Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Decision time! My DC is choosing between a great slac (top 8) and top 25 university. Full pay, and rejected by In State. The vibe of the slac is very chill but the universities are not. What to do, what to do!

Here's the retention rate for national universities;

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/freshmen-least-most-likely-return

In general higher the retention, happier the kids

Lots of other factors in not returning, not the least of which is being able to continue to afford it. To which point, if DC feels the schools are a toss up, then DC should choose the less expensive option.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would any 18 year old choose a "stressful" campus over a "happy" campus?

Ranking (I totally disagree but this is why).

OP here. DC doesn’t care about ranking, but if I don’t put it here, there will be posts about which one being the best etc, which are useless comments. I am trying to explain that they are all similarly ranked for better or worse, and if I were to offer any words to DC, I want to make sure that they sound informational and not biased. It is not my life, but it is my wallet.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would any 18 year old choose a "stressful" campus over a "happy" campus?

Ranking (I totally disagree but this is why).

My kid could care less about college rankings, though she's a good student. Why do some kids care and others don't?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Decision time! My DC is choosing between a great slac (top 8) and top 25 university. Full pay, and rejected by In State. The vibe of the slac is very chill but the universities are not. What to do, what to do!

Here's the retention rate for national universities;

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/freshmen-least-most-likely-return

In general higher the retention, happier the kids

The top 4 and 7 or the top 10 have reputations for being highly stressful. Maybe they attract kids who like that?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would any 18 year old choose a "stressful" campus over a "happy" campus?

Ranking (I totally disagree but this is why).

Yes, I agree, too. But given that the OP seems so focused on ranking by including that info in their post ("Top 8" - who talks like that?) I can see why their child might be concerned about that as well.

Anonymous wrote:Why would any 18 year old choose a "stressful" campus over a "happy" campus?

Ranking (I totally disagree but this is why).

Why would any 18 year old choose a "stressful" campus over a "happy" campus?

Anonymous wrote:Facing a similar decision in our house but between 2 universities with very different campus cultures. Leaving it completely up to DC to choose because there is no right or wrong, just comfort level.

+1

Anonymous wrote:Decision time! My DC is choosing between a great slac (top 8) and top 25 university. Full pay, and rejected by In State. The vibe of the slac is very chill but the universities are not. What to do, what to do!

Here's the retention rate for national universities;

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/freshmen-least-most-likely-return

In general higher the retention, happier the kids

As both a college counselor and the parent of a college student, I agree with the PPs who think you should leave it up to your DC. However, I would underscore the benefits of a chill campus culture. Mental health struggles for current undergrads are at an all-time high with college presidents reporting that mental health is their number one concern. Top 8 SLAC sounds like a great place to be.

Facing a similar decision in our house but between 2 universities with very different campus cultures. Leaving it completely up to DC to choose because there is no right or wrong, just comfort level.

Most important is: she owns the decision. This is on her. First big decision of her life. She will want to prove she made a good decision. She will work hard to prove that it was a good decision.

Anonymous wrote:Decision time! My DC is choosing between a great slac (top 8) and top 25 university. Full pay, and rejected by In State. The vibe of the slac is very chill but the universities are not. What to do, what to do!

If the top 8 SLAC is Claremont McKenna (#8), seize that opportunity vs the top 25 university and don’t look back unless there is a specific major that the university has which is unavailable in the Claremont consortium.

Decision time! My DC is choosing between a great slac (top 8) and top 25 university. Full pay, and rejected by In State. The vibe of the slac is very chill but the universities are not. What to do, what to do!