<p>Havrvard Schmarvard. Would you pass up Ivies, including acceptance at Harvard, for Florida A&M, a HBCU (Historically Black College and University)? This extremely bright kid did just that. He entered high school at 12 and college at 16. He felt FAMU was the better choice over Harvard, Georgia Tech etc. </p>
<p>It’s too bad people are criticizing the student for his choice. The really salient details from the story are that he was starting college at 16, he wanted to be near home – and his chosen college gave him a full ride scholarship.</p>
<p>Obviously, when he is 20 and applying for grad school, he will probably feel more confident about leaving home, and he will have the added advantage of not being in debt from his first 4 years of college. </p>
<p>It would be a potentially very tough social adjustment for him to attend Harvard as a 16 year old. Of course it can be done – I myself started college at age 16, far from home (but not Harvard)… but having been there, I know that there are a variety of issues that make it a very sound decision for a youngster to decide he is better off being within a day’s drive of his parents. I’d think age alone would be one factor militating toward staying closer to home.</p>
<p>Calmom has a point that the age and proximity to home could have been a factor. </p>
<p>Now, one of my own kids also went to college at 16 and it was 6 hours from home and in NYC, after growing up in a rural area. For her, it was all good. And while not the same as the kid in the story, I watched my sister-in-law, who is much younger than me (thus I watched her grow up) get into many top Ivy League colleges, but chose Williams (I realize this is not a fair comparison to the boy in the story!), in part, I believe, as it was close to home and she graduated HS right after her 16th birthday (she did grades 7-12 in four years). I think the fact that Williams was nearby to her parents was a factor in her choice, given her age.</p>
<p>OK, I just read the story after I wrote that…he admits proximity to home was a factor due to his age, as well as a free ride and so money was a factor. He isn’t the first kid who turned down more prestigious schools to take advantage of a free ride. He also mentions that he comes from a long line of HBCU grads and so that had to be an influence too. Also the fact that he said he felt at home in the atmosphere at Florida A&M should not be dismissed. It is not like everyone can relate to this boy’s circumstance. He is African American and how he felt on a campus of a historically Black college may be different in how he felt at some other college like an Ivy.</p>
<p>I fail to see how this is “controversial,” because it would seem to be no one else’s business other than his family’s. The thought that people contacted him via FB, etc. is appalling.</p>
<p>Been there, done that. My daughter, as some of you may remember, turned down Yale for Northwestern. Northwestern is not a bad school at all but it’s not Yale. I love the people who said she should be very proud to have “bucked the system” and chosen the school that was better FOR HER and not the rest of the world. It was not an easy decision but she (as opposed to my husband who is still upset) has never looked back.</p>
<p>Count me among the “nothing to see here, move along” crowd in this story. He’s young and he’ll be near home, which is what a great number of college applicants desire. Now an odd twist would have been having his parents move with him to Harvard! Now that would be news. Hey, don’t laugh. Kobe Bryant’s parents moved with him from Philadelphia to Los Angeles when he entered the NBA fresh out of high school.</p>
<p>And anothing thing, LOL, why in blazes did this young fella apply to 45 schools?</p>
<p>I wonder if he got the Ga Tech Presidents scholarship? [Georgia</a> Institute of Technology :: President’s Scholarship Program :: What is the President’s Scholarship Program?](<a href=“http://www.psp.gatech.edu/prospective/what.php]Georgia”>http://www.psp.gatech.edu/prospective/what.php) If he did, and even if he didnt get a full ride, attending Tech (his first choice) as an instate student, would have been pretty inexpensive. Maybe he spent his discretionary $$ on those gazillion applications :rolleyes: If he got into 45 schools, how many did he apply to?</p>
<p>There is no controversy or anything really newsworthy about the story; maybe for applying and getting accepted to 45 schools, but he isn’t the first person who applied to a lot of schools in hopes of getting a free ride. He is not the first young black person to turn down an Ivy/“elite” school to atttend an HBSC (it probably happens more oftern than the author of the article realizes). Students turn down full rides at HBCUs to attend the Ivies, it is old as dog bites man.</p>
<p>It sad that the student said he was looking for a free ride but did not know enough about the college/financial aid process to know that Stanford(outside of D1 athletics) and Harvard only offer need based financial aid.</p>
<p>Seems silly to me that folks would be critical of this kid. He’s 16 and he’s obviously smart. I’m sure he’ll do well no matter where he goes. I don’t think it’s unusual for a black student to turn down an Ivy to attend an HBCU. Close friend of D1 was accepted at Wash U and Standford and ended up at Spelman College–where she got lots of merit aid. Same kid is now working on an MBA at Dartmouth.</p>
<p>It is obvious why this story was published and circulated, and by … whom! </p>
<p>There is nothing about this story that should be controversial. And, it SHOULD have been “to be no one else’s business other than his family’s” by keeping it a private matter. A good start might have been to stay away from facebook.</p>
<p>Year after year, we see the same stories with parents accepting to abandon the privacy of their children by allowing stories to be printed. While the attention might flatter one’s parental ego, there is a danger to climb on a pedestal. Who lives by the sword …</p>
<p>No matter how one slices it, this kid could have used better guidance from the adults around him.</p>
<p>Good for Ralph - he made the choice that was best for him. But if he wants to be an engineer, he’ll have to develop a better sense of proportionality. I hope he didn’t really pass on the Ivies because he thought they were all 2,000 miles from home - the farthest one - Dartmouth - would be about 1150 miles from Atlanta and Penn would be closer to 800. And 45 apps is at least five times as many as necessary.</p>