| 4trees, I totally understand what YOU are saying and in fact, my D is deciding between six fabulous MArch programs that she got into and she'd be happy at any one of them. I do believe a student CAN be happy at more than one school and therefore can't lose in many of these situations. In fact, in a competitive admissions process, it is best going into it not fixated on one or two "must have" schools, but in finding many that fit what you want and that you like enough to attend.
However, I am reading thread after thread on CC of people simply asking....should I go to X or Y college....which is the "best"? I do not think one should pick a college on which is perceived by others as the "best"? The decision is very individual and must pertain to how the school aligns with what your selection criteria is. The exercise then would be to jot down everything you know about a school, as well as your own pros/cons. Before you began the college selection process a year ago, there should have been criteria by which you selected schools to apply to. So, compare these notes now between schools but also with your original selection criteria.
Yes, it is tricky because more than one school can fit what you are looking for. Indeed, my own D has that situation now as she was handed a bag of riches, it feels, with way more acceptances to top programs than she ever dreamed was possible. However, I feel that since she likes them all enough to attend, she can afford to be super picky and think about things like location which would not be as paramount had she only got into one of these fine programs and she'd be OK with the location of any of them but now that she has lots of options, she can consider more minor factors. Another thing is to go a bit with your "gut" and which school really excites you in an indescribable way. My D was excited about every one of her acceptances but said that when she got the call of admittance to one particular one, she felt a major rush and so that says something too.
Basically, I was saying that all these posts where people are asking others which of their schools is the better school are not really where it is at, in my view. Instead, they need to figure out which school most closely suits THEM and we can't tell them that. It is very individual. However, I'd prefer to see a post that describes one's selection criteria and then asks specific questions of others as to how X or Y college might align with that criteria. Asking which school is the "best".....just is not the way to pick a school. If that is all that matters, take out the rankings lists. |