One aspect I love about my job as a college counselor is that while the information I share with students and parents through the college planning process can be similar, each student is different and I have to adjust what I share, at what time and how much information. I met with one of my international students this past week. Typically, international students are looking at applying to competitive admission colleges because it is honorable in their country to graduate from a college that has “name recognition” in their country. There are about 30 colleges that make up this “list” of schools and they are all in the top of the US News and World Report rankings. Believe me, I’ve had a couple international students e-mail me the list. This particular international student, however, was not interested in the “name recognition” schools even though he has pretty strong grades and will have great scores. I asked him why and he said, “I would rather be the head of the chicken instead of the tail of the phoenix”. I have never heard this phrase before. I did a little research and saw that in China, there is a well-known idiom that says, “I’d rather be a chicken’s head than the tail of a phoenix.” The idiom expresses a commonly held notion: It’s better to be in a position of prominence, even if in a less glamorous sphere, than in a low position within a more prestigious context. In the West, a similar saying calls it being a “big fish in a small pond.” In daily life, this sort of thinking can take many forms. Many Chinese businessmen, for example, will leave their low positions in a major company in order to take a high position in a local unknown company.
I appreciated this student’s wisdom because what this idiom is saying is what I try and get students to understand regarding their decision as to which colleges to apply to and eventually attend. This student was alluding to going to a big state University and finishing higher in his class rather than going to an Ivy league school and finishing in the bottom half of the class. Before those of you reading this post think I am saying that going to an Ivy league school or another highly competitive admission is not worth it, I want to make it clear that there are certainly a few advantages to going to these schools. One is the networking opportunities because of wealthy and loyal alumni networks. Another is opportunity to find a job (studies show these colleges are helpful in providing jobs in finance and consulting, when it comes to other majors there isn’t any evidence that competitive admissions colleges have a distinct advantage when it comes to finding a job). Third is that because the overwhelming majority of these colleges are 100% meet need schools, they can be great buys for students who can get in and have significant need.
Nevertheless, there have been studies that show that students who finish at or near the top of their class at less competitive admission colleges are still accepted to competitive admission law, medical and graduate schools at a very high rate. That is why it is important to understand that there are hundred’s of great colleges in the United States, not just 30-40. The most important thing when researching colleges that you want to apply to is finding the best “fit” school. One that you are going to thrive at academically, mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. If you have any questions about what factors are important to pay attention to please comment and I would be happy to provide more information. You want to go to a college that you will earn merit-based scholarships and aid to go to so that when you are done with your bachelors degree, you are in great position financially to pursue a graduate degree and/or start a career.
