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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]As a student I don't really believe in "fit," at least in the way that people on this forum describe it. I don't think high schoolers can accurately understand what they like or dislike about a college environment until they actually are in college. I found that after having stayed over with friends at many different colleges, there were many schools I really wanted to go to as a high schooler that I actually wouldn't have enjoyed, while there were a couple of schools I didn't think about seriously/didn't apply to that I regret not trying as hard for in hindsight. There's definitely some importance (don't go to Caltech as a humanities major, and if you feel the vibes are off at a certain school, it's better to avoid) but the super small differences that make the difference aren't really things you can notice from the HS perspective[/quote]

[b]I think the idea that there is only one or two schools that would be a good fit is garbage[/b] for most kids. Most kids will be happy and do well at many different schools and I agree that sometimes the pros and cons of a place are hard to see—or understand their relevance to you— as a high school junior or senior. The “super small things” are going to be issues whenever you land because no place is perfect and that’s part of life. It is important to think seriously about what characteristics are important (or not) to you and physically visit the schools vs leaning on an online version of  a university.

There are some kids for whom there truly are 1-2 colleges that are fantastic fits. DC is one of them. Very specific priorities and personality. Thankfully they identified the schools that fit those characteristics, their stats put them in the running for those schools and they were accepted (and now attend). 
[/quote]

Who says this?
I watched a PBS documentary that tracked high school kids thru college admission. I remember one girl was laser focused on Yale because it was the best. She was devastated when she didn’t get in & had to “settle” 🙄 for JHU. When the followed up after her freshman year, she realized that Yale didn’t even offer the major she was hoping for & it was a JHU strong point (the specific major escapes me). For me, that’s what fit over prestige means (laying aside JHU is a very good, very selective university). You see post here—not infrequently —that are basically: These are my kid’s stats, what’s the best uni they can get into. No reference to if the kid is into STEM, business, humanities, etc or anything appealing to the kid’s non-academic life.

I do not think fit means there’s a The One school anymore than I think there’s only one possible spouse for any person. Rather, there’s several great options with various trade-offs but you are evaluating based on the whole package (prestige, vibe, outcomes, sports, & whatever else) & not just 1 criteria (prestige determined by dubious formulas)[/quote]

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