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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Penn. Much too pre-professional. Too Greek. I did not recommend it to my kid. I didn’t really think about it when I applied and how it would affect the vibe.

My child has 2 freshman friends there this year and they both hate it. I know, sample of 2.

I went to Penn back in the 80s. Sure there were pre professional students but so many others who were not. Found my life long friends there; lots of activits/non profit types!

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Penn. Much too pre-professional. Too Greek. I did not recommend it to my kid. I didn’t really think about it when I applied and how it would affect the vibe.

My child has 2 freshman friends there this year and they both hate it. I know, sample of 2.

I went to Penn back in the 80s. Sure there were pre professional students but so many others who were not. Found my life long friends there; lots of activits/non profit types!

Maybe in the 80s -- not anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If money were no object, I wouldn’t add my alma mater to the list because I loved it and had a great experience.

But money is an object, so I have to add Northwestern to this list. As great as it was for me, it is not worth $80+K/year.

To be fair, you can say the same about any private university.

[Anonymous]

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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…

How long ago are you talking about officially sanctioned events with alcohol? Lehigh was like that until about 20 years ago, I think.

Yale grad here. I had no trouble getting alcohol at bars or parties but I don't know of any officially sanctioned Yale events that served alcohol to underage kids. What events are are you talking about?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Ann Arbor can’t be both dreary deindustrialized Rust Belt, cold and grey most of the school year and one of the “best” college towns. Those lists are literally for sale to the highest bidder. I mean even locally, you really think Ann Arbor is prettier than Georgetown / NW DC or Charlottesville? Hell no it’s not.

The best college towns have warm climate, obviously.

Ann Arbor is beautiful. What are you talking about? Here's that psycho Rust Belt babbler again, lol.

Yes, I really thing Michigan is prettier than Georgetown.

Ann Arbor is not prettier than Georgetown, DC. You sound ridiculous. Again, "college town" lists are literally for sale. Ann Arbor has crumbling roads, strip malls and a dozen new hideous 10 to 20 story builder-grade apartments surrounding campus. It's an ugly Rust Belt town. Fittingly, all of the post cards from Ann Arbor feature the football stadium. Because that is the shrine you worship, an marvel and the center of attraction in a dreary and grey Rust Belt college town.

Off the top of my head, the best college towns include Cambridge (MA), Boulder, Austin, Athens (GA), Chapel Hill, Santa Barbara, Burlington, Oxford (MS), Georgetown...

I think the SLACs in the Northeast and PA have some of prettiest college campuses. Big cities are not good for poor students…unless of course the students are 1%ers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Vanderbilt is rigorous, but also offers a more well rounded experience.

It’s very Southern/debutante. I have DDs, and I will discourage them from any schools in the South.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would not call it sour grapes but maybe more if a mis-match. Many of these schools attract students that very academically oriented and really motivated to learn and enjoy learning. It is not a "grind" for kids that like it.

An academically intense schools can be a good place for a super geek that has always felt out of place in high school. They finally find a place to fit in and be surrounded by other that love school.

+1. I roll my eyes at the people whose main complaint is that it was too much work. I was foreign, poor (had to work a ton) and studying in a non-native language. I still graduated with a 3.9 GPA.

[Anonymous]

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Plus it has Zingerman's. That alone would make Ann Arbor a great college town. Ashley's is one of the best beer bars in the country, much less in college towns. And when you add Krazy Jim's and chipati sauce on top of all that, it's a slam dunk.

>Tell us you paint your face yellow and blue on Saturdays for sportball games without telling us you paint your face yellow and blue on Saturdays for sportball games.

Also, props on being so narrow-minded you think a good bakery and deli is incredibly rare near college towns, let alone college towns with a population of 150,000.

I can’t find a great Jewish deli in the entire Chicagoland area. So much for your point.

Ever heard of Northbrook’s Max & Benny’s? That baby bread basket! My husband palpitated the mini challah and pronounced it magnificent. I’ve lived in a lot of different places and it’s still at the top of my list.

Yes I have. Been there with relatives in Highland Park and Deerfield. I can think of at least four delis off the top of my head in metro Detroit better than anywhere in Chicago.

Are you the Michigan State grad from College Confidential with a pit bull dog avatar like 150,000 posts?

Nope, but you gave me a good laugh. Honestly, who eats challah at a deli? It’s all about the rye bread. The twice baked rye breads at many Michigan delis cannot be beat. Sorry to go so far off topic…..

You, people, are both insane and entititled and don't realize it. How asinine is it to evaluate quality of your child's college education by availability of a 'great Jewish deli'? That speaks volumes about education in this country, not to mention, this country's population.

Signed,
-a foreigner

Translation: I don’t have the cultural competence to understand this discussion, but I’m bursting with the need to share my opinion about this (and everything else).

Reminds me of my German roommate in Cairo who every day tried to explain to Egyptians how they were speaking Arabic wrong because they didn’t talk like his elementary grammar book.

It’s kind of ridiculous that an American is trying to school others on being culturally ignorant and obnoxious. And I say this as an American. Let’s not kid ourselves: we take first prize in cultural ignorance.

