<p>I know a young lady who chose Baylor of Penn five years ago- for the same reason. She was the val. at a large public high school. She is in medical school now.</p>
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<p>[Whiz</a> Kid: Berkley High School Valedictorian Sets Sail at Baylor - Huntington Woods-Berkley, MI Patch](<a href=“http://berkley.patch.com/articles/whiz-kid-berkley-high-school-valedictorian-sets-sail-at-baylor-university]Whiz”>http://berkley.patch.com/articles/whiz-kid-berkley-high-school-valedictorian-sets-sail-at-baylor-university)</p>
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<p>Glad Baylor came through for her monetarily. She probably didn’t have all the numbers in the earlier thread. It does seem that Baylor would be a better choice for a vocational degree like speech pathology.</p>
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Why would anyone want to pursue a degree in a specific setting of any kind? Why do people visit schools before deciding where to enroll?</p>
<p>In her instance, her “vocational degree” does seem to be a calling (which relates to the term vocation). I would imagine speech pathology is considered a professional degree(with licensure in most states) and is a degree that would be invaluable to those that have issues that require a professional in that area. She seems to be on track to be very helpful to lots of folks. Probably as much, if not moreso, than the average kid at most colleges (including the elite ones). Hope she’s enjoying Baylor.Sounds like a great fit for her.</p>
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<p>What would your reaction would be if Lizzy were Black and chose to attend a HBCU instead of Harvard, et cetera?</p>
<p>No intent here to use “vocational” as a pejorative. I use the term more broadly to indicate a degree sought after in pursuit of a particular vocation. I support her decision to go to Baylor and to become a speech pathologist. When I was a teacher, I worked very closely with speech pathologists and their work is invaluable.</p>
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<p>My reaction would be the same: I would respect the decision more if I understood exactly why anyone needs or wants a non-racially diverse environment when pursuing an academic degree.</p>
<p>Thanks,cartera for clarifying things!
Bay,I’m not sure it’s up to any of us to worry about or understand why a person wants a particular environment for learning. Why do they want a particular environment to pursue an academic degree? Just because they do. It’s that simple sometimes. Why does someone need to go to any particular school, be it Ivy, LAC, Big 10,SEC, or ACC? Because they want to. Period.</p>
<p>I’m starting to wish she had chosen community college - that choice could use a bump.</p>
<p>Amen, cartera and I’m not even particularly religious!</p>
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<p>Ok. I guess I am remiss in assuming that most people make reasoned decisions. Especially when it comes to choosing a college. Isn’t that why we are all here?</p>
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What factors can be considered in a “reasoned” decision?</p>
<p>Bay, agreed, Most people make reasoned decisions about themselves and their OWN families. It sounded like Lizzy made a very reasoned decision with the support of her family. What’s not to like?</p>
<p>Wow. Bay, as I interpret your posts to this thread, you’ve gone from using false naivete (“I respect the decision, but I don’t understand it?”) to outright slamming as not “reasoned” a young person’s decision to choose a faith-based school over a secular one. If that’s not a fair summary, then please correct me.</p>
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<p>I guess whatever you want the reason to be. What is a reason to choose Baylor over other colleges of equal or better academic quality, size, and location?</p>
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<p>Well, an academic education that is based upon religious belief, if it is, and is limited in its consideration of all points of view, if it is. I didn’t make a judgement call one way or another about whether Baylor falls into this category; I’m still waiting to hear that it doesn’t and why someone would choose it, or any other religious college, over a secular one, other than to limit their exposure to others and other viewpoints that differ from their own beliefs.</p>
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<p>Ok, I am correcting you. I didn’t “slam” anyone; I just asked the question.</p>
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Wanting a religiously-oriented community?</p>
<p>Okay, to answer your question, this individual “reasoned” that she wanted to be a member of a school community that shared her core belief system. Isn’t that the kind of reasoning we want all of our young adults to employ when they choose colleges?</p>
<p>Just finished scanning the posts on this thread. So it’s good for students to find a schools that fit them … but bad when the fit has anything to do with religion? Somehow, that makes them narrow-minded, or will give them a narrow education? Ridiculous … we are not talking Bob Jones (not that I am passing judgment on that school - just using it as a comparison in that it is a very conservative school to use for contrast). It’s Baylor, for heaven’s sake.</p>
<p>I do know the high school … gave a financial aid presentation there a couple years ago. It is a mixed community, with a wide variety of students in terms of socioeconomics, races, nationalities, cultures. This is not a student whose high school years sheltered her so that she is avoiding the “real world.” She found a place that fits, her parents are willing to help finance her education at that school, and she is happy. </p>
<p>And her remarks are on Baylor’s website. It’s not like she went on a talk show to tell the world why she picked the school. It’s a targeted audience.</p>
<p>Guess I just don’t see why anyone is second-guessing what appears to be a choice that works very well for the most important person in the equation … the student.</p>