<p>“great summer internships because they are at these elite schools.”</p>
<p>Yes, there are internships made available to kids at elite schools that are not available to students at lower-ranked schools. S recently obtained one of these, and I can guarantee you this organization is not recruiting at Podunk U.<br>
But, it seems that the large public universities where I live do a very good job providing research opportunities in the sciences.</p>
<p>dstark: Do you walk to work or take your lunch?</p>
<p>I agree that elite schools like HYP and MIT will open doors. And may be worth the $, especially for those who can afford it without major sacrifice. But where does the halo stop? Other than “fit” issues, is it valuable to go to the schools that are a bit further down? Like Vanderbilt or Wake? We keep talking about TOP or BETTER schools - but what is a top school? Top 10? Top 100? Those with name recognition?
We live in a prestige area and very few people in this particular locale give any respect to our flagship U. It’s a bit of a bubble here though. I sat next to women on a plane last week who was VERY impressed with the school - indicating that very few from her son’s high school get in every year. So it’s all relative, I guess. CC seems more like my neighborhood though - the bar is set VERY high!</p>
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LOL! Hanna, you may never, ever live down the fact that you brought up Doogie Howser.</p>
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Exactly, sax. And new grads have to hit the ground running. </p>
<p>olddad, I think much of the Michigan/ND loyalty would apply for any major, not just engineering. I’m not a Michigan fan, but I alway loved the commercial that ran during the ND - Michigan game where a space capsule was orbiting earth while that cute little Michigan fight ditty was playing. They have produced quite an impressive number of astronauts, and I don’t think any have gone on cross-country kidnapping missions.</p>
<p>My senior son at the elite lives in a Frat. When I visited last year, I was disappointed with what I was observing, for all the anti-frat reasons that have been discussed on this board. I noticed in the livingroom there was a grand piano. We were sitting outside chatting, and the most beautiful music surrounded us. One of the frat boys was a concert pianist and playing. This is one type of experience your child will have at an elite more than likely at a lower tier school.</p>
<p>mom365, I think you are more likely to have that experience at Indiana University.</p>
<p>mom 365 - you must be joking…
should we talk about the cheerleader hazing incidents at one of the top Ivies?
or the problem of spreading of human waste products at the top LAC in the country?
OK - I’m being less than civil here but give me a break…</p>
<p>sticker shock:Love the last line and the rest of the post.</p>
<p>mom365:I went to lower tier state school. I used to walk by the beat up common room that had a piano and listen to an extremely accomplished pianist who happened to be a physics major there. He was at the school for finincial reasons. Went on to top grad school. Brother who graduated two years earlier with triple degree went off to top MD/Phg Program and now at NIH.
When we walked by lounges at UM there were pianists all the time and I know the same thing happens at lots of small schools. I think that is more widespread than you may think.</p>
<p>sax and dstark - I am only sharing my observation and experience to contribute to a discussion. I went to no name state schools, my husband to a school with a Greatbooks curriculum. He is the most brilliant and knowledgeable person I know.</p>
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But we’re not comparing elites to Podunk, correct? </p>
<p>I’m enjoying this thread, but I just want to point something out to those who are dead set against any school except an elite for their kids: There are a many, many more graduates of the Podunks & State Us than there are graduates of the elites. Many, many more. While there are surely advantages to an elite education, we Podunk grads will not hold the Podunk pedigree against anyone. We can relate. We know that there are thousands of reasons (many out of a candidate’s control) that account for his college situation. We can see beyond that when we hire.</p>
<p>toneranger - that frat anecdote was a follow up to a post I made on the previous page. It makes more sense if you read my first post also. However, all Frats are not alike. My post was not a defense of Frats - it was a comment on what I consider positive at an elite school.</p>
<p>oldoldold - Perhaps you are correct. However I am a musician, my children are musicians, I know music, and this music I was hearing played at the Frat was world class quality, not your normal music played by a well rounded kid.</p>
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</p>
<p>Sounds like its Miller Time.</p>
<p>mom365 – It’s my firm belief that frat boys, as all college kids, at an elite school or not, behave quite differently during parents visits and after parents visists.</p>
<p>Careful, I know something about top musicians.</p>
<p>ya know how everything just tastes better at a fancy 5 star restaurant but if you brought it home and put it on a paper plate it doesn’t seem as good. Well, maybe it’s the same thing. Maybe cuz you’re at an elite everthing just seems better…</p>
<p>mom365 - and so the assumption is that you’re unlikely to hear a good pianist at a lesser school? Sorry - don’t buy it. Just like I don’t buy that “smarter” kids are more mature or responsible in their behavior.
Really, we’re back to state school kids talking about TV shows (or playing video games) and elite school kids chatting about Plato (or playing piano).
We’re going in circles.
I like “Miller Time” though - LOL</p>
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<p>I disagree. My H graduated with far more debt than Doogie would’ve had (we on lived loans as a family of three then four, plus tuition.) Yet he went into pediatrics rather than a better paying subspecialty, and worked on a mobile medical van project in the inner city rather than a lucrative suburban practice. It’s do-able, if you don’t care about the stereotypical “doctor” lifestyle (which we didn’t.)</p>
<p>And we had undergrad loans for us both, too.</p>
<p>I volunteer at the college placement office of my child’s public magnet school, which has a database about merit scholarships and newsletters about merit scholarships and honors programs. For many kids at this school, attending an honors program in a non-Ivy with a merit scholarship is a great option. The average SAT scores and other qualifications of the students in these honors colleges tend to be </p>
<p>The school recently sponsored a panel about colleges, which included parents whose children had opted for selective colleges with honors programs (and merit scholarships) over Ivy League colleges. The parents were very happy. They believed that their children were getting more individual attention and opportunities than if they had attended Ivy League schools.</p>
<p>Gosh, I’m sorry people are getting upset by my experience. Katliamom - I know of no behavior problems by my son at his Frat. Toneranger - My kid will be more likely to discuss OC or Lost than Plato. He might not even know who Plato is. (Just kidding, I read him Plato and Homer when he was a kid.)</p>