<p>Though I strongly disagree with @CityEntrepreneur 's approach to selecting a school, I appreciate his candidness. I think many kids share his approach of just getting in to the biggest name school possible. Why bother cloaking it in other motives such as ‘fit’? </p>
<p>The most glaring example I’ve seen of this is the Barnard and Columbia College thing. My radar was up on Barnard because our niece who just graduated from Columbia told us she wished she had gone to Barnard instead. My daughter also danced with a Columbia student over the summer, who told her he would transfer to Barnard if they would just let him. As most here probably know, it has the advantages of a small LAC with full access to Columbia University. </p>
<p>I recently spoke with a mom whose daughter had applied to 26 (not a typo) colleges. Her very top choice was Columbia, yet her mom was not familiar with Barnard. Her daughter was rejected by Columbia and is now a junior at Wellesley. Apparently some Chinese dignitary’s wife attended Wellesley, hence it made her list.</p>
<p>One of my D’s friends was rejected last month by her top choice, Columbia, and she is completely devastated. Yet, she was accepted to Barnard, and seems disinterested. She’s actually considering Vassar because apparently it’s a higher ranked school (who knew?). Yet, she has never even visited Vassar!</p>
<p>And this from a dad on CC in the latest admissions cycle in response to a suggestion of Barnard College because his daughter hoped to study theatre at Columbia University (note: Columbia’s undergrad theatre program is actually housed and taught at Barnard College): </p>
<p>“While I understand the Barnard/Columbia realities in terms of theatre, it really came down to a comparison between name ID, school rankings, overall reputation, etc. So she would clearly not rank Barnard itself overall well versus a host of other schools. Barnard is virtually unknown here in FL to most people. My D had never even heard of it independently before I discussed it with her as an option.” She was rejected by Columbia.</p>
<p>But you really can’t know in advance which school will wind up being a fit for you. Apply to all of the ivies and don’t listen to these whiners.</p>
<p>[sigh] I assume this refers to Soong Meiling, the wife of Chiang Kai-shek and sister-in-law of Sun Yat-sen, and along with Jiang Qing one of the two most important female Chinese politicians of the past century (and the far nicer of the pair, no doubt). Life magazine once called her the most powerful woman in the world. Yup, she went to Wellesley, after transferring from Wesleyan (where her older sisters were educated). </p>
<p>“Though I strongly disagree with @CityEntrepreneur 's approach to selecting a school, I appreciate his candidness.”</p>
<p>Thanks. Yes, all I care about in a school is prestige. I’m very much in favor of sacrifice today for results tomorrow, and so spending 4 years in Siberia, if the school there were the most prestigious, would be what I’d do if it meant having a fancy name on my resume that would open doors. I found college to be very unpleasant, and so the thought of going to a specific school for the “experience” is just alien to me; for me, school is simply a means to an end.</p>
<p>^^ @CityEntrepreneur: My daughter is guilty of thinking exactly like you. As a senior in high school, with an almost perfect GPA and test scores, she wanted Harvard more than anything because of it’s prestige. But, at the end of her freshman year, when reality took hold, she hated the place. She hated it for the ‘Type A’ people it attracted, she hated it because she could not bond with any of the kids because they were mean and unkind (See: <a href=“Harvard College Introduces Pledge for Freshmen To Affirm Values | News | The Harvard Crimson”>http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2011/9/1/pledge-freshmen-students-harvard/</a>). When we suggested she transfer to another school – maybe even Yale – she couldn’t fathom giving up the Harvard name. Unfortunately, she will look back upon on her fours years of college (like you) as the worst time in her life. She can’t wait to get out – and when she graduates, she will probably never return for a reunion. For her, it’s been a means to an end. In retrospect, she would have been much happier attending a no-name school – and regardless of the job she will get upon graduation – her life would have been much happier elsewhere. So, I always advise students: be careful for what you wish for!</p>
<p>@MikeNY5 I Agree. Harvard’s Dean of Admissions says there are a few applicants who are ‘wicked’ smart or have unusual excellence in a single academic or extracurricular area, but most applicants are just well rounded students.</p>
<p>If you’re exceptional (and you and the school would know it), sure, don’t sweat the traditional application process. Heck, go get your acceptance letter now if you like - no need to apply to Rutgers. I know a world class fencer this year who received her acceptance letter from Duke four hours after she faxed her application to the admissions office. For her, filling out an application was just a mere formality. </p>
<p>But if, like most, you’re just the typical overachieving well-rounded student, I recommend you avoid the ‘shut out’ by following this mom’s advice:</p>