Are the Northeast colleges not as popular in the DMV?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My oldest is only starting high school this fall and I went to college over twenty years ago. It seems like the kids we know from the DMV go to Ivy, UVA, UMD and other publics. We hear of students going to Penn State or UC schools but not so many going to Tufts, Swarthmore, Amherst, Colby, Fordham, Vassar type schools. DH and I are both from the Northeast. My high school had lots of kids going to NYU, Tufts, BC, BU and liberal arts colleges in the Northeast.

Wondering if these Northeast colleges just aren’t popular from the DMV.

Are kids not applying or not getting accepted or not going after being accepted?

The issue is cost. The schools you note are very, very expensive. My child will be looking at those schools but I don't know if we can afford for her to go there.

The issue is both - cost and selectivity.

+1

I suggest focusing on obtaining an acceptance first, and then you can consider the tuition fees. Sometimes, the initial sticker price is not indicative of what you'll actually end up paying. As long as you're not under any binding commitments, there's no need to commit if the expenses are too high.

In our case, we fall into the upper-middle income bracket, which means we don't receive any financial assistance from state schools. However, we were fortunate enough to receive a very generous financial aid package from one of the schools in the Northeast. In fact, we're paying less than what we would for a state school education.

The school is quite far away, but there are options such as taking a nonstop Amtrak train or a flight that conveniently drops you off at a T connection point, which is Boston's subway system.The monthly unlimited T pass priced at $90, and there's a possibility of student discounts that could make it even more affordable.

PP, would you mind sharing the name of the school?

Boston University.
I had no idea that this could happen when DD applied. She applied for an excellent program at the school. What's even better is that with the first-year scholarship assurance program, this tuition will remain the same for four years.

https://www.bu.edu/finaid/aid-basics/bu-scholarship-assurance/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:East Asian and South Asian parents don't consider LACs in the Northeast to be prestigious. They have never heard of them. Good luck convincing them otherwise and getting them to drop the prestige obsession for five seconds. It is possible to live this experience. So many applicants are part of these groups now that the unimpressed parents may be having an effect on the overall desirability of such institutions. But the high costs are the most important deterrent to applying.

Stereotype - this South Asian parent went to an elite SLAC in the NE and would be thrilled if DC went somewhere similar. Esp with Ivy League continued obsession with legacy etc, no thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My oldest is only starting high school this fall and I went to college over twenty years ago. It seems like the kids we know from the DMV go to Ivy, UVA, UMD and other publics. We hear of students going to Penn State or UC schools but not so many going to Tufts, Swarthmore, Amherst, Colby, Fordham, Vassar type schools. DH and I are both from the Northeast. My high school had lots of kids going to NYU, Tufts, BC, BU and liberal arts colleges in the Northeast.

Wondering if these Northeast colleges just aren’t popular from the DMV.

Are kids not applying or not getting accepted or not going after being accepted?

Not getting accepted. Word has gotten out about these old timey formerly regional-elite schools. They're packed with people from California and other places like that.

[Anonymous]

Data is easily available these days.

East Coast college like NYU and the ones in Boston area are very popular by West Coast.

Again California is 3rd largest representation for a school like Northeastern after MA and NY/NJ area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My oldest is only starting high school this fall and I went to college over twenty years ago. It seems like the kids we know from the DMV go to Ivy, UVA, UMD and other publics. We hear of students going to Penn State or UC schools but not so many going to Tufts, Swarthmore, Amherst, Colby, Fordham, Vassar type schools. DH and I are both from the Northeast. My high school had lots of kids going to NYU, Tufts, BC, BU and liberal arts colleges in the Northeast.

Wondering if these Northeast colleges just aren’t popular from the DMV.

Are kids not applying or not getting accepted or not going after being accepted?

The issue is cost. The schools you note are very, very expensive. My child will be looking at those schools but I don't know if we can afford for her to go there.

The issue is both - cost and selectivity.

+1

I suggest focusing on obtaining an acceptance first, and then you can consider the tuition fees. Sometimes, the initial sticker price is not indicative of what you'll actually end up paying. As long as you're not under any binding commitments, there's no need to commit if the expenses are too high.

In our case, we fall into the upper-middle income bracket, which means we don't receive any financial assistance from state schools. However, we were fortunate enough to receive a very generous financial aid package from one of the schools in the Northeast. In fact, we're paying less than what we would for a state school education.

The school is quite far away, but there are options such as taking a nonstop Amtrak train or a flight that conveniently drops you off at a T connection point, which is Boston's subway system.The monthly unlimited T pass priced at $90, and there's a possibility of student discounts that could make it even more affordable.

