<p>Here’s what my son reports is “wrong with Denison.” </p>
<p>The food stinks (not exactly his words 
).</p>
<p>The screen in his window keeps falling out to the ground 3 stories below.</p>
<p>Hmmm…could be worse I’d say!!!</p>
<p>Knox
food plan while on paper looks like it has options in reality if student chooses less meals , more flex money, price of one meal increases so choosing option with fewer meals becomes costly. D having some adjustment with food since she is accustomed to eat what she wants and when she wants. Being the excellent cook that she is, it is little upsetting to realize that not every dorm has kitchen and, of course, her does not, so all her carefully choosen kitchenette stuff is not being used.
After eating at Knox on several occasions and finding plenty of choices for vegetarians, vegans, kosher meals I am not sure how much it is really my D’s problem or school itself.</p>
<p>It is interesting how many people choose to talk about schools their kids in. Maybe we should have another set of posts- “college visit- final destination” where parents could share all their wisdom of careful reseach and insider opinions of choosen colleges.</p>
<p>^Lindalana, Do you mean how the final decision about destination was made, and insider wisdom now that everyone has found their hopefully, happy home?</p>
<p>Lindalana, since the title of this thread is, “What’s the one thing wrong with your kid’s college?”, the idea is to focus on the colleges that our kids actually attend. I think that will tend to draw out more “insider” information than impressions from a visit – I think it is especially valuable when it comes from parents whose kids are relatively happy with their schools. Then its not bashing or complaints, but a more realistic assessment. </p>
<p>But I do think a separate thread to explore how info learned on visits shaped the search might be helpful. The problem is that the visit information might be superficial or downright wrong. I mean, my d. rejected American as “too preppie” and Goucher for having “too many trees”. … but I really took those comments with a grain of salt. A bad experience with the hosting students at an overnight really doesn’t mean that all the students who attend the school are insensitive drunkards; once the student has spent some time living on campus, its a lot easier to sort out whether the binge-drinking students are an aberration or the norm for that campus.</p>
<p>blucroo - does your s or d go to Pomona or one of the other Claremont colleges?<br>
It isn’t my impression from my son’s first semester that Pomona students study all the time, or that the atmosphere is intense. Quite the opposite, in fact. They seem to have a lot of fun and are pretty laid back. At least my kid has a lot of time for activities outside the classroom, which seems to match the feeling of other cc student posters on the Pomona threads. Pomona is small but doesn’t feel too small because of the other campuses - total consortium population is over 5000 students. Air quaility is not horrible - the heat during the month of September was pretty oppressive, however, but son says the climate and air conditions have been quite pleasant since the Sept heat wave ended. </p>
<p>Negatives so far - two out of his four teachers are not very effective or interesting, in his opinion. I think all schools have their less than inspiring staff members and hope that he has better luck next semester. It seems too early to evaluate overall pros and cons at this point, but maybe by this time next year I’ll feel in a better position to comment. My son doesn’t really give us that much information one way or another, and our own ( mine and dh’s) impressions have been very positive, although limited.</p>
<p>Cornell: Other than the obvious (weather, location in the middle of “nowhere”) that no one could possibly overlook in evaluating a college, Cornell has in all respects been terrific for my DS, but for two (not so huge) issues: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Billing: Cornell claims they bill my DS rather than me because “the law” requires it. But it’s incredibly frustrating. It’s really quite obvious that my DS (and likely most Cornell students) are not footing their own bills. If Cornell wants its money (and it does) it really is rather laughable for them to bill the students, when they know full well it’s the parents who will resolve any issues. It’s not as bad when we (I !!!) owe Cornell money, but it’s frustrating in the extreme when it’s a refund situation (which it is, for us, twice a year because out-of-state prepaid tuition program payments go to Cornell after their deadline for full payment)…they say, “we have no choice; your kid is 18 and so the law requires us to deal w/him”…I do not believe them–I know too many other parents of kids at other schools (including in NY) who get the bills themselves (when it’s so requested by both student and parent(s), but it’s the only really serious complaint I have about the school, which has been terrific in almost every other respect for my DS and for me, his tuition-paying mother!</p></li>
