Venn diagram of selective colleges and pleasant campuses/dorms/food

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:USC ticks most the boxes, the campus is gorgeous and the facilities are excellent. But you’re in DTLA.

No you aren't, would be better if it *were* DTLA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you actually choose your college based upon this? Not fit or quality of education?

Are you superficial and status seeking in other aspects of your life?

OP here. Yes, Yes, and No I don't think comfort is superficial or status-seeking, and if you took two seconds to think about it, I don't think you believe that either. I am specifically looking for VERY SELECTIVE institutions (as I said in my post) which are ALSO comfortable. What's the problem with that?

I'm a foreigner who did not experience an American campus experience. I had a 30 minute metro commute from my very comfortable home to classes at my universities - in my capital city, that's normal. Undergrads live at home if they can. There are no dorms, except a few for international students. When I inquired about campuses in the States, I was pretty shocked to learn that students were supposed to share tiny rooms, often with no A/C in places where climate change now makes early fall and late spring uncomfortably warm. I've heard that sometimes the food is not great either. This sometimes occurs even on beautiful campuses with superb athletic facilities and state-of-the-art science labs, libraries, etc.

I am not one of those who thinks that sacrificing a decent quality of life is a "rite of passage" for a college student, having never lived through that myself.

This is why I ask about the overlap between very selective colleges/universities and those that are comfortable. I'd rather my kids not be miserable for 4-5 years!

In my humble opinion, one of the advantages of the American college system is the residential aspect for undergraduate students. The students could learn the course material in online classes, but there is an advantage to living together on campus and meeting new people.

In the U.S., it is considered less desirable to be a commuter student, but it can be done.

Most American students (even from wealthy families) seem to enjoy living in a dorm because of the social aspects.

And most students only live in small rooms for 2 years, with larger rooms or apartments often available in years 3-4.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:High Point's dorms and amenities are incredible.

High Point is not selective. It’s barely accredited.

Dean Cain aka Superman's kid goes there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:High Point's dorms and amenities are incredible.

High Point is not selective. It’s barely accredited.

Dean Cain aka Superman's kid goes there.

And he went to Princeton.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:High Point's dorms and amenities are incredible.

High Point is not selective. It’s barely accredited.

Dean Cain aka Superman's kid goes there.

And he went to Princeton.

Dean Cain is a MAGA, and he probably wanted his kids to go to a conservative school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went on tours for a number of selective SLACs, and I think there would be a high quality of life at any of them. I don't think selective small colleges (many with healthy endowments) are choosing to forgo renovations or pick inferior dining services just because students will go there any way.

Maybe we're not talking about the same ones, but when we toured northeast (S)LACs, we saw that Vassar had some terribly run-down buildings, Bard was ramshackle (OK, maybe not that selective), even Dartmouth and Williams weren't that great. Middlebury had the best facilities of all of them. None of them allowed dorm visits except Skidmore (OK, maybe not that selective), which had decent dorms and cafeteria.

Then more locally, William & Mary and St John's College (Annapolis) had awful food (I hear W&M is doing something about it), UMD showed us the nice Honors dorms and decent dining halls, Georgetown only showed us the hard-to-get rooms with stunning views of the Potomac, and George Washington had better dorms and food than Skidmore and UMD.

Ivies probably have a non-existent need to attract students with luxury carpeting and hotel-like single rooms with private bathroom I was told certain Ivies are really not comfortable when you live there, but I haven't visited any, so can't speak from personal experience.

Whoa. You thought Dartmouth and Williams weren't that great? Personally, I was blown away at how nice everything is at Williams. It felt like everything had been either built or refurbished in the last decade and polished by a team of well-paid elves each night. Dartmouth was also extremely nice although just a shade less nice than Williams. I'm not disputing your observations, but just noting how different my own were.

In terms of nice, well-kept buildings, I'd rank Bowdoin just after Williams and Dartmouth. But, overall, very nice. I had no complaints. And Bowdoin's food was excellent.

