Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've had a recent change of plans career wise and I am strongly leaning towards becoming a Speech-Language Pathologist.
I am also planning on moving to a new state. The exact location within that new state (Colorado, from TX) is fairly open, because we have family there and we have promises of a job for one of us at least but the job isn't TOO location-specific.
I was previously thinking about trying to go to CU Boulder, but that was before I considered the SLP thing. Now I've learned that the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley has an SLP related Bachelor's degree program plus the grad program for it, I could do it all at that school.
For me the biggest appeal (over CU Boulder) is the cost of living. Even just living NEAR Boulder to attend school would be kind of tough for us, financially. Greeley is cheap. It's one of the few places I've researched in CO where we could actually move there right NOW and afford it because it's very similar to the costs of living where we are now in Tx. And yes, I've heard about the smells, and the cows, and the gang issues, and so on. Remember, I've grown up in Tx and lived in plenty of bad 'hoods. I'll deal.
When I compare tuition between the two, there doesn't seem to be a huge difference. Well, except for the fact that UNCO would offer some scholarships for me as an out-of-state transfer student that I didn't find with UC Boulder (yet? haven't fully researched).
As far as differences when it comes to a few other things though; UNCO seems smaller with smaller class sizes. Boulder appears to have a better "reputation" and more selectivity when it comes to admission. Boulder is much more well known and the surrounding area is much prettier but that part is irrelevant really. I am not able to find as much info in general on UNCO. There's a ton out there on CU Boulder, of course.
I am just not sure if it even matters. If I eventually get a Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology, will anyone care where I went to school? The job market seems good regardless for this career. Even if you knock it down a level to the job of SLP Assistant (Bachelor's only), I wonder if the school will matter?
How do you even begin to start evaluating a school and it's rank an all that?
Honestly things like social atmospheres, Greek life, partying, etc. don't mean squat to me as I'm an older student with a partner and kids. I want 1) affordability (tuiton and cost of living) 2) quality education 3) good Professors / instructors, preferably with experience in their fields aside from teaching, 4) smaller classes and finally, the ability to find a job when I graduate (and not be hindered in any way due to what school I went to). I don't have any plan to necessarily stay in Greeley so moving after graduation is fine.
Do you think I should worry myself about this at all or just go where it's easiest (UNCO)?
You should worry. This is a big decision and not to be taken lightly and I applaud you for being conscientious and for doing your research rather than adopting an indifferent attitude.
That said, schools don't have prestigious reputations without a reason. I know a lot of people seem to think that a schools rep doesn't matter, but it does because the professors (and the knowledge they bring with them) are different. Even if you have the same coursework, the professors (and the adequate funding that allows them to do research and make gains in their respective fields) are what makes a university's reputation and make a huge difference re: what you are learning.
However, just b/c a school isn't well-known does not mean that it is not going to provide you with an excellent education (and a good return career-wise on your investment.) The first thing that I would do is check out the educations of the profs in the Speech Pathology Dep'ts that you are considering. Where did they get their educations from? What have they published? How do their students rate them? What are their expectations? Second, find professionals in the Language Pathology field and ask them about the importance of school reps in the field as well as the reps of the particular dep'ts that you are researching. I have a feeling that if you get a Master's, get very good grades, actually know the material and are able to do all of that while not graduating in debt, that you will be very successful in the field no matter where you go. Third, compare the programs--which is stronger and why? Which is going to prepare you more for work in the field after graduation? Which college will make you more successful?
If it were me, I would probably go with Boulder, not necessarily b/c of its rep but b/c of what the rep signifies. You are going to have this degree (and the knowledge that goes with it) for the rest of your life. Having a name on your res when you gradute will help you in the job market, especially if the program from that college is prestigious, as will the knowledge that you acquire from getting your degree. And all the better if you are not going to be partying, and will actually be learning the material.
There are too many variables at play to decide if a schools reputation is important or not.
For example, school reputation and name recognition may be important if you are looking to relocate and find a job in a new part of the country. It may also come in handy when you want to brag to coworkers or friends.
On the other hand, school reputation may not be that important when it comes to graduate school admissions. For example, I'm looking at possibly doing law school and one thing I have learned is that admissions committees are the last people who care about what undergraduate school you went to. All they care about is LSAT scores, GPA, and letters of recommendation. As odd as it sounds, an undergraduate from Eastern Nowhere State University has the same chance of getting into Yale Law School as someone from an Ivy League school with comparable GPA, LSAT score and letters of recommendation (I know that sounds unlikely but if you research you will find it to be true). Law School isn't the exception, this is often the case for many graduate programs.
That's not true. Colleges with great reputations have the greatest amount of money donations. It reflects nothing on the quality of teaching or assignments or the campus.
