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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I went to a T10 from a very small town.  I had been a big fish in a small pond, so I entered that school with the confidence of a lion.  Obviously, I was knocked down a few pegs as I was no longer the smartest, funniest, or most popular.  I learned to manage that and remain confident, but it was hard.  I was also intimidated by all of the money that my peers had, but I learned a lot about the lifestyles and habits of wealthy people.

That said, I graduated and took all of that to my new career.  I remained fairly confident and advanced easily.  It was helpful to know how to stand up after you've been knocked down.  IT was also invaluable to know a little about wealth and wealthy people. You could say that any success I've achieved is due to the name on my degree, but I don't think so.  I think it's due to the fact that I have never discounted myself or assumed I deserved anything less than what I wanted.  It's a "never say die" attitude that was instilled in me back in my small town.  The big school could knock me around but it was already ingrained within me.

Conversely, my children have not grown up as big fish in a small pond.  Their confidence has been rocked by going to high school in such a competitive and "dog eat dog" atmosphere.  They are cynical but are trying to remain hopeful about life, in general.  Although we are not wealthy, wealth does not intimidate them.  It's very interesting for me to observe.

When it came to choosing a school for my oldest, we focused on fit and comfort.  I couldn't have cared less about the rankings of those schools.  I wanted DC to feel strong and confident about themselves again.  I truly believe that one's attitude is what makes the difference.  DC will be graduating from a small SLAC that gets no attention from DCUM.  He has really blossomed there and has taken advantage of all the opportunities he was given there.  He is looking forward to being employed when he graduates and is hoping to use that employment as a springboard towards his Master's. DD is heading towards a similar college decision and we are 100% on board.

TLDR: it's not necessarily prestige or reputation, [b]it's fit[/b].  I needed one thing out of college and my kids need(ed) another. [/quote]

That’s just a cliche. If college were a question of “fit”, how do you explain the fact that most people apply to schools that are different on the opposite end of the spectrum?  Yale is different than Harvard, as they are different than MIT/CalTech. Brown is different than UChicago. Dartmouth is different than Columbia. The only common denominator is T10, T20, or T30. So, let’s not kid ourselves. [/quote]

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