<p>Lets say there is college A, which is a big, state school that tends to attract hard workers and kids who practically devote all their time to studying. Then, there is college B, which is a smaller private school which also attracts bright kids, but there is less competition. In the long run, like when it is time to apply to graduate school, which school would be the better choice? Especially if one is confident of doing well at college B, but no so much at college A?</p>
<p>You are much better off doing well at a less competitive school than doing worse at a more competitive school in almost all instances.</p>
<p>Go where you think you will do best, and worry about grad school later. College is not simply a stepping stone - it’s 4 years of your life. So go where you think you will learn the most while also being the happiest.</p>
<p>If the more competitive school accepts you or grants you admission, it means you are qualified to do the work. It depends if you are lazy, do not attend lecture, relax, and party all the time… More often than not, you are capable of doing the work. </p>
<p>It’s painful, but college is a safety net where you can try and experiment. Test your boundaries and your limits. After you graduate, you will be facing competition. If you wilt during your first job, that is not as good as wilting when you first semester of your college career. Just get up and do better next semester… </p>
<p>Trust me, I got a 2.1 GPA first semester freshman year. The competitive nature of my school forced me to change over winter break/intersession and I pulled a 3.5 and 3.7 each consecutive semester because I stopped being lazy and I worked my butt off 
I proved to myself that I can do good work… despite failing a class and being very close to academic probation.</p>
<p>College should not be high school 2.0. I believe competition is good *only *if you are serious about doing the work (aka, not partying, playing video games, and sleeping all the time)</p>
<p>The ultimate goal of any college student should be to ace all their exams and to have a social life. I need to get laid…</p>
<p>competition bites you in the butt and it def. hurts for grad school admissions.</p>
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<p>Can we post this somewhere please? I realize that college is a factor for many things, but it is also FOUR YEARS OF YOUR LIFE. I feel like students on CC go to college for no other reason than to immediately get a job. While that’s fine, is your entire goal for the next for years to get a JOB and work for the rest of your life? Really, NOTHING else? But hey… if that floats your boat, so be it. It isn’t what floats mine, so it’s hard to see the other side. I just… I guess I can’t justify spending four years of my life not optimally happy for ANY reason, much less WORK.</p>
<p>Dude, College flies by in a flash. I’m already a rising junior and high school seems like a year ago :(</p>
<p>When you have over 1 month off for winter break and intersession, 3.5 months off for summer vacation, you only attend lecture 3 or 4 hours a day, college is uber quick… Four years is not that long if you think of it in that perspective. It’s important to have fun (get laid) and enjoy a good college experience. It’s also important to do well and mature as well.</p>
<p>Grad schools adjust for the competitive nature of your school. They do this by reweighing your GPA according to the average MCAT, LSAT, GMAT, GRE scores of students applying from your institution (Meaning if you have a rigorous school that has grade deflation by the average MCAT score is a 36 (very high), then they readjust your GPA according)…</p>
<p>Go to the best school and do well… That is expected of everyone in the work force. It won’t hurt you going to grad school. In fact, grad schools look at it as a positive that you received a competitive and rigorous education.</p>
<p>Which big state, exactly, attracts kids who do nothing all day but study? The vast majority of big state colleges I know of are filled with people who’d rather get drunk on any given night than crack open a book.</p>
<p>^berkeley.</p>
<p>you’d be surprised lol</p>
<p>^Yeah that was the college that I thought the OP was talking about.</p>