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.
If your son or daughter graduated from an elite High School on the top of his class, got a near perfect SAT score and has an impressive record or leadership in countless activities, wouldn't you insist that the go to one of the best colleges in the nation?
In every almost guaranteed admission State College, there are many of these top notch students. Are they wasting their time in such easy settings? Shouldn't they be attending an Ivy League College?
LOL. Try getting into the University of Illinois engineering school.
Not exactly *easy* settings.
These students may be getting significant financial incentives as opposed to racking up 200k in student load debt.
ESPECIALLY if you are interested in a non-lucrative career field....choosing and IVY can be a very bad move.
Your odds of getting admitted to a highly selective school are actually pretty good if you sell yourself and your personal narrative well. Admissions officers see a lot of applications with excellent grades and test scores; what could set you apart from the rest in a good way is if you can give them a good (and 100% honest) story of your life and the challenges you've faced in moving from Bosnia to Ohio. The elite schools want to put together a diverse freshman class every year, and you bring something different to the table than many typical American students.
Your odds of getting admitted to a highly selective school are actually pretty good if you sell yourself and your personal narrative well. Admissions officers see a lot of applications with excellent grades and test scores; what could set you apart from the rest in a good way is if you can give them a good (and 100% honest) story of your life and the challenges you've faced in moving from Bosnia to Ohio. The elite schools want to put together a diverse freshman class every year, and you bring something different to the table than many typical American students.
Good point! Penn, for example, likes to have at least one student from each of the 50 states and a large number of foreign countries. Not sure if they would consider you from Bosnia, if you went to high school in Ohio. Your chances for financial aid will be much better if you are a citizen.
I am annoyed by this whole thread. First of all, it assumes that all state universities are alike. They are not. It also ignores the fact that there is a lot of grade inflation in Ivy League colleges. There are people who attend there because the are legacies.
I know that I have heard that there are some states where in state students are guaranteed admission to certain colleges in the state system. I have never lived in such a state. However, that does not mean that all PRIVATE COLLEGES are superior!
In fact, I can think of quite a few four year, liberal arts colleges, that are picture post card adorable, nestled in the woods of New England, (and other places) that will accept almost anyone. However, the ones I am thinking of cost well over 30,000. And they are not giving out scholarships.
The people who send their kids there are looking for the prestige that comes with the word "private"
I don't know how to answer the OPs seemingly hypothetical question. I can only say that there I like some Ivy League colleges better than others, and some other colleges better than some private non Ivy League colleges, and FURTHER, some STATE UNIVERSITIES more than either. It depends on the school, not weather it is private, "Ivy" or state.
Way back when I applied to colleges, I applied to a mixture of private, public and Ivy. The classification did not matter to me. I decided to attend a private university. Not the Ivy to which I was admitted.
My education was interrupted for about a decade, and I completed my BA at a highly selective state university in NYS. The education was comparable or better at the public university.
On the other end of the educational spectrum, it is this same fear of anything public, that drived some non 4 year college students to pass up their local community college, for some "institute" or "academy" that may be private, but is just is also FOR PROFIT!
I am annoyed by this whole thread. First of all, it assumes that all state universities are alike. They are not. It also ignores the fact that there is a lot of grade inflation in Ivy League colleges. There are people who attend there because the are legacies.
I know that I have heard that there are some states where in state students are guaranteed admission to certain colleges in the state system. I have never lived in such a state. However, that does not mean that all PRIVATE COLLEGES are superior!
I have never heard anyone say that a private college is superior. In fact, I can name a few that are just the opposite.
In fact, I can think of quite a few four year, liberal arts colleges, that are picture post card adorable, nestled in the woods of New England, (and other places) that will accept almost anyone. However, the ones I am thinking of cost well over 30,000. And they are not giving out scholarships.
The people who send their kids there are looking for the prestige that comes with the word "private"
Again, I I don't think there is any more prestige associated with the work "private." Penn State, University of Virginia and University of North Carolina are all public schools that have an excellent reputation.
I don't know how to answer the OPs seemingly hypothetical question. I can only say that there I like some Ivy League colleges better than others, and some other colleges better than some private non Ivy League colleges, and FURTHER, some STATE UNIVERSITIES more than either. It depends on the school, not weather it is private, "Ivy" or state.
Way back when I applied to colleges, I applied to a mixture of private, public and Ivy. The classification did not matter to me. I decided to attend a private university. Not the Ivy to which I was admitted.
