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

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Georgetown - Graduated in 1989. The school hasn't repaired, replaced or updated one single thing since I was there. Even the graffiti is still there. The same old broken stair railing too !!

They updated some rooms in White-Gravenor. there is tons of new construction since 1989. TONS!

But the old crap is still old and crappy. Yep a few rooms here, a sports field there. It's so very run down for the price. I literally noticed some of the exact same issues from 1989.

As someone who worked at Georgetown for a long time, I can say unequivocally that the campus is a dump. The school is notorious for under-investing in its physical plant. Sure, they put up new buildings once in a while (and have eradicated all green space except Healy Lawn in the process), but they don't maintain their facilities. Academic buildings and residences alike suffer from a myriad of plumbing, sewage, mold, and pest issues -- issues that only grow worse over time.

My kid is deciding between Georgetown and Notre Dame. Not a Catholic but coincidentally turned out that way.
Visited Georgetown and was not impressed that much.
Visiting Notre Dame in two weeks. Hope it turns out better.

Your kid will likely love ND, but fair warning—bring a coat. It was 3 degrees when I woke up today (I live in SB).

[Anonymous]

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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.

and a TON of homelessness

Very expensive as well.

[Anonymous]

The Ann Arbor hate on here is bizarre. Places like Ann Arbor, Madison, Charlottesville, Athens Ga, Chapel Hill, etc are always ranked as the best college towns in the US.

I agree with some of the PPs who’ve said not everyone here seems to understand the difference between a true college town vs a neighborhood/section of town vs a big city that happens to be home to colleges.

For example, Chicago is a great city. It is not a college town. U of Chicago is in a very bad part, bad enough to influence the experience.

NYU is in a better part of the city than Columbia, and that difference is about neighborhoods, and NYC is not a college town.

[Anonymous]

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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!

Back at you Friend! Good luck to you and your child on the search for the right college.

Thank you and same to you and yours!

I think we spoke too soon because the thread has mostly devolved, but still some good info. And, I got to meet you! Maybe we should post back here on our kids' progress. All the best to yours.

[Anonymous]

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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.

Ever heard of Northbrook’s Max & Benny’s? That baby bread basket! My husband palpitated the mini challah and pronounced it magnificent. I’ve lived in a lot of different places and it’s still at the top of my list.

Yes I have. Been there with relatives in Highland Park and Deerfield. I can think of at least four delis off the top of my head in metro Detroit better than anywhere in Chicago.

Are you the Michigan State grad from College Confidential with a pit bull dog avatar like 150,000 posts?

Nope, but you gave me a good laugh. Honestly, who eats challah at a deli? It’s all about the rye bread. The twice baked rye breads at many Michigan delis cannot be beat. Sorry to go so far off topic…..

You, people, are both insane and entititled and don't realize it. How asinine is it to evaluate quality of your child's college education by availability of a 'great Jewish deli'? That speaks volumes about education in this country, not to mention, this country's population.

Signed,
-a foreigner

And what great country are you from, O high and mighty foreigner, come to bestow your superior wisdom to us lowly Americans?

[Anonymous]

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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.

Ever heard of Northbrook’s Max & Benny’s? That baby bread basket! My husband palpitated the mini challah and pronounced it magnificent. I’ve lived in a lot of different places and it’s still at the top of my list.

Yes I have. Been there with relatives in Highland Park and Deerfield. I can think of at least four delis off the top of my head in metro Detroit better than anywhere in Chicago.

Are you the Michigan State grad from College Confidential with a pit bull dog avatar like 150,000 posts?

Nope, but you gave me a good laugh. Honestly, who eats challah at a deli? It’s all about the rye bread. The twice baked rye breads at many Michigan delis cannot be beat. Sorry to go so far off topic…..

You, people, are both insane and entititled and don't realize it. How asinine is it to evaluate quality of your child's college education by availability of a 'great Jewish deli'? That speaks volumes about education in this country, not to mention, this country's population.