Quote:
Originally Posted by StarlaJane
You should worry. This is a big decision and not to be taken lightly and I applaud you for being conscientious and for doing your research rather than adopting an indifferent attitude.
That said, schools don't have prestigious reputations without a reason. I know a lot of people seem to think that a schools rep doesn't matter, but it does because the professors (and the knowledge they bring with them) are different. Even if you have the same coursework, the professors (and the adequate funding that allows them to do research and make gains in their respective fields) are what makes a university's reputation and make a huge difference re: what you are learning.
However, just b/c a school isn't well-known does not mean that it is not going to provide you with an excellent education (and a good return career-wise on your investment.) The first thing that I would do is check out the educations of the profs in the Speech Pathology Dep'ts that you are considering. Where did they get their educations from? What have they published? How do their students rate them? What are their expectations? Second, find professionals in the Language Pathology field and ask them about the importance of school reps in the field as well as the reps of the particular dep'ts that you are researching. I have a feeling that if you get a Master's, get very good grades, actually know the material and are able to do all of that while not graduating in debt, that you will be very successful in the field no matter where you go. Third, compare the programs--which is stronger and why? Which is going to prepare you more for work in the field after graduation? Which college will make you more successful?
If it were me, I would probably go with Boulder, not necessarily b/c of its rep but b/c of what the rep signifies. You are going to have this degree (and the knowledge that goes with it) for the rest of your life. Having a name on your res when you gradute will help you in the job market, especially if the program from that college is prestigious, as will the knowledge that you acquire from getting your degree. And all the better if you are not going to be partying, and will actually be learning the material.
That's not true. Colleges with great reputations have the greatest amount of money donations. It reflects nothing on the quality of teaching or assignments or the campus.
I disagree. I have gone to colleges of all different reputations and there was a big diff between what I learned at the college with the good rep and the lesser-known institutions. A lot of it had to do with the prof's interpretation and presentaion of the material but there was also a great difference wrt my fellow students and peers, expectations, exchange of ideas and manners, among other things. The first thing that I notice among the lesser-known colleges is that the students are not doing the work (especially the reading) and the profs are consistently unclear and not on-top of their work.
I disagree. I have gone to colleges of all different reputations and there was a big diff between what I learned at the college with the good rep and the lesser-known institutions. A lot of it had to do with the prof's interpretation and presentaion of the material but there was also a great difference wrt my fellow students and peers, expectations, exchange of ideas and manners, among other things. The first thing that I notice among the lesser-known colleges is that the students are not doing the work (especially the reading) and the profs are consistently unclear and not on-top of their work.
IMO - in general, excluding the Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc. level schools, it is fairly unimportant which school you attend. How well you perform is of far greater importance. My contrarian opinion is that the supposed quality of the institution/professors is relatively unimportant to your education (much of which will be presented to you by grad students in many cases). Yes, "Harvard" makes a difference, but for the vast majority of schools not in the super elite level, it is crap. This viewpoint is especially pertinent regarding majors where you actually acquire hard skills and the ability to perform a function upon graduation. You personally are the single most important component to the quality of your education, the school/professor is of minimal importance.
There are too many variables at play to decide if a schools reputation is important or not.
For example, school reputation and name recognition may be important if you are looking to relocate and find a job in a new part of the country. It may also come in handy when you want to brag to coworkers or friends.
On the other hand, school reputation may not be that important when it comes to graduate school admissions. For example, I'm looking at possibly doing law school and one thing I have learned is that admissions committees are the last people who care about what undergraduate school you went to. All they care about is LSAT scores, GPA, and letters of recommendation. As odd as it sounds, an undergraduate from Eastern Nowhere State University has the same chance of getting into Yale Law School as someone from an Ivy League school with comparable GPA, LSAT score and letters of recommendation (I know that sounds unlikely but if you research you will find it to be true). Law School isn't the exception, this is often the case for many graduate programs.
IMO - in general, excluding the Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc. level schools, it is fairly unimportant which school you attend. How well you perform is of far greater importance. My contrarian opinion is that the supposed quality of the institution/professors is relatively unimportant to your education (much of which will be presented to you by grad students in many cases). Yes, "Harvard" makes a difference, but for the vast majority of schools not in the super elite level, it is crap. This viewpoint is especially pertinent regarding majors where you actually acquire hard skills and the ability to perform a function upon graduation. You personally are the single most important component to the quality of your education, the school/professor is of minimal importance.
I work with a wide range of people that have their educations from Harvard, MIT, etc, to state schools, and folk from other countries (India, Russia, China, Switzerland, etc) and I can't say that I would be able to tell one from the other as far as professional contributions go. OTOH, it might be possible that people that go to Ivy institutions are a bit more motivated. I don't know if this is the case, and we all have different stories as to why we attend one school over another, but getting into a prestigious school (based on merit at least) takes work.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
