• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 20:43
CEST 02:43
KST 09:43
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
RSL Season 1 - Final Week6[ASL19] Finals Recap: Standing Tall15HomeStory Cup 27 - Info & Preview18Classic wins Code S Season 2 (2025)16Code S RO4 & Finals Preview: herO, Rogue, Classic, GuMiho0
Community News
Esports World Cup 2025 - Brackets Revealed14Weekly Cups (July 7-13): Classic continues to roll8Team TLMC #5 - Submission extension3Firefly given lifetime ban by ESIC following match-fixing investigation17$25,000 Streamerzone StarCraft Pro Series announced7
StarCraft 2
General
Who will win EWC 2025? Server Blocker RSL Revival patreon money discussion thread Weekly Cups (July 7-13): Classic continues to roll The GOAT ranking of GOAT rankings
Tourneys
FEL Cracov 2025 (July 27) - $8000 live event Sea Duckling Open (Global, Bronze-Diamond) RSL: Revival, a new crowdfunded tournament series $5,100+ SEL Season 2 Championship (SC: Evo) WardiTV Mondays
Strategy
How did i lose this ZvP, whats the proper response
Custom Maps
External Content
Mutation # 482 Wheel of Misfortune Mutation # 481 Fear and Lava Mutation # 480 Moths to the Flame Mutation # 479 Worn Out Welcome
Brood War
General
Flash Announces (and Retracts) Hiatus From ASL BGH Auto Balance -> http://bghmmr.eu/ [ASL19] Finals Recap: Standing Tall BW General Discussion Help: rep cant save
Tourneys
[Megathread] Daily Proleagues Cosmonarchy Pro Showmatches CSL Xiamen International Invitational [BSL20] Non-Korean Championship 4x BSL + 4x China
Strategy
Simple Questions, Simple Answers I am doing this better than progamers do.
Other Games
General Games
Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread Path of Exile Nintendo Switch Thread CCLP - Command & Conquer League Project The PlayStation 5
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Heroes of StarCraft mini-set
TL Mafia
TL Mafia Community Thread Vanilla Mini Mafia
Community
General
Russo-Ukrainian War Thread US Politics Mega-thread Things Aren’t Peaceful in Palestine Stop Killing Games - European Citizens Initiative Summer Games Done Quick 2025!
Fan Clubs
SKT1 Classic Fan Club! Maru Fan Club
Media & Entertainment
[Manga] One Piece Movie Discussion! Anime Discussion Thread [\m/] Heavy Metal Thread
Sports
2024 - 2025 Football Thread Formula 1 Discussion TeamLiquid Health and Fitness Initiative For 2023 NBA General Discussion NHL Playoffs 2024
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread
TL Community
The Automated Ban List
Blogs
Men Take Risks, Women Win Ga…
TrAiDoS
momentary artworks from des…
tankgirl
from making sc maps to makin…
Husyelt
StarCraft improvement
iopq
Trip to the Zoo
micronesia
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 640 users

Should I open a college reviews website?

Blogs > Guilford
Post a Reply
Guilford
Profile Blog Joined August 2008
Australia290 Posts
March 08 2009 15:43 GMT
#1
I will finish high school this year so I know that many international students like me who are seeking a chance of study in the US, at this time of the year or even sooner, always searching for reviews about US and Non-US Colleges so they can choose which colleges they like.

I also think that it is always better to read the reviews by a students rather than reading information about the schools provided by the schools that is available in magazines, books, wikipedia... because there is usually a very distinctive different between real experience and what is in those information provided by the school. Those information can be used to get a general idea about the schools though.

I understand that there is plenty college review websites on the internet already so open a new one might be not necessary. Though the site might target a specific type of students such as international students or for a specific country students such as my country students.

I have a place to host and a domain already. The host is a shared one. I usually fool around the host with scripts though. But now I think I should put it to some good uses. I think I will use phpbb 3 as the core of the website because my coding knowledge is pretty limited.

