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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Tell me you've never been to Ann Arbor without telling me you've never been to Ann Arbor. Also, what is with your weird obsession with the term Rust Belt? Was your father from the Midwest, and did he leave you at a young age? Do you have an ex from the Midwest who dumped you and broke your heart? Every time you bring up the Midwest here on DCUM you always disparage it as "the Rust Belt" with such vitriol and disdain. It feels personal.

Anyways, Ann Arbor is great. It's beautiful. No, postcards don't all show the football stadium. They show the main street and the other picturesque landmarks about town, including the university. It's a really fun place to be as a student. I don't have any connections to the school, but think of it fondly and have a lot of respect for the institution. Ann Arbor is popularly known as one of the best college towns in America, and I'm not talking about some dumb list that no one's ever heard of.

I think you're conflating campus with the town of Ann Arbor. I admit the campus *is* pretty. The town is not. And the weather and geography are bottom of the barrel bad. I question how many campuses someone has visited if they think Ann Arbor is genuinely anywhere near the top of any college TOWN list.

No, I'm talking about the town. It's charming. I actually have never formally visited the U of M campus, but have driven through and visited Ann Arbor a handful of times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UCLA's Westwood/LA has sunny weather all school year, world class restaurants, Hollywood Hills, an international airport, and is like 6 miles from an ocean.

Ann Arbor is literally 17 degrees right now with blizzard conditions, a deli called Zingermans and a handful of restaurants serving Sysco food on their Main Street, crumbing roads, and Detroit is a half hour away.

Both can be excellent for different reasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks OP for posting this question. I think the non-snarky answers have been really insightful. I have worried about my child getting into a school that might be a little more cut-throat/academic than I think they can handle. Some of these responses just reinforce my concern. I think they are a little too concerned with prestige. I hope I can steer them more towards a place that is more balanced.

I am the poster below you. So weird that we were posting similar thoughts at the same time!

Lol! I was thinking the exact same thing and started typing a reply saying that but got pulled away before I could post. ☺️

Hahahahaha! Nice to meet you, Friend!

[Anonymous]

UCSC. I actually got a great education there. There are several departments that are nationally ranked, some take the top spot. I had amazing relationships with my professors and did some really cutting edge research, as an undergrad.

But the school has never marketed itself well, and especially in the “Oh, I went to Harvard” land of DC, having a degree from what is perceived (however inaccurately) as a stoner school has turned out to be a real hurdle.

[Anonymous]

Tufts. It's stuck in the middle.. too big to be a SLAC. Too small to build a brand or student experience that is offered at UCSB, NYU, Michigan, even BC so it attracts ivy rejects who couldn't / didn't have the chops and prowess to get into Brown and Columbia.... So the student body is smart as heck, but none will ever blaze a trail. (like me, I've done well, but I'm not C suite ...or Brene Brown)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ann Arbor can’t be both dreary deindustrialized Rust Belt, cold and grey most of the school year and one of the “best” college towns. Those lists are literally for sale to the highest bidder. I mean even locally, you really think Ann Arbor is prettier than Georgetown / NW DC or Charlottesville? Hell no it’s not.

The best college towns have warm climate, obviously.

Ann Arbor is beautiful. What are you talking about? Here's that psycho Rust Belt babbler again, lol.

Yes, I really thing Michigan is prettier than Georgetown.

Ann Arbor is not prettier than Georgetown, DC. You sound ridiculous. Again, "college town" lists are literally for sale. Ann Arbor has crumbling roads, strip malls and a dozen new hideous 10 to 20 story builder-grade apartments surrounding campus. It's an ugly Rust Belt town. Fittingly, all of the post cards from Ann Arbor feature the football stadium. Because that is the shrine you worship, an marvel and the center of attraction in a dreary and grey Rust Belt college town.

Off the top of my head, the best college towns include Cambridge (MA), Boulder, Austin, Athens (GA), Chapel Hill, Santa Barbara, Burlington, Oxford (MS), Georgetown...

Tell me you've never been to Ann Arbor without telling me you've never been to Ann Arbor. Also, what is with your weird obsession with the term Rust Belt? Was your father from the Midwest, and did he leave you at a young age? Do you have an ex from the Midwest who dumped you and broke your heart? Every time you bring up the Midwest here on DCUM you always disparage it as "the Rust Belt" with such vitriol and disdain. It feels personal.

Anyways, Ann Arbor is great. It's beautiful. No, postcards don't all show the football stadium. They show the main street and the other picturesque landmarks about town, including the university. It's a really fun place to be as a student. I don't have any connections to the school, but think of it fondly and have a lot of respect for the institution. Ann Arbor is popularly known as one of the best college towns in America, and I'm not talking about some dumb list that no one's ever heard of.

Plus it has Zingerman's. That alone would make Ann Arbor a great college town. Ashley's is one of the best beer bars in the country, much less in college towns. And when you add Krazy Jim's and chipati sauce on top of all that, it's a slam dunk.

[Anonymous]

Harvard. I learned to be too sexy for the campus

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Plus it has Zingerman's. That alone would make Ann Arbor a great college town. Ashley's is one of the best beer bars in the country, much less in college towns. And when you add Krazy Jim's and chipati sauce on top of all that, it's a slam dunk.

>Tell us you paint your face yellow and blue on Saturdays for sportball games without telling us you paint your face yellow and blue on Saturdays for sportball games.