PP, would you mind sharing the name of the school?

Boston University.
I had no idea that this could happen when DD applied. She applied for an excellent program at the school. What's even better is that with the first-year scholarship assurance program, this tuition will remain the same for four years.

https://www.bu.edu/finaid/aid-basics/bu-scholarship-assurance/

Good for your DD but the scholarship is needs-based. What is your family income so you could still qualify for a needs-based scholarship?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My oldest is only starting high school this fall and I went to college over twenty years ago. It seems like the kids we know from the DMV go to Ivy, UVA, UMD and other publics. We hear of students going to Penn State or UC schools but not so many going to Tufts, Swarthmore, Amherst, Colby, Fordham, Vassar type schools. DH and I are both from the Northeast. My high school had lots of kids going to NYU, Tufts, BC, BU and liberal arts colleges in the Northeast.

Wondering if these Northeast colleges just aren’t popular from the DMV.

Are kids not applying or not getting accepted or not going after being accepted?

Boston will always be a popular city to go to school. It's a great city and it continues to be a great city for students. Universities like BU, Northeastern, BC, and the schools across the river, Harvard and MIT, will always be regarded as compelling places to go to college.

However, you are right, the rest of New England does not seem very appealing to this generation of students. Fewer and fewer students want the SLAC experience. February in middle of nowhere Maine is no one's idea of a good time. Much of small town New England is depressing. The weather is awful for much of the school year. And the schools are ridiculously expensive.

Meanwhile, everyone can follow their friends going to school in the South or California and it genuinely looks like a much better time than spending a winter in New England. And New England no longer has the competitive advantage when it comes to a quality education. You can get a very good education elsewhere in the country. And even at the average level, who is choosing the University of New Hampshire over the University of South Carolina?

I think this generation of students is better informed and put a higher premium on quality of life than my generation did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My oldest is only starting high school this fall and I went to college over twenty years ago. It seems like the kids we know from the DMV go to Ivy, UVA, UMD and other publics. We hear of students going to Penn State or UC schools but not so many going to Tufts, Swarthmore, Amherst, Colby, Fordham, Vassar type schools. DH and I are both from the Northeast. My high school had lots of kids going to NYU, Tufts, BC, BU and liberal arts colleges in the Northeast.

Wondering if these Northeast colleges just aren’t popular from the DMV.

Are kids not applying or not getting accepted or not going after being accepted?

Boston will always be a popular city to go to school. It's a great city and it continues to be a great city for students. Universities like BU, Northeastern, BC, and the schools across the river, Harvard and MIT, will always be regarded as compelling places to go to college.

However, you are right, the rest of New England does not seem very appealing to this generation of students. Fewer and fewer students want the SLAC experience. February in middle of nowhere Maine is no one's idea of a good time. Much of small town New England is depressing. The weather is awful for much of the school year. And the schools are ridiculously expensive.

Meanwhile, everyone can follow their friends going to school in the South or California and it genuinely looks like a much better time than spending a winter in New England. And New England no longer has the competitive advantage when it comes to a quality education. You can get a very good education elsewhere in the country. And even at the average level, who is choosing the University of New Hampshire over the University of South Carolina?

I think this generation of students is better informed and put a higher premium on quality of life than my generation did.

The application volume at good SLACs says exactly the opposite

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My oldest is only starting high school this fall and I went to college over twenty years ago. It seems like the kids we know from the DMV go to Ivy, UVA, UMD and other publics. We hear of students going to Penn State or UC schools but not so many going to Tufts, Swarthmore, Amherst, Colby, Fordham, Vassar type schools. DH and I are both from the Northeast. My high school had lots of kids going to NYU, Tufts, BC, BU and liberal arts colleges in the Northeast.

Wondering if these Northeast colleges just aren’t popular from the DMV.

Are kids not applying or not getting accepted or not going after being accepted?

Boston will always be a popular city to go to school. It's a great city and it continues to be a great city for students. Universities like BU, Northeastern, BC, and the schools across the river, Harvard and MIT, will always be regarded as compelling places to go to college.

However, you are right, the rest of New England does not seem very appealing to this generation of students. Fewer and fewer students want the SLAC experience. February in middle of nowhere Maine is no one's idea of a good time. Much of small town New England is depressing. The weather is awful for much of the school year. And the schools are ridiculously expensive.

