How can I start preparing son to join 'top dog' schools?

[homesick_american 1]

Indeed. The California system is wonderful. (BUT OF COURSE YOU ONLY SAY THAT BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T GET IN AND YOU ARE NOT THE ÜBERASIAN SPAMMER.) I'd put Michigan up there, too, as well as the non-Ivy midwestern schools (there's only a handful of schools in the Ivy League). And how much debt you'd have to take on should be a big factor, too; getting into Harvard is great, but having $120K in debt really crimps your ability to succeed.

I agree...the UC system has some superior schools, and UM-Ann Arbor is an excellent school. People should always consider state schools; they are NOT inferior. Here's a list from Public Ivies: A Guide to America's Best Public Undergradute Colleges and Universities:

* College of William and Mary

* Miami University (Ohio)

* UC-Berkeley

* UM-Ann Arbor

* UNC-Chapel Hill

* UT-Austin (my alma mater!!!!)

* University of Vermont

* University of Virginia

That's the original 1985 list; in 2001 Greene's Guides added the following schools:

* Binghamton University

* Indiana University - Bloomington

* Indiana University of Pennsylvania

* Michigan State University

* Ohio State University

* Pennsylvania State University (I can't believe this one wasn't on the original list)

* Rutgers (New Jersey)

* U of Arizona

* UCLA

* UC - Boulder

* U of Connecticut

* U of Delaware

* U of Florida

* U of Georgia

* U of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

* U of Iowa

* U of Maryland College Park

* U of Minnesota

* U of Washington

Further info from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_ivies

Before people say "Ivy League or bust" they need to be realistic about any individual child's chances of getting into an Ivy League school. A school like Harvard may receive over 20,000 applications for fewer than 3,000 places in its freshman class. I'd imagine there are similar levels of competition throughout the Ivy League, and stellar students are turned away every year. I knew a girl who got straight As, top of her class, 1590 on her SAT, brilliant extracurriculars...who was turned down by both Yale and Harvard. We were shocked, but she was fine; she got a full ride to a state university in the end.

[britbird 4]

Indeed. The California system is wonderful. (BUT OF COURSE YOU ONLY SAY THAT BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T GET IN AND YOU ARE NOT THE ÜBERASIAN SPAMMER.) I'd put Michigan up there, too, as well as the non-Ivy midwestern schools (there's only a handful of schools in the Ivy League). And how much debt you'd have to take on should be a big factor, too; getting into Harvard is great, but having $120K in debt really crimps your ability to succeed.

Alex, where are you doing your master's? PM me if you'd rather not say; if you're at my school, we should hang out.

I'm not entirely sure what you are inferring from the "BUT OF COURSE YOU ONLY SAY THAT BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T GET IN" part, if you are talking about yourself then fine. But if you are talking about me, you are waaaayyyyy off. I did get in.

[Jenn! 918]

Indeed. The California system is wonderful. (BUT OF COURSE YOU ONLY SAY THAT BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T GET IN AND YOU ARE NOT THE ÜBERASIAN SPAMMER.) I'd put Michigan up there, too, as well as the non-Ivy midwestern schools (there's only a handful of schools in the Ivy League). And how much debt you'd have to take on should be a big factor, too; getting into Harvard is great, but having $120K in debt really crimps your ability to succeed.

Alex, where are you doing your master's? PM me if you'd rather not say; if you're at my school, we should hang out.

I'm not entirely sure what you are inferring from the "BUT OF COURSE YOU ONLY SAY THAT BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T GET IN" part, if you are talking about yourself then fine. But if you are talking about me, you are waaaayyyyy off. I did get in.

She was referring to consolemaster's posts.

[britbird 4]

Indeed. The California system is wonderful. (BUT OF COURSE YOU ONLY SAY THAT BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T GET IN AND YOU ARE NOT THE ÜBERASIAN SPAMMER.) I'd put Michigan up there, too, as well as the non-Ivy midwestern schools (there's only a handful of schools in the Ivy League). And how much debt you'd have to take on should be a big factor, too; getting into Harvard is great, but having $120K in debt really crimps your ability to succeed.

Alex, where are you doing your master's? PM me if you'd rather not say; if you're at my school, we should hang out.

I'm not entirely sure what you are inferring from the "BUT OF COURSE YOU ONLY SAY THAT BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T GET IN" part, if you are talking about yourself then fine. But if you are talking about me, you are waaaayyyyy off. I did get in.

