CC experiment. I dare you all. "HPYCS"

pbr
Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:57:41 +0000

^The HYPSM mystique is supported by two, and only two, metrics: gross endowment size; and College Confidential.

RML adds a lot to this website, and I respect his point of view. I also think, however, that confident young folks make choices based on factors other than “reputation” or “prestige.” After all, it’s four of the most important years of development in one’s life. My boys’ high school has a long and storied history of students picking colleges that don’t follow the HYPMS mantra, or the US News rankings. My younger son was dead set on Columbia. Even the attractive tour guide at Yale was unable to turn his head (although I would have gone with Yale, and I try to convince myself that it’s not due to the cute tour guide…). Stanford felt like his suburban high school community. MIT and Caltech were too “geeky.” Etc. Is it wrong that he applied to Columbia ED, and is ecstatic with his choice, even though his counselors tried to focus him on Harvard and Yale? I don’t think so. He’s chomping at the bit to get back there next week.