I did not convey the point that I intended, blossom. I did not mean to say anything about the academic quality of Vanderbilt, Emory, Rice, etc. What I meant was this: It is sort of cold comfort coming from a parent whose children went to top schools to have that person say that Vanderbilt, Emory, Rice, etc. are perfectly good schools.
The same opinion would be a lot better coming from a person whose children actually went to Vanderbilt, Emory, Rice, etc.
In my view, it’s a little like a person who drives a BMW saying that a Ford Escape is a perfectly fine car. In fact, it is. But you really ought to have the comment coming from someone who drives an Escape.