Reply to What would anyone work so hard to get into a top college if it doesn’t lead to a better career?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]One reason to aim for T20 is that some kids feed off of the motivation/energy of the kids around them.

DD went T20 and is surrounded by bright, motivated kids like her who study hard but also enjoy their lives outside of their studies. This was the vibe we were hoping for, and she is really happy. [/quote]

I hope you realize that you can get that same vibe at many schools in the 25-50/60 range as well.  My kid is at one ranked ~40 (used to be low 30s for decades before class sizes didn't matter anymore).  Of their group of 20+ friends, EVERYONE was WL/Spring Start/Fall Soph start at a minimum of 2 T25 schools.  Same goes for over 40-50% of the students they are in classes with (and engineering kids are already very smart).  They are surrounded by bright, motivated kids, but they just were part of the 90-95% who don't get admitted to T25 schools.  Same goes for my kid's 2nd choice.  Both schools are literally known for this---it's a running joke, and there are articles every year in the school newspapers/etc about this.  You don't have to attend a T25 to be surrounded by bright, motivated kids.

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If your student is a 99th%ile-99.99%ile student, they cannot get the same vibe at a school as you describe. 
They would not fit in with 20+ friends who all were WL at T25.  The 40-50% of students are the average kids there: by the data they are mostly 90th-95%ile kids,  "bright and motivated" compared to the average student at MSU, Auburn, but would all be significantly below average at a T15/ivy and the rest of the T20 or T5-8 LACs. Great they found their fit, but academic and motivational fit is all relative. Ours know enough students from their HS who go to T50 level and they simply would not fit academically. 
Our older 2 kids private school and their sibling's public top magnet each have median SAT around 1400. Based on WISC scores at the private and similar nationally normed test ranges shared by colleagues at the magnet, the 1400 (superscored) correlates well to the fact that we know the median IQ range is around 122. Of course SAT is not IQ but the two correlate, with the SAT skewed higher percentile-wise due to superscoring and extra time. 
 The ability level of the top 15% is 99%ile or higher. The median students are TWO math levels below the top 15-20%kids and do not get into AP Physics C or AP chem because they do not do well enough in the first physics and chem classes at these high schools, taught and tracked by many phD teachers who lead the departments and have decades of experience teaching the 85-99.9 to understand the wide variety of intellectual ability in that range.
The level of writing of a 93%ile student is different than a 99+%ile. Ask any teacher or professor. A 93rd%ile student is not in the same league with a 99%ile. 
There is nothing at all wrong with the very top students wanting to be surrounded by predominantly similar intellects. Only on DCUM do parents have to brag about finding "fit" at lower ranked schools and curse the parents who know their kids best fit is at the ivy/elite schools. [/quote]

If your "99% kid" cannot fit in and learn from being around other kids who have 1500+/3.9+/8AP+ resumes and are also curious about learning, then your kid will have a hard time in real life.  Because they will be working with and FOR someone who went to UMBC/JMU/Towson and have to learn to somehow function.  In fact those people might be their boss and might make more than them. 
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