Why a Large Flagship/Public?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC is attending UVA and not doing well. The only appeal is the in-state tuition.

Not doing well because of the size?

The size, the culture of partying and drinking, the lack of support from the school for transitioning, the meanness of some students and professors. If your kids are socially adept and mature, a large public is fine I guess. But for a socially awkward, geeky kid, it might be a struggle.

SLACs have drinking and drugs and partying too. Your socially awkward kid could go through Colby miserable without friends just as easily as UVA

Posters are sharing their family's experiences, and some idiot keeps arguing with them.

What a defensive jerk.

I think you are wrong, as I just joined and I agree…maybe many think this??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't see any appeal or advantage to attending a large public university as an undergrad. The competition is fierce in the intro courses, you don't get direct interaction with professors, you could easily disappear for a few days or a week and nobody would notice, you could flunk out and nobody would care, etc....

Other than fun football games in the fall semester, what's the appeal?

You're never going to get forthright responses on a forum full of middle class strivers. The truth is they lack sophistication, can't afford private tuition, and their average kids couldn't get into any top private colleges which would kick them some financial aid. And also, many of their kids frankly don't give a damn about the learning and instruction aspects of college, they just want to go binge drink, tailgate, and be promiscuous messes for four (or five or six) years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure they’re cheaper but the idea of a school where 75% of students come from a single state seems entirely unappealing.

+1
College is about discovering new areas of interest, geographic cultures and people. Not living a 13th year of high school.

This^. There is more to higher education than a paper degree.

I always feel sort of sad for the kids who go to in-state U, often (but not always) joining the same sorority or fraternity as all the older friends from their high school, and they keep the same exact clique of high school friends all through college! You can follow it on Facebook. Literally 5 to 12 friends who remain basically joined at the hip from like 9th grade through college and often after college in Washington, NYC, etc. Maybe sad isn't the right word, I understand the appeal I guess, but it's not the ideal college experience, in my opinion. That said, I think with iPhones and social media, it must be increasingly common to make fewer new friends at college, especially if you remain in-state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure they’re cheaper but the idea of a school where 75% of students come from a single state seems entirely unappealing.

+1
College is about discovering new areas of interest, geographic cultures and people. Not living a 13th year of high school.

This^. There is more to higher education than a paper degree.

I always feel sort of sad for the kids who go to in-state U, often (but not always) joining the same sorority or fraternity as all the older friends from their high school, and they keep the same exact clique of high school friends all through college! You can follow it on Facebook. Literally 5 to 12 friends who remain basically joined at the hip from like 9th grade through college and often after college in Washington, NYC, etc. Maybe sad isn't the right word, I understand the appeal I guess, but it's not the ideal college experience, in my opinion. That said, I think with iPhones and social media, it must be increasingly common to make fewer new friends at college, especially if you remain in-state.

I don't know of a single kid in the DMV who did what you just described. None.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure they’re cheaper but the idea of a school where 75% of students come from a single state seems entirely unappealing.

+1
College is about discovering new areas of interest, geographic cultures and people. Not living a 13th year of high school.

This^. There is more to higher education than a paper degree.

I always feel sort of sad for the kids who go to in-state U, often (but not always) joining the same sorority or fraternity as all the older friends from their high school, and they keep the same exact clique of high school friends all through college! You can follow it on Facebook. Literally 5 to 12 friends who remain basically joined at the hip from like 9th grade through college and often after college in Washington, NYC, etc. Maybe sad isn't the right word, I understand the appeal I guess, but it's not the ideal college experience, in my opinion. That said, I think with iPhones and social media, it must be increasingly common to make fewer new friends at college, especially if you remain in-state.

I don't know of a single kid in the DMV who did what you just described. None.

+1

[Anonymous]

“ Sure they’re cheaper but the idea of a school where 75% of students come from a single state seems entirely unappealing.”

Especially if that state is one of the tiny ones in the northeastern part of this country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see any appeal or advantage to attending a large public university as an undergrad. The competition is fierce in the intro courses, you don't get direct interaction with professors, you could easily disappear for a few days or a week and nobody would notice, you could flunk out and nobody would care, etc....

Other than fun football games in the fall semester, what's the appeal?

You're never going to get forthright responses on a forum full of middle class strivers. The truth is they lack sophistication, can't afford private tuition, and their average kids couldn't get into any top private colleges which would kick them some financial aid. And also, many of their kids frankly don't give a damn about the learning and instruction aspects of college, they just want to go binge drink, tailgate, and be promiscuous messes for four (or five or six) years.

Silver spoon idiotic comment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“ Sure they’re cheaper but the idea of a school where 75% of students come from a single state seems entirely unappealing.”

