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You certainly should have tried. This is where I think the role of parents is.
"Forcing" doesn't equal "guiding" - and an oz of wise parental guidance can be worth 20 years of random self-searching via trial-and-error.
The main reason I asked is because I heard some parents of older children arguing that there CAN be some pragmatic benefits in the "top fish in average pond" scenario.
I have several friends whose children attend the very top middle school and high-school in this larger area (both classic "pressure cookers", one feeds into the other).
Most of the families in these schools are highly educated, well-paid professionals - so unsurprisingly MOST children do very well academically.
One of them was talking about cases where high-performing (but not "the very top") children from such "pressure-cooker" schools were rejected by their university of choice because universities often cap the number of students to be admitted from specific high-performing high-schools that could theoretically send its entire class to top colleges.
Instead they prefer to take other top performing kids from less well-performing schools as well...to the point where a "top fish in an average pond" may be admitted ahead of a "second fish in a top pond", even if the latter may still have more merit, in absolute terms, than the former.
I am not sure if this really happens or not - but at least this is a theory that I heard.
People can confirm or refute it based on their experience.
I am just in the process of learning about such things - so any (coherent :-)) input is highly appreciated.
Yes, this can and does happen. I knew of one local high school, just like you described, that did away with class ranking and got another 50 kids admitted into Prestigious State University. PSU could likely fill their ranks with kids from three counties and not really change their admissions standards; consequently, if you are from a rural area or outside the major metropolitan area, you are more likely to get in.
"Big fish in an Average pond" or "average fish in top pond"?
The most important goal of schooling is to prepare you intellectually for the work you'll eventually being doing during the majority of your adult life.
Whatever educational strategy makes you successful in your professional career or business is ultimately what matters. Anything else is just icing on the cake.
...and UGA is extremely competitive.
OP, none of this mattered at all until high school. Our elementary schools and middle schools ran the gamut, despite our attempts to make sure our kids had the best opportunities.
Waow...so entry into UGA is THAT competitive?
I didn't even know that. I was actually talking about the Ivy League and maybe second tier...
In that case, I am afraid a "second fish" in a top pond would not stand a chance at an Ivy League because they would opt for equally or perhaps slightly less "deserving" applicants from "lesser ponds" - if you can even call "less deserving" an application with an SAT score high enough to apply to an Ivy League institution in the first place.
along the lines of what Mattie posted above, If you will be relying on an academic scholarship for higher ed, big fish in a small pond will have a higher ranking relative to peers in the school. Being average in a top school will get you nowhere when it comes to academic scholarship $.
If you aren't concerned with college expense or feel a specialty scholarship like athletic or music/arts is in the cards, then go with the big pond.
I never knew what a "music scholarship" would boil down to.
The child would have to be HOW "virtuoso" with x instrument: prodigy? very virtuoso? talented enough? just play an instrument relatively well? ...
Waow...so entry into UGA is competitive?
I didn't even know that. I was actually talking about the Ivy League and maybe second tier...
In that case, I am afraid a "second fish" in a top pond would not stand a chance at an Ivy League because they would opt for equally or perhaps slightly less "deserving" applicants from "lesser ponds" - if you can even call "less deserving" an application with an SAT score high enough to apply to an Ivy League institution in the first place.
UGA is the 20th ranked public university in the US. It is the 60th ranked university in the country. The Ivy League schools are not the only good universities in the US.
UGA is the 20th ranked public university in the US. It is the 60th ranked university in the country. The Ivy League schools are not the only good universities in the US.
OK...I honestly didn't know that.
I knew it was one of the best in GA. How would you compare it to Emory?
OK...I honestly didn't know that.
I knew it was one of the best in GA. How would you compare it to Emory?
Emory is ranked 20th, UGA 60th. However, in 2012 Emory admitted to misrepresenting data to USNWR for 12 years.
At UGA the middle 50% have SAT scores that range from 1710 to 2000 (from 2012 common data set)
At Emory it is difficult to find the middle 50% SAT scores because the 2012 common data set is one of places where data was misreported.
I think Emory is a better school than UGA but not necessarily a whole lot better.
Emory does have a dark cloud over it's reputation, at least for the time being. I think their grad programs remain highly regarded though. I have friends with children at both schools. I don't see a difference in much beyond the tuition.
Honestly, the best values in GA are at UGA, in their honors program, and GA Tech. Both are extremely competitive programs. The UGA honors program was limited to 220 students 4 years ago when my son got in. He has had a wealth of opportunity in terms of internships and research, and has had two papers published, as well as spending two summers doing research abroad. All this has been paid for courtesy of the Zell Miller scholarship.
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"Big fish in an Average pond" or "average fish in top pond"?
