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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone looking at the 2000, 2010, and 2020 U.S. Censuses can see Michigan and the Midwest in general are going to continue their downward spiral. In addition, it's bitterly cold and grey most of the school year. U-M will remain a strong flagship university and a great value for in-state students, but if you're a non-resident with a fully funded 529, there are far better options, in warmer and ascending regions of the country.

There isn't a warm weather flagship outside of CA or TX that comes close to Michigan in terms of academics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok already. These posts by a couple of you or one troll are annoying. You’ve hijacked what was an interesting, narrowly focused thread.

There's no hijacking or conspiracy. You want the webmaster to delete all of the U-M and Ann Arbor posts because you're so insecure you can't handle that some folks don't think it's the most ideal place to spend age 18 to 22 at? It is a gigantic university, very popular with DMV families, of course it's going to get its fair share of responses in a thread like this.

Yikes. You're way too invested with UMich. I agree with above poster, that the thread was useful while focused. Now, it's become a bickerfest on Michigan. Let's just let people ssy their view about why they aren't encouraging their kid to apply to their alma mater without all the back and forth.

FWIW, I have no stake in the game on Michigan, and I doubt the earlier poster does either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We went to visit Ann Arbor during spring break a couple years ago, and on April 1st it was snowing and 27 degrees.

Also I had heard home cute Ann Arbor was, but it looked pretty dumpy to me.

The campus and the main drag with the restaurant was cute though.

For me the weather is a big deal effing breaker. As is the ridiculous out of-state tuition relative to relatively the same quality schools in state in VA in UVA and W&M.

I love UM but true story here. Wanted to spend my last day in the diag wearing shorts and sandals with a coffee, just people watching. Late April and a freaking ice storm ruined that idea.

Ann Arbor? The campus, Main Street, Barton Hills are all very nice. But the rest of it like Washtenaw Avenue? Just a typical suburb with lots of 1960s type houses. So what? Most students are never in those areas.

That’s the point poster. Alumni love the school. The changeable weather only helps to bring the community even closer. Remember that most of its students come from colder climates. Winter weather is in their blood and they really don’t have to adapt to it.

The east and west coasters who go to U-M would turn it down in a heart beat if they got into another top 25. And as soon as they graduate nearly all of them depart the state of Michigan immediately. Similar phenom at Notre Dame. But at least Notre Dame faithful don't lie and try to make South Bend into something it's not. Most Notre Dame kids don't even want to be in Chicago anymore after graduation.

That is because South Ben is infinitly worse than Ann Arbor and most comparable Big10 towns save perhaps Champaign-Urbana.

Notre Dame is actually quite beautiful in the winter.

Notre Dame mom needs to get a life

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok already. These posts by a couple of you or one troll are annoying. You’ve hijacked what was an interesting, narrowly focused thread.

There's no hijacking or conspiracy. You want the webmaster to delete all of the U-M and Ann Arbor posts because you're so insecure you can't handle that some folks don't think it's the most ideal place to spend age 18 to 22 at? It is a gigantic university, very popular with DMV families, of course it's going to get its fair share of responses in a thread like this.

Yikes. You're way too invested with UMich. I agree with above poster, that the thread was useful while focused. Now, it's become a bickerfest on Michigan. Let's just let people ssy their view about why they aren't encouraging their kid to apply to their alma mater without all the back and forth.

FWIW, I have no stake in the game on Michigan, and I doubt the earlier poster does either.

The joke here is that the poster who started the anti-Michigan crusade never attended the school. So yes, it was hijacked by a troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Notre Dame is actually quite beautiful in the winter.

So gorgeous. Are Notre Dame's campus sidewalks heated?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yale. Depressing. Draconian liquor laws

Not sure about the liquor laws, assuming the legal drinking age is 21 just like everywhere else in USA. But I agree that I would not want my kids to go there. It has this enormous endowment, but they don't seem to be able to spend it wisely.
--Yale alum

My issue with Yale wasn't with the liquor laws. It was easy enough to get a drink, so not sure what that's all about.

But no I don't want my kids to go to Yale.

I found the atmosphere depressing, not that friendly, and just generally not very supportive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Georgetown - Graduated in 1989. The school hasn't repaired, replaced or updated one single thing since I was there. Even the graffiti is still there. The same old broken stair railing too !!

