Where would YOU attend if you (the parent) could choose any school as a freshman in 2026? And why?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:W&M.

Ditto on W & M.

Another vote for W&M. Wasn't instate option for me, so I couldn't attend, but it definitely would have been my top choice back in the day. It was in state for my kids. One went there. Visiting as a parent was a real treat for me!

+1 it was my top choice and I got in but my parents decided it was too expensive. I loved the campus and the history, and we had family in Virginia (we moved away when I was little). I went in-state to Cal Poly SLO and had a great experience (IMO Cal Poly is the perfect central coast college, not UCSB).

Toured W&M with both my kids and still loved it. Unfortunately, it wasn't the right fit for them - one went to VT and another to a LAC. LAC kid did consider it for a while.

Why did you choose Cal Poly over UCs?

Loved the campus, focus on undergrads, smaller size than UCs, learn-by-doing ethos. Also, it was my dad's favorite place to hire new grads so he strongly encouraged it. I had a few UCs as options too but just felt like Cal Poly was the right fit. FWIW, UCSB was also an option but back in the late 80s it had a party school/safety school reputation at my HS.

I did get crap from classmates from choosing a Cal State over a UC but it was the right choice for me. Had great mentorship from faculty, coop experience (back when coop/internship was less common), and a senior project that led directly to a job in the field I wanted.

Also - my DD made a similar choice to go to a "safety" school that has a lot of what I got at Cal Poly vs. better-known schools. It has turned out to be a good choice for her (currently a junior there - strong faculty mentors and hands-on learning that builds her resume while at school).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Probably Brown. Also love everything I read about Rice, but only if I can pick it up and move it. Not even about politics per se, not that I like them, Texas just doesn't appeal to me.

So Rice is actually in a fabulous location especially for college kids (ie easy access to the things they would like), and the terrible Houston weather works best with the Academic calendar, especially for someone who would want a break from cold / snow. Houston is also not very stereotypically Texas, and it flies under the radar / folks take it for granted but there's something really wonderful about living in a default-diverse city. Bonus: trivially easy airport access with lots of routes.

Moving to Houston for work / permanently would take more thought, but for college it would be great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Columbia or Vassar (very different, I know)

Not that different. Both very woke. I probably wouldn't choose an Ivy or any school in the Northeast, really, but if I had to pick one, it would be Wharton.

[Anonymous]

Being a city person, I went to Cornell with reluctance. It turned me into an outdoors person. I’d go back in a heartbeat. Also, check out a hockey game at Lynah rink.