“Thus, if I mention Paris has the wonderful Louvre, then Paris is a dull, meh city. Sure.“

Not quite. The key premise is that no matter how sophisticated people act, for the vast majority of residents, museums are something they voluntarily visit rarely if at all. And even if they do go, I’m skeptical about what they learn in them.

So, given the level to which residents’ attendance at museums and improvement from museums are (from my experience) vastly overestimated, if museums show up on your short list of reasons that some place is peachy to spend years in, I can only conclude that that place doesn’t have a lot going for it.

Museums might be a reason to visit a place, but reasons to visit & reasons to spend years somewhere are 2 different lists.

If you tell me you lived in Paris for 10 years, visited museums every month, and came out of each visit with a new insight on life, fine. I’m happy for you. But I would also say you have no resemblance to any college student I ever met.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College students care much less about museums and culture than parents. Students choose OOS flagships bc they want a big school, big sports experience. These schools are mostly in cities where the university is the center of the city.

It’s not for everybody, but many students like the traditional college experience.

+100

Absolutely agree. They want the big school, big sports experience - it's not because the towns of the OOS flagships are so great in comparison to their home cities.

I don’t think the towns even necessarily need to be “better”. Just being somewhere different is fun.

I agree. We have twins that wanted totally different experiences than Wash DC offers (coming from private schools). They do want the bid school experience , big sports included. One is going to the University of Texas. The other is going to PSU. Vastly different schools in some ways. To each their own. We live in DC proper, and both kids said they would never stay in DC for school or even Virginia. They both were accepted to Georgetown and UVA but wanted to attend college farther away from home. I'm excited for them. Who know's how it turns out.

Your kid picked Penn State over Georgetown and UVA? I am shocked, actually.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College students care much less about museums and culture than parents. Students choose OOS flagships bc they want a big school, big sports experience. These schools are mostly in cities where the university is the center of the city.

It’s not for everybody, but many students like the traditional college experience.

+100

Absolutely agree. They want the big school, big sports experience - it's not because the towns of the OOS flagships are so great in comparison to their home cities.

I don’t think the towns even necessarily need to be “better”. Just being somewhere different is fun.

I agree. We have twins that wanted totally different experiences than Wash DC offers (coming from private schools). They do want the bid school experience , big sports included. One is going to the University of Texas. The other is going to PSU. Vastly different schools in some ways. To each their own. We live in DC proper, and both kids said they would never stay in DC for school or even Virginia. They both were accepted to Georgetown and UVA but wanted to attend college farther away from home. I'm excited for them. Who know's how it turns out.

The Georgetown app is a total PITA. Why go through that if you "would never stay in DC for school"?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College students care much less about museums and culture than parents. Students choose OOS flagships bc they want a big school, big sports experience. These schools are mostly in cities where the university is the center of the city.

It’s not for everybody, but many students like the traditional college experience.

+100

Absolutely agree. They want the big school, big sports experience - it's not because the towns of the OOS flagships are so great in comparison to their home cities.

I don’t think the towns even necessarily need to be “better”. Just being somewhere different is fun.

I agree. We have twins that wanted totally different experiences than Wash DC offers (coming from private schools). They do want the bid school experience , big sports included. One is going to the University of Texas. The other is going to PSU. Vastly different schools in some ways. To each their own. We live in DC proper, and both kids said they would never stay in DC for school or even Virginia. They both were accepted to Georgetown and UVA but wanted to attend college farther away from home. I'm excited for them. Who know's how it turns out.

Anonymous wrote:“it makes no sense to forgo the state flagship that may have a great reputation for your major, over a lesser oos just because you want to be a road warrior.”

I guess we should just send you our contact information & let you decide what our priorities should be and how to run our lives.

+1

My DD is planning to head out of VA because she wants to get away from this political climate. Women’s rights/LGTBQ+ right are a priority for her.

Anonymous wrote:“it makes no sense to forgo the state flagship that may have a great reputation for your major, over a lesser oos just because you want to be a road warrior.”

I guess we should just send you our contact information & let you decide what our priorities should be and how to run our lives.

+1

“it makes no sense to forgo the state flagship that may have a great reputation for your major, over a lesser oos just because you want to be a road warrior.”

I guess we should just send you our contact information & let you decide what our priorities should be and how to run our lives.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College students care much less about museums and culture than parents. Students choose OOS flagships bc they want a big school, big sports experience. These schools are mostly in cities where the university is the center of the city.

It’s not for everybody, but many students like the traditional college experience.

+100

Absolutely agree. They want the big school, big sports experience - it's not because the towns of the OOS flagships are so great in comparison to their home cities.

I don’t think the towns even necessarily need to be “better”. Just being somewhere different is fun.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there are three reasons OOS flagship schools are presently popular.

1) Kids want to leave the DMV, which is fairly boring, and experience a different corner of the country. Totally normal.

2) For kids with good stats, you can get some very good merit at public universities throughout the rest of the country. It's often cheaper to go the University of South Carolina or Indiana University than it is to go your instate options, particularly UVA and UMD, where it's difficult to get merit scholarships.

3) Schooling in the DMV has been depressing for the past 5 years. The long, long school closures during Covid. Virtual classes. The overkill with DEI lectures and assemblies every day. Micro-aggressions. Trans issues. It goes on and on and at a certain point kids are just rolling their eyes and want to get on with life. Students want to have a normal, traditional college experience. And they feel they are more likely to find it elsewhere.

