Did anyone's kid choose quality of life/social factors over prestige?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pick Penn. The outcomes are far better. Penn Seas makes more than Wharton on average and is a much more serious academically rigorous school than UVA. Don’t be silly.

Have you read the thread? They are not as focused on "serious academically rigorous." They want to combine academics with fun. Which might be nuts to those here who are obsessed with "outcomes" but makes a lot of sense to me.

I would personally rather hire someone with some balance in their life than some rankings obsessed kid who is recalculating their GPA every three hours.

Clearly you do not have experience with average ivy vs uva students.

Yup. You know everything about everything.

[Anonymous]

At that level it doesn’t matter much (or at all) in terms of the name. Let the kid pick what they want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. He chose UMiami.

No one with a brain chooses Miami over better schools.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Northwestern is done. We did the accepted student day and she really did not like it. Didn't see herself there. She revisited UVA and loved it.

The issue that complicates the Penn and Columbia decisions is she hasn't visited either with students in session. We toured them briefly last summer and then toured Penn last week but just walked around Columbia with a friend of a friend (the undergrads are gone for the year and they are on a break from tours until June). It's been very hard to get a feel for the social scenes.

She wants fun mixed with strong academics. Very social kid. Traditional greek life (or so she says, as I mentioned above I'm not sure she knows what this really is).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In this case the schools are largely the same so prestige doesn't matter so the child can choose the more social school without sacrificing academics and prestige.

But in other cases one has to consider the peer group. The other kids might be "fun" but will your kid have a lot in common with them? Will these kids go on to do the same level of things that grads of the higher ranked schools do? For many of us, our college friends are our lifelong friend group and network.

Agree peer group matters for all the reasons.
But UVA students are not at all the same peer group as northwestern and the ivies.

You are grossly underestimating UVA peer group. Grossly.

Top 10% at UVA might equal top 50% at Penn or Northwestern. Just a rough sketch.

[Anonymous]

Yes, my kid is transferring out of a T20 for a school about 20 schools lower in the ranking pool because they want a better quality of life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, Alabama over Tulane, Michigan and a few other higher rated schools. Worked out amazingly well, better than we could have imagined.

OP do not listen to this goobley gook no one picks Alabama over a higher rated school.

Not only is that fiscally irresponsible Alabama has no track to networking or jobs. It is full of students from the state with the worst education in the US>

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In this case the schools are largely the same so prestige doesn't matter so the child can choose the more social school without sacrificing academics and prestige.

But in other cases one has to consider the peer group. The other kids might be "fun" but will your kid have a lot in common with them? Will these kids go on to do the same level of things that grads of the higher ranked schools do? For many of us, our college friends are our lifelong friend group and network.

Agree peer group matters for all the reasons.
But UVA students are not at all the same peer group as northwestern and the ivies.

You are grossly underestimating UVA peer group. Grossly.

Top 10% at UVA might equal top 50% at Penn or Northwestern. Just a rough sketch.

Incorrect, especially for UVA vs. Northwestern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, my kid is transferring out of a T20 for a school about 20 schools lower in the ranking pool because they want a better quality of life.

OP here. Better in what way? Can you elaborate on what their experience has been and what they hope for in their new school? Thank you!

[Anonymous]

OP, what do you mean by social/quality of life? My penn seas DD picked it because of social fit and ability to continue music and be an engineer. She just finished freshman year with a 3.91. The two other top-12 she got accepted to had a similar feel but Penn edged them out with arts and collaboration among engineering evident at admitted days. UVA is very Greek-forward, fewer club spots for freshmen than penn, arts are not easy to do as an engineeri and not at all the quality of life she wanted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, my kid is transferring out of a T20 for a school about 20 schools lower in the ranking pool because they want a better quality of life.

No they are spoiled and need to come back to their HS friends this will work out great in 10 years they will be low manager or no job at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, Alabama over Tulane, Michigan and a few other higher rated schools. Worked out amazingly well, better than we could have imagined.

OP do not listen to this goobley gook no one picks Alabama over a higher rated school.

Not only is that fiscally irresponsible Alabama has no track to networking or jobs. It is full of students from the state with the worst education in the US>

Look at who spoke at Alabama graduation this year (Trump). That might explain it. Too many of those darn libs at Michigan for the MAGA-loving poster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. He chose UMiami.

No one with a brain chooses Miami over better schools.

sorry your kid didn't get in
best 4 years ever!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In this case the schools are largely the same so prestige doesn't matter so the child can choose the more social school without sacrificing academics and prestige.

But in other cases one has to consider the peer group. The other kids might be "fun" but will your kid have a lot in common with them? Will these kids go on to do the same level of things that grads of the higher ranked schools do? For many of us, our college friends are our lifelong friend group and network.

Agree peer group matters for all the reasons.
But UVA students are not at all the same peer group as northwestern and the ivies.

You are grossly underestimating UVA peer group. Grossly.

Top 10% at UVA might equal top 50% at Penn or Northwestern. Just a rough sketch.

That tracks based on available data. UVA pre-test optional had a 75th %ile SAT of 1480.
Penn had 1560 as the 75th and 1470 as the 25th. The top 1/4 at UVA is about the same as the top 3/4 at Penn. You either have a kid who is ready for it and can handle it or you don’t. Since they got in RD to Northwestern and Berkeley they can probably handle it. Challenge leads to growth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, my kid is transferring out of a T20 for a school about 20 schools lower in the ranking pool because they want a better quality of life.

Transferring out of a T20 is code for couldnt hack being average or below.