Metropolitan Area Has 16 Schools in Top 100 Ranking

A. I would say that a higher percentage of students attending an Ivy League school would be an INDICATOR of a good high school. Also, it would be a relatively small number to start with. Most people would consider an Ivy League school to be the pinnacle of academic STATUS in the US.
B. I think that most parents who value education would hope that their children go to a 4 year college, and perhaps even pursue an advanced degree.
C. I think that going directly from high school into retail without a college is a dead end job for most. As someone who worked in retail throughout high school and college, I can tell you that being at the bottom rung in a retail store REALLY STINKS!!!:eww:.

 

Mr. Rogers,
In response to "A" getting into an Ivy league school has so many variables that this should not be a measuring stick for HS to be graded on. Other things decide wether you get into an Ivy league school. You haven't mentioning anything about sex, race that sometimes weigh heavily on wether or not you are accepted. I have met many people with degrees from Harvard, Yale, etc. and from my ionteractions with them I can say there is no difference between them and folks from UVA, Duke, VT, and for the most part the people from the other schools don't have the attitude that is sometime associated with an Ivy league degree.

For "B" there are many factors why students would choose a 2 year school first and then get the degree from a 4 year school but, I do agree with the most of your statement.

For "C" there wouldn't be a lot of local stores, businesses that I have used if some people didn't forgo a college education. I know some very "book smart" people who can't figure out a framing square but I do know a bunch of carpenters who can!

Enjoy!

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/19/AR2008051902798.html?hpid=topnews

No Crisis For Boys In Schools, Study Says

 

let's not forget the value of the military- how many college grads do you know that aren't remotely working within that expensive degree they went to school for. the service give you time to grow, up, get a work ethic and know more about who you are to decide what you want to be.

don't go all crazy IRAQ on me here- a small % of service members go to Iraq.

 

Good point, I don't know how many custom builders I have designed for over the years especially in Texas are retired military. As a matter of fact one custom builder and very good friend I have designed for, for almost 25 years was 3 years short of 20 years in the marines and had two tours of duty in Viet Nam on the front lines. Everyone thought he was crazy to get out that close to full retirement. Well did he prove them wrong and became one of the most successful and innovative custom builders in the DC area. While at the end he was stationed in Quantico he built and owned a bunch of apartments next to the base in his off time, That is when he decided he could make more money as a builder in several years then his whole career in the marines. But I can tell you this, once a marine always a marine

 

Thunderchild and Redon pretty much summed up things for me. I would add W&M to that mix and there are a number of other schools that could be better depending on what you're studying.

My issue with "B" is that maybe parents who value an education also value the bottom line and wouldn't mind seeing their child attend a community college for a year or two to save money.

Because you had a bad experience with retail, that means it's no good for anyone else? My sister paid for her degree from GMU by working retail, working her way up the ladder. She has had a very successful career with retail.

I noticed that you didn't address my comment about not graduating. I'll just say that there are a number of reasons for someone not to finish high school. I also know people who did not finish high school who are much better off than people who not only received an undergraduate degree, but an advanced one as well.

All I'm trying to say is that there is no magical formula to rank something like schools. You need to look at it for what you want out of it. Anyone one of us could have many different reasons to rank a school higher than another.

 

I agree 100%

 

I have found designing and building homes for many extremely successful people the one thing that stands out most of the time is their very out going personalities.

I have designed a lot of multi million homes for people that never went to college or dropped out. They seem to get to achieve that success in so many different ways. At the top education does not seem to have as much credence as what you have done.

College is a wonderful tool but certainly is not an entitlement to a successful career. Some people rely too much on their degrees. It may get you in the door but you better perform or out the door you go. I guess it is what success means to one. For me I never entered the corporate world as many of my friends have. Funny they all talk about the day they will retire and start that business. I the real thing is our kids need to find what they love to do and that will lead to their success. I feel like I have never worked a day in my life when I design yet when I was a builder it was some of the most miserable days I have ever had in my life.

Personally I think a better indicator of a school might be what happens to the kids 10 to 20 years down the road no matter what kind of formal higher education they got and see if they feel successful and happy both at work and home. In the building profession there are people in the trades that dropped out of high school and are making millions a year. I know one immigrant friend that came over here 20 years ago from El Salvador could not speak english and has made profit not gross as a framing contractor several years ago during the boom as much as 8 million dollars a year profit. He is still making a lot of money even tho things have slowed down. Because he is one of the few left and there still are a lotof homes being built he just has very little competition anymore

Parents in this area really push college and nothing wrong with that but there are many other roads to wealth and happiness. Sometimes I feel college just teaches you to work for some else comfortably.

Real estate is still a wonderful profession and there are people making a lot of money in it right now. Lot of good deals out there for people with deep pockets.

Real estate takes no education at all just take the real estate classes for a few weeks pass the the test and bam you are in one of the potentially highest paying professions out there with no need for any college and a GED will get you in the door. Funny story many of the real successful real estate pros joke if you flunk the test twice you will be far far more successful then the person that aces it. ha ha ha ha ha Anyone could of made a buck in real estate a couple of years ago but today is where the top producers are and the real money is going to be made. Dalyn right now has almost 50 million dollars of real estate to sell, of course selling it is another whole other case, but believe me she has a lot of help and she will succeed. Failure is not an option ha ha ha ha ha ha ha and the locations are superb most of it close into town.

We all put so much pressure on our kids to do extremely good in school, but what I am saying formal education does not mean happiness or wealth there are many roads to wealth and happiness for even the high school drop out.

So there is many ways to happiness and wealth

 

This is a completely arbitrary ranking. And could it be that the "best schools" just happen to be inhabited by smart, motivated kids from good homes--does the community make the school?!

 

many wonderful schools go unnoticed because they don't have a PR machine at work putting them in the forefront. they quietly go about the bizniz of teaching children REAL skills to survive, not just to test well.

 

Exactly, Redon. What if you measured a school by how many students go to college or even graduate who normally would fall through the cracks at other schools? What about measuring a school by the average increase in SAT scores so you recognize schools that have made a difference?

Do Harvard and Yale provide an education that is proportionately more challenging, thought-provoking and enlightening than other quality schools? Or has the reputation attracted students who are seriously bright and motivated in the first place? I think, in many cases, the kids and community make the school...not the other way around.

 

tha's why WE as parents are so important in the process. you made a PERFECT point here about the TYPE of ppl attracted to those schools. and it's important to gauge what kind of graduate you have.

i was burned out on school after my senior year and wanted to go in the military- which i did in spite of having a full ride to ISU. my husband could have gone to college right after high school, but saw himself becoming John Belushi in Animal House and also chose the military instead. neither of us regret it one bit, and have found great success in life without degrees. (although he is completing his now with the help of the GI Bill- NO STUDENT LOANS NEEDED- woohoo!)

i know they need SOMETHING to measure success at a school, and test scores seem to be the only solution, but that says very little about the individual STUDENT's success as a person.

star bellied sneeches aren't better JUST b/c they have a star- Dr. Seuss was a genius.