I've heard of them and I'm from the west coast. Knew nothing about UVA.

Bowdoin.

The majority of Americans use sports for their name recognition of colleges. Creighton and Gonzaga would be so much less known if not for college basketball. I’ll be honest that as a midwesterner, I only knew a number of the NE colleges due to hockey (Colgate, Middlebury, Mercyhurst, Canisius).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Name thr college or this is meaningless.

I’m trying to stay anonymous. It’s one of Colby, Bates, Bowdoin.

Do people have trouble pronouncing it?

If not, does it make one think of cheese?

Lol, PP!

I am sure they have heard about Holy Cross and Colgate.

Very few people have ever heard of the SLAC I went to and I'm sure quite a few colleagues and acquaintances over the years assumed it's not a very good school. I went to Swarthmore.

Those are all great schools -- congrats to your DD!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Name thr college or this is meaningless.

I’m trying to stay anonymous. It’s one of Colby, Bates, Bowdoin.

Ok, my kid goes to a comparably ranked LAC in the NE. Some people have heard of it, some have not. It's actually an interesting litmus test of a person's level of education and sophistication. Those with education know of it and know it's a good school. Who cares about the others? My kid doesn't.

Really what your kid and you need to get over is the need to feel like she has to impress. That's not a reason to pick a school. Who cares?

I went to a brand name school and go out of my way not to tell people where I went because I don't feel like dealing with the whole reaction.

All I heard from everyone -

Wellesley? Isn’t that in Ohio?

When she is describing it, is she using the words “liberal arts”? Many uneducated people think that’s a political term and have terrible reactions to it.

I have heard of all of those

Anonymous wrote:Does it really matter that Joe the plumber or Tom the handyman never heard of your college?!

Unfortunately, many people who attended college and even better colleges don’t know these schools. To me, it’s an interesting litmus test about how much these people really know about American higher education.

Anonymous wrote:My kid got into Amherst and not many knew about it. People who are in community college or state school scene, don't know much about out of state colleges other than Harvard or Oxford.

You people just keep digging your own holes with these ridiculous posts. BTW, how many people from DCUM (or Bates/Colby/Bowdoin) have ever heard of the OP's hometown? How uneducated and unworldly they must be. What rubes.

Does it really matter that Joe the plumber or Tom the handyman never heard of your college?!

Anonymous wrote:Another option is to say that you looked at “name Ivy,” but that “chosen school” was more interesting to you. That suggests the level you’re playing on. If someone then says, “Oh, why did you prefer Swarthmore over Yale,” let them have it - gently.

My kid was one of these. Had a great record, including a one-sit SAT 1560. He was sick and tired of the dog-eat-dog striving of his high school and the competition at Ivies for clubs, etc. He wanted to go somewhere where kids were fine with themselves, yet smart, and ambitious toward their own goals. He found it outside the NE and at a highly-ranked SLAC. His social life has gone from fairly small in HS to a friend group of 20+ in college.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She picked it because she felt it was the right college for her. I don’t understand justifying it to anyone but her parents who are most likely paying for it.

That’s perfect. She will ditch her small southern town and be living in the sophisticated city why her hs friends never leave that south. It’s ok. It’s her choice. Who cares what they think?

Which of Colby, Bates, or Bowdoin are located in a "sophisticated city"?