<p>Maybe those who wouldn’t consider anything but the Ivies to be a sign of success have never lived on the left coast? </p>
<p>Both children had the numbers to attend, neither wanted to leave the pacific northwest. All the things they wanted they found, a good educational opportunity, a small friendly campus, close enough to home but far enough away, social activities, weather they like and people they like. </p>
<p>We took some grief for not sending them to Stanford or Harvard from others we knew. While I know both (and the other Ivies) are exceptional schools, I didn’t wish for my children to liken their educational experience to a designer handbag. That is, going to a school for the label, or buying the fancy car to make up for shortcomings. </p>
<p>I wanted them to find places where they could excell and be happy in their life, not a life others expect of them. </p>
<p>Sometimes a sign of success isn’t the thousand dollar suit, it’s the Levi’s and the smile wearing them brings.</p>
<p>When my D gave me the list of colleges she was applying to,I asked her to add 1 Ivy.She didn’t.Afterwards, I asked her why she didn’t apply to an Ivy. She said that they were either farther away from home than she wanted to be (translate boyfriend) or in cities she didn’t want to be in.
When I mentioned Princeton (which is 20 miles from where we live and a gorgeous town) she said she forgot Princeton was an Ivy.</p>
I should have phrased that differently. She did mention at one point that IF she did apply to this ivy, AND he didn’t get in but she did, she would feel badly about it. She was also clear about the fact that she was not interested in applying to this school anyway. (Sometimes what I jot down quickly comes out unclear or incomplete.) Believe me; my DD would have applied to this ivy if she had wanted to, BF or no BF.</p>
<p>Dear Xiggi; this thread is not to extoll the virtues of Ivy education. I made that clear in my op. You certainly may start your own thread for those who wish to praise Ivy education. This thread is for those on CC who would like to talk about their college selections which do not include the Ivy, and offer reasons why they went the way they did. This thread offers help to many folks who come to this site.</p>
<p>jpro: I disagree about Princeton N.J… I think at one time in it’s exsistence it was a nice college town. Now however, it’s exploding out of itself. The campus is too big for the small town it was. Everything is jammed together and out of proportion. The high rise dorms overpower the town. There’s no doubt- it’s a money making venture.Nowhere to build, Princeton is building up.</p>
<p>here on the left coast I admit that I am not generally that aware of east coast schools.
Even when our elderly neighbor across the street commented that her grandson was on the Cornell basketball team- or when a friend with twins admitted that one daughter was going to Upenn and one to Williams, I am afraid that I didn’t react in “awe” “envy”?, or say anything beyond the " thats nice, when are they coming home for Thanksgiving?"
I feel like on CC- that if you don’t buy into the Ivy as Grail sort of thing, you are slacking/can’t afford it/provincial/not smart enough or all the above.
Its o.k. if you don’t apply to an Ivy, don’t they have enough applications already?</p>
<p>You bet, and we are looking forward with expectation to the $200k rebate (and, as of now, expect to get it. That’s where we differ from Ivy rowers, female lacrosse players, and tiddlywinks champs.) ;)</p>
<p>BHG, I did not address the nature nor contents of the thread; I commented on the rather pejorative label stuck on the … non-qualifiers. </p>
<p>For the record, as I wrote earlier, I did not apply to any Ivi League school. That should make it clear that I was not attracted by the Ivy’s siren song, and do not spend much time extolling the virtues of the Golden Eight. That does not mean I enjoy reading attacks. </p>
<p>As far as people being “allowed” to post about their decision not to apply to a hyper-selective school, I never knew this would represent a rare event in these forums. Have you read the 2006 acceptance threads? Does it strike you as a “Ivy or bust” requiem? </p>
<p>Your proposed thread would have been more helpful for attempting to be constructive.</p>
<p>PS While Princeton stacks its huge student body on 500 acres, the University of Texas at Austin lets its mere 50,000 students roam the vast expanses of its 40 acres of Texas’ plains. The beauty lies in the eye of the beholder.</p>
<p>Where we live, very few even apply to Ivy schools, the flagship state U is the holy grail, and many good students (and parents) bemoan the fact that they can’t get in easily (it’s not like the good old days). If you want to live here after school, graduating from UT or A & M will get you in the door just as easily (or more so) that applying with a diploma from an Ivy. </p>
<p>My S is #1 out of a class of 489 with good test scores, but the only reason he would possibly consider applying to a private school out of state is so that he could continue playing football. I have pretty much told him that I won’t pay $40,000 a year for him to play football, so the UT business school is looking better and better to him.</p>
<p>Xiggi; Oh…I see. It’s very difficult concerning online discussions. If you miss a few words or misinterpret a few words the entire meaning is askew. Sometimes you read a few words and jump to an assumption. I really should not be here.</p>
<p>"As a parent who spent their share of time shuffling a kid back and forth to gymnastics, if I remember correctly</p>
<p>It also takes a few $$ to become good enough to be a Division I gymnast."</p>
<p>My wife, bless her, in addition to a job and being a full-time nursing student (and homeschooling parent), has also been cleaning the gym - sweeping the floors, cleaning the toilets, etc - twice a week for the past 6 years; added on top of that, selling hotdogs at the stadium. Doubt we could have afforded it otherwise.</p>
<p>I’ll admit that similar is possible for skiers or female lacrosse players or fencers: I just haven’t met any.</p>
<p>Look people come in all shapes and sizes and manners of expression. I cannot conform to your standards of what is ‘right’. I have just as much right to be here as you and some people are JUST NOT AS SMART as others.</p>
<p>I will not crawl into a hole on this site just because
I’m old
I received my degree ions ago
my children do not attend a ‘prestigious’ university<br>
I am a housewife</p>
<p>I have worthwhile things to say . I am of value. I may not have gotten what the brillant young people of today have gotten on their SAT’s or be capable of writing books on the subject, but there are some parents who may find what I post of value as I have born 4 bright children having done as much as I possibly could for them educationally. (Excuse the run on sentence)</p>
<p>“My d. is a future Division I gymnast, and looks at the Ivies (or their Div. III counterparts) as a place for athletic slackers.”</p>
<p>In my son’s sport, some of the best athletes choose Ivys and even their DIII counterparts, especially your own alma mater, Mini. Many of the powerhouse schools in the sport do not offer the academic environment many of the kids desire. The Ivys are DI, and the kids in many of the sports (all?) train every bit as hard and take their athletics just as seriously as those at Arkansas or Oregon.</p>
<p>My daughter would not even consider applying to an Ivy. She wanted a conservatory-style vocal performance program coupled with top academics. This didn’t exist in the Ivy League.</p>