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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was thinking about this and am curious if others have similar thoughts.

I went to Case Western as part of a 3/2 progam (2 yrs at liberal arts school, 3 years at CWRU). Case was fine but it was sort of very generic place. Lots of super brainy science and engineering kids and pre-meds who
were very competitive in class and didn't do much of anything for fun outside of class. In that vein there was not a lot of school spirit or sense of campus community. Super cold and grey weather from Nov to May so most socializing is done indoors. Cleveland is nicer than advertised but most of the students do
not venture out into the city. All-in-all sort of a let down down socially. I went on to Hopkins for graduate school and they're actually pretty similar places. Again, a lot of super intense studiers. Most students
spent a good portion of their lives in the library. Not much cohesion of the student body. Most students did not venture into the surrounding city either because it was not thought of as not safe or they had no interest.
To be honest, most students did not have much of a life outside of studying.
Now as my own kids start to consider colleges I would not recommend either institution. I spend summers at UVA and Georgetown and (in my experience) both were far, far better places to have a well-rounded traditional
college experience. I also started college with 2 years at a SLAC and there was a much better sense of community and belonging there than at CWRU (or JHU) so this is my other perpsective.

What are your thoughts on your own ala mater(s)? This is not meant to be snarky and I also recognize that places change over years. It's just striking to me to see all the CWRU intersest because my own experience was so blah.

i went to a top school (think the "Harvard of the West") but am encouraging my kids to study abroad, probably UK, Holland or Switzerland.

Better quality, global perspective, lower costs.

They can always come back home for grad school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was thinking about this and am curious if others have similar thoughts.

I went to Case Western as part of a 3/2 progam (2 yrs at liberal arts school, 3 years at CWRU). Case was fine but it was sort of very generic place. Lots of super brainy science and engineering kids and pre-meds who
were very competitive in class and didn't do much of anything for fun outside of class. In that vein there was not a lot of school spirit or sense of campus community. Super cold and grey weather from Nov to May so most socializing is done indoors. Cleveland is nicer than advertised but most of the students do
not venture out into the city. All-in-all sort of a let down down socially. I went on to Hopkins for graduate school and they're actually pretty similar places. Again, a lot of super intense studiers. Most students
spent a good portion of their lives in the library. Not much cohesion of the student body. Most students did not venture into the surrounding city either because it was not thought of as not safe or they had no interest.
To be honest, most students did not have much of a life outside of studying.
Now as my own kids start to consider colleges I would not recommend either institution. I spend summers at UVA and Georgetown and (in my experience) both were far, far better places to have a well-rounded traditional
college experience. I also started college with 2 years at a SLAC and there was a much better sense of community and belonging there than at CWRU (or JHU) so this is my other perpsective.

What are your thoughts on your own ala mater(s)? This is not meant to be snarky and I also recognize that places change over years. It's just striking to me to see all the CWRU intersest because my own experience was so blah.

i went to a top school (think the "Harvard of the West") but am encouraging my kids to study abroad, probably UK, Holland or Switzerland.

Better quality, global perspective, lower costs.

They can always come back home for grad school.

My kids are doing the reverse--primarily because they're athletes and are playing sports in college. But i agree with you on studying outside the US

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure it counts as a "good" college, but Syracuse. I had a great time there, but the overall student body is mediocre and not very intelligent, and it is so darn expensive. No way I would let my child attend there today.

Interesting. It’s a very popular school for graduates from our town (New England, strong public) and my kid has expressed interest in it. But I was just hearing from someone that everyone from our town who started there the last few years has transferred elsewhere.

Strange. My son is there and is absolutely loving it - not a big party guy, not into sports, not super academic - I was worried he would not find his people, but he did, largely through his area of study. And everyone I know who went there is a huge fan! Strong alumni network as well.

But I do agree with the criticisms on expense and that it's not a super selective school. Personally it's way too cold and gray for me, but my kid loves it.

[Anonymous]

Princeton. As a graduate student. It was toxic, toxic, toxic. In every way you can possibly imagine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to Dartmouth. Never recommend it to my kid, who wasn't interested anyway. Cost was also a factor, as we'd never get FA, and can't afford the tuition at Dartmouth or any other Ivy.

Wish this poster had shared reasons. I know mine, but would like to read his or her thoughts.