Meanwhile, everyone can follow their friends going to school in the South or California and it genuinely looks like a much better time than spending a winter in New England. And New England no longer has the competitive advantage when it comes to a quality education. You can get a very good education elsewhere in the country. And even at the average level, who is choosing the University of New Hampshire over the University of South Carolina?

I think this generation of students is better informed and put a higher premium on quality of life than my generation did.

The application volume at good SLACs says exactly the opposite

+1 I think there is a "sour grapes" phenomenon in the donut hole UMC families around SLACs/private universities. Understandably.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My oldest is only starting high school this fall and I went to college over twenty years ago. It seems like the kids we know from the DMV go to Ivy, UVA, UMD and other publics. We hear of students going to Penn State or UC schools but not so many going to Tufts, Swarthmore, Amherst, Colby, Fordham, Vassar type schools. DH and I are both from the Northeast. My high school had lots of kids going to NYU, Tufts, BC, BU and liberal arts colleges in the Northeast.

Wondering if these Northeast colleges just aren’t popular from the DMV.

Are kids not applying or not getting accepted or not going after being accepted?

Boston will always be a popular city to go to school. It's a great city and it continues to be a great city for students. Universities like BU, Northeastern, BC, and the schools across the river, Harvard and MIT, will always be regarded as compelling places to go to college.

However, you are right, the rest of New England does not seem very appealing to this generation of students. Fewer and fewer students want the SLAC experience. February in middle of nowhere Maine is no one's idea of a good time. Much of small town New England is depressing. The weather is awful for much of the school year. And the schools are ridiculously expensive.

Meanwhile, everyone can follow their friends going to school in the South or California and it genuinely looks like a much better time than spending a winter in New England. And New England no longer has the competitive advantage when it comes to a quality education. You can get a very good education elsewhere in the country. And even at the average level, who is choosing the University of New Hampshire over the University of South Carolina?

I think this generation of students is better informed and put a higher premium on quality of life than my generation did.

The application volume at good SLACs says exactly the opposite

+1 I think there is a "sour grapes" phenomenon in the donut hole UMC families around SLACs/private universities. Understandably.

Saying sour grapes is sometimes a healthy coping strategy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:East Asian and South Asian parents don't consider LACs in the Northeast to be prestigious. They have never heard of them. Good luck convincing them otherwise and getting them to drop the prestige obsession for five seconds. It is possible to live this experience. So many applicants are part of these groups now that the unimpressed parents may be having an effect on the overall desirability of such institutions. But the high costs are the most important deterrent to applying.

Stereotype- I am an Asian immigrant who had never heard of LACs while outside US. But when my DC started thinking of colleges, we did the research and toured places. DC’s top choice ended up being Williams/Amherst/Pomona/Swarthmore LAC, was lucky enough to be accepted, and chose to attend. So yes Asians can be convinced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My oldest is only starting high school this fall and I went to college over twenty years ago. It seems like the kids we know from the DMV go to Ivy, UVA, UMD and other publics. We hear of students going to Penn State or UC schools but not so many going to Tufts, Swarthmore, Amherst, Colby, Fordham, Vassar type schools. DH and I are both from the Northeast. My high school had lots of kids going to NYU, Tufts, BC, BU and liberal arts colleges in the Northeast.

Wondering if these Northeast colleges just aren’t popular from the DMV.

Are kids not applying or not getting accepted or not going after being accepted?

Boston will always be a popular city to go to school. It's a great city and it continues to be a great city for students. Universities like BU, Northeastern, BC, and the schools across the river, Harvard and MIT, will always be regarded as compelling places to go to college.

However, you are right, the rest of New England does not seem very appealing to this generation of students. Fewer and fewer students want the SLAC experience. February in middle of nowhere Maine is no one's idea of a good time. Much of small town New England is depressing. The weather is awful for much of the school year. And the schools are ridiculously expensive.

Meanwhile, everyone can follow their friends going to school in the South or California and it genuinely looks like a much better time than spending a winter in New England. And New England no longer has the competitive advantage when it comes to a quality education. You can get a very good education elsewhere in the country. And even at the average level, who is choosing the University of New Hampshire over the University of South Carolina?

I think this generation of students is better informed and put a higher premium on quality of life than my generation did.

The application volume at good SLACs says exactly the opposite

+1 I think there is a "sour grapes" phenomenon in the donut hole UMC families around SLACs/private universities. Understandably.

Saying sour grapes is sometimes a healthy coping strategy.