[Anonymous]

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Plus it has Zingerman's. That alone would make Ann Arbor a great college town. Ashley's is one of the best beer bars in the country, much less in college towns. And when you add Krazy Jim's and chipati sauce on top of all that, it's a slam dunk.

>Tell us you paint your face yellow and blue on Saturdays for sportball games without telling us you paint your face yellow and blue on Saturdays for sportball games.

Also, props on being so narrow-minded you think a good bakery and deli is incredibly rare near college towns, let alone college towns with a population of 150,000.

I can’t find a great Jewish deli in the entire Chicagoland area. So much for your point.

Ever heard of Northbrook’s Max & Benny’s? That baby bread basket! My husband palpitated the mini challah and pronounced it magnificent. I’ve lived in a lot of different places and it’s still at the top of my list.

Yes I have. Been there with relatives in Highland Park and Deerfield. I can think of at least four delis off the top of my head in metro Detroit better than anywhere in Chicago.

Are you the Michigan State grad from College Confidential with a pit bull dog avatar like 150,000 posts?

Nope, but you gave me a good laugh. Honestly, who eats challah at a deli? It’s all about the rye bread. The twice baked rye breads at many Michigan delis cannot be beat. Sorry to go so far off topic…..

You, people, are both insane and entititled and don't realize it. How asinine is it to evaluate quality of your child's college education by availability of a 'great Jewish deli'? That speaks volumes about education in this country, not to mention, this country's population.

Signed,
-a foreigner

Translation: I don’t have the cultural competence to understand this discussion, but I’m bursting with the need to share my opinion about this (and everything else).

Reminds me of my German roommate in Cairo who every day tried to explain to Egyptians how they were speaking Arabic wrong because they didn’t talk like his elementary grammar book.

It’s kind of ridiculous that an American is trying to school others on being culturally ignorant and obnoxious. And I say this as an American. Let’s not kid ourselves: we take first prize in cultural ignorance.

Are you serious? You think just because some Americans are culturally ignorant that others can't be too? How is that ridiculous in the slightest?

[Anonymous]

JHU, agree with many prior comments.

Cons: it is cutthroat, the teachers are not there to teach but mainly to research (like many top schools) and often the TAs "teach" the big sections. Engineering can be hard anywhere but is way harder than necessary there.

The hospital and undergraduate campus are several miles apart. The undergrad campus is not in a dangerous area.

Regarding crime: The undergrad area has been revitalized a bit since I went, but there are still *plenty* of dangerous areas right around the undergrad campus. Tons of crime, mostly robberies, break-ins, or mugging but also plenty of violent crime. You need to be really aware of your surroundings. And dorms are only available for 1-2 years, then you have to live off campus.


Pros: It is very international & I appreciated meeting people from all over the world. Learned how to survive a city life.

Would definitely not encourage kids to even apply there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:JHU, agree with many prior comments.

Cons: it is cutthroat, the teachers are not there to teach but mainly to research (like many top schools) and often the TAs "teach" the big sections. Engineering can be hard anywhere but is way harder than necessary there.

The hospital and undergraduate campus are several miles apart. The undergrad campus is not in a dangerous area.

Regarding crime: The undergrad area has been revitalized a bit since I went, but there are still *plenty* of dangerous areas right around the undergrad campus. Tons of crime, mostly robberies, break-ins, or mugging but also plenty of violent crime. You need to be really aware of your surroundings. And dorms are only available for 1-2 years, then you have to live off campus.


Pros: It is very international & I appreciated meeting people from all over the world. Learned how to survive a city life.

Would definitely not encourage kids to even apply there.

As someone who currently lives within a mile of the undergrad campus and attended Hopkins, this is simply not true. And living off campus typically means living within a two block radius, not some far flung part of the city.

If we did not already live in Baltimore, I would definitely encourage my kids to apply. Plenty of kids from our local private schools do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to Colgate University, no way I would send my student there. Education was decent though not exceptional. But man, the isolation was terrible. Then add long, dark winters and heavy Greek life. I can list 100+ schools that offer the same education with better climate and proximity to cities, culture, etc. Even if your student were someone who wanted a more rural campus, there are many others that offer that option better than Colgate.

Class of ‘96 grad. I remember thinking that it was shallow to consider climate and location when considering colleges.
Colgate really slaps you into reality when it snows the last day of September and never stops. I have fond memories there but the location is a major drawback.

[Anonymous]

As someone who currently lives within a mile of the undergrad campus and attended Hopkins, this is simply not true. And living off campus typically means living within a two block radius, not some far flung part of the city.

Going to agree to disagree with you. Your experience may differ, but there are many kids who live more than two blocks away, and there is definitely crime in that area.

[Anonymous]

Duke, 1000%. Really just a toxic culture and environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Vanderbilt is rigorous, but also offers a more well rounded experience.

It’s very Southern/debutante. I have DDs, and I will discourage them from any schools in the South.

Jesus Christ, another Dobbs dork.