| I agree pretty much with Carolyn. The hype is truly a focus on the super select schools both on the highschool and college levels. However, I have also notice that many highschools' focus is on getting the kid into the state flagship school which has become a challenge lately with the stellar academic profiles that applicants to these schools have been showing. Many of such schools are becoming an obsession for parents. And many of those parents whose budgets will be stretched even sending their kids to the state uni, have kids without good options if those kids cannot get into that state uni. My husband's cousins live in Delaware, and when their kids cannot get into U of D, they have to go to community college since the cost of going away for college is too high for them unless they can get that in state tuition. None of the kids got enough aid to go to the catholic colleges where they also applied in hopes of enough money to go away.
As to most of the less selective schools not being worth the experience, I beg to differ with that view. There are many, many, many schools that take most of their applicants and can give anyone who is looking for a good education what need. Many of these schools can offer kids who would not get such opportunities at more selective schools special experiences. I know kids who have had difficulties getting the widely advertised internships and research opportunities at some of the top school. Kids at schools not as well know, can have better chances at some of such programs. I would hate to send a kid as a premed at Hopkins, Cornell or other such school unless that kid is truly the top of the top. Better he goes to a small LAC that can nurture him through the gauntlet rather than try to be gatekeepers as such selective schools do.
Also, it has been a recent phenomonon that kids get to visit colleges that they are considering, then when they apply to them and then again when they get in. The visiting scene has been further fueled by this "demonstrated interest" busines that was fueled by so many kids applying to so many schools that the schools were getting beset with phantom applicants since you can only go to one school. Yes, if you are applying to a dozen schools that require or recommend visits and interviews, you are going to stressed out with the process. |