Anonymous
Post 05/08/2026 15:52     Subject: Did you ever restrict your teen from applying to certain colleges? Did you have rules or boundaries?
Max budget is $65k so they are price/merit sensitive.

There is a small subset of schools that are not values aligned with our family and I am not willing to give those schools my money. Specifically we won’t pay for schools that teach Christian nationalism.
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2026 15:51     Subject: Did you ever restrict your teen from applying to certain colleges? Did you have rules or boundaries?
Anonymous wrote:Within 1 day’s drive.
Any direction.
Health considerations/emergency wouldn’t require plane trip.


Why can't your adult kid deal with health emergencies on their own? Do you expect them to live within a day's drive their whole life?
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2026 15:44     Subject: Did you ever restrict your teen from applying to certain colleges? Did you have rules or boundaries?
I didn’t ban any colleges, but there were a few “you can apply but we can’t afford to pay for it if you don’t get significant scholarship money”.

There was one school DC was interested in and didn’t apply because the likelihood of them being admitted was close to zero.
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2026 15:44     Subject: Did you ever restrict your teen from applying to certain colleges? Did you have rules or boundaries?
I had a narrow band of schools that I told my kids weren't worth 95k. Which is what we'd be paying.

the top 20 or so universities and top 5 or so LACs = worth it.

then there's a band of maybe 25 universities and LACs that are not worth it.

then there are approx 1000 schools that give merit aid so they don't cost 95k a year.
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2026 15:40     Subject: Did you ever restrict your teen from applying to certain colleges? Did you have rules or boundaries?
No, I didn’t restrict any schools but I also had a very good idea of where DS intended to apply (type of school and school specific).

Not sure I would’ve had a huge issue with a school if he had clear reasons and was thoughtful about it.
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2026 15:24     Subject: Did you ever restrict your teen from applying to certain colleges? Did you have rules or boundaries?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:No to any public university - we had the means for a quality education and a great student experience. There was no need to go and just be a number, or be OOS with superior grades to in state kids and paying more than the in state kids, or be at a place with middling facilities.


You're going to be sorely disappointed, especially when it comes to dorms.


I know a kid at a 90K private who lived under the cafeteria!
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2026 15:24     Subject: Did you ever restrict your teen from applying to certain colleges? Did you have rules or boundaries?
Within 1 day’s drive.
Any direction.
Health considerations/emergency wouldn’t require plane trip.
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2026 15:21     Subject: Did you ever restrict your teen from applying to certain colleges? Did you have rules or boundaries?
Anonymous wrote:No to any public university - we had the means for a quality education and a great student experience. There was no need to go and just be a number, or be OOS with superior grades to in state kids and paying more than the in state kids, or be at a place with middling facilities.


You're going to be sorely disappointed, especially when it comes to dorms.
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2026 15:19     Subject: Did you ever restrict your teen from applying to certain colleges? Did you have rules or boundaries?
Anonymous wrote:My parents wouldn’t let me apply to schools more than 3 hours from home, and I’m still resentful of them.


Oh, you poor thing. By all means, consider going no contact.
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2026 15:18     Subject: Did you ever restrict your teen from applying to certain colleges? Did you have rules or boundaries?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We visited multiple schools where the tour guides opened with their pronouns and/or a "stolen land acknowledgement." While we didn't outright nix those schools, we strongly discouraged them. Thankfully, DC felt the same way about spending four years in an environment dominated by insufferable woke SJWs as we did, and chose accordingly.

P.S. I know, I know: "Hope your DC enjoys Liberty." You're not funny or original.


Did you visit MIT? They start their info sessions with a land acknowledgment. Sounds like you would discourage your kid from going there...


Almost all the schools we visited had that acknowledgment. Good luck with your college list!


Funny. We visited 15+ schools over the last 1.5 years and I can't think of one that did.
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2026 15:12     Subject: Did you ever restrict your teen from applying to certain colleges? Did you have rules or boundaries?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Nothing further South than North Carolina allowed.


Sweetie it’s “farther.”


Bless your heart.
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2026 15:08     Subject: Did you ever restrict your teen from applying to certain colleges? Did you have rules or boundaries?
Anonymous wrote:No to any public university - we had the means for a quality education and a great student experience. There was no need to go and just be a number, or be OOS with superior grades to in state kids and paying more than the in state kids, or be at a place with middling facilities.


Not even UCB Hass?
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2026 15:05     Subject: Did you ever restrict your teen from applying to certain colleges? Did you have rules or boundaries?
Anonymous wrote:NYU, USC, Miami, Tulane, SMU


Curious why no Tulane or SMU?
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2026 15:01     Subject: Did you ever restrict your teen from applying to certain colleges? Did you have rules or boundaries?
We have friends who wouldn’t let their kids apply to colleges on the west coast. Wanted them to be a weekend trip away and they considered west coast too far. One of their kids ended up moving to Seattle post-grad so not sure if it ended up how they wanted.
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2026 14:52     Subject: Did you ever restrict your teen from applying to certain colleges? Did you have rules or boundaries?
Told DC that we would only support a West Coast school if they had some program that wasn’t offered closer to home (we are in MD).
This is due to HCOL and travel costs, not because we literally want DC at home.