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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I know of several (five) students who got into their first-choice school they'd been aiming for for years, only to drop out and come home at the end of the first year. For some, it was academic troubles, for others it was disappointment in the culture/community/vibe. It's almost as if the school couldn't possibly live up to the expectations they had. In each case it was very traumatic experience or the kids and, frankly, the family who had focused for years on that school as the goal and then it didn't work out.

My daughter is still a freshman, but has her eyes on a particular school and is becoming increasingly fixated on it. [b]I do think she can get in[/b]. Any advice on how we can we prevent this sort of flame out if she does attend?[/quote]

You need to lower your expectations.

Kids with 1600/4.0 uw do not get into HYPSM, etc. in droves. These schools accept less than 5% of their applicants, and all of their applicants are qualified, with very high stats. The world population has grown exponentially, but the number of elite schools has remained the same for at least a century. So, by sheer numbers, it's almost impossible to predict who will get accepted to a top college.

Now, if your child has very realistic expectations, say she's focused on her state flagship, well, it's possible you're right that she'll get in. But the tone of your post suggests it's a HYPSM that she's fixated on, and it's your job to un-fixate her. There are hundreds of great schools in the USA, and they all teach pretty much the same stuff.

BTW, I know a kid who flamed out at her dream school. She barely made it through freshman year. Too much academic stress, and too far from home, and oh, those icky dorm rooms! [/quote]

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