Son of AGDee's College Search Thread

[BadCat25]

You Kalamazoo fans please don't take this the wrong way but it is not an elite college like Williams, Davidson or Carleton. A UM degree is worth much more just because of its name and reputation. On the positive side, a Brown waitlist student could be a real star at Kalamazoo but just another student at UM.
As far as college visits go, I visited a lot of colleges when I was a HS senior and looking back on it all you see is a bunch of buildings, which tells you nothing about what being a student there is really like and if the college is a good fit for you as an individual.
Best of luck to you what ever you decide.

[KDCat]

Originally Posted by BadCat25

You Kalamazoo fans please don't take this the wrong way but it is not an elite college like Williams, Davidson or Carleton. A UM degree is worth much more just because of its name and reputation. On the positive side, a Brown waitlist student could be a real star at Kalamazoo but just another student at UM.
As far as college visits go, I visited a lot of colleges when I was a HS senior and looking back on it all you see is a bunch of buildings, which tells you nothing about what being a student there is really like and if the college is a good fit for you as an individual.
Best of luck to you what ever you decide.

Michigan is fabulous, but if he want he wants is a liberal arts education, that's what Kalamazoo does. It may be closer to what he wants in a learning community, and Kalamazoo does very well with grad school acceptances, if that is what he wants.

[adpiucf]

Wishing your son the best as he makes this important decision. My two cents: Michigan has a huge national alumni presence. I have never set foot at UM, but I have networked the heck out of their alumni and they've connected me with fellow alumni throughout my career/s. My UM friends are actively engaged in alumni clubs and have an incredible networking system. Liberal arts and learning how to think at a small school are nice concepts, but I think in terms of job prospects and alumni reach, that is something to consider. Especially in this economy with underemployed college grads and zero job security. Again, I'm sure the other school could be a great fit, but just wanted to point out a personal experience and I'm sure he will make the best decision for him.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by BadCat25

You Kalamazoo fans please don't take this the wrong way but it is not an elite college like Williams, Davidson or Carleton. A UM degree is worth much more just because of its name and reputation. On the positive side, a Brown waitlist student could be a real star at Kalamazoo but just another student at UM.
As far as college visits go, I visited a lot of colleges when I was a HS senior and looking back on it all you see is a bunch of buildings, which tells you nothing about what being a student there is really like and if the college is a good fit for you as an individual.
Best of luck to you what ever you decide.

If you're doing it right, a college visit is more than seeing a "bunch of buildings." My niece (who's going through the same process as Halo right now) went on a tour and spent the night at a few colleges, and there was one she absolutely couldn't stand. Even walking around with her, it was very clear that the campus culture--from the events posted on campus to the student center--wasn't a good match for her. If you want a small Christian college, visiting a place like UF would be an eye opener and not because of the buildings at all.