<p>1 kid rejected a school instantly when the tour guide pointed to the ceiling tiles in the dorm, and (joked) that you can hide things behind the tiles because the drug dogs can’t smell that high. Well, maybe that wasn’t such a stupid reason…</p>
<p>Another kid has rejected numerous schools as being “too far.” This same kid IS applying to two schools that are about 600 miles away, a lot further than some of the others suggested to her. I’m so confused…</p>
<p>I wonder if some of these “reasons” for rejection are just “red herrings”… </p>
<p>I wonder if there might be some other reasons, but the kid doesn’t want to say the actual one. I mean who actually says that they don’t like a school because they don’t like the type of grass of the lawn.</p>
<p>or…the kid has a smaller than normal “comfort zone.” </p>
<p>Altho…an equally funny thread would be…silliest reasons a child CHOSE his school. </p>
<p>I know a child who chose a school because he heard it had an “all you can eat” meal plan option.</p>
<p>Son refused to look at Virginia Tech because he didn’t want to be a hokie! </p>
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<p>Can’t tell you the number of parents in our school reporting that their kid wanted nothing to do with the state flagship or other colleges in the state UNTIL their parents forced them to visit. They visit, liked it and now go there very happily.</p>
<p>Yesterday, I dragged son to the well-regarded LAC one city over because I wanted him to be able to compare it to OOS LACs he’s applying to. I loved it and he really liked it in spite of himself. He’s been adamant that he wouldn’t go there up until visiting it yesterday. Now he’s not so sure!</p>
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<p>I’m one of those parents that believes it’s our job to expand out kids’ comfort zones. If I had “backed off” every time one of my kids said, “I don’t want to do that” or “I don’t want to go there,” my kids wouldn’t have done MANY of the things that they now LOVE! Even my hubby has thanked me many times for expanding HIS comfort zone…he grew up in a family that rarely tried new things and rarely went anywhere. He often wrongly assumed he wouldn’t like something (hubby swore he’d hate going on a cruise…LOL…he ADORES cruises…LOL).</p>
<p>I’ve never understood parents who just let their kids close off their world and not try or explore new things or things that the child “thinks” he won’t like… Most teens haven’t had enough life experiences to firmly always know what he or she will like or dislike. </p>
<p>Haven’t we seen many kids who’ve thought that they’d love something (playing an instrument, going to a particular college), only to find out that they hated it? The same happens in reverse.</p>
<p>It’s true. Youngest D was the kind of kid who would stop running any time she got sweaty when she was 8 or 9. But, H wanted her to play a team sport and signed her up for some soccer. She hated it the fall season and just didn’t ever want to go, but he made her keep going. By the spring, she would get upset if a game was cancelled from Rain. By the next year, she was playing club soccer, and now, freshman in high school is already being recruited by colleges. Cut to oldest D. Same scenario, only NEVER took to the team sports, at all. We just exposed our kids to absolutely everything: dance, music, theater, art, sports, outdoor sports, etc…and let them follow thier passions. Both found passions. Both would have found the TV, I think, if not a little pushed.</p>
<p>We did let oldest choose her own college, though. ;)</p>
<p>Absolutely. You expose the kids to all different things and out the other end comes young adults who can make decisions, while sometimes quixotic, that are grounded in experiences.</p>
<p><<ds never=“” actually=“” refused=“” to=“” get=“” out=“” of=“” the=“” car,=“” but=“” he=“” made=“” it=“” clear=“” before=“” we=“” even=“” went=“” one=“” school=“” (our=“” state=“” flagship)=“” that=“” had=“” no=“” interest=“” in=“” going=“” there=“” and=“” was=“” simply=“” doing=“” tour=“” because=“” wanted=“” him=“” to.=“” replied,=“” “you=”" don’t=“” have=“” go=“” here.=“” you=“” apply.=“” do=“” look,=“” its=“” half=“” cost=“” schools=“” like.“=”">></ds></p>
<p>OK, it’s been a while, but I think I originally wrote that. If I didn’t, I could have, because that’s exactly what happened with DS. The tour didn’t change his opinion though, he still hated state flagship because he wanted a small school.</p>
<p>I did the same thing with DD, who wanted a bigger school but was sure she’d hate flagship because a) everyone from her hs goes there, and b) she was in love with an urban school and flagship is in the boonies. We drove thru the forests and cow fields and D said, “This is REALLY remote…” until we got to campus. She saw the 20 story library and said, “That’s cool.” She saw the large cement Student Center and said, “This feels urban.” She looked at the 20,000 kids walking around campus and said, “Even though this isn’t in a city, it FEELS like it is. It has a lot of energy. I like it.” I almost bit my tongue till it bled trying not to say “I TOLD YOU SO!”</p>
