Where do normal kids go to college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That lengthy sensible post is very wrong about one thing, though. The PP guesses about 10% of college students attend T50 schools. It’s actually under 5%. And under one half of one percent attend T10 schools. And remember that only about 60% of high school seniors go to college. The DMV is full of parents who are quite properly proud of their 95th percentile children, who correctly perceive that those children are far above average, but who simply don’t understand the math.

Thanks for correcting my assumptions - and glad the percentages are even lower than I assumed!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Radford

I know you were probably being sarcastic, but our daughter has Radford as a top choice. It is a lovely campus with very nice facilities. They are building a gorgeous new arts facility that has my daughter VERY excited. The gym/exercise facility is also really great - 3 floors of exercise equipment.

I went to an accepted student reception in Fairfax last night and had nice conversations with a student and several admissions folks. The new-ish president really seems to be doing good things to expand social/rec offerings for their students, including working out a deal with Tech for a Radford student section at Tech home football games.

Another school that many here poo poo but really is a decent option for most students is ODU. We went to an admissions event back in October and actually had a lot of fun! Nice campus and nice students. Lots of diversity. Plenty to do nearby. I recommend people taking a look.

Radford has a ~80% acceptance rate.

That's as "normal" as one can get for college admissions. Not every kid is going to a highly selective college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apply ED if you can….

SMU
Chapman
U-Miami (ED)
Boulder
Indiana
Cal poly
Elon
Wake (ED)
Tulane (ED)
Santa Clara

Not getting into Wake, Miami or Tulane with average rigor and grades, ED or not. You all are seriously out of touch.

+2 No way Wake, Miami or Tulane for average rigor and grades. You haven’t been paying attention in the last 3 years.

Totally agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:JMU, VCU, Christopher Newport, in some cases VA Tech, Mason, West Virginia, and some other OOS schools (College of Charleston, USF, Alabama, Kentucky, etc.). Honestly, there are lots of options for kids who might not have the highest stats but did okay. It's just that this board seems obsessed with only the top 50.

+1,000

I apologize for the length of this post, but I've been lurking on this forum for about a week, seeking information, and finally felt compelled to share my thoughts.

I have no issue with parents wanting the absolute best opportunities for their children. God knows I do, and there's nothing inherently wrong with both valuing and pursuing a T-50 institution personally or for your child. Generally - or certainly on this forum however - there seems to be a particularly strong focus on those institutions, sometimes to the complete disrespect of anything else. I've lived in the DC region since 1993, but grew up in Philadelphia in a solidly middle class family with first-generation college graduate parents. The two areas couldn't be any different. Few of my closest neighborhood friends graduated from college, and my family would've been just as proud if I went to East Stroudsburg or UPenn. Some might call that a low bar. We just view it as casting a much wider net to the end of what makes one successful.

I'm no mathematician, but of all the college students in this country, my guess is that less than 10% attend T-50 institutions. Are the rest of those colleges, where the majority of our children attend, garbage and not worthy of attending for those whom they may be the only option? Neither life nor success is linear, so we can't act like only high-achieving kids who attend the most highly regarded institutions, are the only people who will ultimately be successful.

I graduated from a T-25 state flagship, and got my masters degree from a T-25 private. I have done well in my career (professionally and from an earnings perspective), but I have friends and former classmates who've done "better" in those categories. Of the most successful folks I've worked with, almost none graduated from schools with the prestige of my alma maters. The CEO of a former employer graduated from a SUNY school. Another went to Louisville, and another, the University of Richmond. My current boss graduated from Miami of Ohio, and past bosses/colleagues have graduated from JMU, Frostburg, and small directional state schools in the midwest.

There's no question that prestigious schools can open doors but the most successful people, the real achievers and impact-makers, are those one's who work their tails off, and make the absolute most of every opportunity that they have.

Our second and youngest is currently sweating out the RD college acceptance season (actually, we are probably more than them). They (using the non-binary term only to protect their identity) have a 3.2 GPA, 1200 SATs, and documented challenges with ADD and executive functioning (they had an IEP since 7th grade). They have two acceptances in hand - one from a small in-state school; one from a mid-tier private in the Northeast with substantial merit $; one waitlist from a large state school; and three rejections from a large sought after in-state school, a large OOS, and a selective STEM-focused private in the Northeast that we knew was a stretch. They are awaiting what we think is their first choice - another STEM-focused private in the Northeast, and another large in-state. They are exceptionally bright and more importantly, an exceptional person in every aspect (kind, respectful, hard-working, honest, independent thinker, values family). They have yet to figure out who they are, and how to tap into their full potential. Our message to them is that wherever you end up, that is where you should be, and do everything you can to maximize the opportunity.

Its not about groupthink, and I certainly don't believe that we all must value and pursue the same things for ourselves and our families. But I do believe that for our kids sake, we should evangelize a far less narrow definition of, and potential path to, success.