My main concern is how to get people to write reviews of their schools there. May be I can ask if TL.netters can write some reviews because I can see this community is pretty big and people come from many different schools.

Or may be this is just a waste of time.

[image loading]

Poll: Should I open a college review website?
(Vote): Yes
(Vote): No


*****
Being forgotten is worse than death.
Wasabi
Profile Blog Joined August 2006
United States3085 Posts
March 08 2009 16:58 GMT
#2
--- Nuked ---
Mooga
Profile Blog Joined June 2007
United States575 Posts
March 08 2009 16:59 GMT
#3
Don't expect to get any objective reviews. Most people who spend 4 years at a school of their choice defend it with the fury of a console fanboy.
Wasabi
Profile Blog Joined August 2006
United States3085 Posts
March 08 2009 17:01 GMT
#4
--- Nuked ---
Element)LoGiC
Profile Joined July 2003
Canada1143 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-03-08 17:22:45
March 08 2009 17:04 GMT
#5
Guilford
Profile Blog Joined August 2008
Australia290 Posts
March 08 2009 17:32 GMT
#6
@Wasabi: I don't think I can have a wikipedia level one because it is just too much to be run on a shared host account. But you just give me an idea using the MediaWiki script as the core instead of phpbb 3

Oh, I visited some sites and see that there are negative reviews too.
Being forgotten is worse than death.
indecision
Profile Blog Joined November 2004
Germany818 Posts
March 08 2009 17:39 GMT
#7
how should one objectively compare colleges? It's not like I've seen more than 1 German university. Ok two plus some from outside, but still...
Guilford
Profile Blog Joined August 2008
Australia290 Posts
March 08 2009 17:54 GMT
#8
I think that the ones who write the reviews will set their own standard. They are their experience anyways. But well, I will look into that.
Being forgotten is worse than death.
TheYango
Profile Joined September 2008
United States47024 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-03-08 19:03:35
March 08 2009 19:00 GMT
#9
On March 09 2009 02:01 Wasabi wrote:
That's already what it's like when you visit college review sites anyway. You have these people write reviews who claim their college is the "best."

Which is why most useful college reviews are done by proper publications that are thoroughly edited and reviewed before they make it to print. With the formal editing process that goes into a book, most of this bias can be reviewed, balanced, or edited out.

Personally, I feel like college is one of those things you can't really just look at a review for. Its one of those things you have to look at yourself and decide what's best for you, personally. You can't read them off a ranked list or pick out a bunch of 5-star reviews.

Plus, you'd need reviewers that are comfortable listing a large amount of personal information (major, interests, family background - which is the iffy one) for reviews to be useful.
Moderator
Wasabi
Profile Blog Joined August 2006
United States3085 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-03-08 19:10:54
March 08 2009 19:05 GMT
#10
--- Nuked ---
TheYango
Profile Joined September 2008
United States47024 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-03-08 19:31:15
March 08 2009 19:21 GMT
#11
On March 09 2009 04:05 Wasabi wrote:
Reviews done by students are different on the other hand. They're more personal and gives a different perspective.

Except given the internet these days, it's not difficult for a college applicant to get in contact directly with a student at a university. Said student can then answer specific questions that the applicant has, which would be even more personal and tailored to the applicant.

Edit - Actually, thats an idea that I could get behind. A website that helps college applicants get in contact with students at their potential schools in order to learn more about them. It would probably also be easier to staff than a review site. I think most college students would be more willing to chat with someone than to write a long, formal review.
Moderator
Wasabi
Profile Blog Joined August 2006
United States3085 Posts
March 08 2009 19:32 GMT
#12
--- Nuked ---
TheYango
Profile Joined September 2008
United States47024 Posts
March 08 2009 19:37 GMT
#13
On March 09 2009 04:32 Wasabi wrote:
Hmm.. Having to contact a student versus going to a website that has more than one student's perspective... Hard choice.

Hmm...having a perspective tailored to your personal needs versus going to a website that has several students' general, and not necessarily relevant, perspectives...

