As a society, we have created a false and toxic narrative that which colleges a child gets into reflect their worth. Further, we have become borderline obsessed with college rankings, many of which are deeply flawed, and somehow convinced ourselves that just because someone said something on TikTok or in a Facebook parent group, it must be true. While I extend extensive energy and time encouraging families to focus first on their child’s happiness, emotional health, long-term fulfillment, and life satisfaction while providing them with data to support the fact that a child is not doomed if they don’t attend a $90,000 per year institution that rejects 95% of applicants, I am dismayed by the seemingly overwhelming power of emotionally charged misinformation.
Parents want what is best for their kids; they want them to be happy and healthy. However, it can be hard to withstand the power of prevailing culture, social media, and misinformation. Ultimately, I hope my efforts toward debunking popular myths help parents regroup and focus on what is most important.
Myth #1: My child is doomed if he/she does not attend a prestigious and/or highly rejective college or university.
Reality: How students engage (i.e., what they do) in college is far more critical than selectivity. According to a 2018 report by the Stanford Graduate School of Education, College Selectivity is Not a Reliable Predictor of Student Learning, Job Satisfaction, or Well-Being! Furthermore, research has found that surprisingly few CEOs attended League universities. For more information, read Where Top CEOs Went To College.
Myth #2: All Good colleges are SO hard to get into!
Reality: Only a handful of colleges are really hard to get into; most are not.
The average acceptance rate among all ranked colleges is about 70%; 90% of colleges accept 80% of applicants. Schools such as Harvard (4%), Stanford (4%), Tulane (9%), and Duke (<8%) are outliers.
Myth #3: Medical schools, graduate schools, and employers favor applicants from prestigious universities.
Reality: Students drive their own successes by attending institutions where they can earn high grades and take advantage of internship, research, and co-op opportunities. How many professors conducting groundbreaking research want undergraduates in their lab when they can select high-performing graduate students?🤷🏻♀️
Myth #4: SAT/ACT scores are the most crucial factor in a college application.
Reality: It depends on individual context and school. Most institutions use a holistic approach to admissions, and most U.S. colleges and universities are test-optional. While many schools have indicated they will be test-optional for the 2024 admissions cycle, it is essential to read all information related to each institution’s test-optional policy, know the percentage of admitted students who are submitting scores, and evaluate your own situation and context when deciding whether or not to submit test scores.
Myth #5: Only state universities are affordable.
Reality: State university sticker prices are lower, but merit and needs-based aid may offset the higher sticker prices of private institutions.
Myth #6: Higher Cost=Higher Quality
Reality: Price reflects factors such as state funding and endowment size. Price reflects little about quality and NOTHING about fit or potential for success in college and beyond.
Myth #7: Students who attend community college and transfer are losers.
Reality: Attending community college is a great way to save money (up to 50% of the cost of attendance) as well as access good-fit colleges that may have been out of reach during high school.
Want to learn more about the impact of society's obsession with our kid’s achievements?
Read Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic-and What We Can Do About It by Jennifer B. Wallace.
Tune in next week to learn how to create your list of “good-fit” colleges.
For more information about the myths and realities of college admissions and how to ensure a low-stress and data-driven college application process, reach out at kathy@fineeducationalsolutions.com.
For more information on where CEOs went to college, click HERE and HERE.
0 Comments