<p>Just a quick addition. I wrote what I did above without knowing so much about Skidmore. I did some quick research on it, and I must say, I fail to see what a school of that premier caliber couldn’t offer just about any outstanding student. The only things I could think of were: stylistic fit (maybe now you want to be in a city, for instance) or prestige (maybe you think you should have tried for Ivy League or something).</p>
<p>As far as stylistic fit goes, that’ll be for you to decide when you are there. But do be open-minded as we have talked about.</p>
<p>As far as prestige goes, prestige really cuts several ways. For some, it may help them get that first job they covet (maybe like I-banking). For others, it’s a security blanket they carry around their whole lives – a kind of resting on laurels which can be anything from good (pride in achievement) to incredibly limiting (such as with people who derive their total sense of worth from it, as happened with a high school friend who went to Princeton and who has lived there in her mind for the years following). For others, it becomes merely a sign of potential they never really live up to (“Wow, but he’s a Stanford grad; I can’t believe he’s decided to do…”). For some its an affiliation with presumed excellence that they are proud of their whole lives. </p>
<p>In the best case, in my opinion, the reverence with which their prestigious university/college is held is met in their own minds with their own particular experience. For example, someone goes to X prestigious law school and really enjoyed their experience and when they encounter other people who say “Wow, that’s a great law school,” they beam with pride simply because they recall what a great experience going there was and how it has put them in touch with incredible people (this was just an example and is hard to imagine most people feeling about law school, I’ll admit). Maybe what I am aiming for here is a description between an outer name-brand kind of prestige vs. an inner sense of quality kind of prestige.</p>
<p>And prestige has a bias in favor of large research universities in many ways, anyway.</p>
<p>My guess is you’ll be able to have the kind of experience at a place like Skidmore that will give you that confidence (inner sense of prestige) that you got a first-rate education. And you’ll probably remember your times there with great fondness and pride. This is much, much more important than any sense of outward prestige, particularly five or ten years out of college when you are in the real world where people care more about who you are than where you went to college. If you do really well at Skidmore and want to move on to capture that kind of “outer prestige” in grad school, though, you’ll be well-placed to do so.</p>
<p>Enjoy. Enjoy Skidmore. I would wager some good money with you that in 8 months time you’ll wonder what you were ever thinking writing this post. And if I am wrong, reevaluate at that point.</p>