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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think OP would be best served by trying to adjust what is an "elite" college.  I went to a LAC that ranks in the 40s on the USNWR liberal arts college rankings.  They give tons of merit aid (I had a full tuition scholarship), have good honors programs, and send some people on to great grad schools.  You can find schools like that where the cost will be competitive with, or better than, state schools for a student like this (a good SAT would have helped in the past, but I guess not right now).  These places can be engaging environments for bright students who are looking for that, and most classes are discussion driven and small.

Strong state schools can be like that, too, there's just more people to sort through to find the ones to engage with.  And it will take longer to get to the smaller, discussion classes.

But you have think beyond HYP, or Amherst, Swarthmore, Williams, etc.  That's okay.  There are plenty of good schools out there.[/quote]

Sounds like a great place to be. Mind sharing the name of the school?  How did this experience help you with your career PP, and what do you do for a living now?  [/quote]

I'm not going to name the school.  I just want to get the word out that you can go pretty far down the list of best colleges and still find wonderful schools that may be a good fit for your child.  And the further you go down the list, the more likely you are to get merit aid that brings the cost down in line with state schools.  Many of my classmates could only attend our LAC because their merit aid made it cost equivalent to the state flagship.

But you also have to be mindful of things, too.  My school was very Greek, so it's not the best fit for everyone.  Two of the most intellectual people I know transferred out.  One left (to UChicago) because he wanted to have intense academic discussions all the time, to the point that he had trouble making any friends (he also didn't like the professors challenging him), and one left (to the state flagship) because the social environment didn't work for him.  I also knew a couple of people who left because they couldn't cut it academically.

For me, it helped me get into a good law school, which helped me land a good lawfirm job.[/quote]

Why not just name the gat dang school? No one's going to know who you are, and it might help someone who's in the same position you where when you applied.[/quote]

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