<li><p>Matching Listed Requirements with Actual Practice: This is just one small item, and could be as much my DS’ misunderstanding as Cornell’s “deceptive advertising”…but I read the “advertising,” too, and it appears to me that Cornell “deceived”…they have a special program to which my DS applied, which was described as relying heavily on grades…my DS’ grades were way above the level described as required, and he thought (and so said his advisors–3 of them; Cornell provides 3 advisors for each kid–a major strength, I think)–that because of his grades and app he was a “lock” to get in. Well, he didn’t…and it turned out they said it was because his intentions on how to use the program didn’t match up w/Cornell’s expectations for that program–something utterly unclear in any of the literature I saw, and something that surprised DS (and his advisors) totally. This was a bigger deal than it might otherwise have been…DS wasn’t emotionally distraught over the rejection, but did “act out” by rearranging his entire academic plan … to the distress of his advisors (and his mother)! He’ll still get a degree in four years (perhaps sooner and perhaps more than one degree), and he’s still pulling straight As…but his respect for and focus on academics and research took a big hit…and I think this is something Cornell’s actions caused. Yeah, DS could have “risen above” what amounted to a “gotcha” by Cornell…but he didn’t. He “got revenge.” </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Anyway, it’s not the end of the world…DS is very happy in Ithaca and is getting a solid education despite taking less advantage of the academic/research opportunities available to him at the undergrad level than he’d aimed for…and as we all know, the post-grad degrees ultimately matter more and it is good that he’s “milking” Cornell’s EC opportunities with an intensity he used to put towards research and academics…so it’s not all bad…</p>
<p>Regarding the billing situation: </p>
<p>Harvard offers students the option to set their parents up as an Authorized Payer. The student gets the e-bill, but with the student’s permission, the parent gets an Authorized Payer copy of the bill. Every notification starts with “Dear Student and Authorized Payer…”</p>
<p>It’s a very friendly and efficient system.</p>
<p>The other option is to see if you can set up your billing from Sallie Mae’s TuitionPay program. This is also very user-friendly.</p>
<p>overanxious, the second item you mention doesn’t sound “small” to me. Can you be more specific about the program itself, what the stated qualifications were, and how the school determined that your son’s intentions didn’t match the school’s expectations? I would hate to see that happen to anyone else.</p>
<p>Love Harvard’s program (and I’ve heard of others similar to it) w/respect to bill-paying…we’ve worked it out w/respect to Cornell’s less flexible procedure…there are always ways around these things…it’s just frustrating to have to–especially in light of the reality that it’s parents’ financial situations that determine aid (if any), and then to “pretend” it’s the student who’s liable for and paying for the COA is ludicrous…</p>
<p>As for the second item, it really isn’t all that big a deal…it was unfortunate and not something I’d have wanted to happen to DS…but life is full of “unfortunate” stuff…it’s not a bad lesson. As for his reaction: this is the time he’s supposed to be experimenting and exploring…that it took “not getting his own way” to send him off on his current “exploration” is too bad, but quite possibly it could turn into a positive result…</p>
<p>I don’t think I want to get into details…this particular program (like many, and like selective college admissions itself) has an element of subjective judgement in it…and DS could have misunderstood. I try hard to be as “hands-off” as DS wants me to be (which is very hands-off; he’s very independent!), so he researched, chose & applied completely on his own…most of what I know is what he tells me…don’t want to “slam” Cornell any more than is justified…remember: this thread was “perfect school but for one or two items”…Cornell has been wonderful for my family; I think very very highly of it as an institution…I expect DS to have his bumps and take his lumps (just like we all did, do and will do throughout life)…I’m sorry Cornell wasn’t “perfect” in describing this particular program, and I’m sorry DS had the reaction he did (altho as noted it may turn out to have been a blessing in disguise), but it truly is, in my opinion, a not so big issue…</p>
<p>I’m also a little nervous about inadvertently identifying DS…he knows I post here (and “sneers” a bit and in a friendly way at me for doing so), but this may be “sharing too much” about him (in his eyes)…so I probably shouldn’t have posted what I did, but having done so, would just as soon let it drop…</p>
<p>Pomona: Air quality is generally excellent, according to S, and the three times we were there visiting (for several days at a time), in late August and recently, it was crystal clear. Also, the days were not too hot, and nights were actually a tad chilly, even in August. S says food is great, work is challenging. Fellow students are very smart and very outspoken in class.
