May 1st is almost upon us! Days are dwindling until students planning to enroll in US colleges and universities must declare their enrollment and submit a deposit (one deposit, by May 1!). Lately, I have been speaking with many students and families about the pros and cons of different universities. Sometimes, there is an obvious choice, sometimes you might have ‘no’ choice because of a binding Early Decision application, but for many other students, the decision-making process about which institution to ultimately enroll in is not so cut-and-dry. 

Especially in a year when most students did not have a chance to visit colleges before applying or even before enrolling, we encourage students to proactively research and learn about their options, make lists of their own priorities and questions, and then attend accepted student webinars, reach out to the admissions office, or reach out to the individual departments and professors. There are avenues to learn and get more information, and you should! This makes for a decision-making process that is more objective and less reliant on subjective peer group feedback.

One question I find myself asking students lately is if they want to be a little fish in a big pond, or a big fish in a little pond? Oftentimes, students and families will select a college because it is the most prestigious or selective of the ones that they were admitted to. In choosing the most selective school, you may become, “a small fish in a big pond.” The assumption being that you will benefit from the prestige of the institution itself, as well as from being surrounded by very smart peers. 

In actuality, multiple research studies show that students who elect to be a big fish in a small pond, or a top student at a less selective college often perform better in college and achieve higher GPAs, feel more competent and confident, and maintain higher career aspirations than students who are small fish in a big pond, or are just getting by academically in a more selective college. This is still true even when the student attending the less selective college had a weaker high school profile (i.e., high school GPA, test scores) than the student who picked the more selective school.

Malcolm Gladwell, famous journalist, author and public speaker presented at Google about the surprising possible negative outcomes of choosing the most prestigious of your options. “As human beings, we dramatically underestimate the cost of being at the bottom of a hierarchy,” Malcolm Gladwell tells us. Oftentimes, the students who are accepted to highly selective institutions are at the very top of their own high school. So it can be a total shock then when they get to college and are no longer at the top. “We form our self-assessment and confidence based on our standing relative to the group, not the entire world.” 

Research also shows that this little fish, big fish difference especially impacts students who intend to major in STEM subjects-- the more selective the school, the less likely they are to continue to major in STEM, because peers out-perform them. The odds of a student persisting through to graduation in a STEM major is greater at the less selective college where the student is in the top third of their class.

The theory of relative deprivation says we compare ourselves to the people around us. Our feelings of happiness or deprivation, success or failure, are not absolute, but rather relative to how happy and successful our neighbors are. It’s not to say you can’t be happy or successful at a highly selective college, but it’s important to do some honest accounting and reflect about your fit (academic, social, financial) as all will impact how trying a highly selective (admissions-wise) a college may be once you attend.

Some other questions to pose about the colleges you are considering: 

• At the larger (student body #s) university, how easy/difficult is it for students to register for the classes they want to?

• If you are hoping to study a major that is highly competitive, such as business or engineering, STEM or computer science, do you apply for that major once you are admitted and enrolled in the school, if so, how competitive is it to get into that major? (For example, at UC Berkeley, you must apply to the very popular Haas undergraduate business program, but of current Berkeley students who apply, only 16% of applicants were accepted in Fall 2020. Or for example, once you get into Harvard, there are never-ending ‘comps’ to even join student orgs.) 

•  What are the research opportunities like for undergraduate students? 

• Are there any funded internships in areas of interest, and who is eligible for them?

• What do students in your potential major do after graduation? What percentage of students find jobs after graduation

• What is the feedback about the career services office like? (Some career services centers are great and supportive for certain industries/sectors but not others!)

•  Are there students who you can talk to who are in the major you are interested in?

There are many reasons for choosing a college. You want to look into programs, location, extracurricular activities, residential life options, diversity or other characteristics. And as I often tell highly-motivated students, they will succeed nearly anywhere they go, regardless of they compare to their peers. 

Considering Graduate School? Big Fish, Little Pond May Be Very Helpful!

While you should choose a college largely because of the experiences you will have access to as a student, your college selection may also forecast what you do after graduation. 

Especially if you are considering graduate school, only selecting a college because of prestige at the undergraduate level may be even more misguided. Graduate schools will care much less about where you went for undergrad than your college GPA, your experiences during college, including research experience and internships, and your recommendation letters. At a highly selective college, you will be competing with other highly capable and highly motivated students. In a setting where you can be a big fish in a little pond, more undergraduate opportunities will be available to you, paving the way for successful graduate school applications. 

Big Fish, Little Pond for Younger Students

This is also a very important concept for younger students as a perspective-keeping tactic. 

For high-achieving younger students aiming for highly selective colleges, remember that your own high school is also a ‘small pond.’ If you are a big fish in that existing small pond, it may feel great to be the top student winning awards and teacher support. However, you are only the top of your own high school, and the biggest fish in your own little pond. Keep in mind there are thousands and thousands of ponds (high schools with top students) out there. Admissions officers review the tens of thousands of valedictorian big fish from across American and international schools, each with their own impressive stories and accomplishments. So remember that a top GPA in your school and top test scores does not make you a shoe-in to a top college. It only means in your small pond, you are a big fish. Swimming in the fast currents of highly selective college admissions usually requires going way beyond your own high school. Navigating your own pond and figuring out how to swim in those waters beyond is where we can come in.