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“Financial reasons” “Govt job” what govt job requires military background?
Oh. And he’s pre-med.
Financial reason just make sense if the universities weren't handing out scholarships and/or financial aid was not enough to justify taking out thousands of dollars in loans. Obviously since he is using the GI bill for tuition he was smart enough to consider this.
Former military men and women have a distinct advantage getting many federal jobs (FBI, CIA etc) in comparison to folks who were not. Many of these jobs can net you incomes above 100k in several years, plus pensions and federal benefits. Which I suppose all of this somewhat elitist so I guess you might technically be right. Call up your son and ask him about it, I am sure he knows.
If his goal is med school the reputation of the undergrad isn't as important, granted you still want to avoid the bottom of the barrel. I have a friend who went to a normal college for undergrad, went to med school (he also had amazing grades and a full scholarship) and is now a research doctor at Harvard.
Financial reason just make sense if the universities weren't handing out scholarships and/or financial aid was not enough to justify taking out thousands of dollars in loans. Obviously since he is using the GI bill for tuition he was smart enough to consider this.
Former military men and women have a distinct advantage getting many federal jobs (FBI, CIA etc) in comparison to folks who were not. Many of these jobs can net you incomes above 100k in several years, plus pensions and federal benefits. Which I suppose all of this somewhat elitist so I guess you might technically be right. Call up your son and ask him about it, I am sure he knows.
If his goal is med school the reputation of the undergrad isn't as important, granted you still want to avoid the bottom of the barrel. I have a friend who went to a normal college for undergrad, went to med school (he also had amazing grades and a full scholarship) and is now a research doctor at Harvard.
I agree with those who say quality of the school system is important. It’s all about giving your children the highest probability of success (good HS > good college > good job). OBVIOUSLY nothing is guaranteed, like everything else in life outside of death and taxes, but it’s all about tilting the odds in your favor.
That being said these school rankings need to be taken w/ a heavy dose of salt - the rankings change way too drastically in such a short period of time for the exact order to be taken too seriously...
AP classes can be handy but there is starting to be some serious pushback among colleges because the coursework does not correspond to a college level class. This is especially true is the class follows a series. Calculus I AP may not automatically grant you entrance to Calculus II anymore. The math and sciences get the biggest criticism. The humanities might get some credit but it isn't as guaranteed as it was 10 years ago. It might be more worthwhile for a student to enroll in an honors level class and concentrate on certain extracurriculars than it is to put unnecessary time in a demanding AP course.
But what the AP exams themselves? Many years ago when I was in school they were very rigorous and were probably similar to college final exams. But the acceptance of AP tests varies from college to college. I had a very good grade on Calculus II AP (used to be called Calculus BC) but could only get to Calculus II. And I got a B in the class unfortunately My school only had non Calculus Physics so even a good score on the exam would not be worth anything in school. And unfortunately I got a 3 on a Chemistry exam and was not allowed to even skip one semester of Chemistry...
But classes themselves were challenging and fun. I guess now they might've been watered down so that everyone gets an A and parents are happy...
I agree with those who say quality of the school system is important. It’s all about giving your children the highest probability of success (good HS > good college > good job). OBVIOUSLY nothing is guaranteed, like everything else in life outside of death and taxes, but it’s all about tilting the odds in your favor.
That being said these school rankings need to be taken w/ a heavy dose of salt - the rankings change way too drastically in such a short period of time for the exact order to be taken too seriously...
In any case, US education system is not the greatest, even in rich towns on NJ. Most successful students get extra tutoring or go to evening schools. My son was in Kumon since kindergarten and that is how he learned to read and count. His school just does not provide enough practice and of course he did not want to practice with us. But he does his Kumon homework almost every day with just a reminder.
So I think what is important is not the exact school ranking but the availability of the challenging classes, decent facilities and academic focus. Often the worse the football team is, the better. Even better if there is no football team, no cheerleaders and none of that stupid American athletic culture. But don't get me wrong, non competitive sports and fitness are extremely important.
Also, while this is not a PC opinion, but the percentage of middle class Asian students usually improves the quality of the school. Here are two examples:
1) Bergen County Academy was ranked #1 and has 52% Asian students: https://www.usnews.com/education/bes...5/student-body
Seriously not this crap again. People pay attention to these rating becuase of money,this is not rocker science . Home values ,property taxes it's all connected.
In any case, US education system is not the greatest, even in rich towns on NJ. Most successful students get extra tutoring or go to evening schools. My son was in Kumon since kindergarten and that is how he learned to read and count. His school just does not provide enough practice and of course he did not want to practice with us. But he does his Kumon homework almost every day with just a reminder.
So I think what is important is not the exact school ranking but the availability of the challenging classes, decent facilities and academic focus. Often the worse the football team is, the better. Even better if there is no football team, no cheerleaders and none of that stupid American athletic culture. But don't get me wrong, non competitive sports and fitness are extremely important.
Also, while this is not a PC opinion, but the percentage of middle class Asian students usually improves the quality of the school. Here are two examples:
1) Bergen County Academy was ranked #1 and has 52% Asian students: https://www.usnews.com/education/bes...5/student-body
Asian students and parents typically work hard and do not worry about studying for the test or similar laze nonsense.
That's because first-generation Asian parents are one tracked minded and only want their children to be doctors or make a lot of $.
What if your kid wants to be a hair dresser?
The 2nd generation will change that though.
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My school only had non Calculus Physics so even a good score on the exam would not be worth anything in school. And unfortunately I got a 3 on a Chemistry exam and was not allowed to even skip one semester of Chemistry...
