West Virgina University? (Morgantown: credit, transfer to, schools)

[Fuzzy24]

In terms of criteria (location, size, etc..) WVU is the only college that provides a BS/MS in occupational therapy, which means I can get it in 5 years. I'm afraid that when i graduate no one will take me too seriously because of it's reputation. Should I go there or should I go to Iowa state which I really like and major in a related field and and take the pre-occupational therapy prerequisites they offer, then go get my masters at a different school? Thanks in advance!

[thebalogas]

Are you saying WVU has a bad reputation?

[Mattie]

WVU is supposedly the #1 party school in the US. My girlfriend found this out when her son flunked out his first semester. He had a great time up there!

The daughter of the same friend went to WVU for Occupational Therapy, but she left before graduation to transfer to Brenau U in GA. She wasn't very happy with the program in WVU, but I don't know the specifics.

[Fuzzy24]

Originally Posted by thebalogas

Are you saying WVU has a bad reputation?

No, that is not what I was implying. I'm just saying that they have a reputation to be a big party school and maybe are not taken too seriously because of it.

[tbailey1138]

If I were you, I'd take all of my classes at one place for ease to make sure that your credits would all transfer to the program that you are wanting to get into. It's also usually easier to get into a program if you've already taken classes at that school. If you plan on eventually going to WVU, then I'd say start at WVU. If you'd rather go somewhere else then start out there. WVU does provide a good education in the OT field. I have a degree from there in PT and my cousin graduated with an OT degree. Make sure to visit the campus though and see if it fits for you.

And Balogas, I can't imagine being consistently ranked in the top 5 for party schools, often number one, having the students who are least likely to study and the recent/ongoing degree scandals have helped WVUs reputation in the academic world. But Fuzzy, all people care about when they hire you is #1 Do you have your degree? and #2 How do you do in an interview. They may make a joke or two about where it came from if they even know/remember about any of the negative stuff going on right now. Overall where your degree comes from doesn't really matter when someone needs to fill a position. This is especially true in the healthcare field which is at somewhat of a shortage right now. Hope this helps.

Tim

[WVUPharm2007]

WVU is just like any other big state school. Sure, there are parties, sure, there is booze...but guess what, the same stuff goes on at freakin' Harvard. I know because I've been there...and I've seen their overrated students party just like they do in Morgantown. The bottom line is the quality and maturity of the student. If they are going to flunk out, they are going to flunk out. If they take it seriously, they will be fine. You can find trouble no matter what school you go to.

I have a PharmD from WVU. I got a job at a hospital in Western PA over Pitt and Duquesne grads. Graduating from WVU didn't hinder me at all. In fact, it seemed to help me because WVU's pharmacy school has a pretty decent reputation. Perhaps you should try to find out what what the reputation of WVU's OT school is like.

[vec101]

I've never heard of WVU having a bad educational reputation - actually, I have heard just the opposite. It's not an easy school - if a student is going to make it, they have to take it serious and work hard. I've had 2 sons at WVU (both made it and got degrees, thank heavens). I can't say it's a policy but it seems - especially when the kids get into their field, such as engineering - the professors "shake the tree" to see who really has what it takes to make it and to see who is serious about their degree. Those who can't hang don't make it.

About the partying - blame the kids who drop out cuz of drinking, etc. not the college. They are not coddled or watched over when they get to college - they are considered adults. Don't believe me that they are considered adults - test the privacy issues. I forget what it was - something simple - but I had to do something for my son and I could not get access to his info.

Went to son's orientation at WVU - they told the kids to look at the people beside them and realize about half won't be there at graduation.

As to the drop out rate - at just about any college you can figure that 50% of the students won't make it through and get a degree.

Just 54 percent of students entering four-year colleges in 1997 had a degree six years later - article dated 2005. U.S. college drop-out rate sparks concern - Education- msnbc.com

The rate is even higher for freshman:

One in four college freshmen drop out. The dropout dilemma: One in four college freshmen drop out. What is going on here? What does it take to stay in? | Careers and Colleges | Find Articles at BNET

[thebalogas]

I was just asking the op what they meant. I would have loved to go to WVU and when I was in college, well, now too, I didn't party at all. I have lots of friends that graduated from WVU and went on to get wonderful jobs. I live in NC now, and my son's 4th grade teacher graduated from WVU and she isn't from WV.

[Fuzzy24]

Thanks for the info guys! And Vec101, those stats were interesting thanks for providing them!

[CTMountaineer]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy24

No, that is not what I was implying. I'm just saying that they have a reputation to be a big party school and maybe are not taken too seriously because of it.

Take a look at the so-called "party schools". West Virginia was beaten out in the rankings by Florida, Penn State, and competes with Wisconsin. Even Ivy League schools are "ranked". All the party school designation says is that there is a vibrant social life on campus. Employers know this full well. The Occupational Therapy program at WVU is nationally ranked, and the school is a household name in the Nation's largest market... New York City, with nearly 20 million people in the Metro Area due to constant media exposure here as part of the Big East Conference. You would be in an excellent position to get a great job upon graduation. In fact, I'm retired from state government here and they seemed to always be looking for occupational therapists.

Here, take a look for yourself. Here are this year's Top 10 "Party Schools". West Virginia is in some pretty good company here, including The University of Mississippi which, along with WVU, is in the Top 7 public universities for number of Rhodes Scholars:

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/depart...PartySchools09