@CindyLWho My DD just made her decision last night. She had five acceptances (4 to ACRONYM) and chose Cate over Exeter. I don’t know how “hidden” Cate is (especially here, where the CA schools seem to be gaining some traction) but it was still hard to turn down Exeter. Our family is not especially concerned with “prestige”, but we definitely felt it was expected that she would attend Exeter from well meaning friends and family. I think a lot of that has a lot to do with the brand name recognition and reputation that Exeter is somehow the “best”. I’m not sure if our situation qualifies as "road less travelled"or not. We are thrilled just to have had some acceptances in hand!