard Law instead, and there were many more Dartmouth alums at HLS than Georgetown alums, fwiw. For sure Georgetown is amazing, but I just wanted to share my experience. Did you visit the two campuses? If not, you should - Dartmouth's campus is way nicer, safer, and feels more like a community, according to DH. I'm sure one of the current students will be happy to give your child a tour of Silsby Hall, which houses the Govt dept.

It’s Georgetown and Brown

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a Govt/International Relations major from Dartmouth married to a Georgetown alum. Govt is one of the largest majors at Dartmouth and has a lot of special programs, including a study abroad program at the London School of Economics, Rockefeller Internship Program, etc. Also, the D-plan allows Dartmouth students to get internships in the fall/winter/spring terms at places like the White House, Wall Street, etc. without having to compete against the thousands of kids who apply for the same summer internships. I did a senior thesis and considered going to grad school, but decided to go to Harvard Law instead, and there were many more Dartmouth alums at HLS than Georgetown alums, fwiw. For sure Georgetown is amazing, but I just wanted to share my experience. Did you visit the two campuses? If not, you should - Dartmouth's campus is way nicer, safer, and feels more like a community, according to DH. I'm sure one of the current students will be happy to give your child a tour of Silsby Hall, which houses the Govt dept.

I’m guessing because Georgetown has a law school and Dartmouth does not—is part of it ^^many GU do law there too

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School of their choice is best and it will likely be better for them to have more distance from home. And for that major, it doesn’t really matter as long as both schools have strong programs and name recognition. I was a Intl Relations grad and most people went into different areas (communications/marketing, business, or even IT). For something more technical it might matter more. But it’s good to start trusting your kid to make these decisions.

+1
But - for IR the kid will almost certainly need to do grad school either way.

I have two IR majors and neither did grad school. Both have excellent jobs.
DP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School of their choice is best and it will likely be better for them to have more distance from home. And for that major, it doesn’t really matter as long as both schools have strong programs and name recognition. I was a Intl Relations grad and most people went into different areas (communications/marketing, business, or even IT). For something more technical it might matter more. But it’s good to start trusting your kid to make these decisions.

+1
But - for IR the kid will almost certainly need to do grad school either way.

I have two IR majors and neither did grad school. Both have excellent jobs.
DP

Where did your kids do undergrad?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So--kid got into the best school for their major/area of interest hands down- T20. Problem--it's local, just a few miles from the house (though required to live on campus 3 years) and very much like current HS.

Also- got into a T10 that is fantastic/top-ranked, but in area of interest say #6-7 instead of #1 like school above.

Reading websites, it's clear the first school offer so much more, as well as likely have job and can do a 5-year combined program.

However, kid is ecstatic about the other school and doesn't seem to care about the offerings as much. I'm glad to see him so excited about a school because he seemed more 'resigned' vs excited for the first school and felt like we were forcing him there. He has in his head the kids and place is too competitive, people seem stressed. But, I think he's seeing what he wants to see and know so many people that went there and absolutely loved it.

My spouse is all on the Ivy train with him (2nd school), but I am being practical and just don't see the advantage.

Guess it's just a vent. But--at what point do you let the kid just go to the school that offers less in their area of interest than push them towards the one that is hands-down better for them?

Let the student pick. Most change majors so area of interest ranking higher is not a valid concern for Undergraduate, especially when the “lower” area is at the T10, the better overall school as far as all areas, global reputation, grad/career tracking, and more

[Anonymous]

Imagine having every advantage in life and still being a miserable neurotic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Might be JHU (even though not an Ivy) versus Georgetown (even though not a top 20 ranked university).

I wrote the above.

Since it is Georgetown (SFS ?) versus Dartmouth College for a DMV full-pay student, the option is Dartmouth College even for IR type study. If not admitted to the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown, then the easy--and correct--option is Dartmouth College.

Based on the IR rankings from one website, the schools appear to be Georgetown & Brown, not Georgetown & Dartmouth as posted earlier in this thread.

[Anonymous]

This was MANY years ago, but I went to college thinking I would major in IR and that lasted until about orientation when I saw how many requirements there were in that major!

So, I am in the camp that the specific major your 18 y.o. has in mind does not matter that much!

[Anonymous]

Everyone goes to grad school anyway it doesn’t matter. Few people end up picking their career at 18. Lat him go to the school he wants. An Ivy undergrad is worth the investment.

[Anonymous]

If it is Brown, they have an excellent DC program. I understand the appeal of Georgetown for IR, but I see no downside for Brown. My kid is thriving there.(not IR, though). As others have said, your kid's interests may change. Let him go where he wants. He will have great options from either school. (Same for Dartmouth if that is the school. Or jhu or Northwestern).

[Anonymous]

Is this the first time in DCUM history that a parent was pissed that their kid was accepted to an Ivy they could afford & wanted to go?

[Anonymous]

I think this is a nonissue. That’s a tough degree to make work after undergrad only regardless unless your kid is very strategic with languages etc. (I was an IR major at an Ivy)

Does he want to join the FS? The school doesn’t really matter.