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I can't comment on the former teacher's colleges, but I can say that Pitt is extremely generous with merit aid but rather cheap when it comes to financial aid. Penn State is very stingy with both. Straight financial aid is a rather tricky issue in that private universities will often be cheaper up to a certain point--generally (though not always) the better the school, the higher the turning point. A mid-tier private school can be more affordable up to, say, the lower side of middle class. A well-endowed Ivy can be less expensive even for upper middle class families. With ever-skyrocketing tuition rates, relatively (but not extremely) affluent families are often "too rich" to afford private universities. It never hurts to apply broadly, and sometimes schools that seem financially out of reach can end up surprisingly more affordable. But between Pitt on scholly and a slew of mid-tier privates at sticker, the choice for me was an obvious one.
I agree about Pitt being a bit better.
In PA it seems if you are not poor, then you are rich.
• How would you rate your state's univ system?
It's pretty good. Quality of education is generally good, but accessibility is not so great.
• Which university is the flagship...or (in some states) which two have that role?
University of Washington Seattle is the flagship. Washington State University Pullman is the number two.
• What are the member institutions and which are the real stars of the system? which ones would you consider weak? UW Seattle -- 11th best public university in the country with a top medical school, and top programs in nursing, public health, psychiatry, psychology, biology, bioengineering, computer science, and education. Did I mention the amazingly beautiful campus? Most beautiful public campus in the country, for sure.
UW Tacoma -- A small, decent four year school that doesn't stand out at all other than in the first part of the name.
UW Bothell -- The largest branch campus in the state. Campus is shared with Cascadia Community College. A little more respected than other branch campuses.
WSU Pullman -- Well-regarded school. Ranked higher than University of Oregon. Great programs in engineering, veterinary medicine, agricultural sciences, and education.
WSU Tri-Cities -- I'm not sure that people even attend this school... Seriously though, it is a pretty small school with very few offerings.
WSU Vancouver -- An actual research university apparently, but very small and bottom tier. Beautiful campus and location on top of a forested hill with views of St. Helens and Hood, too if I remember.
Central Washington U. -- Bottom tier regional school.
Eastern Washington U. -- Bottom tier regional school.
Western Washington U. -- Best regional school in the state and ranked accordingly. A lot of business and education majors from there.
The Evergreen State College -- Public liberal arts college. They have a very innovative approach to education that is lauded outside of Washington. In state a TESC degree is kind of sneered at like a bad joke. I considered attending that school, myself. If I am forced, for financial reasons, to delay re-starting school another year, I may reconsider TESC or WWU.
• Are all parts of your state served well in placement of universities or are some too removed from school locations?
Yes, they are pretty darn well-served. All regions and all major population centers are covered with the exception of the North Sound where they were, pre-recession, planning a new UW campus near Everett/Lynnwood/Marysville/Mukilteo, and Yakima, which is the real glaring exception. They are 36 miles away from CWU, but that is quite a long drive. Doable, but not extremely convenient. Marysville to Bothell is only a 30 minute drive. Again, doable, but not extremely convenient.
• Are you state's publics attractive to out-of-state students?
UW and WSU main campuses are for sure.
• Is the system organized as a whole (like Florida or Georgia) or are there a number of different systems (like UC and CSU in California?)
It is centrally organized. UW and WSU are not systems like CSU and UC. The various campuses are considered simply branches of the same exact school rather than operating and being perceived as independent schools, in contrast to, say, UC.
Last edited by backdrifter; 06-13-2012 at 04:47 AM..
• How would you rate your state's univ system?
It's pretty good. Quality of education is generally good, but accessibility is not so great.
• Which university is the flagship...or (in some states) which two have that role?
University of Washington Seattle is the flagship. Washington State University Pullman is the number two.
• What are the member institutions and which are the real stars of the system? which ones would you consider weak? UW Seattle -- 11th best public university in the country with a top medical school, and top programs in nursing, public health, psychiatry, psychology, biology, bioengineering, computer science, and education. Did I mention the amazingly beautiful campus? Most beautiful public campus in the country, for sure.
UW Tacoma -- A small, decent four year school that doesn't stand out at all other than in the first part of the name.
UW Bothell -- The largest branch campus in the state. Campus is shared with Cascadia Community College. A little more respected than other branch campuses.
WSU Pullman -- Well-regarded school. Ranked higher than University of Oregon. Great programs in engineering, veterinary medicine, agricultural sciences, and education.
WSU Tri-Cities -- I'm not sure that people even attend this school... Seriously though, it is a pretty small school with very few offerings.
WSU Vancouver -- An actual research university apparently, but very small and bottom tier. Beautiful campus and location on top of a forested hill with views of St. Helens and Hood, too if I remember.
Central Washington U. -- Bottom tier regional school.
Eastern Washington U. -- Bottom tier regional school.
Western Washington U. -- Best regional school in the state and ranked accordingly. A lot of business and education majors from there.
