You like UVa? Go visit Cornell. The two schools feel similar in many respects. Except in the winter. And your parents would probably approve of Cornell.
[Full disclosure: My daughter went to Cornell. UVa was her second-choice school (even though she was not a Virginia resident), and she would have been happy to go there as well.]
I live in an area with a large number of parents like yours. Their kids are pressured into applying to all ivys with our (very good, but not U-VA) state flagship thrown in as a safety. All but one or two a year ends up at the safety. The kids are happy, and the parents survive.
If your parents are setting you up for that kind of application year go along with the ivy applications for your parents (and to keep the peace), but also be thoughtful and add more than one other application to schools you think would be a good fit. And be sure you personally love your safety.
If your parents have high income/assets the ivies might cost more than they realize.
Run some net price calculators with them on a few of their favorites, and yours.
Note that other than grants and scholarships from the school or federal/state, and a student loan of $5,500 and maybe work study, that is all a student alone can qualify for.
Parent plus loans would be loans that your parents would take out, which they might not be able or willing to and depending on major and financial situation might not be wise.
If you have high GPA snd grades, a number of schools might give you big merit scholarships. Your parents might like the idea of that.
I would approach it as “Of course I will apply to Ivies…but here are some other schools I will apply to. My Guidance Counselor wants us to have 2 reaches, 4 matches and 2 safeties.”
I completely agree with what everyone is saying. I of course will have to apply to some ivy schools (cornell included @Marian) but I will also put other schools down and backups as well. I’m not sure why they think that if I go to an ivy league school that I will be set for life, so I am trying to convince them by going to non-ivy info sessions that other schools’ job placement is extremely high (it has been at every school I’ve visited thus far).
Last thing that I want, as a parent, is to have another adult, a stranger, an authority figure, to advocate on behalf of my child. This would definitely set me off. Big time! Is the guidance counselor planning to pay tuition and all other expenses? No?! Than, why is she in position to argue with the parent?
Talk to you parents directly. Find some selling points. Apply to Harvard, common. If you are accepted, you may change your view of Ivys, if you are rejected - your parents would appreciate that you tried
If you really like some college, find something that is valued by your parents and that may be used to sell this college to them.
“Than, why is she in position to argue with the paren?”
Maybe because the parent is providing information and advice to their child which hurts them in a process that a guidance counselor has experience with? A parent might be paying, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be wrong.
If you care to, you could show them a Boston Globe interview with then candidate, now Massachusetts governor, Charlie Baker, in which he responded as follows when taking the Proust Questionnaire:
Q: What is your greatest regret?
A: Not going to Hamilton College. I never really felt comfortable at Harvard.
Post #25 — sounds like your parents, eh OP? Don’t worry however – your case isn’t unusual. My DD went to one of the top ten HS in the country – along with that lots of unrealistic expectations from the parents. The counselor staff (which was EXTREMELY knowledgeable, patient, kind and fantastic advocates for the kids) had to face lots of push back from their parents who all assumed their snowflakes were all HYPSM bound.
I’m the regional recruiter for my Ivy alma mater and backed them up on the measured advice they gave to parents. I never faced any pushback b/c no one wanted to step on my toes – as if I could somehow really negatively influence their kids chances. But the counselors got lots of grief.
My guidance counselor did say that if things got out of hand she would help me advocate/talk some sense into my parents and get them to understand what I really want. I’m just hoping that maybe they realize that there are other great colleges out there.