<p>“Go where you’re happy instead of choosing a school by prestige” (and yes I understand that many people are happy at Stanford but… Just saying to all you people freaking out etc).</p>
<p>You made a post about this…</p>
<p>really?</p>
<p>This isn’t uncommon.</p>
<p>What? No offense, but Stanford is much better. Maybe, the person wanted to go to college near home.</p>
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<p>Well actually, I think it is rather uncommon. Stanford has approximately a 70% yield. So 30% of people accepted to Stanford don’t enroll. Now, I don’t have the numbers to back this up, but I suspect that at least 25% give up Stanford for HYPM or some other similar caliber school and that only around 5% give up Stanford for a state school or something. So 5% of total admits, that’s around 1/20. So one out of every twenty people admitted to Stanford will do the same thing as the OP’s friend.</p>
<p>Now I am curious though as to what exactly made your friend choose Oregon over Stanford? I don’t mean to bash Oregon, but undoubtedly it had to be a very difficult decision.</p>
<p>just curious: does she live in OR? which Oregon (OSU or U of O)?</p>
<p>Lives in California…</p>
<p>and University of Oregon (not Oregon State)</p>
<p>I would agree with Hippo – it’s preeettty unlikely, I imagine. Actually everyone I know who got into Stanford ended up going, for one thing. </p>
<p>Though, the “go where you’ll be happy” thing could actually be questionable advice in some senses – if there’s something definitively worse about a school for personal reasons, don’t go there, but otherwise, the name really is reputed for a reason – it’ll take you places, and the program has lots of top resources one won’t find at other schools. For instance, students going to lesser known schools have to make special efforts to get into graduate school, because face it – you get selected because you <em>have</em> something going for you, not because you made a mistake; and it’s just a heck of a lot easier to have the right things going for you if top resources are there.</p>
<p>All said, I’d not at all take it so lightly as “just go where you’re happy,” unless the given individual has given very serious thought to what will make him/her happy. I’d wonder what the reason is too.</p>
<p>I very much agree with your words, mathboy. I never really knew why people said “go where you are happy” to seniors who are choosing a college because, in all probability, they have never been to college and, thus, do not know what it is like. SO, this begs the question, how does one know where they are happy? Ah, they don’t, s/he has to make the experience fun and rewarding…in this case, I would have chosen Stanford. Also, Stanford is pretty close to Oregon (if that is where she lived), which makes the “closer to home” argument a little sketchy. I dunno, maybe she lives right next door to the UoO campus. Hopefully she’s happy (and hopefully O gave her a huge-arse scholarship).</p>
<p>when I said uncommon I meant that many people turn down amazing universities for other not-so-good universities.</p>
<p>I know someone who chose Oklahoma State over Cal. </p>
<p>He is very happy at Oklahoma State and I’m pretty sure does not regret the decision.</p>
<p>If you’ll allow me to ask this, did the prevalence of certain substances at Oregon in relation to Stanford factor into this decision?</p>
<p>I’m in this situation…I will turn down all UC’s for UCM and I’m pretty sure I won’t regret it</p>
<p>What’s UCM?</p>
<p>The University of Central Missouri?</p>
<p>when I said UC’s I meant University of California</p>
<p>Maybe it was “go where you can afford it”</p>
<p>I know, but then you also said, “UC for UCM”??</p>
<p>maybe he meant UC Merced but that’s also a UC.</p>
<p>So this guy liked oregon more than Stanford. Whats the big deal?</p>
<p>Yeah, I really don’t know…theorymom is most likely right.</p>