<p>I saw a thread with a similar title and content in the Parents’ Cafe and found it very interesting, but rather than overpopulate their conversation, I figured I would start this one with the same question.</p>
<p>What are the factors which you will not negotiate, the things that you must have at your eventual school?</p>
<p>I look forward to seeing each student’s individual preferences! Best of luck in finding that elusive perfect fit.</p>
<p>(Feel free to reference the Parent forum for examples.)</p>
<p>When I was a hs senior in suburban Boston, my non-negotiable was that the school had to be outside of New England and it had to be in an “interesting” place. I really didn’t know how to define interesting at the time.</p>
<ol>
<li>NOT rural</li>
<li>small to midsize (no huge state schools, or really any with 10,000+ undergrad)</li>
<li>preferably a research university rather than an LAC (although I’d make a concession if an absolutely perfect fit came along)</li>
<li>somewhere between Virginia and New Hampshire/Vermont</li>
</ol>
<p>to jenx1234, I agree that academic prestige and strong athletics-centered school spirit are also desirable!</p>
<ol>
<li>Not too small - say FTE > 5000 at a minimum</li>
<li>Legit, accredited engineering programs available</li>
<li>Not too hot - I hate heat, and the average daily high should not exceed 80 F by much in any month</li>
<li>SAT Math 75%ile > 650 - except a few safeties</li>
</ol>
<p>I strongly prefer schools near good cross-country skiing.</p>
<p>I have very few non-negotiables! That’s my problem. Anyway a few of them are:</p>
<p>-Smart, academically motivated students
-Safe environment
-A decent amount of prestige (since I plan to live abroad)
-Good number of intl students/student diversity
-Not fanatically anything</p>
<p>The only non-negotiable I can think of is secular/religious-in-name only. I’m a pretty passionate atheist, and I’ve never felt quite comfortable in religious settings.</p>
<p>I also said I didn’t want to go to school in the South, but I broke that several times. The other requirement was, roughly, “equally or more prestigious than UGA.”</p>
<p>Academic strength in math & science
Happy students
Good student-prof interaction/profs who care about teaching
Research and internship opportunities
Prestigious in the eyes of graduate schools (top LACs as well as research Us)</p>
<p>1) Need-blind admissions
2) Not in the West or Southwest US
3) Have some similarity to Hogwarts
4) International prestige
5) Brilliant professors & courses
6) Pleasant student atmosphere</p>