Negatives: It is not easy to get into LA; S has not done so yet, and he had in the past enjoyed the ease of going into a city for concerts, change of scenary, shopping, etc. This issue should be addressed by the school. Claremont Village, which is adjacent to campus, is charming but not really geared to college students, although it’s a great place to eat and shop with generous parents. -S was surprised to be shut out of a class (or anything similar) which was very important to him, although he was able to take it on another Claremont campus (after some serious petitioning, since he’s a freshman.) But I guess that’s how they keep the classes small. (But maybe they should offer more sections of the popular classes.)</p>
<p>Pomona: It is truly difficult to find much wrong with Pomona. Thus far, my daughter is happier than she could have imagined. All of her professors are stimulating, as are the other students. The work load is intense at times, but she still has time for a dance production, music lessons, movie marathons, and campus organizations. She raves about the quality of the food at Pomona, and all of the other Claremont dining halls. </p>
<p>Her only complaint was the September heat wave, and the lack of air conditioning in her dorm. She needed a second fan.</p>
<p>overanxious:</p>
<p>UCLA and UCSD allows the students to put their parent’s email addresses on the billing system in addition to their own (although their email notifications are unreliable) and as long as the student gives the parents the user/password to the billing system, the parents can access it and pay. There’s no problem with the students giving the parents access since the student wouldn’t like the alternative.
The story they’re feeding you at Cornell doesn’t seem right. It’s fine that they bill the student but ideally you should be able to see the bill as well. I’m making an assumption that their billing system is electronic rather than snail-mail which might not be a valid assumption.</p>
<p>ucsd<em>ucla</em>dad: Cornell’s billing is by snail mail (w/bills addressed to the student at his/her home address)…the students have the option of switching to an online system, but we haven’t done that so I don’t know if it allows for adding the parent onto the system or not…</p>
<p>We “solved” the billing problem three ways: first, I have “blanket permission” from DS to open all mail from Cornell addressed to him that comes to our home (to date, all of it has been either bills or health insurance opt-out info–which is stuff I handle anyway)…then, we set up a joint checking account which is linked both to his individual account and to my individual account. This allows him to simply transfer refund money from Cornell (which Cornell insists on paying directly to him) to me, w/out the hassle of having to mail checks back and forth or to open accounts in Ithaca (which wouldn’t be all that bad for him, but would be a real pain for me)–and without either him or me having to give the other one access to our individual accounts; when he transfers money to me (or I to him), we simply transfer the amount out of the joint account into our respective individual accounts. Finally, I changed my prepaid tuition program option…instead of an automatic payment every semester for 8 semesters, the money is now switched to an investment account from which I can request withdrawals at any time in any amount…I’ll probably empty it to pay next semester’s tuition…we’re past the time when I thought it was possible DS would want to transfer to our state school, where the “guaranteed payment” of full tuition & mandatory fees is a significant issue (because tuition & fees have gone up way past the amount the prepaid tuition contract pays on a 1/8 per semester for 8 semesters basis)…</p>
<p>So, we’re set…but the ridiculousness of the situation continues to rankle a bit…still, it’s really the only gripe I have w/Cornell’s administrative processes, and it’s a relatively small issue…</p>
