Macalester has a fantastic reputation. It used to be an excellent regional school but now has a much wider reach. Its particularly good for kids who are interested in international affairs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bates. Tulane. SMU. UC Santa Barbara. Ole Miss. Sewanne. Kenyon. Davidson. Wake. Washington and Lee. USC. U Vermont.

All taken from Big 3 matriculation lists this year.

Which ones would you consider "disappointments"?

Adding to this list, what would you say for NYU, U of Wisconsin, Macalester?

NYU is super popular but tuition/books + cost of living in NYC makes it ridiculous. Not sure why people spend the money to send their kids to undergrad there. Med/Law/MBA are a whole different story. U of Wisconsin would be preferred to all the others mentioned on the list unless a UC and from CA. Macalester is a good well know regional school - yes, if you live in Minnesota but why choose it over U of MN?

Wisconsin is behind most on the list except Ole Miss and Sewanee - unless you are a grad student that wants to o research - for undergrad it's not close.

According to who?

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Wisconsin–Madison

It's considered one of the "public Ivies" and if you compare cost of attending, it's a better value. Some of the other colleges listed cost 2-3x as much without being 2x-3x better.

For undergrad, employers are not going to distinguish much difference between U of Wisconsin and NYU.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bates. Tulane. SMU. UC Santa Barbara. Ole Miss. Sewanne. Kenyon. Davidson. Wake. Washington and Lee. USC. U Vermont.

All taken from Big 3 matriculation lists this year.

Which ones would you consider "disappointments"?

Adding to this list, what would you say for NYU, U of Wisconsin, Macalester?

NYU is super popular but tuition/books + cost of living in NYC makes it ridiculous. Not sure why people spend the money to send their kids to undergrad there. Med/Law/MBA are a whole different story. U of Wisconsin would be preferred to all the others mentioned on the list unless a UC and from CA. Macalester is a good well know regional school - yes, if you live in Minnesota but why choose it over U of MN?

Wisconsin is behind most on the list except Ole Miss and Sewanee - unless you are a grad student that wants to o research - for undergrad it's not close.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bates. Tulane. SMU. UC Santa Barbara. Ole Miss. Sewanne. Kenyon. Davidson. Wake. Washington and Lee. USC. U Vermont.

All taken from Big 3 matriculation lists this year.

Which ones would you consider "disappointments"?

Adding to this list, what would you say for NYU, U of Wisconsin, Macalester?

NYU is super popular but tuition/books + cost of living in NYC makes it ridiculous. Not sure why people spend the money to send their kids to undergrad there. Med/Law/MBA are a whole different story. U of Wisconsin would be preferred to all the others mentioned on the list unless a UC and from CA. Macalester is a good well know regional school - yes, if you live in Minnesota but why choose it over U of MN?

Anonymous wrote:Bates. Tulane. SMU. UC Santa Barbara. Ole Miss. Sewanne. Kenyon. Davidson. Wake. Washington and Lee. USC. U Vermont.

All taken from Big 3 matriculation lists this year.

Which ones would you consider "disappointments"?

Adding to this list, what would you say for NYU, U of Wisconsin, Macalester?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bates. Tulane. SMU. UC Santa Barbara. Ole Miss. Sewanne. Kenyon. Davidson. Wake. Washington and Lee. USC. U Vermont.

All taken from Big 3 matriculation lists this year.

Which ones would you consider "disappointments"?

I'll play. From a Big 3, disappointments all except maybe USC, UC SB, Kenyon. If it's family tradition to attend Ole Miss or Wake forest, maybe ok. Honestly, for the tuition at a Big 3 - I'll expect Ivy or equivalent like Stanford, Duke, etc.

Then don't send a child. Have you had your head in a bucket for the past decade? College admissions has changed drastically since the 1980s (when presumably you applied). Kids get a wonderful education at these area independents but it is not a 1950s style ticket into the Ivy League. The tuition is a ton of money so if college admissions is your sole or even primary goal you are likely to be disappointed and should save your money.

Shrug. I have nieces and nephews going through the spplication process now and during the past 6 yrs or so. From the West Coast, 2 to Stanford, 3 to various UC schools and 1 to CalTech (chose over Yale and MIT). All from public although they went private for elementary.

Perhaps your knowledge is West Coast centric. Davidson and Wake are great schools, more highly regarded in these latitudes than UCs. Which may be East Coast centric. But people will think you are ill-informed if you trot out your views that Davidson or Wake are disappointments.

I went to an Ivy during the 80ties so while my nieces and nephews are West Coastcentric, I would be disappointed if my kids went to Davidson and Wake Forest. I prefer Williams, Amherst, Wesleyan, Swathmore, etc. Maybe it's b/c I personally don't know anyone who has gone to them and have no familiarity with Southern schools. Just my opinion answering the question posed.

