what "good" college did you attend but would not necessarily recommend to your kids or others?

[Anonymous]

I was thinking about this and am curious if others have similar thoughts.

I went to Case Western as part of a 3/2 progam (2 yrs at liberal arts school, 3 years at CWRU). Case was fine but it was sort of very generic place. Lots of super brainy science and engineering kids and pre-meds who
were very competitive in class and didn't do much of anything for fun outside of class. In that vein there was not a lot of school spirit or sense of campus community. Super cold and grey weather from Nov to May so most socializing is done indoors. Cleveland is nicer than advertised but most of the students do
not venture out into the city. All-in-all sort of a let down down socially. I went on to Hopkins for graduate school and they're actually pretty similar places. Again, a lot of super intense studiers. Most students
spent a good portion of their lives in the library. Not much cohesion of the student body. Most students did not venture into the surrounding city either because it was not thought of as not safe or they had no interest.
To be honest, most students did not have much of a life outside of studying.
Now as my own kids start to consider colleges I would not recommend either institution. I spend summers at UVA and Georgetown and (in my experience) both were far, far better places to have a well-rounded traditional
college experience. I also started college with 2 years at a SLAC and there was a much better sense of community and belonging there than at CWRU (or JHU) so this is my other perpsective.

What are your thoughts on your own ala mater(s)? This is not meant to be snarky and I also recognize that places change over years. It's just striking to me to see all the CWRU intersest because my own experience was so blah.

[Anonymous]

UC Berkeley for engineering

So. Damn. Competitive.

Like, no one would study together because everything was curved so if you did well, they did worse. Want to go to a movie on Friday night? No one else did, because there was a physics test on Thursday and they had to study. Freshman classes of 500 kids, where everyone was so insanely smart if you scored less than a 99 the curve was below an A.

Not a fun experience. I think other majors were much less stressful, but if my child wants to do engineering I will recommend a smaller school.

[Anonymous]

Carnegie Mellon for economics/business. The rigid separation of the colleges and all the socializing beyond Greek life is based in your academic cohort. I also hated the core curriculum - that was so heavy when I went that I barely could pick classes until the end of sophomore year. One DC absolutely did not put it on their list of colleges. Another younger DC could easily be attracted to a specific program in the College of Fine Arts but I would worry even with them that the lack of real school spirit would be depressing.

[Anonymous]

Johns Hopkins. In the end I actually enjoyed my time there and found my way but when my daughter was looking at schools she wasn’t interested in the ones with a strong preprofessional vibe and I did not push it at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UC Berkeley for engineering

So. Damn. Competitive.

Like, no one would study together because everything was curved so if you did well, they did worse. Want to go to a movie on Friday night? No one else did, because there was a physics test on Thursday and they had to study. Freshman classes of 500 kids, where everyone was so insanely smart if you scored less than a 99 the curve was below an A.

Not a fun experience. I think other majors were much less stressful, but if my child wants to do engineering I will recommend a smaller school.

Hey. Right there with ya.

Berkeley computer science.

Intense. Competitive. Not a lot of fun.

I value my time and education there, but I didn't love it. Got a great education, but it was very much sink or swim on your own. No one could give a damn about you, whether you made it or not.

I have much more fond feelings for my grad school than undergrad.

[Anonymous]

UVA

[Anonymous]

Swarthmore -- too small and too intense for most kids

I got a great education but I think I would have had a more balanced experience at a larger school. Most of my classmates loved it, though, so for the right person, it can be a great place.

[Anonymous]

Top catholic college as a woman. Why did not someone talk me out of doing that? Solid jesuit education but almost a second class citizen by definition in the faith. Women are not permitted in leadership positions. I would have been better off elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

UVA

Our Senior DS is a good student and involved in activities but his personality is not one that would want to compete for everything: classes, clubs, study groups, etc.

[Anonymous]

VA Tech Engineering.
I recommend my kids to go out of state and explore.

[Anonymous]

Not sure it counts as a "good" college, but Syracuse. I had a great time there, but the overall student body is mediocre and not very intelligent, and it is so darn expensive. No way I would let my child attend there today.

[Anonymous]

Not necessarily a “good” school, but I went to Colorado for my doctorate. Would never recommend for undergrads. CU and Boulder are the least diverse place to live.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure it counts as a "good" college, but Syracuse. I had a great time there, but the overall student body is mediocre and not very intelligent, and it is so darn expensive. No way I would let my child attend there today.

Interesting. It’s a very popular school for graduates from our town (New England, strong public) and my kid has expressed interest in it. But I was just hearing from someone that everyone from our town who started there the last few years has transferred elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

NYU: I loved it for grad school but I did not encourage my kids to apply for undergrad. Socially you have to find and form your own group, otherwise it can get pretty hard finding your people. My DH thinks JHU is NOT at all a great undergrad experience. Expectations are different for GRAD school so good for GRAD school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not necessarily a “good” school, but I went to Colorado for my doctorate. Would never recommend for undergrads. CU and Boulder are the least diverse place to live.

Is lack of diversity the only reason you would not recommend it? Are there other reasons?