<p>Whether the folks in Cornell’s bursar’s office are telling me “the truth” or not I don’t know, and it really doesn’t matter all that much…it’s not worth fighting w/them when it was easy enough to solve the problem “elsewise”…and the people there are very nice…they do try to be helpful…for example, when DS doesn’t use his in-room printer, but rather prints to one of the many printers on campus, the charges for printing (yes, Cornell is one of the many schools that charges extra for everything!) go on DS’ bursar’s bill…a couple of months I’ve received a monthly bill for $1 or less in printing charges…it always seems goofy to me to write a check for 87 cents…one time I called Cornell to find out if they really wanted me to do that, and they said that altho it’s technically required to pay that 87 cents in full and on time, they agreed it made more sense for me to include it in a subsequent month’s “real bill”…</p>
<p>So, we worked it out…but it remains a good example of “perfect school but for one or two issues…”</p>
<p>At USC, they allow the student to designate the address where all billing & other info is to be sent & STRONGLY encourage the use of the parents’ home address. They also authorize the student to designate who may have on-line access to student records & info & encouarge the student to designate parents. If the student has designated the parents, they WILL talk to the parents whenever the parents have issues that need to be discussed. S has always expected me to open & discard irrelevant junk mail & let him know if there is anything he receives that deserves his attention (like an executive secretary–sigh). He otherwise just allows it all to pile up & lie about unopened–probably a holdover from being barraged by college mailings.</p>
<p>I have found out that many folks use “laws” to hide behind not wanting to communicate – with parents or whomever. When communication is desired, the necessary authorizations are readily recognized and accepted & communication is easy–when it is not desired citations to vague laws & privacy always surface as a way to dodge having to “deal” with folks.</p>
<p>Yes the Harvard billing system is wonderful - particularly the monthly payments. I loved paying the Oct 15th bill and now the Nov 3rd - great that they are so close together.</p>
<p>funny - ;)</p>
<p>This is a really useful thread. If anything is certain, it’s that the colleges won’t be telling us these things. For example, when we went to Admit Days at Stanford, I came away thinking that advising was a huge part of the school and that there was tons of it. Clearly, people here feel otherwise. Anyhow, a few comments. I believe UCLA will send a paper bill if you request it – they did for us but we finished last year and maybe we were “grandfathered” in. UCLA – easy to get lost if you aren’t the assertive type who knows how to work the system. Yale – biggest complaint is crime in the immediate area surrounding campus. Also, the dining halls are open for about two minutes at a time. If you’re in class when they are open, you’re pretty much out of luck as the hours are quite limited. My daughter did not have huge classes her freshman year as another parent’s child did. I think it has to do with the subject – certain subjects tend to have those larger subjects. Oh, and one last pet peeve having to do with the dining hall. They close while students are still on campus. And they don’t reopen until a day or so before classes resume even though the residential colleges open days earlier. Often students are frantically getting to the airport for long flights home and there is no breakfast to be had at the dining hall. This irks me quite a bit.</p>
<p>
The thread is actually staying on track which in my tenure here- since Lucy first stood upright- is a first. Gee. Hope I didn’t jinx the thread.</p>
<p>On billing: my daughter’s college sends the bills to me, but an (unexpected) refund check was sent to my daughter, on campus. More than a week has gone by and she has not had the time to deposit it (grrrr). The problem is that there are no branches of her bank near the campus – with everything else handled using ATM’s and debit cards, it hasn’t been an issue until now.</p>
<p>At the risk of having curmudgeon’s jinx come true, has anyone posted this here or read this? It is hysterical! It is about the countries worst colleges <a href=“http://www.radaronline.com/features/2006/09/the_nine_worst_colleges_in_america.php[/url]”>http://www.radaronline.com/features/2006/09/the_nine_worst_colleges_in_america.php</a>
read it, laugh, and then we’ll get back on track - promise!</p>