For sure. That's kind of the point of sour grapes. Gets rid of envy and makes you happier with your lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My oldest is only starting high school this fall and I went to college over twenty years ago. It seems like the kids we know from the DMV go to Ivy, UVA, UMD and other publics. We hear of students going to Penn State or UC schools but not so many going to Tufts, Swarthmore, Amherst, Colby, Fordham, Vassar type schools. DH and I are both from the Northeast. My high school had lots of kids going to NYU, Tufts, BC, BU and liberal arts colleges in the Northeast.

Wondering if these Northeast colleges just aren’t popular from the DMV.

Are kids not applying or not getting accepted or not going after being accepted?

Boston will always be a popular city to go to school. It's a great city and it continues to be a great city for students. Universities like BU, Northeastern, BC, and the schools across the river, Harvard and MIT, will always be regarded as compelling places to go to college.

However, you are right, the rest of New England does not seem very appealing to this generation of students. Fewer and fewer students want the SLAC experience. February in middle of nowhere Maine is no one's idea of a good time. Much of small town New England is depressing. The weather is awful for much of the school year. And the schools are ridiculously expensive.

Meanwhile, everyone can follow their friends going to school in the South or California and it genuinely looks like a much better time than spending a winter in New England. And New England no longer has the competitive advantage when it comes to a quality education. You can get a very good education elsewhere in the country. And even at the average level, who is choosing the University of New Hampshire over the University of South Carolina?

I think this generation of students is better informed and put a higher premium on quality of life than my generation did.

The application volume at good SLACs says exactly the opposite

Of course top10 or so LACs are pretty popular, but in general SLACs are less popular then national universities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know people in DC’s class applied to most the schools mentioned and ended up at several of them. I can’t think of anyone who applied to southern schools. Maryland public.

I also don’t have the impression that applying to southern schools is preferred over NE schools.

Moms and teens who I talk to are worried about attending schools in states with strong anti abortion laws and nutty monitoring of women’s private medical matters. It also impacts quality of reproductive care for all women in those states as so many ob/ gyn doctors and clinics have closed services in those states for fear of getting sued if they provide relevant medical care.

The bizarre war on Wokeism is also off putting. Not that my kid is trans or wants to study black history that includes experiences around slavery but she would prefer that her peers who are gender fluid or want to understand how black history impacts modern day patterns are not harassed/ restricted.

Between lack of preparation for climate change induced extreme weather and lack of reproductive health services in southern states, it is not a big draw for our teen. And she likes warm weather.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know people in DC’s class applied to most the schools mentioned and ended up at several of them. I can’t think of anyone who applied to southern schools. Maryland public.

I also don’t have the impression that applying to southern schools is preferred over NE schools.

Moms and teens who I talk to are worried about attending schools in states with strong anti abortion laws and nutty monitoring of women’s private medical matters. It also impacts quality of reproductive care for all women in those states as so many ob/ gyn doctors and clinics have closed services in those states for fear of getting sued if they provide relevant medical care.

The bizarre war on Wokeism is also off putting. Not that my kid is trans or wants to study black history that includes experiences around slavery but she would prefer that her peers who are gender fluid or want to understand how black history impacts modern day patterns are not harassed/ restricted.

Between lack of preparation for climate change induced extreme weather and lack of reproductive health services in southern states, it is not a big draw for our teen. And she likes warm weather.

Your bubble seems small and full of hate and ignorance about what diversity truly means.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know people in DC’s class applied to most the schools mentioned and ended up at several of them. I can’t think of anyone who applied to southern schools. Maryland public.

I also don’t have the impression that applying to southern schools is preferred over NE schools.

Moms and teens who I talk to are worried about attending schools in states with strong anti abortion laws and nutty monitoring of women’s private medical matters. It also impacts quality of reproductive care for all women in those states as so many ob/ gyn doctors and clinics have closed services in those states for fear of getting sued if they provide relevant medical care.

The bizarre war on Wokeism is also off putting. Not that my kid is trans or wants to study black history that includes experiences around slavery but she would prefer that her peers who are gender fluid or want to understand how black history impacts modern day patterns are not harassed/ restricted.

Between lack of preparation for climate change induced extreme weather and lack of reproductive health services in southern states, it is not a big draw for our teen. And she likes warm weather.

Your bubble seems small and full of hate and ignorance about what diversity truly means.

Nice try but our “bubble” is extensive spreading across three continents and our students will apply to diverse schools in much of the NE and West coast as well as abroad.

She doesn’t want to attend schools where women do not have full human rights and access to reproductive health care - or experience loss of life/ property due to climate change induced extreme weather.

There is no hate involved - just a rational response to current affairs.