Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why not focus on the school with the best fit rather than the most prestigious school? Your thinking is flawed.

Is there really a "best" fit? Most well rounded kids would be happy and successful at a lot of different schools. I think this 'best fit' thinking is causing a lot of unnecessary angst for kids. It is best to let them realize that there are many great paths into their future. Not too different from people who never marry because they are waiting for their "one true love" to find them.

USA is probably the only country in the world where people talk about 'college fit'. it's a totally ridiculous concept.

that you think college is like a spouse merely underscores your insanity.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why not focus on the school with the best fit rather than the most prestigious school? Your thinking is flawed.

Is there really a "best" fit? Most well rounded kids would be happy and successful at a lot of different schools. I think this 'best fit' thinking is causing a lot of unnecessary angst for kids. It is best to let them realize that there are many great paths into their future. Not too different from people who never marry because they are waiting for their "one true love" to find them.

USA is probably the only country in the world where people talk about 'college fit'. it's a totally ridiculous concept.

What people outside/new to the US may not understand is that the US has far more colleges than anywhere else with plenty that provide a great education that they might never have heard of. There are far more choices than in other countries and college does not serve the same gatekeeping role that it does elsewhere. You basically can't become a senior government official in France without going to Sciences Po, but there is no equivalent here. And because the pool of academically qualified students for top university spots is so big, they look for seemingly esoteric non-academic factors to sort out their admissions. Being the hardest working, perfect GPA and SAT scoring grind will not guarantee admittance into any of the top colleges here. So everyone needs to consider whether they will really thrive at a number of schools with a range of admission rates. You might think its different and ridiculous, but your opinion doesn't change the reality.

i do think it's completely ridiculous and wasteful and that fact will eventually be reflected inreality. not because what think matter but because the scenario in which young adults in US have a 4 year vacation at the "right college fit" while young adults elsewhere either have an actual education or real jobs is not sustainable. eventually many US universities are going to go bankrupt, top schools will only admit those who can actually benefit from the coursework and the rest will get jobs after high school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Far from it. Fit is important. I think the concept of "best fit" is silly but there needs to be a general consideration for fit. There are schools that share a number of characteristics that likely make them a much better match for a certain type of student. Fit in this sense can be very important for how well a student performs in college and whether he has a productive and happy college experience. Far too many students choose blindly based on ranking and prestige without considering fit at all.

+1

For highly qualified (but not "HYPS") kids, chasing prestige for the sake of prestige is nuts. IMO it makes much more sense to weed out schools that don't feel right. There is a noticeable difference between (for example) Bowdoin and Wesleyan. If you don't account for that and pick the wrong one, you may be quite unhappy.

Haha....so true. i wanted DS to go to Bowdoin but he didn't care for it and fell in love with Wes and couldn't be happier. Colleges definitely have distinct cultures and to ignore the notion of fit is shortsighted.

Anonymous wrote:
USA is probably the only country in the world where people talk about 'college fit'. it's a totally ridiculous concept.

Agreed. I feel the same way when people talk about "fit" in a job, or "fit" in a spouse. Any good one will do just fine, same as all the others.

Harvard is corrupt

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why not focus on the school with the best fit rather than the most prestigious school? Your thinking is flawed.

Is there really a "best" fit? Most well rounded kids would be happy and successful at a lot of different schools. I think this 'best fit' thinking is causing a lot of unnecessary angst for kids. It is best to let them realize that there are many great paths into their future. Not too different from people who never marry because they are waiting for their "one true love" to find them.

USA is probably the only country in the world where people talk about 'college fit'. it's a totally ridiculous concept.

What people outside/new to the US may not understand is that the US has far more colleges than anywhere else with plenty that provide a great education that they might never have heard of. There are far more choices than in other countries and college does not serve the same gatekeeping role that it does elsewhere. You basically can't become a senior government official in France without going to Sciences Po, but there is no equivalent here. And because the pool of academically qualified students for top university spots is so big, they look for seemingly esoteric non-academic factors to sort out their admissions. Being the hardest working, perfect GPA and SAT scoring grind will not guarantee admittance into any of the top colleges here. So everyone needs to consider whether they will really thrive at a number of schools with a range of admission rates. You might think its different and ridiculous, but your opinion doesn't change the reality.

