Honestly, OP, I recommend you get out now and don't look back. This is the bad place. Even the useful and well-intentioned posts required wading chest-deep through misinformation and muck.

Here are the things I got out of here that were valuable:

1. I was introduced to Jeff Selingo -- his book The Price You Pay for College is worth the money.

2. ?

Actual parent here. No agenda, post only when I think it will be genuinely helpful, avoid the pages that have devolved into mayhem, and just generally here to burn off the unexpected angst that accompanied my kid selecting and applying to colleges. I came here instead of helicoptering. Kid is now set for next year, so not sure why I’m still here except out of habit when procrastinating.

Anonymous wrote:Started visiting the site to learn about a couple of schools DC was interested in. I felt that I was getting some good information until I compared what I was seeing here with other sources. Turns out that ~95 percent of the info here was false! There were a lot of people pretending to be someone and something they aren't in order to lend their views credibility (which you can't do as easily on forums with rules, like College Confidential). They were just spreading lies to damage these particular schools. But what was really demoralizing was that the people genuinely trying to help also posted stuff that used to be true but no longer was. Honestly, I like the Fiske guide, College Confidential, and Reddit plus schools' press releases better than this place simply for gathering facts. There are no facts here, just twelfth-dimensional disinformation campaigns sustained over months and even years by wounded egos.

Whew. For a second I thought you were part of the 95%.

Anonymous wrote:Started visiting the site to learn about a couple of schools DC was interested in. I felt that I was getting some good information until I compared what I was seeing here with other sources. Turns out that ~95 percent of the info here was false! There were a lot of people pretending to be someone and something they aren't in order to lend their views credibility (which you can't do as easily on forums with rules, like College Confidential). They were just spreading lies to damage these particular schools. But what was really demoralizing was that the people genuinely trying to help also posted stuff that used to be true but no longer was. Honestly, I like the Fiske guide, College Confidential, and Reddit plus schools' press releases better than this place simply for gathering facts. There are no facts here, just twelfth-dimensional disinformation campaigns sustained over months and even years by wounded egos.

?

Many don’t act like adults

Anonymous wrote:This entire site is 35% trolls, 35% agenda based, 15% people that don’t actually know anything about the topic just have opinions on it, 10% opinions based on experience, and 5% facts.

This subforum used to be high quality DC-based responses but then it was invaded by College Confidential wackos who have no life.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unmoderated forums fall apart eventually. The trolls overrun the normal people who just want to share what they've learned. That has happened here. DCUM is over.

DCUM is far from over, people respond to the trolls like crazy.

Guilty. I just feel bad...I think they are lonely.

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unmoderated forums fall apart eventually. The trolls overrun the normal people who just want to share what they've learned. That has happened here. DCUM is over.

DCUM is far from over, people respond to the trolls like crazy.

Guilty. I just feel bad...I think they are lonely.

Whether 18 year old adults or 40 year old adults, a lot of the posters are just lazy trolls. Lots of good people make up for it.

Anonymous wrote:Unmoderated forums fall apart eventually. The trolls overrun the normal people who just want to share what they've learned. That has happened here. DCUM is over.

DCUM is far from over, people respond to the trolls like crazy.

Started visiting the site to learn about a couple of schools DC was interested in. I felt that I was getting some good information until I compared what I was seeing here with other sources. Turns out that ~95 percent of the info here was false! There were a lot of people pretending to be someone and something they aren't in order to lend their views credibility (which you can't do as easily on forums with rules, like College Confidential). They were just spreading lies to damage these particular schools. But what was really demoralizing was that the people genuinely trying to help also posted stuff that used to be true but no longer was. Honestly, I like the Fiske guide, College Confidential, and Reddit plus schools' press releases better than this place simply for gathering facts. There are no facts here, just twelfth-dimensional disinformation campaigns sustained over months and even years by wounded egos.

It's pretty easy to separate the useful posts from the chaff. Sometimes you can tell from the thread title alone; for others, it may take a few pages of banter to determine if there are enough legit posters contributing to continue bothering with the thread. Some start out useful but trolls take over and it goes way off the rails.

Signed,
an actual parent of hs soph

Anonymous wrote:This entire site is 35% trolls, 35% agenda based, 15% people that don’t actually know anything about the topic just have opinions on it, 10% opinions based on experience, and 5% facts.

Sounds about right.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New-ish to DCUM... Are most of the people participating in the College and University discussion actual parents? Or at the very least, adults?
Also, why are there some strong feelings against certain universities? Almost like these universities ran over their dogs or something.

I'm not meaning to be inflammatory. Just really curious... and the history behind these feelings.

or these universities rejected their kids.

Can't be explained otherwise.

I honestly cannot find being personally offended that UChicago or Duke did not accept my kid.

Unmoderated forums fall apart eventually. The trolls overrun the normal people who just want to share what they've learned. That has happened here. DCUM is over.