^ “why would anyone spend $$ to go to lesser schools like Lake Forest or DePaul?”
UW - M has 29,000 undergraduates. Some kids just will not thrive or be happy in that environment.
My daughter would not be happy at a large Big 10 sized state flagship. She mentioned to me recently that she wants a school with a strong residential housing culture, and having to move off campus sophomore year is a non-starter, so she only wants to apply to schools that guarantee housing all 4 years. Every kid is different and has different needs.