Venn diagram of selective colleges and pleasant campuses/dorms/food

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went on tours for a number of selective SLACs, and I think there would be a high quality of life at any of them. I don't think selective small colleges (many with healthy endowments) are choosing to forgo renovations or pick inferior dining services just because students will go there any way.

Maybe we're not talking about the same ones, but when we toured northeast (S)LACs, we saw that Vassar had some terribly run-down buildings, Bard was ramshackle (OK, maybe not that selective), even Dartmouth and Williams weren't that great. Middlebury had the best facilities of all of them. None of them allowed dorm visits except Skidmore (OK, maybe not that selective), which had decent dorms and cafeteria.

Then more locally, William & Mary and St John's College (Annapolis) had awful food (I hear W&M is doing something about it), UMD showed us the nice Honors dorms and decent dining halls, Georgetown only showed us the hard-to-get rooms with stunning views of the Potomac, and George Washington had better dorms and food than Skidmore and UMD.

Ivies probably have a non-existent need to attract students with luxury carpeting and hotel-like single rooms with private bathroom I was told certain Ivies are really not comfortable when you live there, but I haven't visited any, so can't speak from personal experience.

Whoa. You thought Dartmouth and Williams weren't that great? Personally, I was blown away at how nice everything is at Williams. It felt like everything had been either built or refurbished in the last decade and polished by a team of well-paid elves each night. Dartmouth was also extremely nice although just a shade less nice than Williams. I'm not disputing your observations, but just noting how different my own were.

In terms of nice, well-kept buildings, I'd rank Bowdoin just after Williams and Dartmouth. But, overall, very nice. I had no complaints. And Bowdoin's food was excellent.

PP you replied. You're right, now I think about it, Williams was nicer than Dartmouth. But Middlebury was slightly better than Williams. I did not visit Bowdoin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:High Point's dorms and amenities are incredible.

Except beneath that shiny veneer is a house of cards…

[Anonymous]

🙄

Just make yourself a spreadsheet / do your own research. Everyone has their own priorities and these are clearly yours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We know a kid who went to CSU Fort Collins in Colorado. He had a huge single with an ensuite bathroom in the honors dorm (meaning some of his classes were in the same building), and he said the food was amazing. As I recall, there was a Mongolian grill.

Very different experience for our friends' kid, who was stuck in a converted study lounge with 5 others boys last year at CSU. Ugh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you actually choose your college based upon this? Not fit or quality of education?

Are you superficial and status seeking in other aspects of your life?

OP here. Yes, Yes, and No I don't think comfort is superficial or status-seeking, and if you took two seconds to think about it, I don't think you believe that either. I am specifically looking for VERY SELECTIVE institutions (as I said in my post) which are ALSO comfortable. What's the problem with that?

I'm a foreigner who did not experience an American campus experience. I had a 30 minute metro commute from my very comfortable home to classes at my universities - in my capital city, that's normal. Undergrads live at home if they can. There are no dorms, except a few for international students. When I inquired about campuses in the States, I was pretty shocked to learn that students were supposed to share tiny rooms, often with no A/C in places where climate change now makes early fall and late spring uncomfortably warm. I've heard that sometimes the food is not great either. This sometimes occurs even on beautiful campuses with superb athletic facilities and state-of-the-art science labs, libraries, etc.

I am not one of those who thinks that sacrificing a decent quality of life is a "rite of passage" for a college student, having never lived through that myself.

This is why I ask about the overlap between very selective colleges/universities and those that are comfortable. I'd rather my kids not be miserable for 4-5 years!

Chill out rich international lady.
You can always send your kid to Columbia and buy them a fancy $10 million condo overlooking Central Park to live in so they bypass the dorms. They can commute via subway. Many rich internationals do just that. Most college dorms and cafeterias are just fine. Kids are not miserable for 4-5 years like you seem to think. This is not military boot camp

[Anonymous]

Definitely Rice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you actually choose your college based upon this? Not fit or quality of education?

Are you superficial and status seeking in other aspects of your life?

OP here. Yes, Yes, and No I don't think comfort is superficial or status-seeking, and if you took two seconds to think about it, I don't think you believe that either. I am specifically looking for VERY SELECTIVE institutions (as I said in my post) which are ALSO comfortable. What's the problem with that?

I'm a foreigner who did not experience an American campus experience. I had a 30 minute metro commute from my very comfortable home to classes at my universities - in my capital city, that's normal. Undergrads live at home if they can. There are no dorms, except a few for international students. When I inquired about campuses in the States, I was pretty shocked to learn that students were supposed to share tiny rooms, often with no A/C in places where climate change now makes early fall and late spring uncomfortably warm. I've heard that sometimes the food is not great either. This sometimes occurs even on beautiful campuses with superb athletic facilities and state-of-the-art science labs, libraries, etc.

I am not one of those who thinks that sacrificing a decent quality of life is a "rite of passage" for a college student, having never lived through that myself.

This is why I ask about the overlap between very selective colleges/universities and those that are comfortable. I'd rather my kids not be miserable for 4-5 years!

Chill out rich international lady.
You can always send your kid to Columbia and buy them a fancy $10 million condo overlooking Central Park to live in so they bypass the dorms. They can commute via subway. Many rich internationals do just that. Most college dorms and cafeterias are just fine. Kids are not miserable for 4-5 years like you seem to think. This is not military boot camp

Don't be dismissive and flippant. Surely we can talk about colleges with updated dorms, A/C, more single rooms than before (that's what the kids are asking for these days), and better, healthier food options without immediately going into xenophobic rants against rich foreigners?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you actually choose your college based upon this? Not fit or quality of education?

Are you superficial and status seeking in other aspects of your life?

