What college would you attend if getting in and costs were not a factor? Would that differ from what your parents would choose, or what you would choose for your child if you’re a parent? The Princeton Review has just released results from its annual survey of colleges and students and in answering the first question I just posed, students and their parents did have different answers on what they consider their “dream” college:

Students’ Choices:
1-New York University
2-Harvard
3-Princeton
4-Stanford
5-Yale
6-Brown
7-Columbia
8-Duke
9-Cornell
10-UCLA

Parents’ Choices for Their Kids:
1-Princeton
2-Stanford
3-Harvard
4-Notre Dame
5-Duke
6-Yale
7-Boston College
8-Brown
9-Cornell
10-Massachusetts Institute of Technology

As you can see, the most obvious difference between the two lists is that NYU is number one on the students’ list but not even in the top 10 among parents. Perhaps parents think that being in a big city like New York City would be too much of a distraction for their students. But if that were the case, why would Boston area universities like Harvard and Boston College make their list?

At any rate, it’s also interesting to note that Harvard -- arguably the most prestigious university in the world -- is “only” #3 among parents, just above Notre Dame. Finally, it’s a little sad to see that not a single public university made the parents’ top 10. I suppose that means that elitism is still alive and well in the American educational landscape.