Signed,
-a foreigner

And what great country are you from, O high and mighty foreigner, come to bestow your superior wisdom to us lowly Americans?

Where did Borat come from again?

[Anonymous]

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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.

Ever heard of Northbrook’s Max & Benny’s? That baby bread basket! My husband palpitated the mini challah and pronounced it magnificent. I’ve lived in a lot of different places and it’s still at the top of my list.

Yes I have. Been there with relatives in Highland Park and Deerfield. I can think of at least four delis off the top of my head in metro Detroit better than anywhere in Chicago.

Are you the Michigan State grad from College Confidential with a pit bull dog avatar like 150,000 posts?

Nope, but you gave me a good laugh. Honestly, who eats challah at a deli? It’s all about the rye bread. The twice baked rye breads at many Michigan delis cannot be beat. Sorry to go so far off topic…..

You, people, are both insane and entititled and don't realize it. How asinine is it to evaluate quality of your child's college education by availability of a 'great Jewish deli'? That speaks volumes about education in this country, not to mention, this country's population.

Signed,
-a foreigner

And what great country are you from, O high and mighty foreigner, come to bestow your superior wisdom to us lowly Americans?

Somewhere so great that they now live here and peruse boards focused on US schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Ann Arbor hate on here is bizarre. Places like Ann Arbor, Madison, Charlottesville, Athens Ga, Chapel Hill, etc are always ranked as the best college towns in the US.

I agree with some of the PPs who’ve said not everyone here seems to understand the difference between a true college town vs a neighborhood/section of town vs a big city that happens to be home to colleges.

For example, Chicago is a great city. It is not a college town. U of Chicago is in a very bad part, bad enough to influence the experience.

NYU is in a better part of the city than Columbia, and that difference is about neighborhoods, and NYC is not a college town.

The anti Ann Arbor posts are coming from one person. You can’t tell since the same insults are tirelessly repeated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to Colgate University, no way I would send my student there. Education was decent though not exceptional. But man, the isolation was terrible. Then add long, dark winters and heavy Greek life. I can list 100+ schools that offer the same education with better climate and proximity to cities, culture, etc. Even if your student were someone who wanted a more rural campus, there are many others that offer that option better than Colgate.

Col-ga-te

[Anonymous]

UVA- my sensitive soul son j just couldn't deal with the heavy duty frat/drinking scene.

[Anonymous]

I went to UVa and hated it. I don't want my own teen to go there because of my bad experience. It was just so snobby and unfriendly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

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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!

Back at you Friend! Good luck to you and your child on the search for the right college.

Thank you and same to you and yours!

I think we spoke too soon because the thread has mostly devolved, but still some good info. And, I got to meet you! Maybe we should post back here on our kids' progress. All the best to yours.

Lol. When I notice the pages in a post have increased significantly in a short time, I know that usually means the thread has turned into some sort of DCUM battle. I will come back and update when her decision is made. We have a long wait though. "Talk" to you on the other side.

[Anonymous]

Wake Forest. I got a great education. 800 kids a class when I went. Small classes, not TAs, accessible professors, only real grad programs were the professional schools. Very rigorous program. More like a SLAC than a national U.

But also— very wealthy, very white, very Southern, very conservative, strong frat culture, lots and lots of alcohol. No diversity. Very homophobic at the time. Most kids were pre-professional, which my kids are not.

If my kids have 80k a year and Wake Forest stats (they did), they can go to an actual SLAC without frats, stronger non-pre med science and with more diversity (one kid) or WM at half the price and also pay for grad school (another kid).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to UVa and hated it. I don't want my own teen to go there because of my bad experience. It was just so snobby and unfriendly.

We live in Maryland and my daughter graduated from MCPS. She was accepted at UVA and I really wanted her to like it - she didn’t want to go too far and it was a good size. It was by far the most unfriendly school we have ever visited in any of our college tours, and I have four kids. Additionally, we walked into the cafeteria and the few black kids were all sitting together. It was so segregated. She ended up at a top lac.

[Anonymous]

Uva