*my children! Not my students

My regret is first picking the prestigious college for its name and reputation. I hated it and transferred to a small college with a high acceptance and I have no idea the rank. The program was excellent, you knew the faculty and other students and it had a lot of internship opportunities. I want to encourage my students to look off the beaten path to find the best fit for them and not be blinded by a name.

I think the bigger issue is choosing a school based on name rather than the courses/fields on offer. I chose a school with an OK rep but was limited by distance from home, money and other factors. My interests changed over time and the college did not offer a major or very many courses in my subsequent interest. Lesson being - you cannot know it all at 17 including what you might want to do, so make sure the college you attend has a second and third choice just in case. Unless you plan to transfer and start over socially.

The prestige was not the issue and after a couple years no one cares where you went. But I had to take additional courses as young adult outside of college to get up to speed on items in my new interest/field.

Yes. I had dysfunctional parents that have zero guidance and put no effort or thought into my education. They also never went to college.

I went to a state university because that is where my closest friend went and where I felt I would have some support. I also was financially limited as no one saved for college and I go no financial aid (divorced parents, remarried several times). From that aspect, it was a good choice. I did well for myself, but I do feel I had the potential to go to a much better school if I had more guidance from a younger age.

I don't know what the rankings were but I chose to go to Cal Poly SLO over Berkeley back in the 90s. Maybe the Berkeley national reputation would have been better given that I moved away from California. But for the person I was graduating HS, the smaller, more undergrad-focused Cal Poly was a better place for me. I found my people, gained a lot of confidence, and the focus on hands-on, project-based learning gave me experience that directly got me my first job and set me on a great path for my career. My professional network foundation is from that first job, not college. I've gone on to work for well-known brands and never felt my college held me back.

Might I have had different/ better opportunities if I'd gone to Berkeley, maybe? But maybe I'd have floundered and not found the particular career area that I have done well in (it was not was I was expecting to major in)? It's impossible to know but I picked what felt like the best fit at the time among the affordable choices.

I regret that I went to college in a crappy town. But the school itself was fine although not prestigious. I know DCUM gets worked up about college but after being in DC for 25 years I've learned it really doesn't matter most of the time.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I will say that I do. I had an SAT in the high 1300s/1600 and I was at the top of my big podunk high school class (with APs, ECs etc). My parents severely restricted where I was allowed to apply (nothing more than 3 hours away) and hadn’t saved a dime for college, so the $5k/year directional state school I went. Sometimes I read these forums and I’m like, darn, I could’ve realistically attended one of SO MANY different schools that I never thought I was qualified for or could find a way to afford.

Do you think it would have made your life significantly better?

Anonymous wrote:Yes and no. I got a great education @ a CTCL on a mix of merit and FAFSA, worked for a decade on an incredibly exciting international issue, attended an Ivy for grad, and went on to more exciting work. Met a great DH and have wonderful kids. Sadly they are aware that there are plenty of judgy people about where their mother went to college. "Where is that?"

Frankly, I probably would not have had that first part of my career as there were less than a handful of colleges in the US with that opportunity and none with that depth. So, it was great for me and I also know that my kids did not want that kind of "anonymity" for themselves.

^^ and I couldn't live far from home as we just didn't have the resources for that

I turned down a top 10 for a 200+ school for undergraduate. No regrets and would make the same choice again.

Yes and no. I got a great education @ a CTCL on a mix of merit and FAFSA, worked for a decade on an incredibly exciting international issue, attended an Ivy for grad, and went on to more exciting work. Met a great DH and have wonderful kids. Sadly they are aware that there are plenty of judgy people about where their mother went to college. "Where is that?"

Frankly, I probably would not have had that first part of my career as there were less than a handful of colleges in the US with that opportunity and none with that depth. So, it was great for me and I also know that my kids did not want that kind of "anonymity" for themselves.

My regret is that I did not choose the right college in the first place. I started at a better college, then dropped out because it wasn't right for me, then graduated from a big state school. If I had a been able to see what I eventually wound up doing, I'd have chosen an entirely different school in the first place. Unfortunately when I chose that college, I was very convinced I knew what I wanted to do - not knowing I'd change my mind two years later.

I went to the best one I could get into, and get through. That happened to be a crappy community college. Do I wish I were smarter and didn't have learning disabilities that allowed me to do better in school? Sure.

OP here. I will say that I do. I had an SAT in the high 1300s/1600 and I was at the top of my big podunk high school class (with APs, ECs etc). My parents severely restricted where I was allowed to apply (nothing more than 3 hours away) and hadn’t saved a dime for college, so the $5k/year directional state school I went. Sometimes I read these forums and I’m like, darn, I could’ve realistically attended one of SO MANY different schools that I never thought I was qualified for or could find a way to afford.

Tbh I have no idea what my school was ranked at the time. But I have been told on this website that my diploma wasn’t worth the paper it’s written on
I am a doctor and work in public health and am a fully functioning member of society. I LOVED my school so no. No regrets at all.

150th plus?