My education was interrupted for about a decade, and I completed my BA at a highly selective state university in NYS. The education was comparable or better at the public university.
On the other end of the educational spectrum, it is this same fear of anything public, that drived some non 4 year college students to pass up their local community college, for some "institute" or "academy" that may be private, but is just is also FOR PROFIT!
There is no overall accurate ranking of colleges and universities. Despite what US News and World Report says, it is very subjective. You can't even take there rankings and compare most schools with one another because of their regional, public, private, lieberal arts, etc. type of rankings. It all comes down to when someone looks at your resume or interviews you, what impression do they form based on where you went to school. Cornell will give one impression, Bloomsburg University will give another and Wilkes University will give another. That impression will probably change if you interview in the further away such as on the west coast.
I have never heard anyone say that a private college is superior. In fact, I can name a few that are just the opposite.
Of course, it depends. Overall, Harvard is superior to Pitt, by almost any measure not involving sports or beer. But Pitt is superior to Gannon, or Geneva, or Wilmington -- all small private schools in the area.
And moreover, it depends heavily on the program. Pitt has one of the best philosophy programs in the country, top 5 really. Ohio--Athens is usually included in the top 15 journalism schools for undergraduate, alongside NYU and Columbia. Same with Mizzou. FSU has one of the best (/only) undergrad film programs at a Southern public school. Is FSU a better school than Emory? If you're a film student, the answer is certainly yes.
Quote:
Again, I I don't think there is any more prestige associated with the work "private." Penn State, University of Virginia and University of North Carolina are all public schools that have an excellent reputation.
So are Michigan, William & Mary and Berkeley. But there are plenty of public schools whose reputation is rather weak. "Private" itself doesn't confer more prestige, but many private schools are more prestigious for other reasons.
Quote:
Despite what US News and World Report says, it is very subjective. You can't even take there rankings and compare most schools with one another because of their regional, public, private, lieberal arts, etc. type of rankings..
Actually, US News and World Report separates their rankings into broad categories: national universities, national liberal arts schools, regional universities and regional colleges. So, in fact, a school is measured against those of the same type and it avoids directly pitting e.g. Yale against Wesleyan.
Last edited by John Dark; 01-05-2012 at 07:51 AM..
Of course, it depends. Overall, Harvard is superior to Pitt, by almost any measure not involving sports or beer. But Pitt is superior to Gannon, or Geneva, or Wilmington -- all small private schools in the area.
I agree. Do you mean Westminster in New Wilmington? I think there is also a Wilmington College in Ohio.
And moreover, it depends heavily on the program. Pitt has one of the best philosophy programs in the country, top 5 really. Ohio--Athens is usually included in the top 15 journalism schools for undergraduate, alongside NYU and Columbia. Same with Mizzou. FSU has one of the best (/only) undergrad film programs at a Southern public school. Is FSU a better school than Emory? If you're a film student, the answer is certainly yes.
Agreed
So are Michigan, William & Mary and Berkeley. But there are plenty of public schools whose reputation is rather weak. "Private" itself doesn't confer more prestige, but many private schools are more prestigious for other reasons.
I was responding to the poster who seemed to think there was a perception that people thought private colleges had more prestige. Her comment was, "The people who send their kids there are looking for the prestige that comes with the word "private"
Actually, US News and World Report separates their rankings into broad categories: national universities, national liberal arts schools, regional universities and regional colleges. So, in fact, a school is measured against those of the same type and it avoids directly pitting e.g. Yale against Wesleyan.
I had subscribed to US News and World Report's full service and and while I understand their intent, it makes it difficult to compare schools that are not of the same type. As a prospective student, I am not really concerned about whether a school classified under: national universities, national liberal arts schools, regional universities and regional colleges. I want to know the academic competitiveness and the school's reputation, especially as far as the major I am interested.
I guess that I would have to know the student's rationale for choosing the "easier" option--better location, cheaper, more in line with his eventual future after school, etc.
I know, though, that if I ever had the chance to go to an IVY-caliber school, and have most of the expenses covered, I would have taken advantage of it.
Went to a decent state school. Now at an ivy league law school. For the purposes of law school admissions, where you go to undergrad has almost no bearing, save for Harvard/Yale/Princeton students (and the like) who sometimes get a modest boost.
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.