PP you replied. You're right, now I think about it, Williams was nicer than Dartmouth. But Middlebury was slightly better than Williams. I did not visit Bowdoin.

Agree that Middlebury had the nicest facilities of all the colleges we visited. Well-manicured lawns, well-kept buildings, nice sports complex. Modern science center and library. Doesn't hurt that they have an 18-hole golf course on campus and their own ski mountain. Bowdoin was nice but too small for my kid. I was impressed with Colby--not so much with Bates. Williams was my second fav after Midd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went on tours for a number of selective SLACs, and I think there would be a high quality of life at any of them. I don't think selective small colleges (many with healthy endowments) are choosing to forgo renovations or pick inferior dining services just because students will go there any way.

Maybe we're not talking about the same ones, but when we toured northeast (S)LACs, we saw that Vassar had some terribly run-down buildings, Bard was ramshackle (OK, maybe not that selective), even Dartmouth and Williams weren't that great. Middlebury had the best facilities of all of them. None of them allowed dorm visits except Skidmore (OK, maybe not that selective), which had decent dorms and cafeteria.

Then more locally, William & Mary and St John's College (Annapolis) had awful food (I hear W&M is doing something about it), UMD showed us the nice Honors dorms and decent dining halls, Georgetown only showed us the hard-to-get rooms with stunning views of the Potomac, and George Washington had better dorms and food than Skidmore and UMD.

Ivies probably have a non-existent need to attract students with luxury carpeting and hotel-like single rooms with private bathroom I was told certain Ivies are really not comfortable when you live there, but I haven't visited any, so can't speak from personal experience.

Whoa. You thought Dartmouth and Williams weren't that great? Personally, I was blown away at how nice everything is at Williams. It felt like everything had been either built or refurbished in the last decade and polished by a team of well-paid elves each night. Dartmouth was also extremely nice although just a shade less nice than Williams. I'm not disputing your observations, but just noting how different my own were.

In terms of nice, well-kept buildings, I'd rank Bowdoin just after Williams and Dartmouth. But, overall, very nice. I had no complaints. And Bowdoin's food was excellent.

PP you replied. You're right, now I think about it, Williams was nicer than Dartmouth. But Middlebury was slightly better than Williams. I did not visit Bowdoin.

Agree that Middlebury had the nicest facilities of all the colleges we visited. Well-manicured lawns, well-kept buildings, nice sports complex. Modern science center and library. Doesn't hurt that they have an 18-hole golf course on campus and their own ski mountain. Bowdoin was nice but too small for my kid. I was impressed with Colby--not so much with Bates. Williams was my second fav after Midd.

I thought Middlebury had a massive housing shortage and some freshman were living in trailers now ? Those FEMA trailers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went on tours for a number of selective SLACs, and I think there would be a high quality of life at any of them. I don't think selective small colleges (many with healthy endowments) are choosing to forgo renovations or pick inferior dining services just because students will go there any way.

Maybe we're not talking about the same ones, but when we toured northeast (S)LACs, we saw that Vassar had some terribly run-down buildings, Bard was ramshackle (OK, maybe not that selective), even Dartmouth and Williams weren't that great. Middlebury had the best facilities of all of them. None of them allowed dorm visits except Skidmore (OK, maybe not that selective), which had decent dorms and cafeteria.

Then more locally, William & Mary and St John's College (Annapolis) had awful food (I hear W&M is doing something about it), UMD showed us the nice Honors dorms and decent dining halls, Georgetown only showed us the hard-to-get rooms with stunning views of the Potomac, and George Washington had better dorms and food than Skidmore and UMD.

Ivies probably have a non-existent need to attract students with luxury carpeting and hotel-like single rooms with private bathroom I was told certain Ivies are really not comfortable when you live there, but I haven't visited any, so can't speak from personal experience.

Whoa. You thought Dartmouth and Williams weren't that great? Personally, I was blown away at how nice everything is at Williams. It felt like everything had been either built or refurbished in the last decade and polished by a team of well-paid elves each night. Dartmouth was also extremely nice although just a shade less nice than Williams. I'm not disputing your observations, but just noting how different my own were.

