How many colleges are there, really?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't a lot of it regional though? Plenty of middle/upper middle class families in the DMV send their kids to places like UMBC, Towson, CNU, Radford, St. Mary's MD, etc. But you're probably not going to find a lot of families from say, Minnesota sending their kids there or considering them as options. Likewise, not many families in the DMV are looking to send their kids to schools like Mankato State, UM Duluth, Winona State, etc. (i.e., regional schools in Minnesota) but those schools are certainly on the radar screen for lots of high schoolers of all social classes in MN (and WI/IA).

Funny enough, I ran across several of these schools looking for a particular performing arts program for my child - wish those MN regional schools actually worked for her!

Instead, she has 2 MI schools in contention.

We even considered schools like Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Wichita State, and Utah Tech, but ... not happening.

Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo College have great performing arts programs and K is generous with merit aid.

WMU is very popular on the FB board I am part of. These two aren't on kiddo's list, but we did investigate.

She is actually applying to NMU, but we investigated all the directional MI schools as options. CMU could still sneak in at the end, but the performing art major currently requires very specific minor fields and NOT the ones my child is looking for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn't a lot of it regional though? Plenty of middle/upper middle class families in the DMV send their kids to places like UMBC, Towson, CNU, Radford, St. Mary's MD, etc.

And any mention of them on DCUM elicits sneers that such schools are for mediocre students...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know there are 4,000. But how many are there that anyone UMC who attended college themselves would want their kids to attend?

I wouldn't exclude schools that "nobody's heard of" because I really like the high quality selective SLACs and would gladly send a kid there. But it seems like there are tons of small bible colleges and a million regional state schools that would just be odd for a student from the DMV to attend as an OOS student. Then once you throw out all the for-profit schools and community colleges, how many are left?

15. There are 15 colleges recognized by empty-lifed status chasers who define themselves by how much money they have.

Plus another 40 pretend colleges that exist to give the 15 a sense of high rank. The other college are just decoys to confuse the poors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't a lot of it regional though? Plenty of middle/upper middle class families in the DMV send their kids to places like UMBC, Towson, CNU, Radford, St. Mary's MD, etc.

And any mention of them on DCUM elicits sneers that such schools are for mediocre students...

I think that talk is getting to my child through her friends, which is really unfortunate. To be fair, she IS a mediocre student AND Radford would be a nice fit for what she wants. I really think she should apply, but she just is adamant that she doesn't want to. It is by far the best curriculum for her AND the cheapest of all options.

I'm working on her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't a lot of it regional though? Plenty of middle/upper middle class families in the DMV send their kids to places like UMBC, Towson, CNU, Radford, St. Mary's MD, etc.

And any mention of them on DCUM elicits sneers that such schools are for mediocre students...

I think that talk is getting to my child through her friends, which is really unfortunate. To be fair, she IS a mediocre student AND Radford would be a nice fit for what she wants. I really think she should apply, but she just is adamant that she doesn't want to. It is by far the best curriculum for her AND the cheapest of all options.

I'm working on her.

Point out to her all the morons who went to Ivy League schools. Being an idiot and going to an Ivy League school are not mutually exclusive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't a lot of it regional though? Plenty of middle/upper middle class families in the DMV send their kids to places like UMBC, Towson, CNU, Radford, St. Mary's MD, etc. But you're probably not going to find a lot of families from say, Minnesota sending their kids there or considering them as options. Likewise, not many families in the DMV are looking to send their kids to schools like Mankato State, UM Duluth, Winona State, etc. (i.e., regional schools in Minnesota) but those schools are certainly on the radar screen for lots of high schoolers of all social classes in MN (and WI/IA).

All universities have a regional element to them.

Nearly 40% of Harvard’s entering class is from New England or the Mid-Atlantic. Only 14% from the west coast.

In contrast, 36% of Stanford undergrads come from California alone.

One big function of the US News list is to draw full-pay New York and California money out of the region, to top ranked schools in other areas. The result is downright comical at some schools, where it can seem like everyone is from New Jersey and California.

This is why Vandy is so upset about dropping a few spots in the rankings — they dropped from above to below UCLA and Cal. There are a lot of California parents who will quite sensibly refuse to pay for a lower-ranked private in Tennessee if their kid gets in to UCLA or Cal.

I think you are REALLY overestimating the stock that the average person puts into these ratings. I would be really surprised if there were parents who, a week ago, would've paid for Vandy over UCB/UCLA, but now wouldn't because it dropped a few spots on the rankings. The average person just doesn't think like that.

