When choosing a college (and we're finding this to be true right now, as a matter of fact), it may be BETTER to be in a less selective environment.
This was true for me. I found a wonderful mentor who took me under his wing. He was a renowned scholar in his field but he stayed at the mediocre state flagship university because his wife didn't want to move. His (very smart) graduate students were my social network.
When I did a fellowship at a
very selective LAC, students were accomplished in everything that they did including music and sport and they were efficient and focused but only a couple of them seemed passionate about ideas and learning. However, I must say, most of them were just about the nicest, sweetest, and loveliest teenagers/young adults I've ever met. As a parent, I could live with that tradeoff.
