Anonymous wrote:Depends on the kid the scores the track record. Why would a valedictorian opt to go to a 100 school if they have the money and options to go elsewhere? Mine wasn’t valedictorian but was high enough in the class that I would have been disappointed if that’s all they had as an option.

Not valedictorian. Just a normal very good student with good scores. Applied to higher ranked schools but no way to know if they will get in, and does like this school.

T150 is still the top 4% of 4-year colleges in the U.S.

Depends on the kid the scores the track record. Why would a valedictorian opt to go to a 100 school if they have the money and options to go elsewhere? Mine wasn’t valedictorian but was high enough in the class that I would have been disappointed if that’s all they had as an option.

Anonymous wrote:Totally fine, these are great schools for undergrad. Also many of them were in the top 100 just a few years ago before the formula changed, so they really aren't all that different from the schools in the 50-100 range.

Not "many". List them

Anonymous wrote:Would you feel bad if your dc ended up attending one of them as opposed to a higher ranked one? A very good but not top student.

of course, those schools would have been terrible fits. DC did not apply to any below the T50, their in state likelies were UVA and W&M. The students at their prep school who end up at T100+ are the bottom quintile of the class, four math levels lower than the top students.

Anonymous wrote:Would not feel bad, but would want them to choose a school with good career services and name recognition. It can be hit and miss at that level.

But there are plenty in the 80+ range that have great career services and name recongition

Nope, not at all. My good but not stellar/top notch student had top 2 choices in the 80s and the next around 120. Any would have been great schools. They were all great fits for my kid, and my kid was right around 50% for all stats.

Chose one of the "ranked in the 80s" because it was a great school and great fit for them.

My kid graduated in 4 years (after changing majors--so took a few summer courses to catch up) and started a job 2 weeks later and never looked back. Fully functioning adult, on their own, 2k miles from home. Paying all the bills themselves. What more can you ask for?

Anonymous wrote:Would you feel bad if your dc ended up attending one of them as opposed to a higher ranked one? A very good but not top student.

No, why would I feel bad?

My son is at an excellent HS that most people have not heard of. And we're thrilled he's there. We care about the teachers, the unique courses and the rigor and small class size. We aren't paying for the logo/brand but the substance. So he's getting value because he's absolutely growing by leaps and bounds. That's how he's looking at college too.

Would not feel bad, but would want them to choose a school with good career services and name recognition. It can be hit and miss at that level.

Anonymous wrote:Would you feel bad if your dc ended up attending one of them as opposed to a higher ranked one? A very good but not top student.

I turned down a T20 for one of these, so no I would not.

Totally fine, these are great schools for undergrad. Also many of them were in the top 100 just a few years ago before the formula changed, so they really aren't all that different from the schools in the 50-100 range.

Not at all! Lots of these schools are mentioned here:

Auburn
George Mason
UTK
Elon
UVM
U Denver

No. At this point, i REALLY don’t care where my kid goes to college

Mine turned down the Naval Academy for a lesser-ranked school. It's about fit, not prestige.

Would you feel bad if your dc ended up attending one of them as opposed to a higher ranked one? A very good but not top student.