Do you think DC kids in 2022 find college elsewhere boring?

[Anonymous]

Depends on the kid.

Not all kids in DC choose to live the life of OPs child (no judgement, it's just that people are different).

My kid is not interested in city schools at all. They are not interested in a small school in the middle of nowhere either.

Interesting question OP. Also sounds like you have had your hands full - LOL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids are used to a tremendous amount of freedom and things to do in DC: friends at about 15 different high schools, major league sporting events, restaurants, concerts, parties, etc.
They have been wandering the city on Metro, bus, Lime scooter and Uber since age 12 (some of these) and age 15 (the rest). They're overly familiar with sex, drugs and crime (for better or worse).

Lest, anyone jump on me: NO, I'm not saying they're cool urban kids or super sophisticated or anything like that. Only that they have had a lot more freedom and stimulation (good and bad)
than I EVER had prior to college and even in college.

Do you think these kids are more apt to struggle in liberal arts colleges, rural settings, etc?
I see a number of posts about kids who are unhappy, bored, lonely, etc. at school. My oldest is a junior and had zero idea what he wants. Should I be steering him to a large, urban schools?
I went to a small liberal arts college but I came from small town America.

Your concern is legitimate and reasonable in my view. Fortunately, in this country our higher education choices are not limited to either small & rural versus large and urban.

Some SLACs are set in a consortium of schools,while a few are located in suburban/urban areas (Macalester, Lewis & Clark in Portland, Oregon, Colorado College, Barnard in NYC, Occidental College in LA).

Many large schools are located in beautiful college towns rather than in a large city.

If your child has no preference, then you should direct him based on his interests. If used to an active and stimulating social life, I would advise against attending a small, rural, cold-weather LAC.

[Anonymous]

there are reasons your child might prefer a larger school and/or a city school. but no, for the most part, college is not boring. its generally busy with a lot of similar-aged peers to befriend (campus parties etc.). dc is also a lot less of a city than new york and in some respects insubstantially more urban than say chicago, boston, san francisco, philadelphia, seattle, etc. etc. (which leaves a lot of choices open for an independent, city-minded child).

[Anonymous]

OP; Your son appears to have many different friends / friend groups and enjoys a wide variety of activities. He does not appear to be one who would thrive in an environment full of small cliques. If my impression is correct, then he should feel more comfortable at a large school than at a small school in a rural or isolated environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rather than fun activities, this comment is about academics - I went to a large state U, out of state. It was humbling. I had gone to a W school. Kids from no-where town would kick-my-@ss in a subject. What mattered was: most were paying their own way. They were studying their butts off. If they did poorly in a class, to repeat it, it was money coming out of their own pocket. Not the parents.

Not the first I've heard mention this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s weird that city kids can’t handle a rural area. Seems inflexible and even unimaginative.

Before everyone slams me, I’ll say my kid is probably one of those. They want an urban school. It can be smaller than the DMV yet city is still preferred.

I lived in a rural area post-college and didn’t like it yet I’m glad I had the experience, because it made me more well rounded.

I grew up on Long Island and went to a rural school in upstate NY. I nearly killed myself. The only thing the town had was a movie theatre. People's ideas of having fun were either drinking until they puked, cow-tipping, or drinking and THEN cow tipping. I used to watch the 18-wheelers drive through on their way to Canada and fantasize about hitchhiking with them, just to get out of there. I lasted one semester. I was the only Jewish person on my dorm floor, and the only person who didn't drink. I was miserable.

You should have transferred. You're the consumer of the college " product."

I couldn't transfer for reasons I won't get into here. But it worked out for the best that I didn't transfer since in March of the following year I got very physically sick necessitating hospital stays and tons of medical tests and months of PT to re-learn how to walk.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in San Antonio, which technically gets counted as a big city but it would be a very boring place to go to college IMO. But my kid's life in DC, which is very similar to that of OP's kid, is much more urban/big city style than anything one would experience in San Antonio. Maybe the difference isn't the size of the city population but something else. Whatever it is, it is real. I think it has to do with the open-mindedness of the place, how well-educated its population is (especially the mix of people that live in the urban core), whether there is a real public transportation system that facilitates non-drivers engaging in activities all across the city, and the racial mix of people who mix with one another. Another thing is the degree to which people from different economic situations interact on a regular basis.

My kid knew that there was no way he'd want to be in small town USA but he did want a SLAC.

[Anonymous]

No. To answer your question, my kid wants to go to a small rural area with lots of nature. He's so done with DC, its traffic, and it's always on-the-go feeling. He's ready to try something different. 4 years at college is a good way to try something new and different and I'm glad he's willing to do that, it also allows him to return to it should he realizes he likes more of everything. I grew up in a rural area and I could never go back to that. But I think its best to fit your what interests you and try other things.

[Anonymous]

There’s great benefit to leaving the weird DC bubble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As you can see from the Bethesda and Alington data, kids these days prefer city/urban setting schools.

Especially Northern VA and Southern MD kids who have lived all their lives in suburban areas.
Rising schools like NYU and Northeastern are benefitting from it.

All my kids wanted to get out of VA, and preferred a more urban setting.
I also encouraged them to explore other parts of the country.

We are in a very urban area in VA, walkable everywhere Metro and 1 mile across the DC border. My kids seem to like a mix of urban/suburban. I was from DC and loved my big university in the mountains with its great little town. All of the fun was in the off campus apartments and college bars. We took road trips too. It was nice being near nature and outdoor fun too.

[Anonymous]

I’m from nyc and went to school in Boston. I did think Boston was boring but I got used to it. I went to both college and grad school in Boston and met amazing people so it wasn’t all that bad. I did think the city itself was a step down from nyc. I probably would not have lasted if I went to some school in the middle of nowhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m from nyc and went to school in Boston. I did think Boston was boring but I got used to it. I went to both college and grad school in Boston and met amazing people so it wasn’t all that bad. I did think the city itself was a step down from nyc. I probably would not have lasted if I went to some school in the middle of nowhere.

Me again. I do think I missed out on some friendships because I thought I was too cool or they were too naive and sheltered. My kids will be those types of sheltered naive kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m from nyc and went to school in Boston. I did think Boston was boring but I got used to it. I went to both college and grad school in Boston and met amazing people so it wasn’t all that bad. I did think the city itself was a step down from nyc. I probably would not have lasted if I went to some school in the middle of nowhere.

Me again. I do think I missed out on some friendships because I thought I was too cool or they were too naive and sheltered. My kids will be those types of sheltered naive kids.

Interesting. Our DCs spent the last 8 years in NYC and both chose rural SLACs. If anything, they are self conscious about having grown up in NYC as well as having money even if we live fairly modestly on a day to day basis (TBH, I am thrilled that they have put together that they do not need to be living a flashy life to be from money). Where are you from now that your DCs are "sheltered naive"?

[Anonymous]

What does that mean...boring? I have never been bored in my life. If I am in a city, I find something interesting to do. If I am in the country, I find something interesting to do. What kinds of things are the "bored" posters missing?

[Anonymous]

As my mom always said, "boring is what you are, not where you are."