There are whole threads on DCUM about what schools are “worth it” if you can go in-state to UVA. What makes you so sure Californians are completely and totally different from Virginians?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't a lot of it regional though? Plenty of middle/upper middle class families in the DMV send their kids to places like UMBC, Towson, CNU, Radford, St. Mary's MD, etc.

And any mention of them on DCUM elicits sneers that such schools are for mediocre students...

Well, just ignore the ignorant people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't a lot of it regional though? Plenty of middle/upper middle class families in the DMV send their kids to places like UMBC, Towson, CNU, Radford, St. Mary's MD, etc. But you're probably not going to find a lot of families from say, Minnesota sending their kids there or considering them as options. Likewise, not many families in the DMV are looking to send their kids to schools like Mankato State, UM Duluth, Winona State, etc. (i.e., regional schools in Minnesota) but those schools are certainly on the radar screen for lots of high schoolers of all social classes in MN (and WI/IA).

All universities have a regional element to them.

Nearly 40% of Harvard’s entering class is from New England or the Mid-Atlantic. Only 14% from the west coast.

In contrast, 36% of Stanford undergrads come from California alone.

One big function of the US News list is to draw full-pay New York and California money out of the region, to top ranked schools in other areas. The result is downright comical at some schools, where it can seem like everyone is from New Jersey and California.

This is why Vandy is so upset about dropping a few spots in the rankings — they dropped from above to below UCLA and Cal. There are a lot of California parents who will quite sensibly refuse to pay for a lower-ranked private in Tennessee if their kid gets in to UCLA or Cal.

I think you are REALLY overestimating the stock that the average person puts into these ratings. I would be really surprised if there were parents who, a week ago, would've paid for Vandy over UCB/UCLA, but now wouldn't because it dropped a few spots on the rankings. The average person just doesn't think like that.

There are whole threads on DCUM about what schools are “worth it” if you can go in-state to UVA. What makes you so sure Californians are completely and totally different from Virginians?

reading comprehension is important.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:USNWR lists about 1850 schools but ranks only 400 national universities and 200 LACs. I wouldn’t send my kid to the bottom half of the ranked schools, so I’d say there are 300 schools that are credible for most UMC families. But, more realistically, most UMC would want a Top 100 university or Top 50 LAC, so maybe 150 schools.

And most want a top 50 university or Top 25 LAC. So, 75 schools.

But many don't want a large public or don't want a slac or only want a small engineering school, so their top list will look very different from the one you deem acceptable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:USNWR lists about 1850 schools but ranks only 400 national universities and 200 LACs. I wouldn’t send my kid to the bottom half of the ranked schools, so I’d say there are 300 schools that are credible for most UMC families. But, more realistically, most UMC would want a Top 100 university or Top 50 LAC, so maybe 150 schools.

And most want a top 50 university or Top 25 LAC. So, 75 schools.

Yeah, but many of their kids aren't getting in there. UMC or otherwise.

Or, like our kid, will get into 3 or 4 of them, but prefer one ranked below that in the end.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't a lot of it regional though? Plenty of middle/upper middle class families in the DMV send their kids to places like UMBC, Towson, CNU, Radford, St. Mary's MD, etc. But you're probably not going to find a lot of families from say, Minnesota sending their kids there or considering them as options. Likewise, not many families in the DMV are looking to send their kids to schools like Mankato State, UM Duluth, Winona State, etc. (i.e., regional schools in Minnesota) but those schools are certainly on the radar screen for lots of high schoolers of all social classes in MN (and WI/IA).

Funny enough, I ran across several of these schools looking for a particular performing arts program for my child - wish those MN regional schools actually worked for her!

Instead, she has 2 MI schools in contention.

We even considered schools like Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Wichita State, and Utah Tech, but ... not happening.

Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo College have great performing arts programs and K is generous with merit aid.

WMU is very popular on the FB board I am part of. These two aren't on kiddo's list, but we did investigate.

She is actually applying to NMU, but we investigated all the directional MI schools as options. CMU could still sneak in at the end, but the performing art major currently requires very specific minor fields and NOT the ones my child is looking for.

If your DD is looking at NMU, then you two need to check this out:

https://www.pbs.org/video/dont-stop-believing-wa08j6/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't a lot of it regional though? Plenty of middle/upper middle class families in the DMV send their kids to places like UMBC, Towson, CNU, Radford, St. Mary's MD, etc. But you're probably not going to find a lot of families from say, Minnesota sending their kids there or considering them as options. Likewise, not many families in the DMV are looking to send their kids to schools like Mankato State, UM Duluth, Winona State, etc. (i.e., regional schools in Minnesota) but those schools are certainly on the radar screen for lots of high schoolers of all social classes in MN (and WI/IA).

Funny enough, I ran across several of these schools looking for a particular performing arts program for my child - wish those MN regional schools actually worked for her!

