Not looking for HADES, not targeting HYPSM

Benley
Sat, 23 Nov 2013 08:46:47 +0000

I think OP’s question was a little vague. He was looking for “folks who were maybe looking at BS less as an academic stepping stone and more of a life experience opportunity”. By “academic stepping stone”, did you mean a means to better academic preparation? Because it doesn’t sound like you meant a means to a top college as that can’t be called an “academic” stepping stone? From what I have gathered, many BS families are first and foremost looking at BS as a step up or an opportunity for better academics compared with their local options. Fewer families’ main focus is “life experience opportunity” although that’s inevitably part of the BS deal.

There are many more specific reasons why a family would choose BS for their kids, but from CC I see two main categories. Some families have decent local options where their kids can receive at least passable education and if “done right” can expect to end up in a top college as well. However, they are more ambitious and want more than what they could get from their local options, which is excellent education and solid training in independence, time management skills, social skills and networks etc. from early on. These families tend to have higher expectations about where their kids end up for college because their baseline is higher and they are not willing to “pull back” on college just because they attend a BS. Some other families have poor local options or options where their kids don’t fit in at all. Moreover, top college admission are rare occurrences in their local options. So they are “desperate” to leave for a better school for the sake of NOW more than anything else. College is not as much of a concern to them because as Choatiemom said they believe "college will take care of itself given the preparation BS provides. "

What’s your situation?