<p>I like this.
</p>
<p>As for the dorms, there’s a subtle distinction between colleges offering various levels of housing and the colleges sorting students into housing via financial status. I’m not wild about the former but the latter would be just plain icky: you could just stamp $ on some students’ foreheads and the “cents” sign on others.</p>
<p>As to paid-for “premium” housing, I don’t think colleges need any more proxies for entitlement based on family wealth. Just getting into and attending a private school as a heavy thumb on the scale in that direction as it is.</p>
<p>Back to MWFN: yes, it is easy to idealize Smith and because my D had a near-ideal experience, I constantly must check myself against doing so. I’ve kept in touch with the mom of one of this year’s first-years from our area and her D is apparently having a fabulous time…you can think someone is a good fit but you never really know until they actually experience it. So I always have a bit of “fingers crossed” that I don’t get an e-mail from someone who is disappointed after I’ve waxed so eloquent…or at least at length…about Smith.</p>