Anonymous wrote:
Far from it. Fit is important. I think the concept of "best fit" is silly but there needs to be a general consideration for fit. There are schools that share a number of characteristics that likely make them a much better match for a certain type of student. Fit in this sense can be very important for how well a student performs in college and whether he has a productive and happy college experience. Far too many students choose blindly based on ranking and prestige without considering fit at all.

+1

For highly qualified (but not "HYPS") kids, chasing prestige for the sake of prestige is nuts. IMO it makes much more sense to weed out schools that don't feel right. There is a noticeable difference between (for example) Bowdoin and Wesleyan. If you don't account for that and pick the wrong one, you may be quite unhappy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why not focus on the school with the best fit rather than the most prestigious school? Your thinking is flawed.

Is there really a "best" fit? Most well rounded kids would be happy and successful at a lot of different schools. I think this 'best fit' thinking is causing a lot of unnecessary angst for kids. It is best to let them realize that there are many great paths into their future. Not too different from people who never marry because they are waiting for their "one true love" to find them.

USA is probably the only country in the world where people talk about 'college fit'. it's a totally ridiculous concept.

Far from it. Fit is important. I think the concept of "best fit" is silly but there needs to be a general consideration for fit. There are schools that share a number of characteristics that likely make them a much better match for a certain type of student. Fit in this sense can be very important for how well a student performs in college and whether he has a productive and happy college experience. Far too many students choose blindly based on ranking and prestige without considering fit at all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why not focus on the school with the best fit rather than the most prestigious school? Your thinking is flawed.

Is there really a "best" fit? Most well rounded kids would be happy and successful at a lot of different schools. I think this 'best fit' thinking is causing a lot of unnecessary angst for kids. It is best to let them realize that there are many great paths into their future. Not too different from people who never marry because they are waiting for their "one true love" to find them.

USA is probably the only country in the world where people talk about 'college fit'. it's a totally ridiculous concept.

Anonymous wrote:Rule of thumb is that if your unhooked kid has top scores, grades AND at least one thing that truly stands out then HYPS is a good bet for SCEA. Now what constitutes a "standout" trait is easier understood than described. In most cases you can intuitively tell if your kid has it, provided that you are perceptive enough to understand what is going on with your child's peers and you also have done your research and spoken extensively with the GC.

Imo an unhooked student who has top scores, grades and great but not standout ECs/achievements is much netter served doing ED at a lower ivy/ivy-equivalent. Lower ivy RDs are now complete crapshoots so going for HYPS SCEA presents a very real threat of being rejected from all ivies if the student is very qualified but not a prodigy.

Of course by unhooked I mean a student who is not URM, not first-gen, not low-income, non-athlete, non-legacy and not a development case etc.

+1000000 This is roughly the strategy that most unhooked people in our prep school follow and the course of action suggested by the GCs. We are on the same boat since our DC (class of 2023 applicant) is in the top 10% of the class and has some great accomplishments but objectively, there is nothing that would make her truly stand out for HYPS. She has a chance of making it but it is truly a crapshoot. That said, I think it also depends on how much your DC loves their first choice. If they are ok with taking the slightly safer route and doing ED at their 2nd/3rd/4th choice then it makes a lot of sense to do so. if they are adamant about applying to HYPS however, I say you should probably let them do what they want. all you can do is explain the risks and benefits of each course of action and make sure they understand the potential downside and are ok with it. This is what we are doing with our DC since she is adamant about applying early to Harvard. She has been a straight A student all her life and has many other great accomplishments so we don't have the heart to discourage her from striving for her top choice.

In that year too. RD still provided plenty of match choices and some reach that year. Among our friends, no reach last year and early this year already has been tougher than usual. It's to the colleges' advantage to lock up the kids early. Remember we're discussing kids who feel well qualified for and are debating among Ivies and Ivy equivalents. Not the broader, a smart kid will do well anywhere. They know that.

11:16 is year before last. And it’s a principled response — based on the premise that what’s most at stake here is not where your kid goes to college but your relationship with your (soon to be adult) kid — not a strategic one anyway.

These replies have varied greatly. Understandable due to different kids but a huge consideration with the elite school application process is the WHEN. From talking to friends in this year's cycle it is so much rougher than just 2-3 years ago. The college scene has definitely skewed earlier in just a few years.

That’s what we did as well. Last thing I wanted was my DC feeling pressured by her parents not to prioritize what she wanted out of this process. I explained risks and different ways to manage them, but the decision was hers and she spent her early chip on her first choice school.

OP I would let him apply early to the place he most wants to go. Quite simple.