Colleges

[Thumper]

The Kid put in 3 applications back in October and just finished up her other 7 before New Year's.
She is 3 for 3 in acceptances for the first batch (Rommie, one is indeed Case). And we just found out that Ohio State pretty much has offered her a full ride. It is her "least" favorite school of the 10 and was basically her safety. But it is a good problem to have.

[Swift]

[vendic]

Nice!

[SciFiFisher]

Yes it is.

[pumpkinpi]

Wonderful!

I know you have been already making visits, and I encourage you to keep doing so and have her keep it as a consideration when making a final decision. I visited three schools, and was able to get an idea of the "personality" of each. I didn't think I would be happy at two of them, and I loved the third. In particular, I loved how my tour guide said hi to everyone we passed--they knew each other by name. And I was able to get personal visits with a few professors in math and physics. Oh, and I had a audition for jazz band, and the director was talking to me as if I had already made it! So that's where I went. If I hadn't taken the visits, I may have made a different choice and ended up at a place that wasn't the right fit. And being happy is just as important as the quality of the academics, because one might not succeed otherwise.

I hope that she gets into more schools and has a hard decision to make, because it's a good position to be in!

[Thumper]

I agree with your wonderful advice. I want her to have a great fit at the school she chooses. I didn't. But I fear she's placing too high a priority on school name and prestige. She had said there was one school she would go to, sight unseen, if she got accepted. Mrs. T pointed out that she'll end up going to a school that we can afford to send her to, and it might not be her first, or ninth choice.

[SciFiFisher]

I agree with your wonderful advice. I want her to have a great fit at the school she chooses. I didn't. But I fear she's placing too high a priority on school name and prestige. She had said there was one school she would go to, sight unseen, if she got accepted. Mrs. T pointed out that she'll end up going to a school that we can afford to send her to, and it might not be her first, or ninth choice.

Of course, Practical should have some sway in the decision. The last thing she needs is to be deep in debt before she even graduates from college.

[vendic]

Of course, Practical should have some sway in the decision. The last thing she needs is to be deep in debt before she even graduates from college.

But isn't that how it's "meant" to be?

[SciFi Chick]

That's awesome Thumper! Sounds like you and the wife have raised a good one.

[Thumper]

Or, The Kid is doing fantastic despite her father.


(I know, I know. I'm not supposed to get down on myself.)

[Swift]

But I fear she's placing too high a priority on school name and prestige.

I don't know what career she is looking for, but in my experience, school name and prestige is overrated, at least for most jobs. In the sciences, as long as the school has the appropriate accreditations, it doesn't much matter (for example, the American Chemical Society accredits undergraduate programs in Chemistry).

A big name school might make a small difference for that first job, but after that one, people pay little attention to what school you went to, just that you have the degree. It's like once you graduate college, no one cares what high school you went to.

There is also another truth: is a C+ from Harvard better looking than a A- from Ohio University? Given the difficulty of a high prestige school, the generally more competitive environment, and possibly the less pleasant school experience, even for a bright student, the C+ versus A- is a real possibility.

[code monkey]

Or, The Kid is doing fantastic despite her father.


(I know, I know. I'm not supposed to get down on myself.)

(no, you're not. stop fishing for compliments.)

wonderful news!

[geonuc]

What Swift said - in engineering, you just need to ensure the school is ABET accredited.

Congratulations, by the way. Your kid seems to be performing at an acceptable level.

[Thumper]

Swift, thanks, and I agree. Although her specific targets in terms of a major are still moving (and certainly nothing wrong with that), she's interested in engineering. Recently biomedical engineering and neuroscience. She has enjoyed physics and talked about aeronautical engineering.

Oh, BTW, no Harvard. But Princeton, Brown, and Columbia, Ivy league wise.

[Swift]

Swift, thanks, and I agree. Although her specific targets in terms of a major are still moving (and certainly nothing wrong with that), she's interested in engineering. Recently biomedical engineering and neuroscience. She has enjoyed physics and talked about aeronautical engineering.

Oh, BTW, no Harvard. But Princeton, Brown, and Columbia, Ivy league wise.

I am a Brown alumni (grad school). I can't do anything about financial aid, but if there is anything else I could do, just say so.

It is over 30 years since I went there, but Brown was a pretty nice environment - it didn't seem to have the cut throat pressure of a lot of Ivy League schools. But it is academically a hard school. They did have a very good biomedical engineering and neuroscience program there (at least at that time).

Physics was strong in some disciplines, but not so much in others. I don't recall aeronautical engineering being particularly strong (or engineering in general). They did have a very strong program in Planetary Science (lot of mission work for JPL and NASA).

Providence is a pretty nice town. But the poster was very true (I did live off Hope).

[Thumper]

Ha ha. Thanks Swift.

[pumpkinpi]

She has enjoyed physics..

[Thumper]

One of her "physics" courses this year (she's taking two different ones) is split by semester. They did robotics in the fall. They just started astronomy! Hey, I might finally be able to help her in some coursework. At least I have a chance of understanding the material.

[SciFiFisher]

Test

[Swift]

Test

This is only a test.
If this had been an actual post, you would have been instructed where to tune in on the Interweb for actual content.
This is only a test.

[Swift]

Test

\whinny voice\
A TEST? But Mr. Fisher, you say this material wasn't going to be on a test. It's not fair.

[SciFiFisher]

Test

\whinny voice\
A TEST? But Mr. Fisher, you say this material wasn't going to be on a test. It's not fair.

If you want fair you may have to wait a loooooooong time.

[Rommie]

Congrats to Case, and all the other schools! Seriously a great place for a biomedical engineer, as I'm sure she knows, though I had a joke during orientation that everyone saying they were a BME major ought to be required to put $20 in a pot when they start, which is split when everyone finishes- they'd make out like bandits. (Note, I don't think it's because it's particularly hard at Case, just that happens a lot in engineering and there were a lot of kids majoring in that to appease "you must be a doctor!" parents who finally rebelled into their true calling.)

I think the big thing about the prestigious schools is at the end of the day it's nice to be wanted, and it's truly very flattering to contemplate an acceptance. There were tons of students at Case though when I was there who were accepted to those schools too, then turned them down for financial reasons. They're all still of course successful people, but that's hard to believe when you're 18 and everyone's obsessing about colleges.

Well, anyway, if she needs any more advice she knows where to find me. Congrats again!

[Thumper]

Thanks Rommie.

[DimSum]

The Kid is nowhere old enough to be applying to college. She is permanently 4.... playing squares with Cookie....

Although, with Cookie, now being the mother of the Crumb, I can no longer hold to that theory.... So ignore me.... LOL