<p>So most of us parents here have spent alot of time researching schools and helping our kids find the “right” fit. So based on what you’ve learned, if you were going to school now, where would you go, what would you major in?</p>
<p>In my case, I spent Freshman year at Marquette (300 mile from home) and transfered to my Flagship University in the Midwest to finish. I considered BC and Notre Dame in Highschool.</p>
<p>My top choices today would be St. Lawrence or Bowdin. I like the idea of a LAC. We visited St. Lawrence with D and I really felt the campus was beautiful and that they have alot of opportunities. At the time, they had the only Caribou Coffee (founder went there) on the East Coast. Both D & I spend bucks there despite H’s dismay. Definately a school on the East Coast: ther is so much to see. </p>
<p>As for a major, I’m undecided- education or engineering (current field). I’ve often wished I was a teacher.</p>
<p>Hands down, Notre Dame. I’m trying to work on D so I can live vicariously through her. Unfortunately, she is a stubborn, contrary, non-compliant young lady. I’ll likely have more luck with S.</p>
<p>Rice School of Architecture for me…(are we assuming they HAVE to take us in this fantasy? lol!)</p>
<p>I was accepted into two architecture programs as a high school senior, but yielded to the wishes of others and pursued a ‘more employable’ accounting degree (and CPA license) from big state flagship. I wanna do-over.</p>
<p>I went to Northwestern (Big Midwestern Uni) and majored in Comparative Lit (Big Waste of Time). If I had it to do over again, I’d go to Swarthmore (excellent LAC) and major in biology (and then go to med school).</p>
<ol>
<li> Wouldn’t have graduated 1 year early from high school.</li>
<li> Wouldn’t have selected my college based on opinions from students on the beach during spring break.</li>
<li> Would have majored in what I really wanted to study, not what I was told I could get a good job in.</li>
</ol>
<p>After touring so many schools with my girls, I still think U of Chicago would have been the best for me. Also, I’m not sure why, but I really love Boston U.</p>
<ol>
<li> Get out of high school in 10th grade and finish at Shimer with an undergrad degree at 20 or even 19 (YES!!!)</li>
<li> Two years at Deep Springs if they would let me in.</li>
<li> Possible four-year schools (depending on my mood): Chicago, Swarthmore, Reed, Evergreen State, St. Johns Annapolis, Sarah Lawrence, Colorado College, Hopkins, Columbia, Cambridge</li>
</ol>
<p>Ooo, this is a hard one. Depending on how I feel today, Carleton, Williams, Univ of Chicago, Sewanee or Yale. Every once in awhile, I think how great it would be to go to big state U - Tx or Michigan - just for the incredible variety of classes and the spirit at football games.</p>
<p>Oh, yeah, St Johns - but I’d have to go with my DH</p>
<p>Well, if I had been born ~20 years ago instead of in the Stone Age, I think I would have had more options open. I believe I would have been a recruitable Division I athlete in two possible sports. And I would like to have gone Ivy League, please. Just for the prestige. To h*ll with fit! ;)</p>
<p>I went to Cornell as an undergrad majoring in Engineering leaving the window open to Architecture, Math, and Computer Science</p>
<p>Knowing what I know now I would want to go to Cornell as an undergrad majoring in Engineering leaving the window open to Math and Computer Science. FYI - I like Architecture even more than I did then but now know I do not have the skills to be an architect … architectual engineering maybe.</p>
<p>That said, if I could redo my college search I would give LACs in the northest and mid-atlantic a lot more consideration … but in the end I think I would still end up at Cornell. I truly believe I found a GREAT school for me … I knew Cornell was the place for me as soon as I visited and then turned down “higher rated” schools to attend Cornell … and after 4 years on CC I’m more knowledgeable about colleges than ever and even more sure of my choice.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t even have to think twice about this one, The College of William and Mary. I absolutely love the campus, history, tourists and all. I’d love to work part-time in Colonial Williamsburg and live in one of the homes in the historic area. Obviously, I’d want to study early American history, and I just can’t imagine a better place to be then right in the middle it.</p>
<p>MIT! I fell in love when my son was applying. Oh I wanted him to go there. He decided on Caltech. I knew MIT was the choice I would have made (but those many years ago, my father told me I could not under any circumstances even take an engineering class, if I did, my parents would not pay for college).</p>
<p>I’d still go to Harvard. I was a small town girl who had a rough time adapting to the big city and to the many students who were far more sophisticated and assertive than I was, but the experience changed my life so much for the better.</p>
<p>One major thing that I learned was how much it is possible for people to do if they believe in their own ideas and take advantage of and make opportunities to make their ideas come true. Those lessons have stood me well for the rest of my life.</p>
<p>Oaklandmom, my father told me to try engineering, stay away from accounting. he didn’t like how they trated women in his firm. I think our parents had alot more influence than parents do today.</p>
<h2>“my father told me to try engineering, stay away from accounting. he didn’t like how they trated women in his firm.”</h2>
<p>In some places, not much has changed. I was in public accounting with a big firm for years, seniored the largest audits, worked like a dog taking time off ONLY when convenient for the firm (after 4/15 and before 6/1 and NEVER at Christmas or Thanksgiving), rose to the highest position possible UNDER partner. Finally dawned on me the only women partners at the firm were from practices that had been bought out. Quit at age 30 to have babies and consult. (You’d be amazed how many CPAs don’t have clue as to how to perform a yellow book audit and how much they’ll pay to someone to supervise fieldwork on same.)</p>
<p>After hearing me talk, neither kid wants anything to do with business much to my husband’s dismay…lol!</p>
<p>(Today at least) I would have liked to have chosen between several midsize schools . I couldn’t even get my kid to apply , much less choose any of these. LOL. Shows how much impact my druthers had in her decision, doesn’t it? </p>
<p>Emory, WashU, W+M, UVA, UNC and then again, there is always Princeton. </p>
<p>I probably care more about the number of courses available at a mid size school than she does. That would be why I wouldn’t be as hep on a LAC for myself, while appreciating why she chose one for herself. She, OTOH, wanting to double major and be pre-med, have no course freedom wherever she ended up. As a “History of the Science of Politics as Art” independently designed major, a exceedingly broad range of courses would come in handy for me. Secondly, UG research opps are not as critical to me as they are to her. And I guess the last reason is that I came into the mix with …uh…well…let’s just leave it at “substantially broader life experiences”.</p>
<p>ldmom - when I started college in 1978 I looked at career choices in the guidance couselors office. Since accounting was at the biginning alphabetically I pulled it out. Saw good job prospect forecast, pretty good salary projection, and then the clincher…some comment about the number of women in the profession that irked me for some reason. I didn’t look anyfurther and decided i was going to major in accounting LOL Weird, but it worked for me. After seven years in auditing( which I enjoyed ) I left to raise my girls and having looked back. Oh well…</p>