Thank you for sharing your view. I too am a big fan of widening the search. I felt this way a long time, but what really confirmed it for me was watching the trouble some very smart friends with doctorates from excełlent schools went through to get a tenure track job. It showed me that even colleges you never heard of are getting professors who have excellent credentials.

+1 My DD goes to Juniata, which some here sneer at, but she's having a good experience and currently working on research with a professor who went to Brown (undegrad) and Yale (grad).

We are going to an Admitted students day soon. Great merit award.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A ton of schools. Some suggestions Bates, Denison, Wilamette, Fordham, Syracuse, University of Vermont, WPI, Boulder, University of Denver, SMU, TCU, University of Oregon, Oregon State, University of Tennessee, University of Kansas, Arizona State, Gonzaga, Franklin & Marshall, Elon, Marist, College of Charleston

Could be except for Bates and Franklin & Marshall.

[Anonymous]

Pitt. I didn't catch Pitt here. The kids there seem chill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That lengthy sensible post is very wrong about one thing, though. The PP guesses about 10% of college students attend T50 schools. It’s actually under 5%. And under one half of one percent attend T10 schools. And remember that only about 60% of high school seniors go to college. The DMV is full of parents who are quite properly proud of their 95th percentile children, who correctly perceive that those children are far above average, but who simply don’t understand the math.

It's more that people on this board don't understand what "average" is, whether they're discussing colleges/universities or, particularly, incomes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work at the University of Missouri. Admissions are guaranteed for 24 ACT / 1160 SAT and a 2.0+ GPA. This is the state flagship; other state schools are even easier. It's crazy to me as a native New Yorker that so many locals send their talented, accomplished kids to Mizzou. But then they are having a good time, graduating without debt and still getting into law and med school, so maybe I am the crazy one. Still trying to figure that out.

Weird that ppl send their kids here given the peer group.

It is a low floor high ceiling group, I guess. Certain programs have more rigorous requirements, like engineering and journalism. I can see if OOS tuition is not financially feasible, but we live in a relatively well-off area, where there are plenty of parents who could have been putting money away. So I find it weird, too.

My decision depends on peer group. For my kids, peer group is very important. If they’re surrounded by a bunch of slackers, I fear they will be slackers too. And the environment is super important to get them to internally motivate. However, that might not be the case for everyone’s kid.

And we are lucky that we don’t have to consider financial aid offers, which I know drives a lot of people to schools like this.

Wow. A bunch of slackers? Schools like this? There are high stat kids at every state flagship. Just stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pitt. I didn't catch Pitt here. The kids there seem chill.

Pitt is getting harder to get into these days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:JMU, VCU, Christopher Newport, in some cases VA Tech, Mason, West Virginia, and some other OOS schools (College of Charleston, USF, Alabama, Kentucky, etc.). Honestly, there are lots of options for kids who might not have the highest stats but did okay. It's just that this board seems obsessed with only the top 50.

VA Tech is not an easy school to get into. The others yes, but not VA Tech.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In state schools
Elon
Clemson
University of South Carolina
LMU
LSU
University of Kentucky
Emerson
… look at schools ranked in the 75-150

Those are in red states hell no

Also known as the states everyone is moving to.

They're moving to Mississippi, Alabama and West by God Virginia?

Can you remind me which of those three states, Kentucky, the University of South Carolina, Elon, Clemson, and LSU are in?

[Anonymous]

Jesuit universities

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:JMU, VCU, Christopher Newport, in some cases VA Tech, Mason, West Virginia, and some other OOS schools (College of Charleston, USF, Alabama, Kentucky, etc.). Honestly, there are lots of options for kids who might not have the highest stats but did okay. It's just that this board seems obsessed with only the top 50.

VA Tech is not an easy school to get into. The others yes, but not VA Tech.

Completely depends on major. Some VT majors have >70% acceptance rates

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work at the University of Missouri. Admissions are guaranteed for 24 ACT / 1160 SAT and a 2.0+ GPA. This is the state flagship; other state schools are even easier. It's crazy to me as a native New Yorker that so many locals send their talented, accomplished kids to Mizzou. But then they are having a good time, graduating without debt and still getting into law and med school, so maybe I am the crazy one. Still trying to figure that out.

I think it’s a regional thing. Outside of the northeast corridor, I think there’s a lot less interest in ivies and SLACs than people who come from that area think. So you’ll see kids of all stripes attending state flagships, for example, including high stats kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:JMU, VCU, Christopher Newport, in some cases VA Tech, Mason, West Virginia, and some other OOS schools (College of Charleston, USF, Alabama, Kentucky, etc.). Honestly, there are lots of options for kids who might not have the highest stats but did okay. It's just that this board seems obsessed with only the top 50.

VA Tech is not an easy school to get into. The others yes, but not VA Tech.

I think that's why the PP said "in some cases VA Tech". My DC has a 3.25/3.75 (GPA) and 1500 SAT got in EA. Mix if As, Bs and a couple of Cs.