Anonymous wrote:Kalamazoo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFv_PoZ2iP0

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actual bad names:
Salisbury State
Skidmore
Colgate
Grinnel
Goucher


Names that are so bad they are actually great:

Harvey Mudd
Transylvania U
Colorado School of Mines

Names that sound classy:

Cambridge
Oxford
Georgetown
Notre Dame
Vanderbilt

How is Colgate a bad name?

Most people think of toothpaste when they hear Colgate.

Colgate sounds elite, but it's true that many people associate it with the toothpaste for which the family that the university is named after made its money. It's probably better than Penn, which gets called Penn State by those who like to poke fun at its claim to being "elite. Other universities have names that are also associated with corporate brands, such as Duke (Energy), Occidental (Petroleum), and Vanderbilt (jeans), but they are not considered as non-elite as toothpaste, even if each of the companies or products are more controversial than toothpaste. I doubt any of those names, though, even the ones people might poke fun at, actually seriously deter people from attending.

By far the worst name for that reason is Washington & Lee. The Robert E. Lee name is toxic for a lot of people outside the South and for someone who is already a bit skittish about going to the South for college because of stereotypes about the kind of people or attitudes held there, having Lee in the college's name is a big red flag. Other college names may turn students away - such as a religious affiliation for students who don't belong to that religion - but those are conscious decisions made by the college to encourage self-selection. Washington & Lee was presumably named that to provide the opposite signal - unity of north and south and welcoming to all - but that meaning has gotten lost over the years.

Anonymous wrote:Slippery Rock

+1
DW and I are both graduates.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oral Roberts probably should have given a little more thought to its name.

+100

Obviously, it should have been Anal Roberts.

Lolol

Anonymous wrote:Northeastern is such a cool name because culture and sophistication increase in the US as you go north and east. Besides the university moved away from NEU to henceforth being called NU, as in new or novel. That can’t hurt, though it eclipses the other directional school that has claims to NU.

Good one!

Anonymous wrote:WORST

Schools named called "State" that aren't. Chicago State, Wright State, Kennesaw State, Weber State, etc

I have always hated this.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Slippery Rock

One of the top schools on my kid’s list, despite the strange name

It is reasonably priced even for out of staters and has good programs in the fields she is interested in

To be honest, the strange name is part of the appeal

It is in such a gross part of PA though!!! Has she toured it?

-Native Pittsburgher

actually, yes - she was the one who went to a summer program there. She liked the campus and the dance facilities (one of her interest areas) are gorgeous. Yes, the surrounding area leaves a lot to be desired, but we also do have a family member not far away (cranberry).

Anonymous wrote:Northeastern is such a cool name because culture and sophistication increase in the US as you go north and east. Besides the university moved away from NEU to henceforth being called NU, as in new or novel. That can’t hurt, though it eclipses the other directional school that has claims to NU.

NU IS Northwestern. Dream on NEU cheerleader. I agree that things are looking up for Northeastern. There are now only 40 schools between them and Northwestern.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Awful:

Ursinus College
Juniata College

Ursinus is MUCH worse than Juniata, come on!

+1 I like Juniata, it's kind of melodic. But, downside is on first glance it looks like Juanita.

Agree with PP, St Mary's College of Maryland sounds like a private Catholic school.

Anonymous wrote:WORST

Schools named called "State" that aren't. Chicago State, Wright State, Kennesaw State, Weber State, etc

I hadn’t thought of that - but I agree it is weird

WORST

Schools named called "State" that aren't. Chicago State, Wright State, Kennesaw State, Weber State, etc

worst- university of maryland university college