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

[Anonymous]

I have one that thrives on difficult and two that do not. It's not that the two are not intelligent or hardworking or successful, but they don't take pleasure in it in the same way as the supernerd. IMO, they necessarily don't belong at the same university.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would not call it sour grapes but maybe more if a mis-match. Many of these schools attract students that very academically oriented and really motivated to learn and enjoy learning. It is not a "grind" for kids that like it.

An academically intense schools can be a good place for a super geek that has always felt out of place in high school. They finally find a place to fit in and be surrounded by other that love school.

My niece went to UChicago. Double major in Econ and stats. Says she will discourage any kids she has from going there, because she says the courses are arbitrarily difficult, as if to preserve the reputation that this is where fun goes to die. I have heard similar from her friends (with vastly different majors). Yet, if they had to do it over, they would all make the exact same choice again.

+1 I have heard this from many as well. They will talk negatively about some aspect, or most aspects, of the college they attended but then at another point state emphatically that they'd not change a thing if they could do it again.

Here is the thing that this entire thread does not easily relay: one size has never fit all. Some people are just more critical or analytical or even negative in their overall perspectives. Personalities are as different as there are colleges. There are so many subjective layers to why one likes or dislikes something. I appreciate reading all of these comments but I absolutely take each one with a grain of salt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was thinking about this and am curious if others have similar thoughts.

I went to Case Western as part of a 3/2 progam (2 yrs at liberal arts school, 3 years at CWRU). Case was fine but it was sort of very generic place. Lots of super brainy science and engineering kids and pre-meds who
were very competitive in class and didn't do much of anything for fun outside of class. In that vein there was not a lot of school spirit or sense of campus community. Super cold and grey weather from Nov to May so most socializing is done indoors. Cleveland is nicer than advertised but most of the students do
not venture out into the city. All-in-all sort of a let down down socially. I went on to Hopkins for graduate school and they're actually pretty similar places. Again, a lot of super intense studiers. Most students
spent a good portion of their lives in the library. Not much cohesion of the student body. Most students did not venture into the surrounding city either because it was not thought of as not safe or they had no interest.
To be honest, most students did not have much of a life outside of studying.
Now as my own kids start to consider colleges I would not recommend either institution. I spend summers at UVA and Georgetown and (in my experience) both were far, far better places to have a well-rounded traditional
college experience. I also started college with 2 years at a SLAC and there was a much better sense of community and belonging there than at CWRU (or JHU) so this is my other perpsective.

What are your thoughts on your own ala mater(s)? This is not meant to be snarky and I also recognize that places change over years. It's just striking to me to see all the CWRU intersest because my own experience was so blah.

CWRU is for people who want to stay in Ohio. You had a bad college experience bc JHU was your first opportunity to leave Ohio.

DP. Or maybe it's because they are in two of the worst cities in the country.

Other than the weather Cleveland is highly underrrated. I grew up in Cleveland and appreciate it more now after attending a middle-of-nowhere-located school. Take a closer look because there is a ton there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was thinking about this and am curious if others have similar thoughts.

I went to Case Western as part of a 3/2 progam (2 yrs at liberal arts school, 3 years at CWRU). Case was fine but it was sort of very generic place. Lots of super brainy science and engineering kids and pre-meds who
were very competitive in class and didn't do much of anything for fun outside of class. In that vein there was not a lot of school spirit or sense of campus community. Super cold and grey weather from Nov to May so most socializing is done indoors. Cleveland is nicer than advertised but most of the students do
not venture out into the city. All-in-all sort of a let down down socially. I went on to Hopkins for graduate school and they're actually pretty similar places. Again, a lot of super intense studiers. Most students
spent a good portion of their lives in the library. Not much cohesion of the student body. Most students did not venture into the surrounding city either because it was not thought of as not safe or they had no interest.
To be honest, most students did not have much of a life outside of studying.
Now as my own kids start to consider colleges I would not recommend either institution. I spend summers at UVA and Georgetown and (in my experience) both were far, far better places to have a well-rounded traditional
college experience. I also started college with 2 years at a SLAC and there was a much better sense of community and belonging there than at CWRU (or JHU) so this is my other perpsective.

What are your thoughts on your own ala mater(s)? This is not meant to be snarky and I also recognize that places change over years. It's just striking to me to see all the CWRU intersest because my own experience was so blah.

CWRU is for people who want to stay in Ohio. You had a bad college experience bc JHU was your first opportunity to leave Ohio.

DP. Or maybe it's because they are in two of the worst cities in the country.

Other than the weather Cleveland is highly underrrated. I grew up in Cleveland and appreciate it more now after attending a middle-of-nowhere-located school. Take a closer look because there is a ton there.

True, but students overwhelmingly stay close to campus, especially if they don’t have a car. This isn’t specific to Case, but a general statement about college students. In a big city with a subway, Uber, etc. it may be somewhat different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would not call it sour grapes but maybe more if a mis-match. Many of these schools attract students that very academically oriented and really motivated to learn and enjoy learning. It is not a "grind" for kids that like it.

