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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yale. Depressing. Draconian liquor laws

What?? Yale had officially sanctioned events with alcohol available to underage kids. Free alcohol easily available on the freshman party circuit. I loved Yale, but understand everyone might not have had a great experience. But draconian liquor laws? I can hardly think of a place where it’s easier to get alcohol and liquor laws are less enforced…

[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.

Michigan has finished as the top 15 football team for the last 10 years, and top 3 with a playoff appearance this year. It's one of the top 5 highest revenue athletic departments in all of college. If the football team does poorly after coach Jim Harbaugh leaves, it will result in a loss of apps. When the stakes are so high and the margins so low, something like that can cost Michigan a few spots on US News.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Michigan has finished as the top 15 football team for the last 10 years, and top 3 with a playoff appearance this year. It's one of the top 5 highest revenue athletic departments in all of college. If the football team does poorly after coach Jim Harbaugh leaves, it will result in a loss of apps. When the stakes are so high and the margins so low, something like that can cost Michigan a few spots on US News.

Sure

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Good and great have different meanings for some of us. Michigan has been good in football, but not great for this entire century overall. In the meantime they were horrible two seasons ago, but applications went up. Michigan isn’t some run of the mill state school that relies on a good football team to be popular nationally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Michigan has finished as the top 15 football team for the last 10 years, and top 3 with a playoff appearance this year. It's one of the top 5 highest revenue athletic departments in all of college. If the football team does poorly after coach Jim Harbaugh leaves, it will result in a loss of apps. When the stakes are so high and the margins so low, something like that can cost Michigan a few spots on US News.

Agreed. Michigan has been hot for a few years because it became a safety for top OOS students. This wave has already started turning (PITT, U of FL, U of Miami).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yale. Depressing. Draconian liquor laws

What?? Yale had officially sanctioned events with alcohol available to underage kids. Free alcohol easily available on the freshman party circuit. I loved Yale, but understand everyone might not have had a great experience. But draconian liquor laws? I can hardly think of a place where it’s easier to get alcohol and liquor laws are less enforced…

Jesus, lighten up. Sure you could get on the freshmen “party circuit” (snort) and drink but you couldn’t buy your own alcohol after 8 pm and bars closed at 1. Coming from NYC, it was an adjustment. But I was joking, obviously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Michigan has finished as the top 15 football team for the last 10 years, and top 3 with a playoff appearance this year. It's one of the top 5 highest revenue athletic departments in all of college. If the football team does poorly after coach Jim Harbaugh leaves, it will result in a loss of apps. When the stakes are so high and the margins so low, something like that can cost Michigan a few spots on US News.

Agreed. Michigan has been hot for a few years because it became a safety for top OOS students. This wave has already started turning (PITT, U of FL, U of Miami).

Pitt? Miami? You are delusional.

[Anonymous]

This whole discussion has lost its way.

Let’s try to get back on topic. Most of these posts are from people who have no idea what they are talking about, let alone attended the college they are commenting on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Michigan has finished as the top 15 football team for the last 10 years, and top 3 with a playoff appearance this year. It's one of the top 5 highest revenue athletic departments in all of college. If the football team does poorly after coach Jim Harbaugh leaves, it will result in a loss of apps. When the stakes are so high and the margins so low, something like that can cost Michigan a few spots on US News.

Agreed. Michigan has been hot for a few years because it became a safety for top OOS students. This wave has already started turning (PITT, U of FL, U of Miami).

I agree. Pitt, Florida, Miami have become safeties for top OOS students. The safety bar has been lowered.

[Anonymous]

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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

Notre Dame Mom here! How has everyone been? No, I didn't post these beautiful photos, but was happy to see other ND boosters here! Looking forward to visiting campus again soon. Cheers!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Michigan has finished as the top 15 football team for the last 10 years, and top 3 with a playoff appearance this year. It's one of the top 5 highest revenue athletic departments in all of college. If the football team does poorly after coach Jim Harbaugh leaves, it will result in a loss of apps. When the stakes are so high and the margins so low, something like that can cost Michigan a few spots on US News.

I didn't attend Michigan and have no particular affection for the university. That said, I disagree with this strongly. Football builds Michigan's brand, but it does so by drawing attention to the academic quality and excellent student life. Michigan is a juggernaut brand and won't be slowed down by football being a little worse. It will always be valuable on a resume, because it is a school that everyone knows is good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Michigan has finished as the top 15 football team for the last 10 years, and top 3 with a playoff appearance this year. It's one of the top 5 highest revenue athletic departments in all of college. If the football team does poorly after coach Jim Harbaugh leaves, it will result in a loss of apps. When the stakes are so high and the margins so low, something like that can cost Michigan a few spots on US News.

I didn't attend Michigan and have no particular affection for the university. That said, I disagree with this strongly. Football builds Michigan's brand, but it does so by drawing attention to the academic quality and excellent student life. Michigan is a juggernaut brand and won't be slowed down by football being a little worse. It will always be valuable on a resume, because it is a school that everyone knows is good.

I agree and would also add that football was the main reason a school like ND became so strong. Nowadays, if ND dropped football altogether, it still would be ranked very highly. Its legacy is secure. Michigan was already a strong university even before the football program really developed around the turn of the 20th century.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This whole discussion has lost its way.

Let’s try to get back on topic. Most of these posts are from people who have no idea what they are talking about, let alone attended the college they are commenting on.

Welcome to DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This whole discussion has lost its way.

Let’s try to get back on topic. Most of these posts are from people who have no idea what they are talking about, let alone attended the college they are commenting on.

Welcome to the College and University Discussion threads!

[Anonymous]

Top 5 SLAC. I loved every minute of it. I made a lot of friends, enjoyed the rapport with my professors and received a vigorous education. But I think the intimate environment and small class sizes might not be a fit for my introspective, technical, math/science oriented kids.