<p>Erinislost, if you tell us what you want to study, and if you like being in a big city or not, we can suggest some colleges that are famous and prestigious, but not quite as highly rated as Harvard and Princeton.</p>
<p>Hi again guys…thanks for the replies</p>
<p>So I talked to my parents, and they said almost the same as you guys did…</p>
<p>when I argued that It’s not schools are better, it’s the people that made the school famous. They argued about “Living with the smartest people”, “Networks”, etc…when I asked what if I got rejected? they said they will send me to a school called “Phillips academy” where they graduated and apply the next year…</p>
<p>at last I lost… as I expected, how can I ever win an argue with two Ph.Ds from Harvard…</p>
<p>Even worse, they also figured out that I lied about sending in my transcript… I didn’t send them in until yesterday so I can apply as late as possible and they might reject me cause of that. They were very angry. They never been angry at me like that.</p>
<p>Also, I couldn’t do bad on my interviews cause both of them were sitting behind me. so yeah… my life sucks</p>
<p>However, I still have a chance until April when replying to the schools… I want to go to University of Tokyo, maybe you never heard of it, it is the best school in Japan, and I get to go to that University with my friends =]</p>
<p>So yeah… I’ll keep you guys posted about my confront with my parents</p>
<p>Sabotaging yourself because you don’t think you deserve to get in is nonsense. The admissions committees get paid good money to reject most of the people who apply-- let them determine whether you’re capable (and often, even that’s not enough) and don’t let insecurity cloud you from applying to somewhere you may actually fit quite well.</p>
<p>That being said, most schools, elite and non-elite, have some defining characteristics that shape the experience of undergraduates. The place that fits you best is where you’ll succeed most, if you ask me, separate of outside prestige.</p>
<p>And I disagree with the notions that all schools teach the same things. I can tell you in my program, which is not particularly well-regarded for asinine reasons, I’ve learned a lot more and from a completely different approach than most of my friends in the same subject areas even in fairly standardized curricula. This isn’t always true, but it can be.</p>
<p>Oh, and while great researchers =/= great teachers, many great researchers ARE great teachers. It depends on where you are and how much they focus on having both qualities instead of one or the other. They both can be critical to a strong education, particularly in the sciences.</p>