An academically intense schools can be a good place for a super geek that has always felt out of place in high school. They finally find a place to fit in and be surrounded by other that love school.

My niece went to UChicago. Double major in Econ and stats. Says she will discourage any kids she has from going there, because she says the courses are arbitrarily difficult, as if to preserve the reputation that this is where fun goes to die. I have heard similar from her friends (with vastly different majors). Yet, if they had to do it over, they would all make the exact same choice again.

Funny you should say courses at UChicago are “arbitrarily difficult.” I had a new Chicago PhD for a religion class at a different college, and the hallmark of his classes was an absurd amount of reading. Though he didn’t say it, he expected us to work in study groups, divide the reading, and share our insights. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it was very different from my other humanities courses, which emphasized close readings of fewer texts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would not call it sour grapes but maybe more if a mis-match. Many of these schools attract students that very academically oriented and really motivated to learn and enjoy learning. It is not a "grind" for kids that like it.

An academically intense schools can be a good place for a super geek that has always felt out of place in high school. They finally find a place to fit in and be surrounded by other that love school.

My niece went to UChicago. Double major in Econ and stats. Says she will discourage any kids she has from going there, because she says the courses are arbitrarily difficult, as if to preserve the reputation that this is where fun goes to die. I have heard similar from her friends (with vastly different majors). Yet, if they had to do it over, they would all make the exact same choice again.

It’s the shared experience of a trauma. Wouldn’t want to relive it, but one can talk about it for the rest of their life. Probably got a good education too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was thinking about this and am curious if others have similar thoughts.

I went to Case Western as part of a 3/2 progam (2 yrs at liberal arts school, 3 years at CWRU). Case was fine but it was sort of very generic place. Lots of super brainy science and engineering kids and pre-meds who
were very competitive in class and didn't do much of anything for fun outside of class. In that vein there was not a lot of school spirit or sense of campus community. Super cold and grey weather from Nov to May so most socializing is done indoors. Cleveland is nicer than advertised but most of the students do
not venture out into the city. All-in-all sort of a let down down socially. I went on to Hopkins for graduate school and they're actually pretty similar places. Again, a lot of super intense studiers. Most students
spent a good portion of their lives in the library. Not much cohesion of the student body. Most students did not venture into the surrounding city either because it was not thought of as not safe or they had no interest.
To be honest, most students did not have much of a life outside of studying.
Now as my own kids start to consider colleges I would not recommend either institution. I spend summers at UVA and Georgetown and (in my experience) both were far, far better places to have a well-rounded traditional
college experience. I also started college with 2 years at a SLAC and there was a much better sense of community and belonging there than at CWRU (or JHU) so this is my other perpsective.

What are your thoughts on your own ala mater(s)? This is not meant to be snarky and I also recognize that places change over years. It's just striking to me to see all the CWRU intersest because my own experience was so blah.

CWRU is for people who want to stay in Ohio. You had a bad college experience bc JHU was your first opportunity to leave Ohio.

DP. Or maybe it's because they are in two of the worst cities in the country.

Other than the weather Cleveland is highly underrrated. I grew up in Cleveland and appreciate it more now after attending a middle-of-nowhere-located school. Take a closer look because there is a ton there.

Other than the Iceberg, the titanic was just another ship.

The winters in Cleveland are awful. Grey all the time from October to April with the Lake Effect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was thinking about this and am curious if others have similar thoughts.

I went to Case Western as part of a 3/2 progam (2 yrs at liberal arts school, 3 years at CWRU). Case was fine but it was sort of very generic place. Lots of super brainy science and engineering kids and pre-meds who
were very competitive in class and didn't do much of anything for fun outside of class. In that vein there was not a lot of school spirit or sense of campus community. Super cold and grey weather from Nov to May so most socializing is done indoors. Cleveland is nicer than advertised but most of the students do
not venture out into the city. All-in-all sort of a let down down socially. I went on to Hopkins for graduate school and they're actually pretty similar places. Again, a lot of super intense studiers. Most students
spent a good portion of their lives in the library. Not much cohesion of the student body. Most students did not venture into the surrounding city either because it was not thought of as not safe or they had no interest.
To be honest, most students did not have much of a life outside of studying.
Now as my own kids start to consider colleges I would not recommend either institution. I spend summers at UVA and Georgetown and (in my experience) both were far, far better places to have a well-rounded traditional
college experience. I also started college with 2 years at a SLAC and there was a much better sense of community and belonging there than at CWRU (or JHU) so this is my other perpsective.

What are your thoughts on your own ala mater(s)? This is not meant to be snarky and I also recognize that places change over years. It's just striking to me to see all the CWRU intersest because my own experience was so blah.

CWRU is for people who want to stay in Ohio. You had a bad college experience bc JHU was your first opportunity to leave Ohio.

