Anonymous wrote:"I think there's a critical thinking element to this. Living in an environment that does not have the exact same value system as where you grew up forces you to learn to evaluate situations in a more well-rounded way. The DC area can be very susceptible to a certain kind of self-satisfied group think, and it tends to be self-reinforcing. People here are very convinced of their own intelligence and judgment. Going somewhere where people think differently and don't automatically differ to the wisdom of that DC group think will help prevent your kid from becoming myopic or insufferable. It can also help with empathy and with self-awareness.

The more homogeneous your child's DC experience was, the more this is true. It is most true for kids who were in elite privates all the way and have had really limited interactions with people outside of that bubble. Much less true for kids who were public schools, especially if outside the JKLM or W school bubbles.

This is an important part of becoming a thoughtful adult that I think many DC families miss because they, too, are over-focused on a very DC-centric values system."

Do you think the single mom in SE or the immigrant parents in Columbia Heights whose kid goes to a charter school in NW share your "exact same value system" or is part of your group think?

And newsflash: Most kids at most colleges are from families in the upper income groups. There are very few schools that DCUM would approve of that are comprised of first gen or POC students.

+1000

PP's comment was tone-deaf and just shows how entrenched SHE is within the DC bubble. I bet she doesn't interact with any middle or low-income people.

"I think there's a critical thinking element to this. Living in an environment that does not have the exact same value system as where you grew up forces you to learn to evaluate situations in a more well-rounded way. The DC area can be very susceptible to a certain kind of self-satisfied group think, and it tends to be self-reinforcing. People here are very convinced of their own intelligence and judgment. Going somewhere where people think differently and don't automatically differ to the wisdom of that DC group think will help prevent your kid from becoming myopic or insufferable. It can also help with empathy and with self-awareness.

The more homogeneous your child's DC experience was, the more this is true. It is most true for kids who were in elite privates all the way and have had really limited interactions with people outside of that bubble. Much less true for kids who were public schools, especially if outside the JKLM or W school bubbles.

This is an important part of becoming a thoughtful adult that I think many DC families miss because they, too, are over-focused on a very DC-centric values system."

Do you think the single mom in SE or the immigrant parents in Columbia Heights whose kid goes to a charter school in NW share your "exact same value system" or is part of your group think?

And newsflash: Most kids at most colleges are from families in the upper income groups. There are very few schools that DCUM would approve of that are comprised of first gen or POC students.

Anonymous wrote:This is a very person dependent issue. For every DC kid that would love a remote location, there is another that would hate it. I don't think it has anything to do with growing up in an urban environment. It is just personal preference.

I was going to say the same thing. I grew up in NYC and went to a remote rural NESCAC school and loved it. But some of the other NYC kids did not. I loved the access to the outdoors and not having to lock my doors or worry about safety. I was fine with social offerings being limited to campus. I think the city kids who didn't appreciate those things were less outdoorsy and more of the type who went clubbing in HS.

These kids … I see them all over town… are wandering around the city way too much. They should spend more time getting to know themselves. Many of them wind up having mental health issues because their childhood was cut short. There’s plenty of time for cities and adventure. Send them back down to the basement and backyard to hang out with friends and have normal childhoods.

Both my kids wanted an urban or semi-urban environment. I felt that that preference ruled out some places that might have been a better fit for each of them academically. But I let them drive the bus, and they are both happy, one at a large school in a city, the other at a medium school on the outskirts of a city. I credit them for recognizing what kind of experience they wanted.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, your post is one of the most annoying I’ve read in a loooong time, and that’s saying a lot.

Where does your kid go to college?

+1
Spoiler alert- DC is boring. And a small town masquerading as a big city.

Never be bored and you will never be boring.

What a boring comment.

Yes. Eleanor Roosevelt was such a bore.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, your post is one of the most annoying I’ve read in a loooong time, and that’s saying a lot.

Where does your kid go to college?

+1
Spoiler alert- DC is boring. And a small town masquerading as a big city.

Never be bored and you will never be boring.

What a boring comment.

My 12 year old thinks DC is not a real city and dreams of going to NYU.