In terms of nice, well-kept buildings, I'd rank Bowdoin just after Williams and Dartmouth. But, overall, very nice. I had no complaints. And Bowdoin's food was excellent.

PP you replied. You're right, now I think about it, Williams was nicer than Dartmouth. But Middlebury was slightly better than Williams. I did not visit Bowdoin.

Agree that Middlebury had the nicest facilities of all the colleges we visited. Well-manicured lawns, well-kept buildings, nice sports complex. Modern science center and library. Doesn't hurt that they have an 18-hole golf course on campus and their own ski mountain. Bowdoin was nice but too small for my kid. I was impressed with Colby--not so much with Bates. Williams was my second fav after Midd.

I thought Middlebury had a massive housing shortage and some freshman were living in trailers now ? Those FEMA trailers.

See Forbes article.
It’s a huge problem and for that money, I would be pissed if my kid was living in a trailer in the middle of winter

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:🙄

Just make yourself a spreadsheet / do your own research. Everyone has their own priorities and these are clearly yours.

Sharing info is more efficient

[Anonymous]

Duke and Davidson were both great when we toured

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Elon

Is Elon selective???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Elon

Is Elon selective???

Yes, they select for admission nearly everyone who applies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Are expensive private universities, and possibly state colleges who are pushing to attract more students, going to have the most comfortable dorms, best food and general attention to students' wellbeing?

I assume that selectivity in itself is NOT a proxy for comfort, since very selective colleges will have kids desperate to get in even if they have to live in crappy conditions.

Anyone want to weigh in on which very selective institutions are also comfortable?

Thanks.

Penn State definitely is not.

[Anonymous]

Princeton

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went on tours for a number of selective SLACs, and I think there would be a high quality of life at any of them. I don't think selective small colleges (many with healthy endowments) are choosing to forgo renovations or pick inferior dining services just because students will go there any way.

Maybe we're not talking about the same ones, but when we toured northeast (S)LACs, we saw that Vassar had some terribly run-down buildings, Bard was ramshackle (OK, maybe not that selective), even Dartmouth and Williams weren't that great. Middlebury had the best facilities of all of them. None of them allowed dorm visits except Skidmore (OK, maybe not that selective), which had decent dorms and cafeteria.

Then more locally, William & Mary and St John's College (Annapolis) had awful food (I hear W&M is doing something about it), UMD showed us the nice Honors dorms and decent dining halls, Georgetown only showed us the hard-to-get rooms with stunning views of the Potomac, and George Washington had better dorms and food than Skidmore and UMD.

Ivies probably have a non-existent need to attract students with luxury carpeting and hotel-like single rooms with private bathroom I was told certain Ivies are really not comfortable when you live there, but I haven't visited any, so can't speak from personal experience.

Whoa. You thought Dartmouth and Williams weren't that great? Personally, I was blown away at how nice everything is at Williams. It felt like everything had been either built or refurbished in the last decade and polished by a team of well-paid elves each night. Dartmouth was also extremely nice although just a shade less nice than Williams. I'm not disputing your observations, but just noting how different my own were.

In terms of nice, well-kept buildings, I'd rank Bowdoin just after Williams and Dartmouth. But, overall, very nice. I had no complaints. And Bowdoin's food was excellent.

PP you replied. You're right, now I think about it, Williams was nicer than Dartmouth. But Middlebury was slightly better than Williams. I did not visit Bowdoin.

Agree that Middlebury had the nicest facilities of all the colleges we visited. Well-manicured lawns, well-kept buildings, nice sports complex. Modern science center and library. Doesn't hurt that they have an 18-hole golf course on campus and their own ski mountain. Bowdoin was nice but too small for my kid. I was impressed with Colby--not so much with Bates. Williams was my second fav after Midd.

I thought Middlebury had a massive housing shortage and some freshman were living in trailers now ? Those FEMA trailers.

See Forbes article.
It’s a huge problem and for that money, I would be pissed if my kid was living in a trailer in the middle of winter

No one is living in trailers anymore.