<p>Head for Tulane. When a school really wants you and offers a big scholarship, you’re bound to be very successful there. You’re at the top of the applicant pool. Congratulations!!! (IMO, no college is worth going into heavy debt for, anyway.)</p>
<p>Dd is just finishing her first year at Baylor in Waco, texas. Was a NMF, and was offered full tuition there. She chose Baylor over UCLA, UC Berkeley, Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, USC (1/2 tuition scholarship at USC offered) and several other “less known” colleges (some that also offered full tuition). </p>
<p>Many people are amazed that our DD chose Baylor and that we “let” her go there rather than the BIG name colleges I previously mentioned. However hubby and I thought full tuition at Baylor was an offer too good to pass up and we liked the look and feel of Baylor, even though it is in another state.</p>
<p>We live in S. Calif. DD is happy there in texas, making friends with many texan students and other out- of -state students. DD was fairly involved in high school with fine arts activities ( drama, orchestra, dance) and continues to enjoy the same at Baylor. DD is in a drama group, was in Baylor’s annual "Baylor Sing"s musical revue, likes her honors classes, and will be going right after finals with a group of students doing a 2 week humanitarian missions trip in Armenia. </p>
<p>She really likes Baylor, has made several friends, and hopes to deepen the friendships she has made this year. By her own admission, though, she is still closer to her high school friends than she is to her Baylor friends. However I think that is natural since she has only known her Baylor friends for 8 months vs knowing her high school friends for 4+ years.</p>
<p>My point of this post is to say that my DD is happy at Baylor, she is challenged at Baylor and it has been a good fit for her. She likes the smaller classes in her Honors program, and the smaller size of Baylor as compared to larger universities such as the Ivy schools or UC schools. Although DD had high SATS and 4.7 High school GPA, she is still challenged at Baylor in her higher level classes, even though Baylor is only ranked #83 or so. (DD was considered a sophomore after her first semester there).</p>
<p>And because tuition is fully paid for, we are much more lenient on the number of times she flies home to California for breaks (she’s even flown home twice for 3 day weekends), and we will pay for part of her graduate school costs as well.</p>
<p>I think she made the right decision. . .many middle tiered colleges can challenge a high acheiving student, despite the college not being ranked in the top 30 schools. And saving $90,000 tuition costs over the course of 4 years means she-- and we-- won’t be saddled with college debt, esp with 3 other children heading to college within the next 6 years.</p>
<p>I’m sorry for the fact that your child had to reject a huge name and a top university because of money. Are you still as proud?? 
I don’t know, money isn’t really a hindrance for me, I feel sorry for your child who had to choose a small unheard of school because you couldn’t afford it…and if you are just cheap: oh lord…</p>
<p>CaliDUDE, if you have not heard of Baylor University you had better climb out of your hole.</p>
<p>I am certain that should mon of 4’s daughter do as well as expected at Baylor, she will a strong candidate for job recruiters, grad schools or professional schools four years down the road.</p>
<p>And she will be in a far better financial position to continue her education if that is what she chooses to do!!!</p>
<p>I sure hope calidude20 is kidding</p>
<p>Calidude …So money really isn’t a hindrance for you. Well, lack of manners certainly is.</p>
<p>I’m really glad you bumped the thread up though. It’s a great thread that many people will be interested in reading.:)</p>
<p>Calidude, you must have quite the life of privilege to feel as you do. Get a clue … “top” colleges are not a necessity for success or happiness in life. Personally, I suspect mom of four’s daughter has exactly what she needs to do well in life …</p>
<p>calidude- My sympathies to you for having such a narrow and shallow view of success. A pity…</p>
<p>“I sure hope calidude20 is kidding”</p>
<p>Take a look at some of his other posts, he’s not kidding. Almost all of his posts display the same lack of empathy and manners as the one above.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry for the fact that your child had to reject a huge name and a top university because of money. Are you still as proud?? I don’t know, money isn’t really a hindrance for me, I feel sorry for your child who had to choose a small unheard of school because you couldn’t afford it…and if you are just cheap: oh lord…”</p>
<p>■■■■■.</p>
<p>If money actually made the person, Paris Hilton would actually be interesting.</p>
<p>Mom of four, congrats it sounds like your D figured it out. It’s what you make of where you’re at, rather than the other way around. Baylor’s a good school as many others are. A student can get an good education across this country, if they want. That’s what makes America great, knowledge isn’t wrapped up in one place or two.</p>
<p>calidude-
Go back to your bridge and wait for the Billy Goats Gruff.</p>
<p>bump…for those new cc’ers who need a good read.</p>
<p>bump…</p>
<p>I just read the last few pages but what an interesting thread. </p>
<p>I am finding this part of parenting to be similar to parenting an infant or toddler in that there are a lot of unsolicited opinions given. When people tell me about their college plans or their childs, I just listen and provide an encouraging word when it seem appropriate along the lines of, “I’m confident you’ll make the right decision for your family” or “I wish you the very best of luck.” I thought it was universally considred rude to say otherwise. How very wrong I turned out to be about that!</p>
<p>The list of schools my son is considering run from Ivy to unheard-of-outside-that-state. Schools that offer the kind program he is interested in are just not all on the same tier, some are not on a tier at all that I know of. Plus his list of priorites include geographical location, political tone and gay/lesbian friendly. </p>
<p>Much like the infant/toddler years, I’ve taken the approach of avoiding specifics. I just do not want to hear that one of the schools on the list my kid put together is “a real *****hole.” I’m also no longer offering his major as I’ve had it with comments on that as well. </p>
<p>G-d willing, my kid will attend a school that is a wonderful match for him. If people want to believe that we’re somehow dooming him to a life less wonderful than it could have been by not being willing to committ ourselves or him to the burden of a lot of debt, well, they are free to believe that. I completely disagree.</p>
<p>^^What a wonderful approach! Comparing it to toddler parenting is right on the mark. I remember being amazed last year at things people would say. If I’d been able to close my eyes and channel the toddler years (“You mean he’s not toilet trained yet? Oh, my”) I might have found it easier.</p>
<p>Cute analogy. We let them fall and learn to walk (but then again…t eh consequences weren’t quite as big if they failed…)
That said, I recall one time commenting to DH that they all make it through potty training, and that our s’s would not be going to college in diapers. And last I checked, neither packed any diapers when they went…</p>
<p>There are many students who got top scholarship from the top school.</p>
<p>Dad II,
I don’t know what you are referring to. Curmudgeon’s (OP’s) daughter turned down Yale and Amherst for a full ride scholarship to Rhodes. Yale and Amherst do NOT give merit scholarships. The “top schools” do not give merit scholarships. They give financial aid to those who are academically qualified to attend, but need financial aid to do so.
Edit: I don’t know what you mean by the “top schools.” Perhaps you could provide an example.</p>
<p>^
Off the top of my head: Vandy, WUSTL, Dartmouth (merit-within-need, I think–very rare but a poster here[camelia] received it), Emory</p>