A College or University That Your Kid Loved But You Did Not

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I loved UChicago but my kid did not.

My kid loved Carnegie Mellon but I did not. (Kid got WL and I wish kid would move on rather than hoping against statistics.)

My kid loved CMU too and is also WL. Seemed like a grind and a longshot to me--I was trying to sell Pitt on that trip to emphasize a rolling admissions school that was a low target for them and instead they fixed on CMU which is a stretch financially for us and a reach academically for them. I think it's a great school, but I just thought kids seemed very stressed there and didn't think it's a place my kid would thrive. Probably will end up at VT which we were both so-so on for atmosphere/location, but the price is right! (we're in-state).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I loved UChicago but my kid did not.

My kid loved Carnegie Mellon but I did not. (Kid got WL and I wish kid would move on rather than hoping against statistics.)

My kid loved CMU too and is also WL. Seemed like a grind and a longshot to me--I was trying to sell Pitt on that trip to emphasize a rolling admissions school that was a low target for them and instead they fixed on CMU which is a stretch financially for us and a reach academically for them. I think it's a great school, but I just thought kids seemed very stressed there and didn't think it's a place my kid would thrive. Probably will end up at VT which we were both so-so on for atmosphere/location, but the price is right! (we're in-state).

My kid will probably choose Pitt over VT because he loves the Oakland vibe. Go figure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I loved UChicago but my kid did not.

My kid loved Carnegie Mellon but I did not. (Kid got WL and I wish kid would move on rather than hoping against statistics.)

I did not love UChicago. The neighborhood it’s in is total dumpster fire. As a parent, I much preferred Northwestern.

Very easy to understand. Both are great schools and both have beautiful, stunning campuses, but Northwestern is located in a much safer area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I loved UChicago but my kid did not.

My kid loved Carnegie Mellon but I did not. (Kid got WL and I wish kid would move on rather than hoping against statistics.)

My kid loved CMU too and is also WL. Seemed like a grind and a longshot to me--I was trying to sell Pitt on that trip to emphasize a rolling admissions school that was a low target for them and instead they fixed on CMU which is a stretch financially for us and a reach academically for them. I think it's a great school, but I just thought kids seemed very stressed there and didn't think it's a place my kid would thrive. Probably will end up at VT which we were both so-so on for atmosphere/location, but the price is right! (we're in-state).

Thanks, that makes me feel a little better. Kid did like Pitt enough to apply and got in but hasn't decided between it and a few others (none of them in-state, which is fine, but PICK A FREAKING SCHOOL, KID).

[Anonymous]

Most kids like universities out of state in general. Parents prefer in-state tuition

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most kids like universities out of state in general. Parents prefer in-state tuition

I mean, unless they have unlimited funds, it makes sense

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I loved UChicago but my kid did not.

My kid loved Carnegie Mellon but I did not. (Kid got WL and I wish kid would move on rather than hoping against statistics.)

I did not love UChicago. The neighborhood it’s in is total dumpster fire. As a parent, I much preferred Northwestern.

Total opposite here. Really liked UChicago. Thought it was a very cool campus. They sell the intellectual vitality and its history, which I totally plug into. DS thought nerd school and weirdo kids. He was 17 at the time.

I did not like Northwestern. The lake is great. But the campus felt cold to me. Soulless. Same with Evanston generally. Students seemed like strivers. Predictable. Getting into Northwestern was like getting an A in a difficult class. Another check on the list. DS was lukewarm but liked it better.

DS got into his ED school so did not go through the application process for either

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I loved UChicago but my kid did not.

My kid loved Carnegie Mellon but I did not. (Kid got WL and I wish kid would move on rather than hoping against statistics.)

My kid loved CMU too and is also WL. Seemed like a grind and a longshot to me--I was trying to sell Pitt on that trip to emphasize a rolling admissions school that was a low target for them and instead they fixed on CMU which is a stretch financially for us and a reach academically for them. I think it's a great school, but I just thought kids seemed very stressed there and didn't think it's a place my kid would thrive. Probably will end up at VT which we were both so-so on for atmosphere/location, but the price is right! (we're in-state).

My kid will probably choose Pitt over VT because he loves the Oakland vibe. Go figure.

My kid looked at both and also preferred Pitt. Liked the Oakland neighborhood because there was a lot right there for students and felt Virginia Tech was too spread out and had a military feel (which wasn’t a totally irrational response given the size and importance of the Corps of Cadets at VT).

[Anonymous]

My kids choose the college city over academia/cost

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids choose the college city over academia/cost

Forgoing instate UMD honors for a more expensive school ranked lowered in CS in a more desirable location

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Purdue.
It was just so huge. My son love it, we'll see if he gets in (engineering.)

This year's valedictorian is going to Purdue.

Same at our school

[Anonymous]

Elon. Kid was impressed with the manicured campus and perceived a nurturing environment. I thought the kid’s program was too new, the “nurturing” part wasn’t so true, and that the relatively isolated town would lead to a heavy Greek environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most kids like universities out of state in general. Parents prefer in-state tuition

That's quite a generalization there. My kids - and their friends - had top preferences, all of which were in state. Maybe just speak for your own kid.