Fair enough. Lots of people are really high on Davidson, Wake, and Washington and Lee (which surprised me, I thought it was a finishing school, but it got very competitive when they started offering big merit scholarships -- the Johnson Scholarships). You might want to check out some wider geographic options when your kids get to application age. Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore are still tops but my sense from seeing acceptances is that Wesleyan is not as competitive anymore in admissions (for whatever that's worth).

That's funny. Wesleyan did not accept me while the Ivy I attended is virtually impossible to get in now without a hook. My DC is in elementary so this is all just playing around and I have no experience with the current college application process other than second hand through relatives. DH and I are hoping he goes to the Ivy his dad/grandpa/etc went to or goes to MIT, CalTech, etc. No offense to anyone, DC is under 10 so it's all supposition.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bates. Tulane. SMU. UC Santa Barbara. Ole Miss. Sewanne. Kenyon. Davidson. Wake. Washington and Lee. USC. U Vermont.

All taken from Big 3 matriculation lists this year.

Which ones would you consider "disappointments"?

I'll play. From a Big 3, disappointments all except maybe USC, UC SB, Kenyon. If it's family tradition to attend Ole Miss or Wake forest, maybe ok. Honestly, for the tuition at a Big 3 - I'll expect Ivy or equivalent like Stanford, Duke, etc.

Then don't send a child. Have you had your head in a bucket for the past decade? College admissions has changed drastically since the 1980s (when presumably you applied). Kids get a wonderful education at these area independents but it is not a 1950s style ticket into the Ivy League. The tuition is a ton of money so if college admissions is your sole or even primary goal you are likely to be disappointed and should save your money.

Shrug. I have nieces and nephews going through the spplication process now and during the past 6 yrs or so. From the West Coast, 2 to Stanford, 3 to various UC schools and 1 to CalTech (chose over Yale and MIT). All from public although they went private for elementary.

Perhaps your knowledge is West Coast centric. Davidson and Wake are great schools, more highly regarded in these latitudes than UCs. Which may be East Coast centric. But people will think you are ill-informed if you trot out your views that Davidson or Wake are disappointments.

I went to an Ivy during the 80ties so while my nieces and nephews are West Coastcentric, I would be disappointed if my kids went to Davidson and Wake Forest. I prefer Williams, Amherst, Wesleyan, Swathmore, etc. Maybe it's b/c I personally don't know anyone who has gone to them and have no familiarity with Southern schools. Just my opinion answering the question posed.

Fair enough. Lots of people are really high on Davidson, Wake, and Washington and Lee (which surprised me, I thought it was a finishing school, but it got very competitive when they started offering big merit scholarships -- the Johnson Scholarships). You might want to check out some wider geographic options when your kids get to application age. Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore are still tops but my sense from seeing acceptances is that Wesleyan is not as competitive anymore in admissions (for whatever that's worth).

The question is do the other schools become so competitive that your child would have been a top student at another program but are in the middle of the pack at the most competitive.

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn't it totally depend on the individual child? At all schools, private or public, there are kids at the top of the class, kids in the middle, and kids at the bottom. For a top-of-the-class kid, those would likely be disappointments, barring some specific reason to choose that school. For a middle of the class kid, several would be fine, others might reflect random bad luck. And for a near the bottom kid, not disappointments at all.

True. If my Big 3 kid was a C student with a 1700 SAT score I would be thrilled if he was accepted at IU. However, I would feel disappointed in myself as a parent for stressing him out by keeping him at a STA/Sidwell when other academic settings would have been a better fit.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bates. Tulane. SMU. UC Santa Barbara. Ole Miss. Sewanne. Kenyon. Davidson. Wake. Washington and Lee. USC. U Vermont.

All taken from Big 3 matriculation lists this year.

Which ones would you consider "disappointments"?

A top 25 national university shouldn't be a disappointment, so take USC and Wake Forrest off the list - they are both ahead of Tufts, Michigan and UNC. Tulane (#51) is still recovering from the hit it took after Katrina, but UC Santa Barbara (#41) is above UT Austun and On par with UW Madison. SMU (#58) has a top business school and considered a Southern Ivy along with Tulane. Indiana (#83) is far behind Maryland, PennState and Delaware and on par with Drexel and Marquette. Mississippi (#151) is the clear bottom of that list.

Why are you taking the US News rankings as gospel? They pick random criteria that may not even be your child's criteria. There are schools that "rank" low but have top notch programs in one or two areas. If your DC is interested in that area, that would be more important than somebody else's rankings. Also, colleges are now scamming the system. For example, there are schools that have every person taking a tour fill out a "preliminary application" -- for free! -- and thus can inflate their application rates, making their acceptance rates lower. Highly "ranked" schools are doing this.

An applicant is an individual with their own interests and needs. Relying on some corporate entity to determine how "good" schools are does a real disservice.

Wouldn't it totally depend on the individual child? At all schools, private or public, there are kids at the top of the class, kids in the middle, and kids at the bottom. For a top-of-the-class kid, those would likely be disappointments, barring some specific reason to choose that school. For a middle of the class kid, several would be fine, others might reflect random bad luck. And for a near the bottom kid, not disappointments at all.