Instead, she has 2 MI schools in contention.

We even considered schools like Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Wichita State, and Utah Tech, but ... not happening.

Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo College have great performing arts programs and K is generous with merit aid.

WMU is very popular on the FB board I am part of. These two aren't on kiddo's list, but we did investigate.

She is actually applying to NMU, but we investigated all the directional MI schools as options. CMU could still sneak in at the end, but the performing art major currently requires very specific minor fields and NOT the ones my child is looking for.

If your DD is looking at NMU, then you two need to check this out:

https://www.pbs.org/video/dont-stop-believing-wa08j6/

See, that's fun! It seems like a really nice place to spend your college years. I follow a lot of their social media, and there is always something going on on the beach, on the mountain or in town. Just a nice, chill vibe. All I want is for my child to get a diploma and enjoy her 4 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't a lot of it regional though? Plenty of middle/upper middle class families in the DMV send their kids to places like UMBC, Towson, CNU, Radford, St. Mary's MD, etc. But you're probably not going to find a lot of families from say, Minnesota sending their kids there or considering them as options. Likewise, not many families in the DMV are looking to send their kids to schools like Mankato State, UM Duluth, Winona State, etc. (i.e., regional schools in Minnesota) but those schools are certainly on the radar screen for lots of high schoolers of all social classes in MN (and WI/IA).

Funny enough, I ran across several of these schools looking for a particular performing arts program for my child - wish those MN regional schools actually worked for her!

Instead, she has 2 MI schools in contention.

We even considered schools like Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Wichita State, and Utah Tech, but ... not happening.

Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo College have great performing arts programs and K is generous with merit aid.

WMU is very popular on the FB board I am part of. These two aren't on kiddo's list, but we did investigate.

She is actually applying to NMU, but we investigated all the directional MI schools as options. CMU could still sneak in at the end, but the performing art major currently requires very specific minor fields and NOT the ones my child is looking for.

If your DD is looking at NMU, then you two need to check this out:

https://www.pbs.org/video/dont-stop-believing-wa08j6/

Also check out 50% graduation rate

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't a lot of it regional though? Plenty of middle/upper middle class families in the DMV send their kids to places like UMBC, Towson, CNU, Radford, St. Mary's MD, etc.

And any mention of them on DCUM elicits sneers that such schools are for mediocre students...

I think that talk is getting to my child through her friends, which is really unfortunate. To be fair, she IS a mediocre student AND Radford would be a nice fit for what she wants. I really think she should apply, but she just is adamant that she doesn't want to. It is by far the best curriculum for her AND the cheapest of all options.

I'm working on her.

Point out to her all the morons who went to Ivy League schools. Being an idiot and going to an Ivy League school are not mutually exclusive.

Not sure something about Ivy Leaguers is going to influence a kid who was struggling through HS. Her peer group is the kids NOT trying to get in any of those schools. Some of her friends are going into trades.

For whatever reason, Radford continues to get crapped on. I think it is a perfectly fine school for the kids who aren't going to get into the higher ranked schools. I know my child's limitations and the kids telling her these things would be well served there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't a lot of it regional though? Plenty of middle/upper middle class families in the DMV send their kids to places like UMBC, Towson, CNU, Radford, St. Mary's MD, etc. But you're probably not going to find a lot of families from say, Minnesota sending their kids there or considering them as options. Likewise, not many families in the DMV are looking to send their kids to schools like Mankato State, UM Duluth, Winona State, etc. (i.e., regional schools in Minnesota) but those schools are certainly on the radar screen for lots of high schoolers of all social classes in MN (and WI/IA).

Funny enough, I ran across several of these schools looking for a particular performing arts program for my child - wish those MN regional schools actually worked for her!

Instead, she has 2 MI schools in contention.

We even considered schools like Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Wichita State, and Utah Tech, but ... not happening.

Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo College have great performing arts programs and K is generous with merit aid.

WMU is very popular on the FB board I am part of. These two aren't on kiddo's list, but we did investigate.

She is actually applying to NMU, but we investigated all the directional MI schools as options. CMU could still sneak in at the end, but the performing art major currently requires very specific minor fields and NOT the ones my child is looking for.

If your DD is looking at NMU, then you two need to check this out:

https://www.pbs.org/video/dont-stop-believing-wa08j6/

Also check out 50% graduation rate

You have to look at the population of kids going in when you look at a school's graduation rate and adjust for that. Look at the data for kids with your kids' resources and academic qualifications--do they tend to graduate? If you have a school that is not very selective with a lot of rural, first gen students, some are going to find out they are not ready for college. I'd be more concerned about academic quality if they had a very high graduation rate in this situation.