Its not as black and white as you make it seem. Also, read my edit.
Moderator
Wasabi
Profile Blog Joined August 2006
United States3085 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-03-08 19:51:11
March 08 2009 19:46 GMT
#14
--- Nuked ---
TheYango
Profile Joined September 2008
United States47024 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-03-08 20:00:00
March 08 2009 19:59 GMT
#15
On March 09 2009 04:46 Wasabi wrote:
What you're saying at this point is merely a preference. Why bother contacting anyone when you can find the information instantly?

Because college is important enough that one shouldn't be trying to get "instant information." IMO getting information about a college tailored to your interests is worth spending the extra time and effort if its where you'll be spending the next 4 years of your life.

On March 09 2009 04:46 Wasabi wrote:
And how can a foreign student make a good contact with a university student? There are factors such as language barrier (though it may not be that big of a deal since a foreign student should know English, it's still awkward), and availability of your contactee, among other factors.

How is this different between a website designed to help applicants make contact with students and one that has review? Both need some minimum level of english language ability to navigate the site, and presumably, that would be enough to type a post looking for a contact in one's native language.

On March 09 2009 04:46 Wasabi wrote:
Think of it this way: instead of that student placing that information for everyone to see, he instead is doing a service to a single foreign student. What sounds more helpful and less time-wasting?

You're on a forum, and you're telling me you can't think of a way to make a conversation available and accessible to all?

On March 09 2009 04:46 Wasabi wrote:
General information huh? As I've said, you can find that information on the university's website itself. Have you even checked what a typical college review is like? It's most likely written by a student, it's personal and not so general-sounding as you make it seem.

Personal to the reviewer. They're not personal to the needs of the applicant. Something written for an audience like a review can't be tailored to the applicant.
Moderator
klizzer
Profile Joined March 2008
517 Posts
March 08 2009 20:57 GMT
#16
OP: Woo, dude, I always see you writing about colleges in the USA!

I am an international student and just went through the whole process of applying (waiting for decisions loalz). yay for dramaz.

While I think a review site tailored specifically to international students wouldn't be too bad, I can't see a way in which it would be different from stuff like studentsreview.com or gazillions of flame posts on collegeconfidential. What do you have? Reviews that usually state "Oh I'm SUPER BRIGHT and I like my XXX school very much, you just have to work very hard bla bla" or "THIS SCHOOL SUCKS don't go here unless you want to /fail your life" are, indeed, general and totally not addressing most concerns of applying students.

TheYango is pretty spot-on with his reasoning, such a review is not personal relative to the applicant. Service for contacting people in college is also a pretty good idea, but I don't actually know how many people you could dig for it. One of my friends who studies in the US was becoming increasingly annoyed as I continuously pestered him about the whole application process and life in college in general.

Personally, I like websites that gather 'success/failure stories' of applicants (of course, most people like to contribute the former for obvious reasons). If they're well written, then, well, they're at least a good read There is a multitude of such stories on the internet - the problem is, they are mostly scattered on maaaany websites. The way I see it is, a site gathering more elaborate reviews, that would expand upon personal motivations and would tell some background stories. There are some reviews on studentsreview.com like that, but they're kinda rare. Not many people can be motivated to actually write such stuff.

I hope I was helpful. Good luck, sir.
Guilford
Profile Blog Joined August 2008
Australia290 Posts
March 09 2009 09:50 GMT
#17
So is it possible to have both of them on the site?

My plan is using MediaWiki as a portal, pretty much like wikipedia but in each article, there will be link to a sub-forum which is power by phpbb 3. Each school will have a sub-forum. To post a review, just open a new topic and if anybody want to ask the writer about anything, they can post a comment in the topic. And taking advantage of the group system in phpbb 3, each school's will have an open group where students can just enlist themselves in. From the article, there will be link to the user group page where people can find members that are or used to be that school's students. There, they can easily PM the one they want to ask about the school using phpbb 3 PM system.

