Hi everyone! My apologies if this is the wrong place to post.
I’m in the process of choosing a college to attend in the fall and I thought that responses from others might help with my decision.
I specifically want to pose this question to those that were accepted to a highly ranked college, T30s or so, and declined their acceptance to go to a lower ranked college, such as a safety: do you regret your choice? And why did you chose not to go to a higher ranked college?
Thank you!
I’m a bit older - my 10-year college renuion is this May - so I can give the career perspective. When I was in high school, I was accepted to (among other places) Emory University and Georgia Tech. I declined both to go to Spelman College, which offered me a full scholarship. Spelman is a great college - usually in the top 100 but not as prestigious as Emory or GT, not then and certainly not now.
I absolutely do not regret it.
First, I had an amazing experience at Spelman. My classmates were bright and intellectual and driven; they also wanted to change the world and give back. We were very involved in the Atlanta community and politically active as well. My classes were small and full of great discussions; I learned a lot; I had amazing mentors and professors there. And it was just fun 
Career-wise…after I graduated, I went to Columbia for my PhD. I felt very well-prepared for my PhD program - the papers I wrote in grad school were the same length as the ones I wrote in college; my undergrad thesis and research experience helped prepare me for the demands of research and dissertation writing. I currently work as a user researcher at Xbox, where I do research on video games. This is a dream job for me, it pays well, and I live in a city I really like. And I have below-average debt (comparatively speaking) because I didn’t take on enormous debt in college to attend one of those more prestigious options.
No. Middlebury Colby admissions and went to a state flagship that was top 75 but no where near these other two. Monetary reasons. Learned a lot. Moved to prestigious b school for mba and never lost the sense of drive it gave me and the ability to work with people of all types.
One of my kids went to her safety. Had s great experience, graduated Phi Beta Kappa, and got s very good job after college. If you are the type who will take full advantage of the opportunities at a lower ranked school, it can be a good choice.
I am the opposite. Many years ago I went to the higher ranked university for undergrad (#1 or so for what I majored in). I regret having not gone to my other choice (closer to #30 worldwide), because I feel that it would have been a much better fit for me. I don’t think that anything after getting my Bachelor’s would have been much different, but I think that my 4 years of university would have been better in several ways.
My D2 turned down UMD aerospace engineering, with acceptance to her first-choice honors program, in favor of UAH. Ironically, UMD would have cost less, but she felt it was overwhelmingly large. She’s had a fabulous first year at UAH with no regrets.
Regret is a waste of time. Once you make a decision, look forward, stay positive about it and wrap your mind about why that decision was the best choice for you at that time. Don’t look back, do the best that you can.
Prestige is in the eye of the beholder. I attended a small, Catholic liberal arts college that was not the most prestigious even in my state. It was all I could have hoped for academically, socially, religiously, and in commitment to social justice. Having the same order in high school and college, graduate school was less challenging. Great professional opportunities too. While attending a prestigious school could have been fine, I don’t know what better outcomes would have occurred. There is lots to be said for being a big frog in a little pond.
It matters if you think it matters. If you can easily afford it and have qualifications and a little luck to get it, go for it. It won’t make or break your life though, that still has to come from you no matter where you attend college.
It depends:
Are we talking T30 v T100 or T30 v. Directional with no particular strength and poor state funding?
How does money factor in - are we talking debt v. Scholarship or belt tightening v. Parent PLUS loans?
Nah. My college was only lower ranked back when I went there in the Dark Ages. Folks are impressed these days when I tell them I graduated from UMBC.