Also, props on being so narrow-minded you think a good bakery and deli is incredibly rare near college towns, let alone college towns with a population of 150,000.

[Anonymous]

Ann Arbor#2
https://www.bestcollegereviews.org/50-best-college-towns-america/

Ann Arbor #6
https://listwithclever.com/research/best-college-towns-2021/

Ann Arbor #2
https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tripideas/the-25-best-college-towns-in-america/ss-BB1gjI5h

Not too shabby for a rust belt location

Ann Arbor #5
https://247wallst.com/special-report/2021/10/06/best-college-towns/7/

Ann Arbor #8
https://collegegazette.com/10-best-college-towns-in-the-us/

Ann Arbor #1
https://www.homesnacks.com/college/best-college-towns-in-america/

Ann Arbor #1
https://www.niche.com/blog/best-college-towns/

Ann Arbor #8
https://www.niche.com/blog/best-college-towns/

Ann Arbor #20
https://www.collegeranker.com/features/best-college-towns/

Ann Arbor #2
https://www.purewow.com/travel/best-college-towns-in-america

Ann Arbor #5
https://www.thestreet.com/personal-finance/best-college-towns-us-2020#gid=ci025d1ce1d00024e0&pid=5-univ-of-michigan-ann-arbor-susan-montgomery--shutterstock

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Plus it has Zingerman's. That alone would make Ann Arbor a great college town. Ashley's is one of the best beer bars in the country, much less in college towns. And when you add Krazy Jim's and chipati sauce on top of all that, it's a slam dunk.

>Tell us you paint your face yellow and blue on Saturdays for sportball games without telling us you paint your face yellow and blue on Saturdays for sportball games.

Also, props on being so narrow-minded you think a good bakery and deli is incredibly rare near college towns, let alone college towns with a population of 150,000.

I can’t find a great Jewish deli in the entire Chicagoland area. So much for your point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Plus it has Zingerman's. That alone would make Ann Arbor a great college town. Ashley's is one of the best beer bars in the country, much less in college towns. And when you add Krazy Jim's and chipati sauce on top of all that, it's a slam dunk.

>Tell us you paint your face yellow and blue on Saturdays for sportball games without telling us you paint your face yellow and blue on Saturdays for sportball games.

Also, props on being so narrow-minded you think a good bakery and deli is incredibly rare near college towns, let alone college towns with a population of 150,000.

PP here. I didn't even go to Michigan for college, but your anti-Ann Arbor nonsense begs to be called out. And if you think that Zingerman's is merely and just "a good bakery and deli" then I don't know what to tell you, but it's your loss.

You do get some bonus points for your super-witty use of the phrase "sportball" though. That was really impressive.

[Anonymous]

UMD. Had a great education (Journalism and Politics minor so plenty of internship and job opps), made a ton of friends, but I wish I was further from home. Plus, it was large back then and hear it is larger and more updated.
College Park itself was a dump but had a blast at the bars. Heard the area has cleaned up quite a bit. I should drive thru for nostalgia sake.
My husband went there for CS when that field was in its infancy and he felt his education helped him be more well rounded. He also made friends he still keeps in touch with. He started his own company with one of his former classmates and old professor! He would be happy of our kids went there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Plus it has Zingerman's. That alone would make Ann Arbor a great college town. Ashley's is one of the best beer bars in the country, much less in college towns. And when you add Krazy Jim's and chipati sauce on top of all that, it's a slam dunk.

>Tell us you paint your face yellow and blue on Saturdays for sportball games without telling us you paint your face yellow and blue on Saturdays for sportball games.

Also, props on being so narrow-minded you think a good bakery and deli is incredibly rare near college towns, let alone college towns with a population of 150,000.

I can’t find a great Jewish deli in the entire Chicagoland area. So much for your point.

PP here from 12:46 and 13:27. I would say that Manny's is actually pretty great. But I would take Zingerman's over Manny's every day of the week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Plus it has Zingerman's. That alone would make Ann Arbor a great college town. Ashley's is one of the best beer bars in the country, much less in college towns. And when you add Krazy Jim's and chipati sauce on top of all that, it's a slam dunk.

>Tell us you paint your face yellow and blue on Saturdays for sportball games without telling us you paint your face yellow and blue on Saturdays for sportball games.

Also, props on being so narrow-minded you think a good bakery and deli is incredibly rare near college towns, let alone college towns with a population of 150,000.

PP here. I didn't even go to Michigan for college, but your anti-Ann Arbor nonsense begs to be called out. And if you think that Zingerman's is merely and just "a good bakery and deli" then I don't know what to tell you, but it's your loss.

You do get some bonus points for your super-witty use of the phrase "sportball" though. That was really impressive.

Don't mind them. They're a seriously unhinged person who came across the term "Rust Belt" in a Washingtonian article once and think it makes them sound urbane and sophisticated. They throw around the term when talking about Chicago, too (lol). And yet they know all these intimate details about Ann Arbor and Chicago! A serious obsessive hateboner for a region of the country they keep trying to belittle.

[Anonymous]

People will post anonymously on DCUM to disparage schools that they did not attend.

You will probably get better insights from data like completion rates and alumni giving rates (USNWR), and alumni satisfaction (Princeton Review, Niche) than posts on DCUM.