Craig’s Friday Countdown - The Schools ...

Schools Which Didn’t Kick Me Out

As President Obama unveils a plan to expand access to community college for all students, here’s the ranking of schools that have kept me occupied after missing high school graduation with my class for failing English four or five too many times.

8 - University of Illinois – The tuition waiver was appreciated, but hearing your public administration cohort is the last one that will be admitted at the welcoming wine and cheese reception makes you forever gun shy around wine and/or cheese.  They killed many an academic career with their purge.  I was the last survivor.    

7 - College of Lake County – Twenty-two credit hours over three years ?  My fault, not theirs.

6 - Webster University – Fit my work schedule, close enough to commute to and good quality instruction.  Corporate MBA / HR classmates.  Smart, efficient, corporate.  

5 - Johns Hopkins – A well regarded university feels weird sitting on your lap (on-line program).

4 – Northwestern – Purple’s my favorite color.  Michigan’s my favorite Great Lake.  Bummed I had to stop attending when we moved from Illinois to Wisconsin.  Beautiful campus, excellent instruction and my favorite Big 10 university.  Take that, Illinois.

3 – Harvard – The groundkeeping is spectacular and the chowder is fresh, but I've seen high schools with better ball diamonds.  Telling difference between the Business School and the Kennedy School?  The training ground for the 1% has a bar in the basement (and fairly lax security).    

2 - Roosevelt University – Again with the favorite Great Lake, bolstered by the gorgeous Auditorium Building.  I’d race to get there after work and decompress with a walk through halls designed by Adler Sullivan in his prime and drawn by Frank Lloyd Wright just getting his start.  

1 - Western Illinois University – Again, with the favorite color.  More importantly, professors are there to teach.  Accessible.  Affordable.  Unpretentious. Met me where I was, and lifted me up enough to make everything else happen.  Go Leathernecks !