Reply to 1600 SAT, 10 APs, 5 DEs, 5 college math/CS courses. Kid wants UVA ED, but I think they can aim higher?

Forum Index » College and University Discussion

Reply to "1600 SAT, 10 APs, 5 DEs, 5 college math/CS courses. Kid wants UVA ED, but I think they can aim higher?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]I think that people (especially on DCUM) tend to worry too much about which schools are “better” and not enough about which are “better” for a particular kid.  I think most accredited schools offer more opportunities than any kid can fully take advantage of.

Some may thrive in a large school with a broad range of diverse offerings, others may prefer a smaller college that may seem more personal.  Some may want Greek communities, or sports, or urban settings, or warm winters, or any number of endless variables, that another student might want to avoid like the plague.  Additionally, every college has its strengths.  While most colleges offer STEM majors, some may have a particular professor doing particularly interesting research in a field, or offer a specific class of interest.  Moreover, there’s something to be said for being the big fish in a small pond.  At a school where he may be more advanced than other students, he may get more opportunities to shine.  When it comes time for professors to write recommendations or even think of someone who can help them on research, they’re looking for something beyond the fact that the student made it through admissions.

Financial savings are worth considering.  I think many a student who has taken out loans in order to go to a “better” college has second-thoughts when they graduate and compare their actual salary to their loan payment.  Even if you’re financially able to cover all their expenses, they might prefer to go to an in-state school on scholarship and allow them to apply the savings toward graduate school, rent on an apartment, a car, etc.  AI is upending career prospects and computer science no longer offers the guaranteed employment we have come to expect.

By all means, explore other colleges.  Recommend he research college websites and talk to his counselor, take him to visit various campuses, etc.  I’m a firm believer in people fully understanding their options, but they should always have the option to say no.  The future at stake here, is his, so the choice should be his, as well.[/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