<p>I myself was a bit like soozievt’s kids. I went to a small-town high school that almost never sent anybody to a school more selective than the (very fine) state university. I went to a selective school, and thought that overall I was well-prepared, and could compete. I did fine. However, it would have been better in some identifiable respects if my high school had been better. For example, my foreign language preparation was subpar, even though I had always gotten top grades in that subject. My high school had no APs, so my course choices were more limited than they might have been. And most importantly, the writing that was considered excellent in high school was barely adequate in college, and I required catching up. I can’t help thinking that the same kinds of issues would affect people coming out of very rigorous selective colleges and less-rigorous ones. Again, these sorts of issues can be overcome, and probably won’t hinder you in the long run, but the ability to avoid them is a luxury that many people would choose to pay for.</p>
<p>Hunt, the interesting thing is…that my kids WERE well prepared even though they went to no name high school. At our school, they had to do a LOT of writing. When they got to college, professors would hold my kids’ writing up as exemplarary to the class. My kids were not lagging behind. They excelled in college. So, I do think you can be well prepared no matter where you go. You also just may have the smarts, motivation and talent no matter where you go. As I said, we don’t have performing arts high schools in our state. We don’t have youth theater programs. Our HS has no drama classes. Yet, my D went to one of the top college programs in her field and has excelled there. Last year, for the mainstage show at her school, in which hundreds of other majors were eligible to audition, we got a good laugh that the final two girls up for the lead were my daughter and her friend from our area with whom she had done theater with in the region. These two girls from rural VT public high schools were the ones up for the lead. Almost too funny. While my D got the lead, the other girl from our area has had many leads at the school as well. My kids got a good education here at home. </p>
<p>As far as “fit”, no, their high school was not the best fit and they likely would have loved either prep schools or boarding performing arts schools (both of which people from here send their kids away to) but they survived just fine at our public schools and got a good education and were prepared for college and have risen to the top of their selective colleges. But I am glad now in college (or one is now in grad school) that they have had their chance to be in a more ideal learning environment that fits them better and where there are a lot more kids like them at school. I am positive that the experiences they have had, while they could have had them at SOME other colleges, they could not have had these experiences at all colleges.</p>
<p>I agree with you; but I will have to say that I didn’t even know I wasn’t well-prepared in French until I got to college. I thought I was quite well-prepared; I had even won a prize. As far as English, I was well-prepared mainly because I had done a lot of reading. It may be that today, with AP everywhere, that even people from smaller towns have a better handle on how well prepared they are.</p>
<p>This is an interesting thread to me, because it’s touched on several ideas (some conflicting) that I’ve had over the course of the past four years as my two kids applied to and have attended college.</p>
<p>Our HS is mediocre. It’s not terribly small, but is rural and has a poor population. Just like any school, the top 5-10% of the kids are pretty motivated, though, and my kids were in a number of activities, had close friends and enjoyed their HS experiences. Their stats on paper make them look like the same kid.</p>
<p>When it was time to apply to colleges, we encouraged both of them to apply to a range of schools. They were both interested in LAC experiences and as it turned out, both received the best FA offers from the “best” (highest ranked) schools to which they were accepted. And so they went.</p>
<p>My D, the eldest, went to her LAC thinking “this is my reward for doing well in HS.” Neither she nor I really gave “fit” much thought. It’s the best school; it’s giving us the most money. Go.</p>
<p>For her, it turned out that the fit wasn’t the best. It’s a good school, she’s happy there now as a senior and has made some good friends, but she had some rough times. Somehow, the “culture” of the school wasn’t quite right. I honestly think she would have had a higher GPA if she had found a place where she was more comfortable socially, regardless of selectivity or rigor of the coursework. </p>
<p>So, I guess I’m saying that (and here I have to stress that she’s at a top 20 LAC, not an Ivy), there’s so much more to a college experience than academics, and it really is important to have the feeling that you belong at a particular campus. Unfortunately, I don’t know how one can achieve this feeling on the basis of a tour and maybe an overnight. D certainly didn’t go thinking “this isn’t the school for me.” OTOH, thinking back, maybe there was another place that felt “warmer” to her. </p>
<p>S did the same thing. Applied. Got the best offer. Went. Another top 20 LAC. In his case, the “fit” was fantastic and instantaneous. He loves the place, loves the people, loves the work. He’s incredibly involved. We were shocked, actually, at the difference between the two experiences and it was only after S’s reaction that it really sank in that D’s hadn’t been that good.</p>
<p>Again, these two kids are like twins in their abilities and objective accomplishments. The students they’re with are pretty similar in abilities, I would guess. Both colleges are northeastern LAC’s.</p>
<p>So, while I have absolutely no problem with parents who want their kids to go to the “best” school possible, I would urge them to pay attention to the needs of those kids; both social and academic.</p>
<p>DadofB&G…I could not agree with you more that the fit goes beyond the academic fit. That’s why for both my kids, I am delighted that they found their fit schools because the schools match them in so many ways and it goes beyond the academic level, even though that is a piece of the fit. </p>
<p>Hunt…I know we are a little off topic…but just to respond…in my girls’ cases, our HS barely had AP courses (but since they graduated, a few of their courses have now been designated AP). They had Honors classes that were quite challenging. They did not follow the AP curriculum. In a lot of ways, I think my kids were almost BETTER prepared, LOL. Over the years, by reading CC and hearing from parents all over the country at a variety of high schools, it seems a lot of kids in these AP classes are taught to AP tests. My kids did not have a lot of tests (outside of math). They had to write many papers. I read kids on CC who get to college and haven’t had to write a lot of papers. But my kids had to write a LOT in their high school. So, when they got to college, while college work was challenging, they were prepared. Our French classes were not labelled AP. My girls accelerated in French and took French V in junior year of HS. Younger D graduated after junior year and isn’t in a foreign language at her college. But older D really likes French (doesn’t major in it). In senior year of HS, she did an independent study of French VI with a teacher. She got to college and placed pretty high in French and took French throughout college and was even a TA in French and worked two summers in France. I’d say she is fluent. So, even though my girls went to a rural public school and even though most of the courses were not labelled AP, they were quite prepared for their selective colleges and have done well at them. They did not go to a fine high school, but they learned a lot. It seems to have worked out well even so.</p>
<p>Some people are just plain smart and motivated. Have you ever wondered how kids that come from a third world country in or about 8th grade, w/o speaking English, and economically challenged, may or may not go to good public schools, and by Senior year they are competitive for the top schools of this country? You could say that the new country was a good fit. :)</p>