Well since they have failed at life and are too embarrassing to be seen, they hang out in their parents’ basements. The kids who aimed lower take up all the rest of the spots.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve recently learned that excellent grades and top test scores is not what prestigious/expensive colleges are looking for. I don’t really care about prestige, and I’d rather save my money, but my smart kid would like to study math with a bunch of other smart kids. Some weed-out is ok, but preferably not too cut-throat.

Where do the boring smart kids go?

Oh, good grief. Of course top schools want excellent grades and top test scores, but so many students have these. They are just not enough.

Like PPs have said, there are smart kids at every school

Quit trolling.

So now it’s “trolling” to suggest that there are more smart kids at UVA than VCU? Why are all these kids killing themselves for four years in high school, if all colleges are the same?

No one is saying they are exactly the same. There’s just not nearly as much difference as people think there is.

My kid has 144 IQ and had 1530 SAT.
Didn't get into T20 T25 schools applied.

Chose Northeastern.
DC says there are a lot of smart kids around.

Anonymous wrote:I’ve recently learned that excellent grades and top test scores is not what prestigious/expensive colleges are looking for. I don’t really care about prestige, and I’d rather save my money, but my smart kid would like to study math with a bunch of other smart kids. Some weed-out is ok, but preferably not too cut-throat.

Where do the boring smart kids go?

Pretty much anywhere. Smart kids will thrive in most environments.

They go everywhere, for lots of different reasons including financial.

Anonymous wrote:I’ve recently learned that excellent grades and top test scores is not what prestigious/expensive colleges are looking for. I don’t really care about prestige, and I’d rather save my money, but my smart kid would like to study math with a bunch of other smart kids. Some weed-out is ok, but preferably not too cut-throat.

Where do the boring smart kids go?

Non-ivy private T20 and good SLAC.

Anonymous wrote:Let’s put it this way. I’m smart. I went to an T20 school and majored in Math and have an IVY MBA. I now work for a Fortune 500 company with people who went to a whole range of schools.

Guess what, I work with a lot of smart people who went to a wide range of schools. Many are smarter than me. Any good college your kid chooses will be full of smart people.

Your MBA is nothing more than a pricey two year vacation. A comparable education could have been obtained for $1.50 in late charges from the public library.

Anonymous wrote:I did math at my state flagship. Good courses to choose from, good professors. I’m sure there were plenty of smart students, but there was no indication that any of them socialized, or new each others names, and they never asked questions in class. Finding a good cohort, is not automatic, it’s a valid question, and so far no useful answers.

Anyone eating crayons in your “math” class?

Anonymous wrote:Everywhere

This. 100%

Anonymous wrote:Dh went to ivy. I went to state. We met in the same phd program.

Yeah, I went to state too and my husband to ivies but we met as colleagues at an NYC law firm. As long as you are smart and, more important, have good people skills, you will do fine.

Anonymous wrote:I did math at my state flagship. Good courses to choose from, good professors. I’m sure there were plenty of smart students, but there was no indication that any of them socialized, or new each others names, and they never asked questions in class. Finding a good cohort, is not automatic, it’s a valid question, and so far no useful answers.

This is a valid question (with the possible exception of sweeping assessment of all the "smart kids" at your school). The original, with the assertion that top schools are not interested in excellent grades/etc, was not.

The question was answered many times over. The fact that you don't recognize that may indicate your bias.

I also suspect that your experience of not finding a cohort is not indicative of most flagship state schools today.

Incoming class at University of Tulsa will be NMF because they started a full ride scholarship this year. Smart kids follow the money.

Mine will be studying CS at UMD.

Anonymous wrote:I did math at my state flagship. Good courses to choose from, good professors. I’m sure there were plenty of smart students, but there was no indication that any of them socialized, or new each others names, and they never asked questions in class. Finding a good cohort, is not automatic, it’s a valid question, and so far no useful answers.

Try schools listed here: https://www.maa.org/sites/default/files/pdf/Putnam/2022/AnnouncementOfWinnersFall2022.docx%20%281%29.pdf

I did math at my state flagship. Good courses to choose from, good professors. I’m sure there were plenty of smart students, but there was no indication that any of them socialized, or new each others names, and they never asked questions in class. Finding a good cohort, is not automatic, it’s a valid question, and so far no useful answers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let’s put it this way. I’m smart. I went to an T20 school and majored in Math and have an IVY MBA. I now work for a Fortune 500 company with people who went to a whole range of schools.

Guess what, I work with a lot of smart people who went to a wide range of schools. Many are smarter than me. Any good college your kid chooses will be full of smart people.

Why is “Ivy MBA” in ALL CAPS?

Anyone who ever attended an IVY knows to capitalize it. It's the strivers that don't know that.

Nobody who went to a good Ivy refers to their school by the athletic conference. It is only used at the lesser schools and is a sign of insecurity.

I’m capitalizing from here on, need to think of more ways to work IVY into posts. Cannot believe a simple mistake gets everyone riled up