^ this is why I hope my kids end up somewhere else

Nobody in their right mind would choose U of SC over UMD for CS or engineering. That would be a dumb move.

Actually some kids prefer U of SC

Just because they prefer it doesn't make it not a dumb move. USC out of state likely costs a lot more for a much lower quality education.

You’re mistaken

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there are three reasons OOS flagship schools are presently popular.

1) Kids want to leave the DMV, which is fairly boring, and experience a different corner of the country. Totally normal.

2) For kids with good stats, you can get some very good merit at public universities throughout the rest of the country. It's often cheaper to go the University of South Carolina or Indiana University than it is to go your instate options, particularly UVA and UMD, where it's difficult to get merit scholarships.

3) Schooling in the DMV has been depressing for the past 5 years. The long, long school closures during Covid. Virtual classes. The overkill with DEI lectures and assemblies every day. Micro-aggressions. Trans issues. It goes on and on and at a certain point kids are just rolling their eyes and want to get on with life. Students want to have a normal, traditional college experience. And they feel they are more likely to find it elsewhere.

^ this is why I hope my kids end up somewhere else

Nobody in their right mind would choose U of SC over UMD for CS or engineering. That would be a dumb move.

Actually some kids prefer U of SC

Just because they prefer it doesn't make it not a dumb move. USC out of state likely costs a lot more for a much lower quality education.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there are three reasons OOS flagship schools are presently popular.

1) Kids want to leave the DMV, which is fairly boring, and experience a different corner of the country. Totally normal.

2) For kids with good stats, you can get some very good merit at public universities throughout the rest of the country. It's often cheaper to go the University of South Carolina or Indiana University than it is to go your instate options, particularly UVA and UMD, where it's difficult to get merit scholarships.

3) Schooling in the DMV has been depressing for the past 5 years. The long, long school closures during Covid. Virtual classes. The overkill with DEI lectures and assemblies every day. Micro-aggressions. Trans issues. It goes on and on and at a certain point kids are just rolling their eyes and want to get on with life. Students want to have a normal, traditional college experience. And they feel they are more likely to find it elsewhere.

^ this is why I hope my kids end up somewhere else

Nobody in their right mind would choose U of SC over UMD for CS or engineering. That would be a dumb move.

Actually some kids prefer U of SC

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there are three reasons OOS flagship schools are presently popular.

1) Kids want to leave the DMV, which is fairly boring, and experience a different corner of the country. Totally normal.

2) For kids with good stats, you can get some very good merit at public universities throughout the rest of the country. It's often cheaper to go the University of South Carolina or Indiana University than it is to go your instate options, particularly UVA and UMD, where it's difficult to get merit scholarships.

3) Schooling in the DMV has been depressing for the past 5 years. The long, long school closures during Covid. Virtual classes. The overkill with DEI lectures and assemblies every day. Micro-aggressions. Trans issues. It goes on and on and at a certain point kids are just rolling their eyes and want to get on with life. Students want to have a normal, traditional college experience. And they feel they are more likely to find it elsewhere.

^ this is why I hope my kids end up somewhere else

Nobody in their right mind would choose U of SC over UMD for CS or engineering. That would be a dumb move.

Or Math, Physics, Journalism, Political Science…

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there are three reasons OOS flagship schools are presently popular.

1) Kids want to leave the DMV, which is fairly boring, and experience a different corner of the country. Totally normal.

2) For kids with good stats, you can get some very good merit at public universities throughout the rest of the country. It's often cheaper to go the University of South Carolina or Indiana University than it is to go your instate options, particularly UVA and UMD, where it's difficult to get merit scholarships.

3) Schooling in the DMV has been depressing for the past 5 years. The long, long school closures during Covid. Virtual classes. The overkill with DEI lectures and assemblies every day. Micro-aggressions. Trans issues. It goes on and on and at a certain point kids are just rolling their eyes and want to get on with life. Students want to have a normal, traditional college experience. And they feel they are more likely to find it elsewhere.

^ this is why I hope my kids end up somewhere else

Nobody in their right mind would choose U of SC over UMD for CS or engineering. That would be a dumb move.

Anonymous wrote:If given the option (and $ permit) it’s natural for a college-bound kid to consider getting to know a new part of the country to be part of the mind-expanding experience of college. DD passed on UMD to head to IU. She’s loved road-tripping with friends to Chicago and Cincinnati and Nashville, and day trips into Indianapolis - all places she had never been, and now knows. I can’t even believe there are defensive commenters on this site (but ok, it’s DCUM so I kind of believe it…) who believe you can wave the Post Style section to explain why kids should willingly forego the opportunity to use the four years of college to experience life in some new region and should stay in the mid Atlantic instead.

I can understand the appeal of going oos if you can't get into the state flagship that has a stellar reputation, especially for your major, or if money is not an issue. I understand the appeal. I have a bit of wanderlust myself.

But, for most people, money is an issue, so it makes no sense to forgo the state flagship that may have a great reputation for your major, over a lesser oos just because you want to be a road warrior.

Anonymous wrote:Nobody said you were claiming ALL you had was good museums. It’s that if u have to include museums on your list of favorable attributes, you have apparently quickly run out of convincing evidence & are padding your case with irrelevant fluff that you hope impresses some gullible readers.

Sorta like people from Queens who include Broadway shows among the reasons they love living in New York.

So let me get this straight. If somoeone mentions museums as just one of many favorable attributes of a location, that means the person is really reaching and the location is actually boring. Thus, if I mention Paris has the wonderful Louvre, then Paris is a dull, meh city. Sure.