Stupidest reason child won't look at a college

[pugmadkate]

I believe he was speaking of Tom's of Maine University. Or perhaps Aquafresh College?

[momreads]

My son did not consider a school in Pittsburgh because he is a diehard Ravens fan and cannot stand the Steelers. The youngest one said the same, but he is a diehard Washington Capitals fan.

[FindAPlace]

Doame:

Well, my S is a junior so he's hadn't applied anywhere just yet. However, it's not been easy to get him to consider anything outside CA, either. His argument: "Why do I need to apply outside CA? There are so many good schools here, I enjoy the culture and like the weather." It's been an interesting process to get him looking at places like Northwestern, UPenn or Duke. He's opening up a little now that the seniors at his school are making their choices.

[Endicott]

Let's see. Well, there was Brown. It was raining. At what kind of crappya** college would it rain?
No schools in New Jersey, because we live in NJ. No big colleges (would not even lift head up from reclining position when we drove around UNC Chapel Hill). Loves Virginia, but no Washington and Lee--too southern. No Ohio, too midwestern. No North Carolina--because the weather in North Carolina is way too hot, unlike the weather in Virginia. At some schools, tour guides were too stupid or pretentious, like the guide at Brown who said something like, "Maybe you won't make it at Brown, but you'll make it somewhere." (okay, that was pretentious).

Gee I wish I could do it all over again.

[pugmadkate]

Endicott, That is hilarious. Perhaps it should be required reading before a parent can open the "college visits" section.

[bblfraser]

These are good. :-) My D refused to consider anything in Virginia or NC because there was too much tobacco grown in the state. A diehard Yankees fan son of a friend ruled out a couple of schools in Boston because of the Red Sox. And another friend's D refused to consider a school because of the tour guide's sandals (another shoe bias vicitim) -- what kind of school attracts somebody who would wear such impractical shoes when they're giving a tour of the campus?

[michone]

S (and most of his friends) won't consider a school in Massachusetts because he is a huge Yankee fan and doesn't want to be anywhere near a Red Sox fan. I finally got him to take take a look at UMASS Amherst, where the tour guide was from Long Island and told the crowd that Yankee fans do exist here, but they all know how to run fast!!

[momofthreeboys]

My kids, no schools in Indiana because....ahhhh...it's Indiana. Ball State falls at the bottom of the list of 3,000+ potential colleges for name and location. Oldest, no schools with major roads running through the campus. Second son, dislikes 1960s and 1970s architecture with a passion. Oldest and second, proximity to water a must (parent: 80% of the school year is in winter.) They are silly sometimes, but it does narrow the lists and starts the focus.

[wis75]

A lot of those reasons make sense. I think the OP's son is missing the fact that huge numbers of Wisconsinites go to U of M- reciprocity. Likewise plenty of Vikings fans to rib on game day in Madison. I would pick UW over Marquette any day- quality of academics, campus, etc. Things like accents, ways of life, tobacco do influence culture and norms. My son wouldn't even visit the Harvard campus on his and H's east coast spring break tour when they went to see MIT a few years ago (the two are a tube stop or two from each other, walking distance). They bypassed Yale on the way to Princeton. Sigh- big chance to see famous places. I would have insisted we visit- one reason it was a father-son trip, perhaps. H and I made stops on some of the campuses just to see them on a later vacation.

[hudsonvalley51]

Well, 1960s and 70s architecture is pretty horrible. On the other hand, it is sometimes done well. Skidmore, in particular, comes to mind. Sort of a mini-SUNY Albany done in brick, and with a nod to good taste.

[vicariousparent]

No absolute refusals but it will be very hard for my D to overcome the "where fun goes to die" reputation of UChicago...especially since our tour guide was not the most ebullient.

[pugmadkate]

We've only done one, unguided tour so I had not considered what a difference the guide can make. I think the schools should pay more attention to that (except for the shoe thing, can't make everyone happy on that front.)

[SVMMom]

I lived for four years in a condo in a three story 1920's brick bldg. directly across the street from a dorm on the U. of C. campus. I NEVER heard a peep out of that dorm. Saw lots of students in the library though!

[franglish]

D didn't want to (but eventually did) apply to Middlebury because it smelled like cows the day we went...

[Lost in translat]

My daughter refused to appply to Bryn Mawr because she didn't want to end up strangled with her roommate's brasier. Absolutely true story. Can anyone guess her favourite movie?