tell me about colleges that didn't make your kid's list

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for providing this info on UVA. The housing info was odd so your clariification was very helpful.

There has been much discussion on the parent's UVA board about this and first years are being told in no uncertain terms that they do not have to secure an apartment in October. In fact, the parents are complaining that they bought into that rumor and ended up paying more for an apartment that was discounted by April and even more deeply by June. (and this is the most popular second year apartment building we're talking about). The on grounds housing process starts in February and a lot of people see what they get there and then decide to go to an apartment if they don't like the selections available to them.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Boston College - they had an entire stage full of students during the info session, DC leaned over and said "this many kids and they couldn't find a single black or brown student?", felt very disconnected from Boston, didn't like the separate campus (Newton) for many of the students, horrible tour guide who complained constantly

Lehigh - way too much Greek life, depressing area, felt too focused on engineering which DC wasn't planning to study

Wesleyan - looked perfect on paper and had a great tour guide but really didn't like the campus, felt more arts oriented compared to other NESCACs, wasn't as far north as DC wanted to be

So true about Boston College. We noticed the same thing. No diversity at all.

This is also what turned us off from Boston College -- there appeared to be a lack of ethnic and socioeconomic diversity. It came off the list.

I went to Boston College and knew FOUR men named Patrick Walsh there if that tells you anything hahahah

This is so different from our lives. I may send my kids to Boston College just so they can have a different experience!

You joke - but for me this is exactly what happened. It was totally different from my very diverse (in every way) HS. I was surprised when I got there because I had never been in that sort of environment before, and it hadn't ever occurred to me. But I actually learned a lot from that. I was also not as wealthy as many of my classmates and learned a lot from that too.

I'm going to get roasted for this but as I guide my kiddos through the college search process, diversity isn't something I'm focusing on. I'm telling them to look at other aspects of the college (good fit, is it good for your major, big/small, rural/not rural, big/small). I wouldn't be surprised if they choose a college that is nowhere near as diverse as their current MCPS school.

Anyone roasting you for this is a moron. I completely agree with you. "Diversity" isn't even on our list of most important things to look for in a college. Fit is everything, and there are so many more relevant qualities to weigh, such as the ones you listed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We went to UVA for accepted students day. I thought the “two class system” was alive and well as they explained how competitive and exclusive everything was. I had forgotten that part about VA. And UVA in particular. Ended up with full ride elsewhere.

Could you be more specific? I'm having a hard time understanding what you mean. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anyone roasting you for this is a moron. I completely agree with you. "Diversity" isn't even on our list of most important things to look for in a college. Fit is everything, and there are so many more relevant qualities to weigh, such as the ones you listed.

Diversity, which if course is much more than skin color, is one of the top 5-6 considerations for my DD's fit matrix.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UVA looked like a prison in the middle of a city

You weren't at UVA. It is regularly cited as one of the most beautiful campuses in the USA year after year. It is the only American campus that is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Google it. https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/colleges-universities/americas-most-beautiful-college-campuses

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Clemson's biology program was nothing to write home about

Could you elaborate on this please?

[Anonymous]

This is a helpful thread.

My DD said no to Drexel- going there helped her figure out she didn’t want THAT urban. Also felt like a school almost exclusively for suburban NJ kids.

Macalester got crossed off the list bc the Midwest was … too friendly. No kidding. And this is from a kid with relatives in the Midwest! They all freaked her introverted self out with their chattiness and wide smiles. (Also the area seemed weirdly dead, despite us thinking the Twin Cities would be so awesome)

BC felt too preppy/cliquey. As did Tufts. Too UMC pony tails and giant sweatshirts and fake tans.

Never put UMD on her list- too close, too big.

Refused to apply to any school in PA.

New parents— if these all (not just mine) seem like bizarre reasons to dump a school, get ready. This is really the weird stuff that makes it breaks a school for seniors! Good thing there are lots of different schools in the US!! 😄

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a helpful thread.

My DD said no to Drexel- going there helped her figure out she didn’t want THAT urban. Also felt like a school almost exclusively for suburban NJ kids.

Macalester got crossed off the list bc the Midwest was … too friendly. No kidding. And this is from a kid with relatives in the Midwest! They all freaked her introverted self out with their chattiness and wide smiles. (Also the area seemed weirdly dead, despite us thinking the Twin Cities would be so awesome)

BC felt too preppy/cliquey. As did Tufts. Too UMC pony tails and giant sweatshirts and fake tans.

Never put UMD on her list- too close, too big.

Refused to apply to any school in PA.

New parents— if these all (not just mine) seem like bizarre reasons to dump a school, get ready. This is really the weird stuff that makes it breaks a school for seniors! Good thing there are lots of different schools in the US!! 😄

Hahah my DD also refused to apply to any schools in Pa 🤣

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a helpful thread.

My DD said no to Drexel- going there helped her figure out she didn’t want THAT urban. Also felt like a school almost exclusively for suburban NJ kids.