They updated some rooms in White-Gravenor. there is tons of new construction since 1989. TONS!

But the old crap is still old and crappy. Yep a few rooms here, a sports field there. It's so very run down for the price. I literally noticed some of the exact same issues from 1989.

As someone who worked at Georgetown for a long time, I can say unequivocally that the campus is a dump. The school is notorious for under-investing in its physical plant. Sure, they put up new buildings once in a while (and have eradicated all green space except Healy Lawn in the process), but they don't maintain their facilities. Academic buildings and residences alike suffer from a myriad of plumbing, sewage, mold, and pest issues -- issues that only grow worse over time.

+1 I'm not an alum but visited campus a few months ago. I was surprised how cramped it felt. It's not how I remembered it from attending events on campus in the 90s.

My friend's DD busted her butt to get accepted and then arrived and was shocked at the poor skills of the other students who were accepted on legacy or something not academic related. Friend's DD received a little lesson about how the world works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yale. Depressing. Draconian liquor laws

Not sure about the liquor laws, assuming the legal drinking age is 21 just like everywhere else in USA. But I agree that I would not want my kids to go there. It has this enormous endowment, but they don't seem to be able to spend it wisely.
--Yale alum

Back in the day, you couldn't buy beer after 8pm and the bars closed at 1pm. You can see where my priorities were.

Re endowment, just got a mailing announcing the start of a $7B fundraising campaign. No idea why they need that much more or what they plan to do with it...

When did you go there?

In my day, you could definitely buy beer after 8 pm. Did it all the time. I'm trying to remember when the bars closed. 2 am, I think?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Notre Dame is actually quite beautiful in the winter.

So gorgeous. Are Notre Dame's campus sidewalks heated?

More likely blown, scraped, and salted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone looking at the 2000, 2010, and 2020 U.S. Censuses can see Michigan and the Midwest in general are going to continue their downward spiral. In addition, it's bitterly cold and grey most of the school year. U-M will remain a strong flagship university and a great value for in-state students, but if you're a non-resident with a fully funded 529, there are far better options, in warmer and ascending regions of the country.

There isn't a warm weather flagship outside of CA or TX that comes close to Michigan in terms of academics.

If you are looking across the board: undergraduate, professional, graduate, research, then yes. Even Berkeley doesn't have a medical school. But I think there is a broader set of public schools that can provide every bit as good or even better in some respects undergraduate education, which is what most on this board are looking at.

[Anonymous]

Look at Texas's boom, Austin especially, and safe bet UT will soar up the rankings over the next 5 to 10 years. Texas is basically what Michigan was 75 years ago. Sad to say Michigan is a has-been. The Midwest is just bleak compared to the excitement, boom times, and warm weather in Texas. Michigan is also due for a football lull since their coach is about to go to the NFL. If and when the football team does poorly, they will get a big drop in apps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look at Texas's boom, Austin especially, and safe bet UT will soar up the rankings over the next 5 to 10 years. Texas is basically what Michigan was 75 years ago. Sad to say Michigan is a has-been. The Midwest is just bleak compared to the excitement, boom times, and warm weather in Texas. Michigan is also due for a football lull since their coach is about to go to the NFL. If and when the football team does poorly, they will get a big drop in apps.

Texas has the top 10% law, which keeps standardized test scores lower than they would be otherwise. This hurts rankings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look at Texas's boom, Austin especially, and safe bet UT will soar up the rankings over the next 5 to 10 years. Texas is basically what Michigan was 75 years ago. Sad to say Michigan is a has-been. The Midwest is just bleak compared to the excitement, boom times, and warm weather in Texas. Michigan is also due for a football lull since their coach is about to go to the NFL. If and when the football team does poorly, they will get a big drop in apps.

Until Texas gets rid of its 10,8,6 percent rule, whatever it is now, It’s not heading up anywhere. Michigan has also been rising in the rankings the past few years, not dropping. Sad to say, but you are clueless.

[Anonymous]

Michigan hasn’t been great in football for years. OOS students apply to Michigan mostly for the prestige of its highly ranked academics. Sports are helpful for sure, but hardly a deciding factor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Michigan hasn’t been great in football for years. OOS students apply to Michigan mostly for the prestige of its highly ranked academics. Sports are helpful for sure, but hardly a deciding factor.

I am no Michigan booster, but you know, they finished in the football playoff this year, top 4, right?