“Punahou seeks to provide both students and parents with the best information on college choices and admission requirements to aid in the application process. Its college counseling philosophy is to stress the importance of focusing on a 'good fit', rather than what some may call a 'good school'.”
Yes, this concept may be new to many Chinese parents, including myself, but please try to consider it.
I thought my aunt was great at saying: “Marriage is like fitting shoes to your feet. They may look pretty, but only you know how well they fit you.” Well, I am not sure she discovered that by herself, but here is a quote you may have heard yourself.
“The shoe that fits one person pinches another…” by Carl_Jung (Swiss psychologist; 1875-1961).
One of the “take-home” brochures from Punahou is “College Quest 101: Finding the schools that fit me.”
In this brochure, it lists “Parent’/Guardians’ Role” as
Give ownership of the process to the student
Withhold judgment
Stress good fit, not good reputation
…
In short, the pertinent question for the student in high school is not “Can I get into X College?” but rather, “Will I be happy and successful at X College?”