Reply to How to convince daughter not to follow her boyfriend to college?

Forum Index » College and University Discussion

Reply to "How to convince daughter not to follow her boyfriend to college?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote]  As parents, we just want her to make the decision for the right reasons.[/quote]

Sorry to rain on the kumbaya, but Amherst and Davidson aren't in the same league.   Amherst is generally regarded as one of the two best SLACs in the United States, interchangeably with Williams.  To be accepted there is to gain a ticket to the best of American undergraduate education.   Davidson is an excellent school but not that caliber, notwithstanding the usual regional chauvinism of DCUM commenters.  The gap is even more pronounced in ranking systems like WSJ and Forbes which combine SLACs and universities, which put Amherst up in the top 20 and Davidson significantly lower ranked near #50 or #60.    While it's silly to attach undue importance to a gap of few rankings in the USNWR survey, it's equally silly to pretend that rankings only reflect "prestige" rather than the quality of the educational experience, or that a material gap is meaningless.

Not sure what would be the "right reason" for your daughter to choose a lesser educational experience.   A preference for warmer weather?   Fear that she can't cut it at Amherst (although she wouldn't have been admitted if she weren't capable of the work)?   A fascination with the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro region?   A curious nostalgia for the vestiges of Jim Crow?    Support her inclinations if you want (although realistically there may be an equally high risk of her eventual resentment if she comes to believe you didn't provide the guidance she needed).  But if she decides she "gets a better vibe" from Davidson or some equally silly non-reason (didn't like the tour guide at Amherst?  really admired someone a year ahead of her in HS who went to Davidson?), I think as a parent you're obligated to at least make clear she's choosing (and you'll be paying for) the lesser education.  Which for most people isn't what college is supposed to be about.     [/quote]

Right now, I'm imagining this poster as a cross between my most judgiest uncle and my worst boss ever. [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics