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Anecdata: In my extended family, we have some members with a fair bit of 'bread'. These family members met at a somewhat known (yet small-ish) college and reall

Anecdata: In my extended family, we have some members with a fair bit of 'bread'. These family members met at a somewhat known (yet small-ish) college and really loved the place and all the memories they had there. They donated a lot of money over the years and, yes, had a building named after them. When it came time for their daughter to apply to college, the choice was obvious. However, the daughter was rejected outright due to a multitude of factors. She wasn't violent, or addicted, or lazy. Nothing like that. She just wasn't ahead of the other applicants. Well, you can imagine that the parents were none too enthused. All the love they had for that college, those dreams for their daughter, gone. There were phone calls and in person visits. Still, the daughter was not what they were looking for. In the end, things have gone alright for everyone. The building still has their names on it, though the donations have ceased. The daughter is doing just fine at the school she is now at. The college is dealing with it's own issues just as it ever was. Though there may be corruption at many universities and colleges, there are still a fair number of places where merit and fair decisions still reign. I'd look to those schools for the graduates to hire. Integrity is still in high demand, just as it will ever be.

nsxwolf 8y ago
When I hear stuff like this I wonder what in the hell could have been so great about their experience that they'd want to do something like that. It makes me wonder what I missed out on in college that I don't feel the same way. Did I just by chance happen to not go to some meeting or join some club that would have changed everything?
- milquetoastaf 8y ago
  It's different when you're rich
- tsunamifury 8y ago
  It really is if you gained access to a circle of people who have moved up in influence in varying sectors. My Alma-mater gave me access to leaders, hiring and referral opportunities, and even a life long partner with similar ambitions. I can probably name a good long list of of people I can call and get a a little help from now if I was in a bit of a pinch or need a little perspective.
  - Balgair 8y ago
    Same-ish. My Alma was a great place for me at that time. I grew up a LOT and have very fond memories, specifically of my department. Via the push from professors, I learned so much and I am very grateful for that. I used to donate to just the department, but with a change in leadership, that is no longer possible. That time, that place, and that person who I was, will always be special to me.
  - petty_griper 8y ago
    This is bizarrely instrumental reason. Few of my classmates are now captains of industry or even in my career field, but I have extremely fond memories of my college experience because it was a nurturing, supportive environment where I had a close-knit community of friends, access to a lot of different resources to pursue my interests and the freedom to experiment and explore how I wanted to live life, all relatively free of stress and serious obligations. Granted, I went to a smallish regional state school. The experience there, or at, say, Small Liberal Arts College, may be very different from Big State Engineering or Pressure Cooker Elite U.
    - techslave 8y ago
      bizarrely? the point of college is social connection, growing up. the book learning you can buy the text (nowadays read similar work online)
      - labster 8y ago
        I see you got some downvotes, but no really this is true. Diversity is a frequent selling point, and you get a chance to meet people from around the world at university. Clubs, sports, frats, job networking, are all socially driven. Some people need the social feedback to drive their studies; we're social animals so there's really no shame in that. Sometimes though, we need instruments to do science, so that's another major purpose for undergrad work. Occasionally. But if the undergrads decided to all take online courses one day, it would sure help the grad get work done.
- bryanbuckley 8y ago
  > Did I just by chance happen to not go to some meeting or join some club that would have changed everything? Probably? Personally my first semester at uni was depressingly dull other than the novelty and the subjects (well, mostly dull there too but the future semesters looked interesting and I was programming for the first time). By chance I was walking through a club recruitment event when a single person stopped to talk to me and tried to convince me to join and come to a meeting that night. They got my email too. Well, I didn't go to the meeting but a few days later an email showed up saying the first practice will be tomorrow. I figured why not, I'm not doing anything, and showed up. I stuck with it for four years, taking on duties over time until I was president, it was most of my social life (e.g parties, hanging out) and I made most of my friends through it, shifted my lifestyle from videogames and procrastination to working out, having fun with sport and mastering it, having flow/mushin consistently, and getting work done ASAP, and other considerations. I've never felt the desire to donate to my old college, but certainly I already have donated to my old club and have considered doing more for it. I assume folks with very good experiences were part of some sort of organization: my high school friends that stuck together in college without branching out had a good time but was overall meh.
  - HNLurker2 8y ago
    >Personally my first semester at uni was depressingly dull other than the novelty and the subjects Sorry to hear that. What are some ways to cheat school? (waste of time) Edit: apart from catching on your reading (listening) and scrolling on hackernews.
- everdev 8y ago
  It's the only instance I can think of where an organization will call you up to donate money while you still owe them money.
logfromblammo 8y ago
I never quite understood why people donate to colleges in such a way that it is the legal entity of the university that benefits. They provide a service, and they charge money for it. The university operates as a business. I don't donate to Wal-Mart, so why would I donate to University X? Why wouldn't you instead endow a scholarship for students of your favorite college? Instead of giving cash to Wal-Mart, buy prepaid Wal-Mart gift cards, and pass them out to fellow customers. The university doesn't need your donations. It is fully capable of building its own buildings outright, begging for state funding, or at least issuing bonds backed by future tuition. If someone is so keen on having a building with their name on it, perhaps they should instead construct some off-campus student apartments, and make some nice signs in the same general style as the university signage.
- nemothekid 8y ago
  Most universities primary function is research, and tuition doesn't pay for research. Most funds from research (should) come from grants and donations. The research into a cancer cure doesn't come from Jimmy Undergrad paying tuition.
  - Balgair 8y ago
    Per my anecdata, it wasn't a research university, just a liberal arts college. From what I can remember, most of the donated funds that my extended family gave went to scholarships, though I'm not 100% on that.
  - gowld 8y ago
    At the more desirable schools, tuition fees don't pay for tuition costs either. There's a correlation between how much the college (and its donors) give to a student and the quality of the college, for reasons that are obvious upon reflection: it aligns incentives. If the school is paying for your attendance, their motive is for you to succeed at something (or else why would they bother schooling you)? If the school is profiting from your enrollment, their motivation is for you to enroll, not suceed.
  - bachmeier 8y ago
MarkMc 8y ago
Can you tell us the name of the college?
- heyoni 8y ago
  And doxx himself? Fat chance!
- Balgair 8y ago
  It's small and in the mid-west, you may have heard of it, but it's also possible you may not have. The point, for the family, was not in 'cred' but because they loved the place.

nsxwolf 8y ago

When I hear stuff like this I wonder what in the hell could have been so great about their experience that they'd want to do something like that. It makes me wonder what I missed out on in college that I don't feel the same way. Did I just by chance happen to not go to some meeting or join some club that would have changed everything?

milquetoastaf 8y ago
It's different when you're rich
tsunamifury 8y ago
It really is if you gained access to a circle of people who have moved up in influence in varying sectors. My Alma-mater gave me access to leaders, hiring and referral opportunities, and even a life long partner with similar ambitions. I can probably name a good long list of of people I can call and get a a little help from now if I was in a bit of a pinch or need a little perspective.
- Balgair 8y ago
  Same-ish. My Alma was a great place for me at that time. I grew up a LOT and have very fond memories, specifically of my department. Via the push from professors, I learned so much and I am very grateful for that. I used to donate to just the department, but with a change in leadership, that is no longer possible. That time, that place, and that person who I was, will always be special to me.
- petty_griper 8y ago
  This is bizarrely instrumental reason. Few of my classmates are now captains of industry or even in my career field, but I have extremely fond memories of my college experience because it was a nurturing, supportive environment where I had a close-knit community of friends, access to a lot of different resources to pursue my interests and the freedom to experiment and explore how I wanted to live life, all relatively free of stress and serious obligations. Granted, I went to a smallish regional state school. The experience there, or at, say, Small Liberal Arts College, may be very different from Big State Engineering or Pressure Cooker Elite U.
  - techslave 8y ago
    bizarrely? the point of college is social connection, growing up. the book learning you can buy the text (nowadays read similar work online)
    - labster 8y ago
      I see you got some downvotes, but no really this is true. Diversity is a frequent selling point, and you get a chance to meet people from around the world at university. Clubs, sports, frats, job networking, are all socially driven. Some people need the social feedback to drive their studies; we're social animals so there's really no shame in that. Sometimes though, we need instruments to do science, so that's another major purpose for undergrad work. Occasionally. But if the undergrads decided to all take online courses one day, it would sure help the grad get work done.
bryanbuckley 8y ago
> Did I just by chance happen to not go to some meeting or join some club that would have changed everything? Probably? Personally my first semester at uni was depressingly dull other than the novelty and the subjects (well, mostly dull there too but the future semesters looked interesting and I was programming for the first time). By chance I was walking through a club recruitment event when a single person stopped to talk to me and tried to convince me to join and come to a meeting that night. They got my email too. Well, I didn't go to the meeting but a few days later an email showed up saying the first practice will be tomorrow. I figured why not, I'm not doing anything, and showed up. I stuck with it for four years, taking on duties over time until I was president, it was most of my social life (e.g parties, hanging out) and I made most of my friends through it, shifted my lifestyle from videogames and procrastination to working out, having fun with sport and mastering it, having flow/mushin consistently, and getting work done ASAP, and other considerations. I've never felt the desire to donate to my old college, but certainly I already have donated to my old club and have considered doing more for it. I assume folks with very good experiences were part of some sort of organization: my high school friends that stuck together in college without branching out had a good time but was overall meh.
- HNLurker2 8y ago
  >Personally my first semester at uni was depressingly dull other than the novelty and the subjects Sorry to hear that. What are some ways to cheat school? (waste of time) Edit: apart from catching on your reading (listening) and scrolling on hackernews.
everdev 8y ago
It's the only instance I can think of where an organization will call you up to donate money while you still owe them money.

logfromblammo 8y ago

I never quite understood why people donate to colleges in such a way that it is the legal entity of the university that benefits. They provide a service, and they charge money for it. The university operates as a business. I don't donate to Wal-Mart, so why would I donate to University X? Why wouldn't you instead endow a scholarship for students of your favorite college? Instead of giving cash to Wal-Mart, buy prepaid Wal-Mart gift cards, and pass them out to fellow customers. The university doesn't need your donations. It is fully capable of building its own buildings outright, begging for state funding, or at least issuing bonds backed by future tuition. If someone is so keen on having a building with their name on it, perhaps they should instead construct some off-campus student apartments, and make some nice signs in the same general style as the university signage.

nemothekid 8y ago
Most universities primary function is research, and tuition doesn't pay for research. Most funds from research (should) come from grants and donations. The research into a cancer cure doesn't come from Jimmy Undergrad paying tuition.
- Balgair 8y ago
  Per my anecdata, it wasn't a research university, just a liberal arts college. From what I can remember, most of the donated funds that my extended family gave went to scholarships, though I'm not 100% on that.
- gowld 8y ago
  At the more desirable schools, tuition fees don't pay for tuition costs either. There's a correlation between how much the college (and its donors) give to a student and the quality of the college, for reasons that are obvious upon reflection: it aligns incentives. If the school is paying for your attendance, their motive is for you to succeed at something (or else why would they bother schooling you)? If the school is profiting from your enrollment, their motivation is for you to enroll, not suceed.
- bachmeier 8y ago

MarkMc 8y ago

Can you tell us the name of the college?

heyoni 8y ago
And doxx himself? Fat chance!
Balgair 8y ago
It's small and in the mid-west, you may have heard of it, but it's also possible you may not have. The point, for the family, was not in 'cred' but because they loved the place.