It would be a pain to input the whole list of colleges and the general information database for each school though.

Is this sound ok?

And yes, my main concern still is I don't know how to get people to write review or participate in this.

Being forgotten is worse than death.
Wasabi
Profile Blog Joined August 2006
United States3085 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-03-10 00:07:51
March 09 2009 23:54 GMT
#18
--- Nuked ---
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
OSC
00:00
OSC Elite Rising Star #15
Nicoract vs sebesdesLIVE!
Percival vs TBD
MilkiCow vs TBD
Jumy vs TBD
xJustxJordanx31
Liquipedia
Replay Cast
00:00
SEL S2 Last Chance Qualifier 1
CranKy Ducklings82
Liquipedia
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
Nina 250
Ketroc 29
StarCraft: Brood War
Sea 177
[sc1f]eonzerg 25
Dota 2
monkeys_forever728
Counter-Strike
Stewie2K612
Super Smash Bros
AZ_Axe96
Other Games
summit1g13584
tarik_tv7388
shahzam1269
ViBE239
Skadoodle104
NeuroSwarm74
Trikslyr72
Livibee66
Organizations
Other Games
gamesdonequick2812
StarCraft 2
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
sctven
[ Show 15 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• Berry_CruncH222
• Hupsaiya 61
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• intothetv
• Kozan
• IndyKCrew
• LaughNgamezSOOP
• Migwel
• sooper7s
StarCraft: Brood War
• HerbMon 16
• BSLYoutube
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
Dota 2
• masondota22744
League of Legends
• Scarra1936
Upcoming Events
Epic.LAN
11h 17m
Big Brain Bouts
15h 17m
sebesdes vs SpeCial
Harstem vs YoungYakov
GgMaChine vs uThermal
CranKy Ducklings
1d 9h
Epic.LAN
1d 11h
CSO Contender
1d 16h
BSL20 Non-Korean Champi…
1d 17h
Bonyth vs Sziky
Dewalt vs Hawk
Hawk vs QiaoGege
Sziky vs Dewalt
Mihu vs Bonyth
Zhanhun vs QiaoGege
QiaoGege vs Fengzi
Sparkling Tuna Cup
2 days
Online Event
2 days
BSL20 Non-Korean Champi…
2 days
Bonyth vs Zhanhun
Dewalt vs Mihu
Hawk vs Sziky
Sziky vs QiaoGege
Mihu vs Hawk
Zhanhun vs Dewalt
Fengzi vs Bonyth
Esports World Cup
4 days
ByuN vs Astrea
Lambo vs HeRoMaRinE
Clem vs TBD
Solar vs Zoun
SHIN vs Reynor
Maru vs TriGGeR
herO vs Lancer
Cure vs ShoWTimE
[ Show More ]
Esports World Cup
5 days
Esports World Cup
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

JPL Season 2
RSL Revival: Season 1
Murky Cup #2

Ongoing

BSL 2v2 Season 3
Copa Latinoamericana 4
Jiahua Invitational
BSL20 Non-Korean Championship
CSL Xiamen Invitational
CSL Xiamen Invitational: ShowMatche
Championship of Russia 2025
FISSURE Playground #1
BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025
ESL Impact League Season 7
IEM Dallas 2025
PGL Astana 2025
Asian Champions League '25
BLAST Rivals Spring 2025
MESA Nomadic Masters

Upcoming

2025 ACS Season 2
CSLPRO Last Chance 2025
CSLPRO Chat StarLAN 3
BSL Season 21
K-Championship
RSL Revival: Season 2
SEL Season 2 Championship
uThermal 2v2 Main Event
FEL Cracov 2025
Esports World Cup 2025
Underdog Cup #2
ESL Pro League S22
StarSeries Fall 2025
FISSURE Playground #2
BLAST Open Fall 2025
BLAST Open Fall Qual
Esports World Cup 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall Qual
IEM Cologne 2025
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2025 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.