lmao at emotional support snake
But, @milee30 - I cried in the UF admission session when they did the video. Because I’m a freaking Gator, till the day I die, and it was the first time I’d been back since I was barely out of my teens, and my emotions got the better of me.
People do things others consider strange, all the time and everywhere, and I’m OK with that.
(Sorry for the OT)
If it’s totally OK to do strange things, then it’s got to be totally OK when others conclude the things another person is doing is strange. Reasonable and balanced. 
Dorms are one thing, but I saw this past summer how important decent food is. My D was at a summer program for 5 weeks and the dining hall food was terrible. She and others spent a ton of money eating many meals in restaurants in the city they were in. There’s no way I want her going to a college for 4 yrs with awful food.
@citymama9 What school has food that bad? Were the summer program participants in general fairly affluent and could afford to eat out that much ?
Bad food is a deal breaker over here.
I totally get that bad food is not good!
I would put some weight on whether the standard freshman room is triples vs doubles (especially if the triples were built to be doubles but the campus is crowding kids in). It wouldn’t be the top concern but if two schools were otherwise close, I’d strongly recommend a place you won’t be in a triple.
Had to laugh - apparently the food at Bryn Mawr has been awarded one of the top ten college cafeterias in the US for ten years BUT the food at Haverford was one of the bottom ten. The schools function in a very symbiotic relationship so there were often Haverford kids eating over at Bryn Mawr.
Purdue is supposed to have awesome food. Not gonna lie the food at my eldest DD’s school, Marquette, is god awful. I was just looking at her checking account this morning and I can tell we are nearing the end of the semester and she is over the food because there is a sharp increases in payments to local eateries and the local grocery store that has pre-made “fresh” meals of a slight higher quality!
@Gatormama An alumna crying in a UF admission session seems anything but “strange.” Sounds very real and human.
@homerdog and @citymama9, UGA has consistently been rated extremely high on dining/food. I experienced this firsthand last fall when visiting campus with my S for an Honors orientation. Bolton dining facility was very impressive. Also, having downtown Athens at your doorstep provides many other options that are walking distance from campus, if tired of dining hall food. From Canes Fried Chicken to Einstein Bagels and a host of low to moderate cost restaurants, pizza, and healthier salad type places, there is a nice variety. Plus there is at least one Chick-Fil-A that I am aware of on campus near the football stadium. Dining is but one factor in the decision, but it is a consideration for sure.
@sevmom Laval Universite in Quebec. Great program. great dorms, great everything, but from what I was told the food was awful. I think they came from a range of incomes. The Canadian kids got a voucher and everyone else had to pay for the program.
@Nomorelurker I’m a huge fan of UGA and Athens, one of my favorite college towns. Sadly, it’s too big for my D, but it’s a great place for anyone looking for a big, spirited school with lots of charm. And Athens is just perfect, imo.
I’m sure USC (So. Carolina) has healthy food somewhere but we didn’t see it on the tour. The tour guide excitedly pointed out all the great options for food at USC-“Chick-fil-a! Pizza Hut! Taco Bell! Great American Cookie Co!” all in one dining hall. All I could think was “I’m not sending you to college so you can eat nothing but fast food for four years.”
@citymama9 En francais a Quebec through Garnier? My kid will be there as an international student this summer! When I warned her the food had a bad reputation, she said she’d just eat out - I laughed at the time, but it sounds like I should build that into the budget.
Re: 3568
I wonder if the Haverford kids are allowed to eat at Bryn Mawr. A nice walk, followed by a great meal? That could be neat.
Regarding the charm of old houses:
During my junior year, I and about five other guys lived in a three-story house. It wasn’t nearly as big as it might sound. Maybe, oh, 2000-2500 sq ft.
Anyway, it had a porch. Now this is Madison, so we didn’t typically spend too much time out there from about Nov-April, but man, the fall and spring surely were nice.
I and one other roommate stayed for the summer to see out the lease (and enjoy Madison). There were two refrigerators: ours downstairs in the basement, and one on the main level. Everyone in the upstairs bedrooms, who used that frig, were gone for the summer.
When the rental agency rep came by to see how much damage we had done, one of the things he checked were the refrigerators. When he opened the freezer portion of that unattended main-level frig, the stench that wafted out obliterated any chance of us keeping our entire deposit: the morons (who are lifelong friends, but this was… dumb) had unplugged the frig, which was good… but they had not taken their meat out of the freezer.
So yeah, maggots greeted us. The rental guy was not pleased. Neither were we.
Nonetheless, so many great memories took place there that whenever i’m on campus, I try to make my way back there. I stand in that small street/alley running from Langdon to the lake and just stare at that house, remembering everything and grinning.
I have been back by my old house from the 70’s a few times over the decades. It still stands! Great porch. No railing. I fell off it while writing a check to my landlord. Standing on a porch with no railing and trying to write a check and talk to your landlord at the same time was not the best move!
@prezbucky - yes they are allowed to eat at Bryn Mawr - we ate at both and BM was definately still way better.
I also happened to live in a big house on Langdon street - there was a house that was rented out to all women - a big yellow house I think. Loved that place!
@CValle
Ours was on Howard Place – close to the big curve in Langdon. There was a convenience store nearby called (I think…) MacTaggart’s.
@allyphoe That’s the program! She will have an amazing time. My D thought it was the best summer of her life. Yes, budget extra for food. I have lots of info and good tips for you if you’d like. I can dm you tomorrow.