<p>But now she’s in love with a mid sized suburban school… and if I try to remind her how she felt about flagship when she was there she’ll deny it. When I tell her things she doesn’t want to remember, she tells me “You make stuff up all the time!” </p>
<p>Deep breath, deep breath, deep breath… sigh.</p>
<p>I think it’s funny when a kid won’t go/visit their flagship because “everyone goes there.” Kids think they’re going to see old classmates all the time at their big flagship just like they do at high school. They can have a hard time grasping that many flagships are like small towns all by themselves. </p>
<p>This is my son’s 3rd year at our flagship U. Not once has he had someone from his high school in a class. Yes, he’ll occasionally see a familiar face on campus, but so what? A friendly wave should be a good thing. Occasionally seeing a familiar face shouldn’t be a bad thing.</p>
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<p>I agree… sort of. I love urban campuses (lots of streets). But if I go to a campus that’s supposed to be rural or suburban or at least a traditional campus, I don’t want any streets running through campus. I HATE THAT! That’s one of many reasons I couldn’t stand American. I truly despise car culture (but love cities since they’re the best at public transportation - can you see where I’m going here?). I will not go to any school with a parking lot in the middle of campus, and really can’t handle a campus with roads running through it. WashU had one street on the South 40 (and a hidden parking garage) and a major roadway that we walked under. That was pushing it, but it was pretty well-handled and otherwise the campus was road-free. Pitt and GW, on the other hand, are integrated with the city - thus, having lots of roads is consistent.</p>
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<p>College Park isn’t a good fit for me anyways, but one of the initial factors was definitely because “everyone goes there.” It wasn’t because I’d KNOW people - that’s fine. It’s because like 95% of people I’d meet who are actually going to a four year college, I’d be going to an in-state school. I’d rather go somewhere obscure.</p>
<p>^^^^ </p>
<p>Oh, I agree with not wanting big wide streets running thru a campus, but sometimes schools need access roads within their campuses just to bring things to various buildings. </p>
<p>And, yes, a big flagship isn’t right for everyone…but I don’t understand your sentence: " It’s because like 95% of people I’d meet who are actually going to a four year college, I’d be going to an in-state school. " What?</p>
<p>Said as only a teen can:</p>
<p>“Why would I even look at Smith? You went there and I’m not at all like you!”
(True, but it was the tone that said it all…)</p>
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Exactly. The fuzzy emotions evoked by a college (whether legitimate or not) are manifested with the complaints in this thread.</p>
<p>This is a “dumbest reason my mom didn’t want me to look at a college”
Why on earth do you want to go to smith? are you trying to tell me you’re a lesbian (it was kind of a joke, but still…she really didn’t want me to apply)
Now i’m applying to Smith AND Wellesley AND Mount Holyoke AND Scripps</p>
<p>“Because I don’t want to attend same college as my sister.”</p>
<p>^^^^</p>
<p>I remember when DS2 first said that. I didn’t respond, because it made no difference to me.</p>
<p>BUT…after DS2 was on DS1’s campus a few times, he quickly changed his mind. DS2 saw that the school isn’t anything like high school (meaning that you don’t have to see anyone if you don’t want to). They are very happy at the same school.</p>
<p>D2 didn’t want to go to any schools with brick buildings. (???)</p>
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<p>LOL…my family is from Southern California, and unfortunately we don’t have the beautiful brick buildings that many eastern, southern, etc schools have. So, when nephew visited Notre Dame, he said he didn’t like it because of the brick buildings. OMG!!! LOL</p>
<p>Sad the (ugly) modern architecture found at many Southern Cal schools destroyed my nephew’s taste in buildings.</p>
<p>remember the one about “taco bell architecture??” That is the opposite of the above problem. :)</p>
<p>^^ Somehow, I think the enrolled students at Stanford can withstand the cracks about the Taco Bell architecture just fine. What other schools call their campus “The Farm?” ;)</p>
<p>I’m another student who’s picky about architecture. I dislike it when all the architecture on campus is in the same style, regardless of what that style is. Amherst went off the list almost immediately after stepping foot on campus because of all the red brick. Silly? Yep. But the rest of my visit only assured me that it wouldn’t have been the right place for me, so no real harm done.</p>