She was referring to consolemaster's posts.

That's all good then (internet can be a sneeky thing at times).

[Caladan 19]

I was poking fun at this thread, where it suddenly seems to have become necessary to give your educational credentials before disagreeing with consolemaster.

I'm going to disagree with some of the consensus here. If you do want your kid to get into Harvard, you do have to start preparing her very young. She's going to have to learn to love reading and school and succeeding very young. She's not going to become a well-rounded person with lots of sparkling skills that make admissions committees happy if she starts resume-building in her sophomore year.

The thing is, it's not a guarantee that your kid will be in one of the 9% that gets into Harvard. So the question isn't whether you *would* have to start preparing her as a young kid, but whether you *should.* And I'd say, sure, if you can manage to do it without pressuring the kid. A six-year-old wouldn't be taking SAT prep classes, but reading longer books. That's not a bad thing, to read longer books.

[Jenn! 918]

Oops, sorry I should have let you explain your comments rather than me.

[Caladan 19]

Haha, that's okay.

[rebeccajo 14]

As the parent of a child about to enter university, and a long-time volunteer with children, I'd like to put in my 2 cents.

You can't prepare a kid for college. You can make opportunities available to them and encourage them. You can provide the proper environment for learning - academically, socially and artistically.

But you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Some kids aren't college material. And there's nothing wrong with that. The world needs carpenters, waitresses, mechanics, secretaries and the like.

Success isn't always about the big degree and the big bucks. It's about happiness.

Cuddle your kid and let them know you love them NO MATTER WHAT. If you read to them while cuddling them before bedtime, that's just a plus.

[Caladan 19]

That's definitely true. You can make sure that kid does as best as she can, but sometimes that best isn't top college material. I think parents need to make sure they're not trying to live through their kid.

[eap620 0]

I went to a state school myself: the University of Texas at Austin, one of the 'public Ivies'

Just wanted to give a shout out to one TexasEx from another!!!

(And no, I'm not trying to give you the Aggies "thumbs up" but I couldn't find any horns!

[homesick_american 1]

I went to a state school myself: the University of Texas at Austin, one of the 'public Ivies'

Just wanted to give a shout out to one TexasEx from another!!!

(And no, I'm not trying to give you the Aggies "thumbs up" but I couldn't find any horns!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO LONGHORNS! I'm class of 1997 myself...you?

Did you see the championship game in Jan 2006? Oh gawd...best day of my life after my wedding.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

the person I went to high school with who went to Harvard was not a high worker or a well-rounded individual. He was a wallflower who used to fall asleep in class. I think he was some kind of certified genius though.

[eap620 0]

I went to a state school myself: the University of Texas at Austin, one of the 'public Ivies'

Just wanted to give a shout out to one TexasEx from another!!!

(And no, I'm not trying to give you the Aggies "thumbs up" but I couldn't find any horns!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO LONGHORNS! I'm class of 1997 myself...you?

Did you see the championship game in Jan 2006? Oh gawd...best day of my life after my wedding.

I graduated high school in '96 and then messed around for a few years...so I didn't graduate until 2003.

Absolutely I saw the Championship game of 2006. I was in Belize and went completely crazy watching the entire game. There are a few other Austinites on the island where I live and we all had the best time watching it!!!!

[homesick_american 1]

I went to a state school myself: the University of Texas at Austin, one of the 'public Ivies'

Just wanted to give a shout out to one TexasEx from another!!!

(And no, I'm not trying to give you the Aggies "thumbs up" but I couldn't find any horns!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO LONGHORNS! I'm class of 1997 myself...you?

Did you see the championship game in Jan 2006? Oh gawd...best day of my life after my wedding.

I graduated high school in '96 and then messed around for a few years...so I didn't graduate until 2003.

Absolutely I saw the Championship game of 2006. I was in Belize and went completely crazy watching the entire game. There are a few other Austinites on the island where I live and we all had the best time watching it!!!!

I watched it from here (the UK) and the game didn't end until a ridiculous hour, like 4 or 5am. I was going to go to bed during the fourth quarter...then they started scoring touchdowns! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

[Heracles 417]

There are a growing number of parents out there who hassle and coerce the teachers to give their kids an 'A' rather than their children actually studying and doing their homework to deserve the grade..

Edited April 10, 2007 by Infidel