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I see some posters in this forum saying they went to a mediocre university or college. I am just curious what made your school mediocre or good. I went to Clemson University (great university) for 2 semesters .I dropped out for awhile and then I enrolled at a smaller college which was important to me. I enrolled at a branch campus of the U of South Carolina called USC Upstate (3200 students when I started). USC Upstate is not nearly as prestigious as Clemson but it worked for me and I couldn't have made a better decision . The professors were very knowledgeable and they always made time for students . The workload was fair but we were kept busy and we wrote a lot and the faculty did their best to help you be prepared to enter the workforce after graduation. I can remember just before graduation being with a group of students (if I remember correctly most in this group were 25 and over-they made up a fairly large percentage of the student population) who were also about to graduate and we were discussing whether or not we got our moneys worth and each of us agreed that we had. I still feel that way today and more so. After college I went to grad school (Northern Arizona University) for 2 semesters and then later on I was able to get a job in marketing at a brokerage firm .
college- University of South Carolina Upstate, Spartanburg SC
major- Political Science
Last edited by senecaman; 12-28-2015 at 09:34 PM..
Started to say in the other thread, but then saw you had this one. For me, I'm a Clemson grad. DD is there now.
To this specific question, other than the for profits (which get discussed often enough) and the few non accredited schools, I don't believe there are a lot of mediocre colleges. And while there are somewhere around 50 or so top schools, which schools are in that 50 is often dependent on what degree program is under consideration. An example being that while MIT is tops in applied science and technology, there are other choices in the pure sciences such as (example) UF for some topics in astronomy.
Likewise, the best college for an individual is different because each person's motivations and learning style are different, even if pursuing the same degree. Some people will perform best and rise to the occasion if put in the pressure cooker of a flagship research U. Others do better in a smaller, more personal environment.
Here's the thing. That bachelor's degree is not the finish line. It's the starting point. Rather than saying you are ready to be a scientist, engineer, or English teacher, it says you know enough to start the real education of life. It's a license to learn. Five years after graduation, no one will know or care about the school you attended; only what you've done with it since.
Briefly put, the quality of a university has to do with your peer competition. Generally speaking, the lower the tier, the less competitive your peers are. To use New Jersey as an example - The top 20% at Princeton are the equivalent of the top 10% at Rutgers, the equivalent of the top 7% at Seton Hall, the top 3% at Montclair State, the top 1% Essex County Community College and so forth.
It has little to do with the competence of faculty - they get their jobs based on research that does not impact undergraduates at all. There are some marginal quality differences in the teaching skills in the respective faculty corps. Still, it's not enough to make a big difference in the undergraduate experience.
I graduated from Texas State University, entirely average, but worked very hard to be near the top of the class. I did consider transferring to University of Texas but decided that the costs were not worth it. I was already racking up student debt and didn't want to add to it when I knew my job would probably not pay that differently either way. It may have affected my location post-graduation, but in my career I'd make about the same relative to cost of living anywhere in the country.
I think that outside the U.S. News top 20 or so, the main difference for colleges is the geographic situation of alumni networks and connections that lead to jobs for graduates.
Started to say in the other thread, but then saw you had this one. For me, I'm a Clemson grad. DD is there now.
To this specific question, other than the for profits (which get discussed often enough) and the few non accredited schools, I don't believe there are a lot of mediocre colleges. And while there are somewhere around 50 or so top schools, which schools are in that 50 is often dependent on what degree program is under consideration. An example being that while MIT is tops in applied science and technology, there are other choices in the pure sciences such as (example) UF for some topics in astronomy.
Likewise, the best college for an individual is different because each person's motivations and learning style are different, even if pursuing the same degree. Some people will perform best and rise to the occasion if put in the pressure cooker of a flagship research U. Others do better in a smaller, more personal environment.
Here's the thing. That bachelor's degree is not the finish line. It's the starting point. Rather than saying you are ready to be a scientist, engineer, or English teacher, it says you know enough to start the real education of life. It's a license to learn. Five years after graduation, no one will know or care about the school you attended; only what you've done with it since.
Yes! GO TIGERS ! lol As I was saying in the other thread I went USC Upstate after going to Clemson for 2 semesters but I could not change my football allegiance away from Clemson.My first Clemson game was in 1975. But I saw a few posters here and there in this forum saying they went to mediocre colleges and I just got very curious what made them feel that way. My college is middle of the road I guess but I would go there again so it was a great school to me. I have a friend who went to Eastern Kentucky University which is ranked middle of the road but he liked it a lot and said the academics were solid.
To describe what I would consider mediocre in a state supported U, let me use one of the schools we visited (not in SC BTW).
a. On first impression the school just looked run down and second rate. Facilities obviously were getting minimum maintenance. The lack of pride in the school was obvious in the facilities, staff we met, and students.
b. Staff just going through the motions and don't really care about the university. In fact telling the prospective students and parents visiting about how bad their jobs were. I mean really. Telling prospective students that you don't like your employer and don't get paid enough. Whether it's true or not, it's just not professional. If they're that indiscrete with prospective students/parents, what will they be like for the four years students are there?
c. Students who really don't care. Most of them from the local commuting area who are hanging with the same friends in college they did in high school and who don't expect to really go anywhere afterward. Basically who consider college as just four more years of high school.
d. All of which includes a very low SAT/ACT/GPA average and a pathetic six year graduation rate.
It comes down to your field of study. No single school is spectacular across the board. For example, for computer science you're going to study at CMU. But it's mediocre at biology.
What makes it great or mediocre? The student body and the faculty. Good schools have faculty that are at the top of their field. They are also very competitive in accepting students and only accept students that can contribute to their programs.
I studied Computer Science and Economics (Two majors) at Princeton University.
It comes down to your field of study. No single school is spectacular across the board. For example, for computer science you're going to study at CMU. But it's mediocre at biology.
What makes it great or mediocre? The student body and the faculty. Good schools have faculty that are at the top of their field. They are also very competitive in accepting students and only accept students that can contribute to their programs.
I studied Computer Science and Economics (Two majors) at Princeton University.
This.
Certain schools are better at certain things than others.
My school, well, I'm not exactly sure what it is great at except for winning Baseball championships.
However even though it is a State School, my classes were a LOT smaller and more focused than a UC or larger college and my degree wasn't very expensive when I was done.
More on topic, if I was going to grad school I was strongly considering Stony Brook because it was known for the field of study I was interested in at the time.
My guess is that most on this forum would consider the university I went to "mediocre" or "second rate". And, you know what? That's okay. We all have our own opinions. Personally, I think education is what you make it! Colleges give you the tools you need to succeed, then you are left to your own devices to decide whether or not to use/implement those tools/skills in real life. Some take it seriously, others don't.
In fact, I had a family member tell me that I should chose some other school (one that she approved of), because it was more "prestigious" and I would "actually have a chance at getting a job post-graduation" and "I was setting myself up for failure by picking one of the 14 state schools". Are you kidding me?! This is what is wrong with the country today and how people end up $100k+ after graduating, with people who say stuff like this. People are led to believe that if they want a "good" education, they have to pay ridiculous amounts. That's not true. Education is what you make of it!
For the record, I proved my family member & everyone else who doubted any of my schooling decisions...WRONG. And let me tell you, it was a GREAT feeling. I honestly surprised myself quite a bit. The only one who didn't seemed surprised at all was one specific professor, who said that I worked hard & earned it. He also gave me a little spiel about how he wished other students took the initiative and tried harder to find jobs while still in college.
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