Reply to Why emphasize arts, theatre, etc when looking at colleges?

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[quote=Anonymous]Work to live, don't live to work.

I kind of get it - I saw the world like I think OP is describing it back when I was in my teens and twenties. The arts were nice extras but they weren't "real." But I've come to believe that people can't do the "real" things as well unless they have at least some of the broader understanding that you pick up through things like art, music, the humanities, sports, and non-vocational pursuits. So, I think OP is undervaluing these peripheral undertakings.

Second, I think a lot of us value schools based on criteria that aren't directly relevant to what our kids will personally experience. When we pick a school based on ranking, a non-trivial chunk of that ranking is based on resources that our kid will never use. The main benefit is that the kid will bask in the university's reflected glory.

Finally, the difference between a #30 and a #90 university isn't all that predictable on an individual level. Statistically, the #30 university probably produces better outcomes and higher salaries more often than the #90 does - but for any given student, results can vary wildly. My guess is that the kid who is studying chemistry at the #90 while he is enjoying the hell out of the kick ass music program is going to ultimately fare better than the kid studying chemistry at the #30 but who is grinding it out without much joy. [/quote]

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