<p>I was having lunch with other college moms this week and the subject of “fit” came up. We all have children spread around…some close, some far, some doing well, some not, so the conversations began. I feel everyone did a fine job of researching and visiting schools. No one went in blind, etc. </p>
<p>Therefore… I have decided college selection is like a pair of jeans. Some fit just right in the beginning…and they get get better with wear and tear, age and time. Some fit just right in the beginning but then you find out they ride up and rub you in the wrong places. Then the ones that were a bit stiff in the beginning (maybe that safety your kiddo didn’t really want) but with time, and a bit of washing, turn out to be the perfect pair. So as the parents of the Class of 2016 go about this process, just realize, it will never be perfect. Dream schools can be disasters, safety schools can be a diamond in the rough. But hopefully, like your favorite pair of jeans, your kid’s college will eventually be the perfect fit. And why we are on the subject of jeans, realize that the perfect pair of jeans doesn’t have to cost $150.00 either. Some of the best pairs I have ever owned can be $50 or less.</p>
<p>collegeshopping, that’s a fun way to describe college “shopping”. My problem with it is that I find it to be a lot of window shopping, window dressing, but not much of a chance to try on for fit before making a purchase.</p>
<p>Fortunately, my son’s jeans are currently fitting pretty well. I feel like he grabbed the jeans off the rack without trying them on, made a sizable downpayment on them, tried the jeans on in the fall last year and lucked out with the fit. Is it a perfect fit? No, but it is the best fit that we could find without needing to pay for more expensive jeans.</p>
<p>There is no such thing as “best fit”. Most colleges are the same or very similar. It all depends on the perception of the student. He/she will be happy in many colleges he/she chose. Well, the cost of colleges is a different matter. The real issue here is ROI. The investment of time, money vs. the return you get from attending that school.</p>
<p>I have never been really worried about fit but my dd had other plans. She made the best choice for her. She has to live with it. She likes her college but she knows she would have bloomed anywhere.</p>
<p>I tried telling that to D when I first heard someone say that – it’s the fit, not the brand, that counts. She said “it’s the brand.” I guess that’s what you get when you live in a town where the preteens wear $200 jeans…</p>
<p>So true! A perfect analogy.
Including:
Some days are fat days, when the jeans do not fit the way they usually do. In fact, we can even be having a “fat” day when we are shopping or visiting, tossing that choice off the list in error.
Fashion can dictate some of our preferences, too: skinny jeans, classic jeans are all available, and some are more influenced by the latest “rankings”.
Clothing (incl jeans) is a bit an emblem, the way the college we attended can flag something about us.
Some go for comfort, some go for the best fit, some want to be fashion-forward, some care only about the brand, some buy based on price (highest or lowest), some wear hand-me-downs.
Some have a figure that all types of jeans fit; others have body types that work for only certain styles.
And I really love the part about jeans wearing out, wearing in, and being outgrown!!</p>
<p>To me, this should be the number 1 thread for all new CC’ers as they begin the college selection journey!</p>
<p>And then there are some jeans you keep in your cupboard long after you have used them, outgrown them. You look at them with admiration and cherish the good times associated with them. You remember the effort put in to hunt them, try them on, at times struggling to fit into them but never letting go of them and finally enjoy them and turn out looking smart and confident in the end.</p>