Are there any top schools that you would NOT send your kid to?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:No state schools, no high greek percentage schools, no religiously affiliated schools, no schools that require a plane ride.

Wow. So no Berkeley, UNC, GT ????

No, not even in the ballpark but mind you I'm a huge, unrepentant education snob.

Not much of an *education* snob if you’re making college decisions based on mode of transportation.

NP here. This exchange sounds like what I hear from some friends. "My kid can only go to college within a five-hour drive of home" or whatever. Basically it seems to be their way to say "You have to stay in-state" but signaling that they'd consider somewhere just over a border. It's like they put the point of a compass on their hometown, drew a circle around it and said, "You have to go to college within this circle."

I'm curious to know from the "no schools that require a plane ride" poster why you consider that a factor, unless you just mean you want them to stay in-state for financial reasons but "no plane ride" is your way of saying so--? I ask this as someone who did go to school a plane ride (or one very long drive) away from home, and who has told my DC that staying in-state or in a certain driving distance is not required.

Maybe the concern is that if a kid is in trouble, sick, hurt, it's harder to get to your kid or harder for your kid to get home if they're a plane ride away? I can see that as a reason if a student has health or other issues. Asking this seriously.

I was born and raised in DC but live in NYC now so my drive ring includes Dartmouth to the north, Cornell to the west and Princeton to the southwest. Our thinking is two-fold.....convenience and safety. I'd much rather just give DC a car and not have to ever worry about booking travel months in advance and Ive had friends that have had serious medical issues with their children in college. I can't imagine getting a call about my child having a health issue and not being able to jump in a car and being at their side in max 4-5 hours. Maybe I'm being paranoid but why take the chance?

So does that mean you're also going to forbid your child to study abroad if it's something they are interested in?

[Anonymous]

My kid does have a serious medical condition (Crohn's) and goes to college 850 miles away from home. At some point, you have to cut the apron strings. Yes, I was nervous about letting her go so far away, especially given her health issues, but that is MY issue to deal with - my fears shouldn't stop her from taking advantage of amazing opportunities like going to a college that is a perfect fit for her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No state schools, no high greek percentage schools, no religiously affiliated schools, no schools that require a plane ride.

Wow. So no Berkeley, UNC, GT ????

No, not even in the ballpark but mind you I'm a huge, unrepentant education snob.

Not much of an *education* snob if you’re making college decisions based on mode of transportation.

NP here. This exchange sounds like what I hear from some friends. "My kid can only go to college within a five-hour drive of home" or whatever. Basically it seems to be their way to say "You have to stay in-state" but signaling that they'd consider somewhere just over a border. It's like they put the point of a compass on their hometown, drew a circle around it and said, "You have to go to college within this circle."

I'm curious to know from the "no schools that require a plane ride" poster why you consider that a factor, unless you just mean you want them to stay in-state for financial reasons but "no plane ride" is your way of saying so--? I ask this as someone who did go to school a plane ride (or one very long drive) away from home, and who has told my DC that staying in-state or in a certain driving distance is not required.

Maybe the concern is that if a kid is in trouble, sick, hurt, it's harder to get to your kid or harder for your kid to get home if they're a plane ride away? I can see that as a reason if a student has health or other issues. Asking this seriously.

I was born and raised in DC but live in NYC now so my drive ring includes Dartmouth to the north, Cornell to the west and Princeton to the southwest. Our thinking is two-fold.....convenience and safety. I'd much rather just give DC a car and not have to ever worry about booking travel months in advance and Ive had friends that have had serious medical issues with their children in college. I can't imagine getting a call about my child having a health issue and not being able to jump in a car and being at their side in max 4-5 hours. Maybe I'm being paranoid but why take the chance?

So does that mean you're also going to forbid your child to study abroad if it's something they are interested in?

Excellent question.....and no, I will actively encourage my children to study abroad. I can accept that exposure for 3-4 months.

[Anonymous]

You can be damn sure that I would never allow my DC to go anywhere you idiots send your DCs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can be damn sure that I would never allow my DC to go anywhere you idiots send your DCs.

Oohhh.....you sound intelligent!

[Anonymous]

Washington & Lee. 75% in a frat or a sorority is a non-starter. And borderline ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

GWU, Tulane, Miami of Ohio. Joke party colleges.

[Anonymous]

Brown, Yale, Oberlin - far too liberal. We are democrats but moderates and we value free speech and debate.

Chicago - way too nerdy for my kid's personality

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Brown, Yale, Oberlin - far too liberal. We are democrats but moderates and we value free speech and debate.

Chicago - way too nerdy for my kid's personality

Ha ha. You’ll have to scratch 90% of the colleges in the US off your list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Brown, Yale, Oberlin - far too liberal. We are democrats but moderates and we value free speech and debate.

Chicago - way too nerdy for my kid's personality

Ha ha. You’ll have to scratch 90% of the colleges in the US off your list.

Not np. You find this funny? Wow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cornell. We visited and absolutely none of the kids looked like they were happy or having fun. And this was a beautiful late September Saturday. Most of the kids we saw were alone and no one was outside hanging out or headed here or there. Every other college we visited, you could see groups of friends eating together, playing games on the quad, etc. Cornell looked depressing.

Yes, it's the worst. Really terrible. No one should send their kid there. No one!

[Anonymous]

To the why no plane ride poster:
Simple: money. I don’t want my kids’ ability to come home impeded by logistics or financial limitations. I would actually prefer they go out of state.

[Anonymous]

Ds: Very nerdy, science and math oriented, so no LACs.

Dd: No Deep Southern schools. We are northerners and some southern schools can be difficult socially for girls/women. She also disliked Harvey Mudd, but for an entirely different reason - the campus is extremely ugly and in the middle of a very boring, sterile suburban area.

[Anonymous]

Flying all the way to California costs at most 1500 a year for three round trips. A year of college is 70,000. That's hardly much of an expense.

[Anonymous]

I have a kid that goes to school 6.5 hours from home (Colgate) and it’s kind of the WORST of both worlds. Too far to really come home for a weekend and annoying to drive all the way there and back for stuff like parents weekend, thanksgiving, other breaks, etc. And it’s not close to any major airport, so flying would be $$ and a hassle, probably not even saving much time. I feel like I’d almost rather have her be a 2/3 hour plane ride away than a 6.5 hour drive...

(Disclaimer- she’s super happy at Colgate, so this is just a minor annoyance...)