I just wanted to point out that Ivies and State Schools are not the only options. More than 25 years ago when I was graduating from high school, it ended up costing me less to attend freshman year at a small, private liberal arts college known for its per capita Rhodes Scholar numbers than it would have to attend the state university that offered me financial aid. I'm not just talking about out-of-pocket expenses, I'm also talking about student loans vs. scholarships and grants.
One of my classmates was 15 as a freshman, took the full four years for college, joined a fraternity, dated a handful of women, married one of them, and got a PhD from an Ivy about the same time his age cohort was graduating from college. Now he's a professor at another liberal arts college, the one that would have been his first choice as a student, but ours offered a better scholarship.
I know that many gifted students are underachievers, can be kind of intense in their personal lives, and may not know what they want to do. Liberal arts colleges can be the perfect environment for these students, too! Another of my classmates thought she would major in art, couldn't afford the paints, studied biology until she encountered organic chemistry, then became a star in political science and a high ranking government official who traveled on a diplomatic passport.
You gotta consider liberal arts colleges!
Last edited by Beckee; 03/29/12 09:25 AM.
