Moms and dads sometimes place more importance than students on colleges’ status and prestige. Some recycle their own dreams through their children, pushing them to get into the Ivy League because they couldn’t, college admissions counselors say. Students typically pick a college during a critical stage when they’re struggling to develop their own sense of identity. It’s what you do in college.”Stephanie Meade counseled a student whose parents had told her they wanted her to go to whatever college was best for her. Students’ engagement on campus is a better predictor of future job satisfaction and happiness than their college’s status or prestige, according to a 2014 Gallup-Purdue study of more than 30,000 college degree-holders.

Source: Wall Street Journal March 16, 2019 12:56 UTC