On a serious note, though, I do think urban schools offer more opportunities for internships and off-campus jobs, so that your kid has a leg up when it comes to a job search. If you are well connected, this isn't that important, of course.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn’t one point of college to have a different experience than one did in HS?

Also, most college students even located in cities cannot afford a constant stream of restaurants, concerts and major league sporting events like your kids’ high school experiences seem to have been. They go to Chipolte just like the students in rural locations do.

+1 Sounds more like a bored rich kid problem than a city kid problem.

Op here.

Thx but my kids have been earning their own Spence money in full since age 15.

Do you they not have to save for their college??

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, your post is one of the most annoying I’ve read in a loooong time, and that’s saying a lot.

Where does your kid go to college?

+1
Spoiler alert- DC is boring. And a small town masquerading as a big city.

Never be bored and you will never be boring.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s great benefit to leaving the weird DC bubble.

+1

I think there's a critical thinking element to this. Living in an environment that does not have the exact same value system as where you grew up forces you to learn to evaluate situations in a more well-rounded way. The DC area can be very susceptible to a certain kind of self-satisfied group think, and it tends to be self-reinforcing. People here are very convinced of their own intelligence and judgment. Going somewhere where people think differently and don't automatically differ to the wisdom of that DC group think will help prevent your kid from becoming myopic or insufferable. It can also help with empathy and with self-awareness.

The more homogeneous your child's DC experience was, the more this is true. It is most true for kids who were in elite privates all the way and have had really limited interactions with people outside of that bubble. Much less true for kids who were public schools, especially if outside the JKLM or W school bubbles.

This is an important part of becoming a thoughtful adult that I think many DC families miss because they, too, are over-focused on a very DC-centric values system.

+100000
Beautifully said.

Anonymous wrote:OP, your post is one of the most annoying I’ve read in a loooong time, and that’s saying a lot.

Where does your kid go to college?

+1
Spoiler alert- DC is boring. And a small town masquerading as a big city.

This is a very person dependent issue. For every DC kid that would love a remote location, there is another that would hate it. I don't think it has anything to do with growing up in an urban environment. It is just personal preference.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s weird that city kids can’t handle a rural area. Seems inflexible and even unimaginative.

Before everyone slams me, I’ll say my kid is probably one of those. They want an urban school. It can be smaller than the DMV yet city is still preferred.

I lived in a rural area post-college and didn’t like it yet I’m glad I had the experience, because it made me more well rounded.

Or, some people have strong preferences about certain things. I grew up in a city (not in US) and can't see myself in a rural area. I probably could handle this if I had to, but I don't. I am fairly easygoing and flexible on many other things in life, but I need my city lights.

It might be that they can "handle" it, but that the amenities of a city are more fun and attractive. I grew up in a rural area. Because there wasn't a lot to do, kids in high school drank A LOT -- parties were just sitting around (inside or outside) drinking. There was a lot of teen sex, a lot of girls got pregnant, and it was, frankly, mostly out of boredom. If you weren't into 4H or something like that as a teen, there wasn't a ton of social activity besides sports and drinking. You had to drive a fair ways to do other stuff. I can "handle" rural areas just fine, but I can totally see why not everyone would want to spend college in one. Some kids like it because it's near outdoor recreation (hiking, skiing, etc.) but it's fair that it's not for everyone.

Anonymous wrote:There’s great benefit to leaving the weird DC bubble.

+1

I think there's a critical thinking element to this. Living in an environment that does not have the exact same value system as where you grew up forces you to learn to evaluate situations in a more well-rounded way. The DC area can be very susceptible to a certain kind of self-satisfied group think, and it tends to be self-reinforcing. People here are very convinced of their own intelligence and judgment. Going somewhere where people think differently and don't automatically differ to the wisdom of that DC group think will help prevent your kid from becoming myopic or insufferable. It can also help with empathy and with self-awareness.

The more homogeneous your child's DC experience was, the more this is true. It is most true for kids who were in elite privates all the way and have had really limited interactions with people outside of that bubble. Much less true for kids who were public schools, especially if outside the JKLM or W school bubbles.

This is an important part of becoming a thoughtful adult that I think many DC families miss because they, too, are over-focused on a very DC-centric values system.