[Anonymous]

I went to a rural SLAC and I didn't live near a major city. That combination made internships impossible both during school and over the summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Princeton. As a graduate student. It was toxic, toxic, toxic. In every way you can possibly imagine.

Are you willing to elaborate ? TIA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Princeton. As a graduate student. It was toxic, toxic, toxic. In every way you can possibly imagine.

Are you willing to elaborate ? TIA

(Tuition-paying) undergraduates take second place only to the high research expectations laid upon the faculty. The result is that grad students don't get the time of day and end up playing Hunger Games for faculty attention and destroying one another in the process. I was actively discouraged by faculty from choices in my own field that were objectively prestigious and were positive moves for my career. I wouldn't send my worst enemy to school there.

[Anonymous]

[insert name here] School of Law.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure it counts as a "good" college, but Syracuse. I had a great time there, but the overall student body is mediocre and not very intelligent, and it is so darn expensive. No way I would let my child attend there today.

Interesting. It’s a very popular school for graduates from our town (New England, strong public) and my kid has expressed interest in it. But I was just hearing from someone that everyone from our town who started there the last few years has transferred elsewhere.

I haven't attended yet wonder if your cohort matters in this case. The school is huge and the student body is wildly varied in its high school GPAs and experience. The Newhouse and Maxwell schools are hard to get into, so I thought the school might be okay if you were accepted to those...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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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.

Yup, surprised nobody has shared this Instagram account yet. A good picture of what awaits the new Georgetown freshman. https://www.instagram.com/p/CTKhM5sAJQ_/

Oh my god.

There are so many posts and sites like this about Georgetown. How crazy they are not to do a better job maintaining the place!! They charge enough tuition.

I went to a meeting there and was shocked at the state of the chairs and couches in community buildings. Legs broken off, so stained you could catch some disease by sitting on them. Really short-sighted!

When things were closed down, we did some driving tours of Georgetown homes. Well, we visited campus and were surprised at how small and twisted up it is. I've been on campus for public lectures and such yet I'd never seen much the campus and was surprised at how cramped it is for the price.

[Anonymous]

University of Southern California. Too large. Way too much emphasis on Greek life. Absolutely lives up to its nickname of University of Spoiled Children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:University of Southern California. Too large. Way too much emphasis on Greek life. Absolutely lives up to its nickname of University of Spoiled Children.

^^^ posted from a Washtenaw County sh*tshack

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:There are a few specific comments about being a woman at Georgetown and notre dame. These comments caused posters upset and lots of other comments about other schools seemed to just be accepted as run of the mill dcum posts. I think it is the reaction to the posts that seems like the imposters here, not the original posters.

Nope, the reaction was to a poster misrepresenting him/herself as an alum to trash a school. Poster clearly is not an alum because he/she didn't even realize that Notre Dame is Holy Cross, not Jesuit. That's like an alum forgetting what the mascot was for their sports teams. It is simply very unlikely that an alum would mistaken Notre Dame as being a Jesuit institution. Therefore, these are trolls coming on here just to trash a school they hate. These are the people that are discussed in this thread https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1023444.page

Who knows with anonymous posters but my complaint about being female at Georgetown is legit so I don't see why is so outrageous to think someone could have a similar experience at notre dame.

Sure, someone COULD, but that poster DIDN'T because that poster is a liar who did not attend Notre Dame. Funny how she's never come back to defend herself, too -- she knows she got caught.

She never said she attended ND -she said she attended Georgetown

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are a few specific comments about being a woman at Georgetown and notre dame. These comments caused posters upset and lots of other comments about other schools seemed to just be accepted as run of the mill dcum posts. I think it is the reaction to the posts that seems like the imposters here, not the original posters.

Nope, the reaction was to a poster misrepresenting him/herself as an alum to trash a school. Poster clearly is not an alum because he/she didn't even realize that Notre Dame is Holy Cross, not Jesuit. That's like an alum forgetting what the mascot was for their sports teams. It is simply very unlikely that an alum would mistaken Notre Dame as being a Jesuit institution. Therefore, these are trolls coming on here just to trash a school they hate. These are the people that are discussed in this thread https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1023444.page

Who knows with anonymous posters but my complaint about being female at Georgetown is legit so I don't see why is so outrageous to think someone could have a similar experience at notre dame.

Except the person who claimed they she had that experience was clearly not an ND alum.

+1