chaosakita

My school is a very affluent area and is considered one of the best schools in the state, if not the best non-magnet public school. However, I noticed a really interesting trend among this years top 10 students: they all went to rather non-prestigious schools.

Two of the students went to Rice and Pomona, and another two (one of them being the Valedictorian with this huge prestigious scholarship) went to Vanderbilt (which is really close to our city). As for the rest, one went to the honors program at the University of Kentucky (a wonderful artist and writer), two were attending different slightly selective colleges, another two were going to the University of Georgia together, and one last person (who was amazing at both math and Spanish) was attending our flagship state university. I suppose all of the schools the latter six went to were all good academic institutions, but I definitely think you could find better schools.

The question is, why? The only reasonable answer I can think of is because of financial reasons, which is still strange, as we live in one of the richest counties in the nation. Did the economic downturn have something to do with it?

I think that all of these people could have gone to prestigious colleges if they wanted to. In fact, I think that most of the top 10 from our rival school with a similar socioeconomic background did all go to those prestigious colleges.

In the end, I guess it's not my place to judge where people decide to go to college for themselves, but I still think it might of been better for them (at a financial cost) if they had chosen to go to "better" schools.

HiPeople

Just because you get accepted to a top college doesnt mean you should go to it because its prestigious. You should go to the one that you think is best for you, fits your needs and personality, and the one that you think will help you the most with your future.

apple1984

HiPeople is completely right. Choosing which college to attend is a rather personal decision that encompasses fit, financial considerations, and a number of other factors. I know wonderful people who have turned down good schools like Cornell, Boston University, etc. for the Honors College at Ohio State University.

HiPeople

Ya I actually know a person that chose to go to a top unverisity just because it was prestigious (also because he had spent his whole high school life trying to get into a top unverisity). As a result, he did not research the other unverisities that accepted him. Well, its been like 3 years or so, and right now, my parents (who knows his parents) told me to not make the same mistake next year because that student is regretting his choice.

Yakyu Spirits

Some people aren't obsessed with prestige and name recognition...

vinceh

First of all, just because someone lives in an affluent area doesn't mean they have or are willing to part with $50,000 a year for college.

Second, "prestige" is very much in the eye of the beholder.

Third, if I understand you correctly, four of your schoolmates "settled" for Rice, Pomona and Vanderbilt. That comment is more indicative of your lack of knowledge about those schools than in any lack of perceived prestige.

Vanderbilt Admit Rate: 25%/// 25th%tile SATs (CR/M/W) 650,680,650
Rice: 22%, /// 650,670,640
Pomona: 16%, /// 700,690, 680

By way of comparison:

Penn: 17%, /// 650,680,670
Cornell: 21% /// 650,670,640

It seems to me that they all chose colleges with stringent academic requirements and low acceptance rates.

juillet

Since when are Rice, Pomona, and Vanderbilt not prestigious schools?

Not everyone wants to attend a ridiculously prestgious school. I know I went to a school at which I was the top applicant (not one of the top applicants, but the top applicant) partially because I knew I could afford it with the huge scholarship they gave me, but also because I had no interest in going to an Ivy League school. I wanted to stay in the South close to my family for a while, I really liked the particular school, and I thought that the top schools were stuffy and uptight. (I didn't really know about great values in the South like Rice and Vanderbilt at the time; I really liked Duke and Emory and I got into Emory but couldn't afford it).

Would I have turned out "better" if I had chosen, let's say, Emory and paid the $33,000 a year they had asked for? Well, I'd have a more prestigious degree, but I'd be more deeply in debt. And I doubt I would've decided to get my Ph.D -- the main reason I decided is because I had a diverse faculty including many black female professors at my alma mater that modeled how it was entirely possible for a black woman to earn a Ph.D. I honestly did not know that before I went to college. Besides, I much preferred the homey, sisterly vibe of my small women's college over Emory's rather impersonal vibe when I visited.

Choosing a college is less about choosing the most prestigious school you can get into, and more about choosing a place that is a good fit for you and your needs.

NewHope33

OP - Your area might not have a tradition of sending students to elites. Some schools send several students to elites EVERY year, and that becomes part of the school's tradition. Regardless, where your classmates go is strictly up to them, and I certainly don't think "beneath them" applies in the cases you describe.

Pea

I think the original poster meant that Rice, Vanderbilt were the few prestigious schools that her classmates chose to attend, and the rest selected otherwise. I'm still a little confused and not sure if my interpretation is correct.

Their reasoning could very well be financial. Hello, the economic downturn affected affluent families as well as those in the other parts of the economic spectrum. I don't mean to insult you chaosakita but full price at a private university is a lot of money. This cost comes at the same time that parents need to be ready for retirement.

A very important part of the college selection process is putting some thought into it. It is a very individual decision, what college will best work for you. My cousin went to Harvard and frittered away his time there. He took easy classes and didn't like it. That degree isn't going to do him any good.

Anonymous91

Yea i also think the OP meant Rice, Pomona, and Vanderbilt were the prestigious schools, while the others "settled."

T26E4

chaos: by saying "In the end, I guess it's not my place to judge where people decide to go to college for themselves, but I still think it might of been better for them (at a financial cost) if they had chosen to go to 'better' schools."

you're exemplifying the "brand name" chasing that is so unfortunate in college admissions now. Like other posters said, the schools you listed are absolutely fantastic colleges. If you think that they are missing out, you're sadly mistaken.

But the words you use "beneath people" "better schools" belie something more insidious, I'm afraid. I graduated from an HYP college and work in the non-profit sector where my associates definitely are degree-optional. Heck, a HS diploma is the life's achievement for many people around me. They aren't "beneath" me except by superficial measures. I hope you learn that lesson one day.

You may find yourself not in an "elite" college, your future spouse not to have graduated from an "elite" college, your kids rejected by "elite" colleges, yours kids' pediatricians and loving teachers not having graduated from "elite" colleges, the caregivers who will spend hours with your dying parents not graduated from "elite" colleges. Oh my? What WILL you do?

vinceh

Regarding how many "settled", the OP wrote:

karabee

I can understand where the OP is coming from, though. Our valedictorian this year got into Amherst, and I don't know exactly how rich her family is, but I know that they would've been able to cover it for all four years. Instead, she's going to UT-Austin--albeit a good school, with a full ride and the honors program, I can just see her more at the top LAC than an impersonal state U.

juillet

What's more important is how your valedictorian sees herself. Maybe she didn't see her and her parents saddled with large debt for years, and maybe she realizes that where you go to college matters a lot less than what you actually do there.

noimagination

One of our valedictorians (a really smart guy) is going to Texas A&M. It's a good fit for him and has the programs he wants - who am I to judge that choice?