OP here. Yes, Yes, and No I don't think comfort is superficial or status-seeking, and if you took two seconds to think about it, I don't think you believe that either. I am specifically looking for VERY SELECTIVE institutions (as I said in my post) which are ALSO comfortable. What's the problem with that?

I'm a foreigner who did not experience an American campus experience. I had a 30 minute metro commute from my very comfortable home to classes at my universities - in my capital city, that's normal. Undergrads live at home if they can. There are no dorms, except a few for international students. When I inquired about campuses in the States, I was pretty shocked to learn that students were supposed to share tiny rooms, often with no A/C in places where climate change now makes early fall and late spring uncomfortably warm. I've heard that sometimes the food is not great either. This sometimes occurs even on beautiful campuses with superb athletic facilities and state-of-the-art science labs, libraries, etc.

I am not one of those who thinks that sacrificing a decent quality of life is a "rite of passage" for a college student, having never lived through that myself.

This is why I ask about the overlap between very selective colleges/universities and those that are comfortable. I'd rather my kids not be miserable for 4-5 years!

Chill out rich international lady.
You can always send your kid to Columbia and buy them a fancy $10 million condo overlooking Central Park to live in so they bypass the dorms. They can commute via subway. Many rich internationals do just that. Most college dorms and cafeterias are just fine. Kids are not miserable for 4-5 years like you seem to think. This is not military boot camp

Surely we can talk about colleges with updated dorms, A/C, more single rooms than before (that's what the kids are asking for these days), and better, healthier food options without immediately going into xenophobic rants against rich foreigners?

Apparently we can’t. And don’t call me Shirley.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you actually choose your college based upon this? Not fit or quality of education?

Are you superficial and status seeking in other aspects of your life?

OP here. Yes, Yes, and No I don't think comfort is superficial or status-seeking, and if you took two seconds to think about it, I don't think you believe that either. I am specifically looking for VERY SELECTIVE institutions (as I said in my post) which are ALSO comfortable. What's the problem with that?

I'm a foreigner who did not experience an American campus experience. I had a 30 minute metro commute from my very comfortable home to classes at my universities - in my capital city, that's normal. Undergrads live at home if they can. There are no dorms, except a few for international students. When I inquired about campuses in the States, I was pretty shocked to learn that students were supposed to share tiny rooms, often with no A/C in places where climate change now makes early fall and late spring uncomfortably warm. I've heard that sometimes the food is not great either. This sometimes occurs even on beautiful campuses with superb athletic facilities and state-of-the-art science labs, libraries, etc.

I am not one of those who thinks that sacrificing a decent quality of life is a "rite of passage" for a college student, having never lived through that myself.

This is why I ask about the overlap between very selective colleges/universities and those that are comfortable. I'd rather my kids not be miserable for 4-5 years!

Chill out rich international lady.
You can always send your kid to Columbia and buy them a fancy $10 million condo overlooking Central Park to live in so they bypass the dorms. They can commute via subway. Many rich internationals do just that. Most college dorms and cafeterias are just fine. Kids are not miserable for 4-5 years like you seem to think. This is not military boot camp

Surely we can talk about colleges with updated dorms, A/C, more single rooms than before (that's what the kids are asking for these days), and better, healthier food options without immediately going into xenophobic rants against rich foreigners?

Apparently we can’t. And don’t call me Shirley.

? Missed the reference there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous[b wrote:]UCLA

[/b]


No. Housing crisis. google it. Food is iffy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you actually choose your college based upon this? Not fit or quality of education?

Are you superficial and status seeking in other aspects of your life?

OP here. Yes, Yes, and No I don't think comfort is superficial or status-seeking, and if you took two seconds to think about it, I don't think you believe that either. I am specifically looking for VERY SELECTIVE institutions (as I said in my post) which are ALSO comfortable. What's the problem with that?

I'm a foreigner who did not experience an American campus experience. I had a 30 minute metro commute from my very comfortable home to classes at my universities - in my capital city, that's normal. Undergrads live at home if they can. There are no dorms, except a few for international students. When I inquired about campuses in the States, I was pretty shocked to learn that students were supposed to share tiny rooms, often with no A/C in places where climate change now makes early fall and late spring uncomfortably warm. I've heard that sometimes the food is not great either. This sometimes occurs even on beautiful campuses with superb athletic facilities and state-of-the-art science labs, libraries, etc.

I am not one of those who thinks that sacrificing a decent quality of life is a "rite of passage" for a college student, having never lived through that myself.

This is why I ask about the overlap between very selective colleges/universities and those that are comfortable. I'd rather my kids not be miserable for 4-5 years!

Chill out rich international lady.
You can always send your kid to Columbia and buy them a fancy $10 million condo overlooking Central Park to live in so they bypass the dorms. They can commute via subway. Many rich internationals do just that. Most college dorms and cafeterias are just fine. Kids are not miserable for 4-5 years like you seem to think. This is not military boot camp

Surely we can talk about colleges with updated dorms, A/C, more single rooms than before (that's what the kids are asking for these days), and better, healthier food options without immediately going into xenophobic rants against rich foreigners?

Apparently we can’t. And don’t call me Shirley.

? Missed the reference there.

Then stay away from the fish tonight!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Definitely Rice.

+1
I was just about to post about Rice. Rice has nice dorms and great food.

[Anonymous]

WashU and Rice were the best we saw and tasted.

[Anonymous]

Claremont McKenna was great. Pretty good food with the choices from all 5Cs and the Athenaeum option multiple times a week, and the dorms in at least one quad opened to the outside (motel style) which was perfect for SoCal weather.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Definitely Rice.

+1
I was just about to post about Rice. Rice has nice dorms and great food.

From what we've seen, for sure Rice.

They are doing that residential college thing. It's good.

Vanderbilt and WashU were also fine.