College admissions are the most stressful because they're the first real hurdle for most kids, and it seems the stakes could not be higher. It's only when they've been through it that they realize the real concern is the job market

Essentially, they need to have gone through the first wringer to get to the second wringer.

Of course, it depends on their specific field and the general health of the economy.

Anonymous wrote:If You Have Kids in High School, What Worries You More about your kids future: Getting Into an Elite College or Finding a Good-Paying Job After Graduation?

The two are directly connected. The former greatly helps the latter, not just for top jobs but for top med, phD, law, vet, you name it. The better the undergrad the more top options there are.
If any of my children had wanted to be teachers or nurses it would not matter as much. They want/wanted top options. They are all top 1% smarts, thus we wanted the best schools they could get into with the highest percentage of other top-1% smarts students. Peer effect is real, plus the top peer schools happen to also have top endowment per student and top faculty who come from similar peer schools.

Anonymous wrote:This is why I never understand the families where they are so obsessed with their kid going to a top 20 university and then said kid majors in something like English. I rather my kid go to Penn State and major in Mechanical Engineering.

But then they’re a mechanical engineer. Which doesn’t appeal to most people.

This is why I never understand the families where they are so obsessed with their kid going to a top 20 university and then said kid majors in something like English. I rather my kid go to Penn State and major in Mechanical Engineering.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why Are You Writing Like This?

Stressing About Getting Into An Elite College: The DCUM Story

Not really. Just typed too fast. I’m surprised by the optimism on DCUM—people spend so much energy discussing how to get into top schools without really worrying about the price tag or career outcomes. Does this mean most people here don't really care about whether their kids work or not... all trust fund families here?

There are a lot of successful liberal arts majors here. So we have been through the "You're majoring in what?" and the unemployability jokes, etc.

Also Gen-X knows all too well that "It's the Economy, Stupid!". There are no guarantees when the economy is doing poorly.

Getting a job is different from getting a high paying job with career prospects.

Anonymous wrote:Parents of a 2026 T15 grad. The university has a <5% admission rate fwiw.

The job market —and getting a good job and getting on the career ladder — is way more stressful than the college application process. Says DS.

I don’t think parents on DC UM realize how very very difficult it is right now to get a good job coming out of a top university

DS’s friends are at Yale, Chicago and Brown and report the same. Lots of grad school apps

People know. That's why those who spoke about AI in the commencement speech got booed

Anonymous wrote:I can only speak to grad school, and she got into every one she applied to. Not the case with colleges.

Because graduate school admissions are merit based.

Parents of a 2026 T15 grad. The university has a <5% admission rate fwiw.

The job market —and getting a good job and getting on the career ladder — is way more stressful than the college application process. Says DS.

I don’t think parents on DC UM realize how very very difficult it is right now to get a good job coming out of a top university

DS’s friends are at Yale, Chicago and Brown and report the same. Lots of grad school apps

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why Are You Writing Like This?

Stressing About Getting Into An Elite College: The DCUM Story

Not really. Just typed too fast. I’m surprised by the optimism on DCUM—people spend so much energy discussing how to get into top schools without really worrying about the price tag or career outcomes. Does this mean most people here don't really care about whether their kids work or not... all trust fund families here?

There are a lot of successful liberal arts majors here. So we have been through the "You're majoring in what?" and the unemployability jokes, etc.

Also Gen-X knows all too well that "It's the Economy, Stupid!". There are no guarantees when the economy is doing poorly.

I can only speak to grad school, and she got into every one she applied to. Not the case with colleges.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why Are You Writing Like This?

Stressing About Getting Into An Elite College: The DCUM Story

Not really. Just typed too fast. I’m surprised by the optimism on DCUM—people spend so much energy discussing how to get into top schools without really worrying about the price tag or career outcomes. Does this mean most people here don't really care about whether their kids work or not... all trust fund families here?

Anonymous wrote:Why Are You Writing Like This?

Stressing About Getting Into An Elite College: The DCUM Story

With one recent grad and a rising college senior, I can tell you the getting-a-job part is much more stressful than the getting-into-college part.

Why Are You Writing Like This?

If You Have Kids in High School, What Worries You More about your kids future: Getting Into an Elite College or Finding a Good-Paying Job After Graduation?