DP. Or maybe it's because they are in two of the worst cities in the country.

\

Hopkins is a miserable place because of the student body. It has little to do with Baltimore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would not call it sour grapes but maybe more if a mis-match. Many of these schools attract students that very academically oriented and really motivated to learn and enjoy learning. It is not a "grind" for kids that like it.

An academically intense schools can be a good place for a super geek that has always felt out of place in high school. They finally find a place to fit in and be surrounded by other that love school.

My niece went to UChicago. Double major in Econ and stats. Says she will discourage any kids she has from going there, because she says the courses are arbitrarily difficult, as if to preserve the reputation that this is where fun goes to die. I have heard similar from her friends (with vastly different majors). Yet, if they had to do it over, they would all make the exact same choice again.

It’s the shared experience of a trauma. Wouldn’t want to relive it, but one can talk about it for the rest of their life. Probably got a good education too.

LOL! One of her friends that I had talked to, then went on to UChicago medical school!

I think a large part of why they would do it again, is how well the school set them up to succeed in their careers. I never heard about her friends having the sort of problems and "settling" for jobs, the way I heard from her brother (who went to a solid school, but not a UChicago).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was thinking about this and am curious if others have similar thoughts.

I went to Case Western as part of a 3/2 progam (2 yrs at liberal arts school, 3 years at CWRU). Case was fine but it was sort of very generic place. Lots of super brainy science and engineering kids and pre-meds who
were very competitive in class and didn't do much of anything for fun outside of class. In that vein there was not a lot of school spirit or sense of campus community. Super cold and grey weather from Nov to May so most socializing is done indoors. Cleveland is nicer than advertised but most of the students do
not venture out into the city. All-in-all sort of a let down down socially. I went on to Hopkins for graduate school and they're actually pretty similar places. Again, a lot of super intense studiers. Most students
spent a good portion of their lives in the library. Not much cohesion of the student body. Most students did not venture into the surrounding city either because it was not thought of as not safe or they had no interest.
To be honest, most students did not have much of a life outside of studying.
Now as my own kids start to consider colleges I would not recommend either institution. I spend summers at UVA and Georgetown and (in my experience) both were far, far better places to have a well-rounded traditional
college experience. I also started college with 2 years at a SLAC and there was a much better sense of community and belonging there than at CWRU (or JHU) so this is my other perspective.

What are your thoughts on your own ala mater(s)? This is not meant to be snarky and I also recognize that places change over years. It's just striking to me to see all the CWRU interest because my own experience was so blah.

Child graduated from CWRU and has a $200,000 job in San Francisco- sent me a gorgeous picture of the bay today which is greatly appreciated after the Cleveland weather.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was thinking about this and am curious if others have similar thoughts.

I went to Case Western as part of a 3/2 progam (2 yrs at liberal arts school, 3 years at CWRU). Case was fine but it was sort of very generic place. Lots of super brainy science and engineering kids and pre-meds who
were very competitive in class and didn't do much of anything for fun outside of class. In that vein there was not a lot of school spirit or sense of campus community. Super cold and grey weather from Nov to May so most socializing is done indoors. Cleveland is nicer than advertised but most of the students do
not venture out into the city. All-in-all sort of a let down down socially. I went on to Hopkins for graduate school and they're actually pretty similar places. Again, a lot of super intense studiers. Most students
spent a good portion of their lives in the library. Not much cohesion of the student body. Most students did not venture into the surrounding city either because it was not thought of as not safe or they had no interest.
To be honest, most students did not have much of a life outside of studying.
Now as my own kids start to consider colleges I would not recommend either institution. I spend summers at UVA and Georgetown and (in my experience) both were far, far better places to have a well-rounded traditional
college experience. I also started college with 2 years at a SLAC and there was a much better sense of community and belonging there than at CWRU (or JHU) so this is my other perspective.

What are your thoughts on your own ala mater(s)? This is not meant to be snarky and I also recognize that places change over years. It's just striking to me to see all the CWRU interest because my own experience was so blah.

Child graduated from CWRU and has a $200,000 job in San Francisco- sent me a gorgeous picture of the bay today which is greatly appreciated after the Cleveland weather.

Oh well. Wish he had a better paying job!

[Anonymous]

Hopkins

[Anonymous]

Vanderbilt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Vanderbilt.

Tell me why?

My niece who is African American is a senior there and she loves it. My son is thinking about applying next year. I actually like Nashville, but I understand that it is not everyone's cup of tea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From these posts, it strikes me that a lot of Top 25 kids would be more comfortable at a Top 26-50 school. Basically, they could get a great education without the cut throat competition and sole focus on academics.

Good insight. The competitive/grind/boring student body complaint seems to be a common theme here. (Not surprising given how hard kids need to grind in HS to be accepted in the first place …. )

Any Top 25 schools that don’t come with that obsessively competitive/resume-building/grind vibe?

Northwestern (at least when I went there 20+ years ago)!