<p>Do people want to go to certain schools because it’s so darn hard to be accepted, or because the education they can get at the school is superior?</p>
<p>Alittle of both I suspect.</p>
<p>I got an excellent education at my state university. I fail to see how going to a highly selective college would have improved my education.</p>
<p>^amen brother</p>
<p>DD chose her uber selective college not only for its superb education, research opportunities but also for being a perfect fit to her personality.</p>
<p>I think the selectivity… or actually name is a big part. While the education at many “hot” schools may not be a LOT better than your state school, I think the name can do a lot for you after college. However, it has been shown that people who got accepted into Ivies but turned them down do just as well later in life as those who actually matriculated. I guess it depends on the person.</p>
<p>Per student endowment.</p>
<p>The “hot colleges” are those with the largest per student endowments, that have spent the most in per student operating budgets for the longest time (decades and decades). If you offer an $80,000 product for $50,000 for long enough, customers will be lined up around the block and you will be a “hot” product. And, so it is with colleges and universities, allowing for a few geographic anomolies (i.e. Grinnell is not as “hot” as its per student endowment because it’s in a cornfield in Iowa instead of on the coasts where the beautiful people want to be).</p>
<p>VH, I cannot speak for others, because I think the reasons for desirability vary widely. In D1’s case, the reasons were a best combination of factors:</p>
<p>(1) East Coast culture (as opposed to same old, same old)
(2) Singular location opportunities directly related to her major
(3) Excellence of reputation and likelihood of studying with true peers
(4) Requiring maximum of need-based aid
(5) Focus on undergrad education
(6) Opportunity to meet students from more varied backgrounds than in-state
(7) Unanimous encouragement from high school faculty & students
(8) Campus fit
(9) Airport location (convenience/cost)
(10) Nothing weird required for graduation – like swimming certificates or wilderness experiences. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>She could have received an equally fine education, and similar selectivity, from several other schools<a href=“Chicago,%20Williams,%20Amherst,%20Stanford,%20as%20well%20as%20her%20public%20flagship”>/u</a>, but none of these alternatives would have provided #1, 2, and 6 as maximally, and only her public virtually matched Ivies in need-based FA. (Chicago being the absolute worst in that realm.)</p>
<p>No school has the ultimate in everything. One of the courses she took for her undergrad distribution requirements was quite a disappointment to her and to me, as I had raved about the field so much, and about the opportunity to discover that in college. That would have been better instructed at her outstanding state flagship! But the overall experience for her was more “successful” in terms of her personal goals going in and exiting.</p>
<p>Therefore, I would not say that “selectivity” in and of itself was an overriding feature, nor (clearly) merely “quality of education.” Her priorities were more inclusive than just those two elements.</p>
<p>The vast majority of “hot” colleges offer an excellent education. It’s unlikely they would have gotten so popular if they didn’t. So if you go to selective college your odds of getting a fine education are pretty good, which is one facet of their popularity. But there are dozens and dozens colleges that are less popular but also offer an excellent education. So going to a hot college is by no means necessary to become well-educated.</p>
<p>Haha, UChi wouldn’t have provided #10, as they require you to pass a swim test before you graduate. </p>
<p>…O_o; That was my biggest worry had I waited to see if I got in. I can’t swim. Haha. </p>
<p>…I applied to colleges based on education, although many selective schools provide great educations, obviously.</p>
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<p>Probably wouldn’t have, but it might have improved your manners.</p>
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<p>Yes. It was definitely one of the excluders. Been there, did it. No need to “prove” it to a college.</p>
<p>“Probably wouldn’t have, but it might have improved your manners.”</p>
<p>I might be reading this entirely wrong, but are you implying that being a member of the upper echelons usually admitted to these top schools mean that you’ll be more well-mannered than the masses at state schools? Please correct me if that’s wrong, because that’s how it came across to me and I’m really not sure that’s the message you mean to put across.</p>
<p>My main attraction to top colleges is the students at them.</p>
<p>Do you know of any high school seniors who looked for a college where their GPA and SAT/ACT scores put them “right in the middle of the pack?” Do you think that’s a terrible reason to pick a college?</p>
<p>Well, students with extraordinarily high test scores and academic achievement and outstanding talent do the same thing. </p>
<p>And, if they are fortunate enough to get in, they get much more generous financial aid than at other schools. </p>
<p>And, even if they are full-pay, they are at schools which are spending almost double per student than other schools. </p>
<p>Sure, they could be very happy and successful at less-prestigious colleges. But they found a school that seemed like a good fit for them, managed to achieve a miracle and get in, and are getting a great education. Isn’t that the point?</p>
<p>I just don’t get it. Don’t the best high school football players in the country want to go to colleges with successful, well-supported football programs?</p>
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It was probably meant as a tongue in cheek reply to the poster who first stated that his state u education was no lesser in value than that of a prestigious u and then proceeded use ad hominem attacks toward another poster showing both his idiocy and immaturity.</p>
<p>I am going for a combination of reasons. The first and foremost is financial aid and infrastructure for low-income and/or first generation students. The second is my peers. In my opinion, the vast majority of any college education comes from interaction with and the quality of the other students - I wanted a school with the nation’s best students. Don’t get me wrong, but if the institution isn’t selective, I wasn’t particularly interested (some public schools are far more selective than others and would thus easily meet this criterion).</p>
<p>Some state schools like some private schools are ridiculously easy to get into. But often at those very same schools specific major programs are ridiculously hard to get into due to their quality, reputation and competitiveness. Beware the wide brush.</p>
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<p>Exactly correct. I meant no disrespect to other state U grads. In fact I’m a state U grad myself.</p>
<p>As odd as this may sound, the main reasons I will attend the most prestigious/selective college that accepts me is because of the school culture and student body. While any other college may provide me with a comparable education, I believe only the top schools are generally characterized by individuals who create non-profit organizations, who spend thousands of hours volunteering, etc. Considering the small, sheltered area I live in, I need to surround myself with people like this, who will inspire me to do more. </p>
<p>It’s the same reason I like CC.</p>