Anonymous wrote:Bates. Tulane. SMU. UC Santa Barbara. Ole Miss. Sewanne. Kenyon. Davidson. Wake. Washington and Lee. USC. U Vermont.

All taken from Big 3 matriculation lists this year.

Which ones would you consider "disappointments"?

A top 25 national university shouldn't be a disappointment, so take USC and Wake Forrest off the list - they are both ahead of Tufts, Michigan and UNC. Tulane (#51) is still recovering from the hit it took after Katrina, but UC Santa Barbara (#41) is above UT Austun and On par with UW Madison. SMU (#58) has a top business school and considered a Southern Ivy along with Tulane. Indiana (#83) is far behind Maryland, PennState and Delaware and on par with Drexel and Marquette. Mississippi (#151) is the clear bottom of that list.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bates. Tulane. SMU. UC Santa Barbara. Ole Miss. Sewanne. Kenyon. Davidson. Wake. Washington and Lee. USC. U Vermont.

All taken from Big 3 matriculation lists this year.

Which ones would you consider "disappointments"?

I'll play. From a Big 3, disappointments all except maybe USC, UC SB, Kenyon. If it's family tradition to attend Ole Miss or Wake forest, maybe ok. Honestly, for the tuition at a Big 3 - I'll expect Ivy or equivalent like Stanford, Duke, etc.

Then don't send a child. Have you had your head in a bucket for the past decade? College admissions has changed drastically since the 1980s (when presumably you applied). Kids get a wonderful education at these area independents but it is not a 1950s style ticket into the Ivy League. The tuition is a ton of money so if college admissions is your sole or even primary goal you are likely to be disappointed and should save your money.

Shrug. I have nieces and nephews going through the spplication process now and during the past 6 yrs or so. From the West Coast, 2 to Stanford, 3 to various UC schools and 1 to CalTech (chose over Yale and MIT). All from public although they went private for elementary.

Perhaps your knowledge is West Coast centric. Davidson and Wake are great schools, more highly regarded in these latitudes than UCs. Which may be East Coast centric. But people will think you are ill-informed if you trot out your views that Davidson or Wake are disappointments.

I went to an Ivy during the 80ties so while my nieces and nephews are West Coastcentric, I would be disappointed if my kids went to Davidson and Wake Forest. I prefer Williams, Amherst, Wesleyan, Swathmore, etc. Maybe it's b/c I personally don't know anyone who has gone to them and have no familiarity with Southern schools. Just my opinion answering the question posed.

I'm a Californian who came east to attend college in the '80s as well. I worked in college admissions and have gone through the admissions process with 2 children. I'd suggest you might want to update and expand your knowledge of colleges in the south and midwest. I see many parents who steer their kids away from great schools in those regions to the detriment of their children. Yes, a student from the west coast or this area would definitely want to consider whether they'd feel comfortable going to a school in another part of the country, but choosing a school based on outdated and provincial notions is not a good premise for a college search. (And for the record, my kids don't go to school in the south or midwest.)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bates. Tulane. SMU. UC Santa Barbara. Ole Miss. Sewanne. Kenyon. Davidson. Wake. Washington and Lee. USC. U Vermont.

All taken from Big 3 matriculation lists this year.

Which ones would you consider "disappointments"?

I'll play. From a Big 3, disappointments all except maybe USC, UC SB, Kenyon. If it's family tradition to attend Ole Miss or Wake forest, maybe ok. Honestly, for the tuition at a Big 3 - I'll expect Ivy or equivalent like Stanford, Duke, etc.

Ah, I'll play too...."for the tuition at a Big 3....' ec.? Its not the SCHOOL. If you are choosing to pay that tuition because you think the SCHOOL will get the child into an Ivy (apparently that's all that matters on this thread...) then you are mistaken. Look, if the DC doesn't have it...merely sending DC to a "Big 3" won't change that fact...

Yes, the majority of Big 3 parents send their kids there b/c they want their kids to be "well rounded" and reach their full potential... And eventually end up at Arizona State.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bates. Tulane. SMU. UC Santa Barbara. Ole Miss. Sewanne. Kenyon. Davidson. Wake. Washington and Lee. USC. U Vermont.

All taken from Big 3 matriculation lists this year.

Which ones would you consider "disappointments"?

I'll play. From a Big 3, disappointments all except maybe USC, UC SB, Kenyon. If it's family tradition to attend Ole Miss or Wake forest, maybe ok. Honestly, for the tuition at a Big 3 - I'll expect Ivy or equivalent like Stanford, Duke, etc.

Ah, I'll play too...."for the tuition at a Big 3....' ec.? Its not the SCHOOL. If you are choosing to pay that tuition because you think the SCHOOL will get the child into an Ivy (apparently that's all that matters on this thread...) then you are mistaken. Look, if the DC doesn't have it...merely sending DC to a "Big 3" won't change that fact...