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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I feel bad for the OP, because she realized the problems way too late. I fell into the same trap when I was in high school and have had many regrets over my choices. There are very few fields where prestige matters - like law, academia, or finance/business/consulting.

I went to a high ranking school and found out the same thing that the OP learned: motivated kids can be successful everywhere and that in real life, no one cares where you went for school.  I found this out far too late because by that time, I was already a senior and needed to graduate. I work alongside people who got degrees from the University of Phoenix. There are people who got degrees from other online degree mills and did fine. I spent so much time in high school trying to get the best grades and take the hardest courses - yet none of it really matter that much. I regret putting so much pressure on myself.

Now that I am out of that bubble, when I see the frenzy around college admissions, it's just hilarious to me. It is all so trivial, although I understand why people get caught up in it (just like I did). [/quote]

You sound lovely. I hope you were able to convey this levelheadedness to your children when they looked at colleges? I have a non status obsessed kid and I have to admit that sometimes it’s ME caring too much about prestige and rankings. It’s this gross keeping up with the Joneses thing that’s so prevalent around here... FWIW, my daughter’s better attitude prevailed and she is happily attending a school she actually likes that is just right for her that didn’t cost an arm and a leg and after which she hopefully will have a job. Thanks for posting...[/quote]

My kids are young but I will make sure they don't make the same mistakes I did.

I get it. It's easy to fall into the trap of worrying about status and rankings. What is important to remember is that no one sits around to fawn over where someone else went to college or how much money another person makes. People are too busy living their lives to do that. The high school version of myself was obsessed with getting into the highest ranked college, just so I could "impress" my classmates who I don't even remember. They don't remember me either. Can you believe that? I spent all that time trying to impress people who are basically strangers to me.

As I mentioned, I now work alongside people who got degrees from University of Phoenix and other degree mills like Walden or WGU-  schools that the people on this board would never send their kids to. We all ended up at the same place... I also have a cousin who got a higher level nursing degree (to become an NP) from an online school like those I just named and is making decent money. Choosing a college or program depends on a variety of factors that goes beyond rankings that a lot of people miss. I will say that if a student is interested in a certain career path that places a great deal of importance on the name brand of the school, then in that case, it is important to make sure they go to a top school that will help you get on that path. In this instance, going after prestige and rankings is the appropriate choice because it has a large impact on future career options.

I am glad your daughter found the right fit for herself. It takes a lot of courage to be able to do that as a young person. [/quote]

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