Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do people not realize merit scholarships are bribes to get you to put up with 1) the morons that'll be your classmates 2) a subpar experience, overall 3) a degree that has little if any brand value?

That hasn't been my son's experience at the college where he receives a merit scholarship. I heard plenty of complaints about the lack of intellectual curiosity in his high school AP classmates; no complaints about his college classmates. So far, his experience at his second tier SLAC has been much better than mine was at a top ranked university.

Same exact experience for us.

That's because a lot more families are looking for merit aid as the cost of college rises far faster than the COL and inflation. So, there are many more talented kids at mid-level colleges. My DD is one of them, and is very happy. She has lots of talented classmates, but it's more like high school, where she was in the top 10% of her class. At a highly selective college (HYPS or one of the top SLACS), all the kids are from the top 10% of their high school classes. So if you have 400 best friends, you're better off at one of the highly selective colleges. But if you're like most of us and end up with a handful of close friends, then you'll be in good company at any semi-decent second or even third tier college that offers merit aid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do people not realize merit scholarships are [b]bribes to get you to put up with 1) the morons that'll be your classmates [/b]2) a subpar experience, overall 3) a degree that has little if any brand value?

Sort of like the dozens of morons on the Harvard boys' soccer team who created the publicly accessible Google docs rating the attractiveness of the girls' soccer team? Brilliant minds there. Best of the generation for sure.

BTW, it's "morons WHO will be your classmates."

--Ohio State grad

Idiot high school troll, PP. Ignore her.

Anonymous wrote:I know the answer but I need reassurance. Bright child sure to be accepted at some small name schools with substantial merit aid. Strong chance at some big name schools but not top of the heap - this no scholarship. Money is an issue. Likely liberal arts major. So grad school is a given.

Save the money for a prestigious grad program, right?

OMG, no question, take the money!!!

Our DD took the money at a "no-name" school and is doing really well. Already has a summer job lined up through contacts she made at school.

The top kids from the no-name schools do very well. If your child is motivated, she will do fine at no-name, and will benefit by having no loans when she graduates. That's a burden I didn't want my DD to carry after she graduates.

Anonymous wrote:I'm looking at colleges for my DD in her desired major (a science) and noticing the faculty in her field have bachelors degrees from a wide variety of schools, from SLACs to R1 research institutions. When it comes to PhDs, most are from R1 schools. So when thinking about a bachelors, go for the fit and the price and where you feel comfortable. If you're talented enough, grad schools will notice.

^^this. I went to a second tier LAC (and excellent and totally blossomed)

Our faculty all had Tier 1, R1 PhDs and all flavors of BA/BS degrees. My classmates who pursued research graduate degrees successfully all did so at R1 institutions.

The cream will always rise to the top.
Pay as little as possible for the best fit possible but don't go into a lifetime of debt for undergrad.

Anonymous wrote:Do people not realize merit scholarships are [b]bribes to get you to put up with 1) the morons that'll be your classmates [/b]2) a subpar experience, overall 3) a degree that has little if any brand value?

Sort of like the dozens of morons on the Harvard boys' soccer team who created the publicly accessible Google docs rating the attractiveness of the girls' soccer team? Brilliant minds there. Best of the generation for sure.

BTW, it's "morons WHO will be your classmates."

--Ohio State grad

No loans if you can avoid it. And certainly, no whining about loans after the fact when it's time to pay them back.