Why do you want your child to go to a "top" college?

[Anonymous]

PP you know nothing about Occidental...try getting into it. It's considered elite. And, then you failed to note that Obama transferred to Columbia for undergrad and then went to Harvard Law.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP you know nothing about Occidental...try getting into it. It's considered elite. And, then you failed to note that Obama transferred to Columbia for undergrad and then went to Harvard Law.

Out of one side of the mouth keep saying HPY are the "top" and the rest are not really "top" then the other side of the mouth say the opposite.

I think they are all top.... BTW. It is the ones with blinders on that have all middling drunks at state schools and the rulers of the nation at HPY.

[Anonymous]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UEwbRWFZVc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I want a 'good' school because I think there will be more focus on academics vs alcohol, which I associate with middling schools. But I'm not looking for the 'best' as I think it may be filled with cut-throat competitors. I made good friends in college, and we studied together and supported each other. I worry my child won't find that community spirit at the most competitive schools, and will be stressed instead of supported by the make-up of the student body. I also want a school where my child will actually be taught by the professors, not one where the professors are off doing research and writing books and my child is left to the mercy of TA's.

I went to Reed. There was a huge focus on academics, I made life long friends, I did undergraduate research, spent hours in the library, had great personal relationships with professors. There was also plenty of boozing and partying going on. Of course people associate Reed with being full of druggy party animals so let's turn to my friends. My best friend went to MIT. She did hallucinogens most weekends and hooked up like crazy. She had really intense classes, but plenty of booze, weed, and harder stuff was around. She also was sometimes taught by TAs. So what about my other best friend who went to Northwestern? Also had a challenging academic experience, but she went to several frat parties and was hospitalized once for alcohol poisoning. She also had classes taught by TAs. Ok, what about my friend who went to Yale? Had classes taught by TAs and went to boozy frat parties.

an what about those who go to SLACs..where is no frats etc. and NO TAs.

[Anonymous]

an what about those who go to SLACs..where is no frats etc. and NO TAs.

Yeah, well as I said, I went to Reed, which is a small, selective liberal arts college. There were no TAs. There were no frats. However, there was plenty of drinking, house parties, and partying. Academically, I have zero complaints. I think the small undergraduate only liberal arts school tends to produce superior undergraduate educations, and my classes were extremely challenging and formative. I had great relationships with professors.

At other SLACs (Amherst, Colgate, Occidental) frats and sororities exist as well. The notion that kids at "elite" higher education institutions--whether they are liberal arts colleges or universities--don't partake (and sometimes get way too caught up in) partying and alcohol is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

yeah, yeah, that's right!! I went to an Ivy and I am a total loser, and so is everyone else in my class! Don't know how they got those amazing jobs (cause I didn't!) including that pres Obama guy, yeah ivy school sucks. an ever body there use drugs

Yeah that's not what people were saying. They were saying that kids at ivies, SLACs, and other "elite" institutions also like alcohol, partying, and drugs. Not everyone, but it happens everywhere. Not that the school sucks, but seriously, you get a group of 18-22 year olds together and they will party. I remember the way I could drink when I was 19...I barely got hungover. And that Obama guy? He used drugs when he was younger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

yeah, yeah, that's right!! I went to an Ivy and I am a total loser, and so is everyone else in my class! Don't know how they got those amazing jobs (cause I didn't!) including that pres Obama guy, yeah ivy school sucks. an ever body there use drugs

Yeah that's not what people were saying. They were saying that kids at ivies, SLACs, and other "elite" institutions also like alcohol, partying, and drugs. Not everyone, but it happens everywhere. Not that the school sucks, but seriously, you get a group of 18-22 year olds together and they will party. I remember the way I could drink when I was 19...I barely got hungover. And that Obama guy? He used drugs when he was younger.

There are definitely MAJOR drugs at every school you did not get into. True dat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

yeah, yeah, that's right!! I went to an Ivy and I am a total loser, and so is everyone else in my class! Don't know how they got those amazing jobs (cause I didn't!) including that pres Obama guy, yeah ivy school sucks. an ever body there use drugs

Yeah that's not what people were saying. They were saying that kids at ivies, SLACs, and other "elite" institutions also like alcohol, partying, and drugs. Not everyone, but it happens everywhere. Not that the school sucks, but seriously, you get a group of 18-22 year olds together and they will party. I remember the way I could drink when I was 19...I barely got hungover. And that Obama guy? He used drugs when he was younger.

There are definitely MAJOR drugs at every school you did not get into. True dat.

in addition to FAKE bomb threats.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, I rather my daughter get a scholarship to a really good school then bragging rights to attend the "best" schools. Many kids are picking schools that offer scholarships over Ivy leagues. And since 40% of 2013 Harvard grads are still unemployed, I just hope she chooses a STEM-like degree. But really, let the kids be happy. I would never want her to attend a certain college because I did or because it is the best. Kids need to really be apart of the choice and be happy.

[Anonymous]

Some people fear excellence and are too lazy to do hard work OP. So, I want my kid to excel to the best of her abilities and not skate at local U of Nowhere.

[Anonymous]

Kids who have a clear professional goal in,ind when they enroll in college, especially if that goal requires grad school, don't really need to worry about where they go for undergrad. They need to excell, not spend more than they can afford, and learn stuff so they can get into a terrific grad program. My husband went to UofToronto but then on to London School of Econ, so that became his calling card, not his undergrad.

Kids who are talented but floundering in the goals dept. benefit from a place like Yale (where I attended) to put them in daily contact with the brightest students and faculty in the world to help stimulate their imagination about what their calling might be in life. Yale made me feel like I had finally found my people after years in a mediocre rural public school district.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It usually -not always - gives you more opportunities in life. Say your kid decides she wants to major in art history. Sure makes a lot more sense to do it Yale than...UMD for instance.

Know the best way to ensure a job and long-term success? Pick a field that will be in demand when you graduate and know what it takes to get those jobs. And go after that. And watch the markets, and be ready to switch gears if need-be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kids who have a clear professional goal in,ind when they enroll in college, especially if that goal requires grad school, don't really need to worry about where they go for undergrad. They need to excell, not spend more than they can afford, and learn stuff so they can get into a terrific grad program. My husband went to UofToronto but then on to London School of Econ, so that became his calling card, not his undergrad.

Kids who are talented but floundering in the goals dept. benefit from a place like Yale (where I attended) to put them in daily contact with the brightest students and faculty in the world to help stimulate their imagination about what their calling might be in life. Yale made me feel like I had finally found my people after years in a mediocre rural public school district.

Yep, this is right.