Especially if that state is one of the tiny ones in the northeastern part of this country.

Not sure that matters

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure they’re cheaper but the idea of a school where 75% of students come from a single state seems entirely unappealing.

+1
College is about discovering new areas of interest, geographic cultures and people. Not living a 13th year of high school.

This^. There is more to higher education than a paper degree.

I always feel sort of sad for the kids who go to in-state U, often (but not always) joining the same sorority or fraternity as all the older friends from their high school, and they keep the same exact clique of high school friends all through college! You can follow it on Facebook. Literally 5 to 12 friends who remain basically joined at the hip from like 9th grade through college and often after college in Washington, NYC, etc. Maybe sad isn't the right word, I understand the appeal I guess, but it's not the ideal college experience, in my opinion. That said, I think with iPhones and social media, it must be increasingly common to make fewer new friends at college, especially if you remain in-state.

I don't know of a single kid in the DMV who did what you just described. None.

Come on. Be honest. So many tend to extend their high school set up into college. I observe it often.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“ Sure they’re cheaper but the idea of a school where 75% of students come from a single state seems entirely unappealing.”

Especially if that state is one of the tiny ones in the northeastern part of this country.

Not sure that matters

Of course it matters. Texas and California are both huge states with large populations. There is a much larger diversity of students at their state flagships than someone attending the University of Rhode Island.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see any appeal or advantage to attending a large public university as an undergrad. The competition is fierce in the intro courses, you don't get direct interaction with professors, you could easily disappear for a few days or a week and nobody would notice, you could flunk out and nobody would care, etc....

Other than fun football games in the fall semester, what's the appeal?

You're never going to get forthright responses on a forum full of middle class strivers. The truth is they lack sophistication, can't afford private tuition, and their average kids couldn't get into any top private colleges which would kick them some financial aid. And also, many of their kids frankly don't give a damn about the learning and instruction aspects of college, they just want to go binge drink, tailgate, and be promiscuous messes for four (or five or six) years.

Shouldn't you be berating your maid or ogling the pool boy instead of taking the time to condescend to a forum like this in order to insult those who are beneath you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure they’re cheaper but the idea of a school where 75% of students come from a single state seems entirely unappealing.

+1
College is about discovering new areas of interest, geographic cultures and people. Not living a 13th year of high school.

In your view, that is. For most people it's primary purpose is getting an education.

It’s not about education, it’s about a degree.

Please tell us you're being facetious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure they’re cheaper but the idea of a school where 75% of students come from a single state seems entirely unappealing.

+1
College is about discovering new areas of interest, geographic cultures and people. Not living a 13th year of high school.

This^. There is more to higher education than a paper degree.

I always feel sort of sad for the kids who go to in-state U, often (but not always) joining the same sorority or fraternity as all the older friends from their high school, and they keep the same exact clique of high school friends all through college! You can follow it on Facebook. Literally 5 to 12 friends who remain basically joined at the hip from like 9th grade through college and often after college in Washington, NYC, etc. Maybe sad isn't the right word, I understand the appeal I guess, but it's not the ideal college experience, in my opinion. That said, I think with iPhones and social media, it must be increasingly common to make fewer new friends at college, especially if you remain in-state.

I don't know of a single kid in the DMV who did what you just described. None.

Come on. Be honest. So many tend to extend their high school set up into college. I observe it often.

Please explain how you "observe this often?" Do you stalk local high school students and their social media postings? How old are you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't see any appeal or advantage to attending a large public university as an undergrad. The competition is fierce in the intro courses, you don't get direct interaction with professors, you could easily disappear for a few days or a week and nobody would notice, you could flunk out and nobody would care, etc....

Other than fun football games in the fall semester, what's the appeal?

The truth is they don't know any better. They and their kids are most likely public school lifers. Who was it Donald Rumsfeld with the unknown unknowns? Private education is so unknown to them, they have zero comprehension of what a private education is like, so they simply don't care or even realize what they are missing. And they are sheep who follow crowds and place extremely high value on party culture, D1 university athletics, apparel, and going to big university where likely everyone from their neighbors to their waitress at Olive Garden to their grandma in Ohio has heard of.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“ Sure they’re cheaper but the idea of a school where 75% of students come from a single state seems entirely unappealing.”

Especially if that state is one of the tiny ones in the northeastern part of this country.

Not sure that matters

Of course it matters. Texas and California are both huge states with large populations. There is a much larger diversity of students at their state flagships than someone attending the University of Rhode Island.

I attended URI and never ran into high school friends. 15,000 students at URI, 800 at my high school, maybe 5% got into the school and attended.