According to the study, high school officials are more likely to rank small research or specialization schools higher than university officials, while their counterparts at those universities often view large public universities higher than those smaller, private and far more expensive specialized schools that high school students and counselors often fall in love with.
As an example, the study shows that high school officials and students ranked St. Mary’s University at the 89th best school in the nation, while an assessment from those who run colleges and universities ran it at 238th!
The point is, while you are trying to select which school to go to, be careful about falling in love with a place that may not offer your program at a realistic price… In fact this is the one area in which high school officials and college officials agree… falling in love with a school’s image or what you think a school is, is dangerous and often leads to students selecting the wrong institution.