Reply to IB Program : college choice?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP here.  THank you, 12:37 PP.  Good to see where everyone is ending up.  I have to agree,not too shabby.  My niece graduated from a MCPS school, took a few AP classes and ended up at Carnegie Mellon.  Her school work wasn't nearly as diverse as at Marshall's, so go figure.

[b]I am starting to think what's the whole point of such an in-depth workload if kids end up in so-so colleges. [/b] [/quote]

I find this line of thinking to be puzzling. Is the only goal to be able to get into a USNWR top-ranked college? Does it matter what your child actually learns and accomplishes in high school, or is only the end game important?

Not to mention the fact that there are many colleges outside the USNWR top 20 that provide top-notch educations and that by the way happen to send an impressive number of students on to top graduate schools, generate an impressive number of Rhodes Scholars, etc.
 
And when you consider Marshall's college placement, don't forget, too, that a large share of Marshall students come from upper middle class families. Such families will get little to no financial aid at the top-ranked colleges, most of which meet close to 100% of financial need but offer zero merit aid. A top student from one of these families therefore has the following choices: She can stay in-state and pay full-price out-of-pocket (say, $25,000/year). Or she can go to a top-20 college and pay full-price, or close to it (say, $50,000/year). Or she can go to a "so-so" private or out-of-state public that wants her badly enough to give her merit aid to bring the out-of-pocket price far below $50,000/year. The difference in price between "top-rated" and "so-so" for these families may total more than $100,000. Is it any wonder that a lot of Marshall students (and their peers at other area public high schools) are choosing the "so-so" route?[/quote]

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