Macalester got crossed off the list bc the Midwest was … too friendly. No kidding. And this is from a kid with relatives in the Midwest! They all freaked her introverted self out with their chattiness and wide smiles. (Also the area seemed weirdly dead, despite us thinking the Twin Cities would be so awesome)

BC felt too preppy/cliquey. As did Tufts. Too UMC pony tails and giant sweatshirts and fake tans.

Never put UMD on her list- too close, too big.

Refused to apply to any school in PA.

New parents— if these all (not just mine) seem like bizarre reasons to dump a school, get ready. This is really the weird stuff that makes it breaks a school for seniors! Good thing there are lots of different schools in the US!! 😄

+1 for the post and reminding people that our kids are at least as unpredictable as the schools they visit.

[Anonymous]

The colleges that didn't make my kid's list -

Elon - DS thought it was too small and manicured; kids hanging out at a local coffee shop gave off a bored, rich kid vibe

NC State - Just thought a lot of the buildings were ugly and depressing; kids didn't have happy looks on their faces (and this was in friendly North Carolina)

Virginia Tech - I liked it; DS didn't (probably because he wasn't planning on majoring in engineering). But the cafeteria food was good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We went to UVA for accepted students day. I thought the “two class system” was alive and well as they explained how competitive and exclusive everything was. I had forgotten that part about VA. And UVA in particular. Ended up with full ride elsewhere.

Could you be more specific? I'm having a hard time understanding what you mean. Thanks.

Ok I will try. Just my impression. I went to college in VA. What I dubbed the 2 class system is the haves and the have nots.
At UVA admitted students day they told us … you may come here for the business school but you should know only half or less will be accepted. Or maybe you have heard of the Greek system and you want to participate in that. Bear in mind that they are very exclusive and only half of the applicants will be accepted.
And on and on like that. Just didn’t sound very inclusive. Then I thought about a student body of 12000 (?) or so snd I thought would be easy to get lost in the crowd. And maybe not so great to be the “bottom 50%”. Just struck me … not in a positive way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The colleges that didn't make my kid's list -

Elon - DS thought it was too small and manicured; kids hanging out at a local coffee shop gave off a bored, rich kid vibe

NC State - Just thought a lot of the buildings were ugly and depressing; kids didn't have happy looks on their faces (and this was in friendly North Carolina)

Virginia Tech - I liked it; DS didn't (probably because he wasn't planning on majoring in engineering). But the cafeteria food was good.

Not an NC State alum, kid had zero need to consider it (didn't have her area of interest) but -- is your kid looking at computer science, game design, anything like that? We took a tour (for fun) of their incredible library that I think is on the computer science campus -- it's not in downtown Raleigh but a little way out. Very new building, has one of the few "Book Bots" in the world (fetches your book from vast stacks, and you can watch through glass walls as it does so), had amazing tech spaces like a 3D printing lab any student could use; a game design and testing room with multiple large screens for testing games; another teaching space with walls entirely of screens to give students immersive experiences; and a lot more. It was jaw-dropping if you're a computer tech person. If your kid wants to do CS or computer or game design (yes, a very real thing), you might have seen the main campus but not this other campus and library. Just FYI for you or anyone looking at NC State.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Admissions rep.from Mt. Holyoke asked me where we summered. Nope. Not gonna fit in there.

huh. we toured and dd didn't end up there, but the impression that we got from that school was that it is the exact opposite of the type of place that'd be filled with people who discuss where they "summer." brainy, tree huggy, intellectual, bookworm kinda vibes.

[Anonymous]

North Carolina State - ugly, ugly, ugly.

Wisconsin- liked it, but ruled it out due to the fact that it was 31 degrees and sleeting on the late March day that we toured. just felt like she couldn't do four years of that (fair enough).

UMD - "If metro goes there, you know it's too close to home."

Lehigh- felt too focused on business and engineering

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We went to UVA for accepted students day. I thought the “two class system” was alive and well as they explained how competitive and exclusive everything was. I had forgotten that part about VA. And UVA in particular. Ended up with full ride elsewhere.

Could you be more specific? I'm having a hard time understanding what you mean. Thanks.

Ok I will try. Just my impression. I went to college in VA. What I dubbed the 2 class system is the haves and the have nots.
At UVA admitted students day they told us … you may come here for the business school but you should know only half or less will be accepted. Or maybe you have heard of the Greek system and you want to participate in that. Bear in mind that they are very exclusive and only half of the applicants will be accepted.
And on and on like that. Just didn’t sound very inclusive. Then I thought about a student body of 12000 (?) or so snd I thought would be easy to get lost in the crowd. And maybe not so great to be the “bottom 50%”. Just struck me … not in a positive way.

This is why my kid leaned more to W&M -- the whole "One Tribe" "You belong here" emphasis. They got the same feeling that UVA was a series of hoops even after you got in rather than opening the doors to your education.