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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It’s a nerdy, soulless place and really only good for a small fraction of people. Walk down Forbes Ave, immediately adjacent to Pitt & CMU dorms — you’ll 100% be able to spot which school the kid attends. [/quote]
This 100%[/quote]
NP.. My kid is thinking of applying to CMU for CS.  I keep hearing that students at CMU seem miserable, barely any social life.  I think my DC might want to re-think CMU.  DC is in a magnet program and can handle a tough work load, BUT, they want college to be fun, too, and I don't blame DC.  DC just spent the last four years working their tail off, but at least had a fun group of kids to hang out with and had a social life.  I asked DC if DC wants to spend another four years of having to work their tail off but with very little social life.  Something to think about.[/quote]

That is why rankings really don't matter.  The school you pick should be a good fit for you.  Many kids are burnt out or nearly burnt out after 4 years of pressure in HS to excel to get into elite schools.  Even if you don't, many kids spend college having to fight to get into their major (engineering that isn't direct admit or if they want to change their major), pre-med anything, etc.  Other kids want to attend a school that is collaborative and allows them to learn, be social and not be 100% focused on academics all the time. I personally just want my kid to be happy---they are smart and will succeed wherever they attend.  So they picked a place that will allow that---they can self select any major (including engineering), they can pick their core curriculum (open ended) and work is collaborative, not overly competitive.  After 4 years of striving to get into college, my kid just wants to be able to learn in a more relaxed environment.

If that’s the goal,  no need to work so hard in HS then

[/quote][/quote]

Well my kid did make choices in HS that many on DCUM wouldn't "approve of".  Choose to only take thru year 3 of a FL, as level 4 didn't happen that year and the AP was taught by a terrible teacher (had that one for Spanish 2, so well aware of how incompetent she was). Choose not to take APUSH or AP Eng, as spending 20+ hours per week on each of those was not going to be healthy.  Sure could have gotten an A or A- with work, but at what cost?  Instead my kid took 4 APs each year (JR/SR) in STEM and was able to continue with their 15-20hr+/week of a sport completely outside of school.  
It might have hurt their chances for an elite university, but they had a much more enjoyable HS career. And ultimately, they are at a Univ in ranked in the 30s and were accepted at several more in the 30-60 range, so had plenty of options.  
So yeah, they made a choice to do what was best for them in terms of rigor and still enjoy HS. [/quote]

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