Top party schools. Big 10 and U of I at the top (Madison: to eat, best)

[jman07]

Originally Posted by PCH_CDM

Sounds like you've got it reversed. If they're so good, they wouldn't be so easy to get into.

And top business schools, generally speaking don't do undergraduate. There are a few exceptions, but traditionally top employers don't really prefer B-school undergrad over liberal arts or engineering. MBA is obviously a different story.

They aren't easy to get into. They are relative to quality of education. That is only true for some big 10 schools though.

I also specifically said top undergrad business schools. You then went on to say how top business schools don't do undergrad. Well if they don't do undergrad then they obviously can't have better undergrad programs. IU, MU, and Purdue all have top MBA programs anyways.

And I don't see how employers prefer liberal arts majors over business. Liberal arts majors have the lowest placement rates. And no ones going to hire a liberal arts or engineering grad over a business grad for marketing, consultkng, finance and accounting positions. I don't get your statement.

[Chicago60614]

I went to U of Iowa, which was the #1 school. Actually grew up there through high school as well. People definitely love to party, but every person I know who went to school with me there turned out perfectly fine and all have good jobs and stable lives. Work hard, party hard.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by PCH_CDM

USC and Wash U are on Wisconsin's level (USC probably a bit better).

Oh, I could hunt you down for that comment. USC? Go to hell.

[reppin_the_847]

I think a lot of this is due to the right mix of demographics & the true college town atmosphere (with at least 1 or 2 streets full of bars) & the well-established fraternity / sorority setup and the house parties that come along with it. By demographics I mean the fact that many of the students come from affluent, suburban families. Iowa & Illinois-Champaign draw heavily from the Chicagoland suburbs. Indiana draws a bit from Chicagoland but surprisingly quite a bit from NY/NJ and the East Coast as does Wisconsin-Madison & Michigan to an extent. Michigan State gets a lot of the Metro Detroit and Grand Rapids kids. A lot of these kids come from generations of families that attended these institutions. Some of them were in the same fraternities generations ago as well. Let's also not forget the Division 1 football & basketball programs and all the hype that comes along with that.

[Maintainschaos]

Originally Posted by MassVt

Don't know about this..

I'd say that the top 3 in the Big Ten are Northwestern, Michigan and Wisconsin. After that, a lot of "good, but not outstanding"..

I agree with everything except the Wisconsin idea. Wisconsin, UIUC, and PSU are normally toe-to-toe in most fields and complement one another pretty well in fields in which the other doesn't excel. I think you could build and argument that ranks the Big10 as:

Northwestern
.
.
Michigan
.
Illinois/PSU/Wisconsin
.
Minnesota/OSU/Purdue
.
the rest

[BigLake]

Originally Posted by Maintainschaos

I agree with everything except the Wisconsin idea. Wisconsin, UIUC, and PSU are normally toe-to-toe in most fields and complement one another pretty well in fields in which the other doesn't excel. I think you could build and argument that ranks the Big10 as:

Northwestern
.
.
Michigan
.
Illinois/PSU/Wisconsin
.
Minnesota/OSU/Purdue
.
the rest

I would agree with this. I'd put Wisconsin a tick above Illinois which is likewise a tick above PSU. I'd move OSU off the list. Indiana is better than OSU, as is Iowa.

[Lookout Kid]

Wisconsin is seen by many as a superior school to UIUC and Penn State, whether that reputation is earned or not. But I am incredibly biased in my assertion.

Originally Posted by Maintainschaos

I agree with everything except the Wisconsin idea. Wisconsin, UIUC, and PSU are normally toe-to-toe in most fields and complement one another pretty well in fields in which the other doesn't excel. I think you could build and argument that ranks the Big10 as:

Northwestern
.
.
Michigan
.
Illinois/PSU/Wisconsin
.
Minnesota/OSU/Purdue
.
the rest

[Maintainschaos]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Wisconsin is seen by many as a superior school to UIUC and Penn State, whether that reputation is earned or not. But I am incredibly biased in my assertion.

Maybe it is seen that way because it is the best school in Wisconsin? I got my doctorate from UW-Madison, and I of course think it's a great school; however, at least many STEM fields, I don't think it's considered a superior school to UIUC or PSU.

[PCH_CDM]

I would say:

Northwestern
Michigan
-
Wisconsin
Indiana-Illinois
Rutgers
Purdue-Maryland-Iowa-Penn State
Ohio State-Michigan State
Minnesota
-
Nebraska

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by Maintainschaos

Maybe it is seen that way because it is the best school in Wisconsin? I got my doctorate from UW-Madison, and I of course think it's a great school; however, at least many STEM fields, I don't think it's considered a superior school to UIUC or PSU.

Wisconsin excels in the biotechnology and education fields, and is unmatched in the Big Ten in this regard (and matches up with ANY university anywhere in these fields worldwide). Bio-Research is really big there. Engineering is usually top 25 depending on the program, and certain Liberal Arts programs are near the top of the pack, like Sociology (which is often ranked above the vaunted University of Chicago program). But Wisconsin sucks for other things, like art or design. The business school is good, not great. But the professional programs in Law and Medicine are highly regarded.

UIUC is a really great engineering school for many disciplines, and has some programs that are unmatched even by the MIT's and CalTechs of the world. PSU is strong there too. Many people are familiar with the awesome Computer Science accomplishments of UIUC. I'd rank UIUC a smidge above PSU. PSU suffers from being in the northeast, where top students more typically attend private universities.