This thread got me thinking how I often read posts about how there is no such thing as a dream school and this assertion is supposedly evidenced by numerous stories of kids transferring from top schools. This is typically part of a broader narrative endorsing specific cost “efficient” schools, while suggesting there is nothing unique or distinct about individual schools academic experiences or opportunities (but that subject appears worn out). For the record I don’t think of academic experiences as homogeneous or commodities similar across schools.
In fairness, I didn’t search extensively but I don’t recall many of these “dream school regret” posts, while I do see some sad stories of kids who regret not being able to attend their “dream schools”.
So I looked and there appears to be an inverse relationship between acceptance rates and graduation rates. Meaning the lower single digit acceptance schools have the highest graduation rates, seemingly contradicting this narrative of mass flight and dissatisfaction at top schools. In fact it’s statistically the exact opposite.
While I don’t think a kid should have one “dream school”, I don’t see evidence to support “dream school” flight when Ivy grad rates are in the 94-98% range while large southern state schools are 70% or lower.
It’s possible to encourage kids to apply across a spectrum of selectivity without falsely suggesting that kids at top pedigree schools regret their decisions.