The Evergreen State College -- Public liberal arts college. They have a very innovative approach to education that is lauded outside of Washington. In state a TESC degree is kind of sneered at like a bad joke. I considered attending that school, myself. If I am forced, for financial reasons, to delay re-starting school another year, I may reconsider TESC or WWU.
• Are all parts of your state served well in placement of universities or are some too removed from school locations?
Yes, they are pretty darn well-served. All regions and all major population centers are covered with the exception of the North Sound where they were, pre-recession, planning a new UW campus near Everett/Lynnwood/Marysville/Mukilteo, and Yakima, which is the real glaring exception. They are 36 miles away from CWU, but that is quite a long drive. Doable, but not extremely convenient. Marysville to Bothell is only a 30 minute drive. Again, doable, but not extremely convenient.
• Are you state's publics attractive to out-of-state students?
UW and WSU main campuses are for sure.
• Is the system organized as a whole (like Florida or Georgia) or are there a number of different systems (like UC and CSU in California?)
It is centrally organized. UW and WSU are not systems like CSU and UC. The various campuses are considered simply branches of the same exact school rather than operating and being perceived as independent schools, in contrast to, say, UC.
given the distance of Pullman from Seattle, how much of a draw is Wazoo for students in the metro area?
given the distance of Pullman from Seattle, how much of a draw is Wazoo for students in the metro area?
UDub has twice the enrollment of Wazoo, so I think that really speaks volumes about the draw of WSU in general. A lot of rural students are drawn to UW because of its location in Seattle, while many metro area students go there as well because they can live at home and commute to school (similar to many California students). The top feeder community colleges for transfer students are in the metro area too.
I think WSU's location is a major detractor for many prospective students. What kind of young person, in their right mind, would really want to live in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere? Perhaps if the campus were in a larger town, such as Spokane, it'd be a little more palatable and attractive. WSU Vancouver is predicted to have strong enrollment growth due to its proximity to Portland and the ability for certain Oregon residents to pay in-state tuition when attending part-time. I think UW Tacoma will continue to see some strong growth as well.
• How would you rate your state's univ system?
It's pretty good. Quality of education is generally good, but accessibility is not so great.
• Which university is the flagship...or (in some states) which two have that role?
University of Washington Seattle is the flagship. Washington State University Pullman is the number two.
• What are the member institutions and which are the real stars of the system? which ones would you consider weak? UW Seattle -- 11th best public university in the country with a top medical school, and top programs in nursing, public health, psychiatry, psychology, biology, bioengineering, computer science, and education. Did I mention the amazingly beautiful campus? Most beautiful public campus in the country, for sure.
UW Tacoma -- A small, decent four year school that doesn't stand out at all other than in the first part of the name.
UW Bothell -- The largest branch campus in the state. Campus is shared with Cascadia Community College. A little more respected than other branch campuses.
WSU Pullman -- Well-regarded school. Ranked higher than University of Oregon. Great programs in engineering, veterinary medicine, agricultural sciences, and education.
WSU Tri-Cities -- I'm not sure that people even attend this school... Seriously though, it is a pretty small school with very few offerings.
WSU Vancouver -- An actual research university apparently, but very small and bottom tier. Beautiful campus and location on top of a forested hill with views of St. Helens and Hood, too if I remember.
Central Washington U. -- Bottom tier regional school.
Eastern Washington U. -- Bottom tier regional school.
Western Washington U. -- Best regional school in the state and ranked accordingly. A lot of business and education majors from there.
The Evergreen State College -- Public liberal arts college. They have a very innovative approach to education that is lauded outside of Washington. In state a TESC degree is kind of sneered at like a bad joke. I considered attending that school, myself. If I am forced, for financial reasons, to delay re-starting school another year, I may reconsider TESC or WWU.
• Are all parts of your state served well in placement of universities or are some too removed from school locations?
Yes, they are pretty darn well-served. All regions and all major population centers are covered with the exception of the North Sound where they were, pre-recession, planning a new UW campus near Everett/Lynnwood/Marysville/Mukilteo, and Yakima, which is the real glaring exception. They are 36 miles away from CWU, but that is quite a long drive. Doable, but not extremely convenient. Marysville to Bothell is only a 30 minute drive. Again, doable, but not extremely convenient.
• Are you state's publics attractive to out-of-state students?
UW and WSU main campuses are for sure.
• Is the system organized as a whole (like Florida or Georgia) or are there a number of different systems (like UC and CSU in California?)
It is centrally organized. UW and WSU are not systems like CSU and UC. The various campuses are considered simply branches of the same exact school rather than operating and being perceived as independent schools, in contrast to, say, UC.
I'm here in PA and ex-NY and in my circles no one sneers at Evergreen! For artistic, ecologically minded and creative students, it's a wonderful choice.
My son was accepted there this year, and is still thinking about spending a year there.
What a great state college - in league with Bard, Hampshire and Sarah Lawrence, but a miniscule fraction of the price!
i'm from VA and we have a number of good options. uva & va tech lead the pack. uva is the "best" but va tech is the biggest and is good in a lot of niche majors. tech has a strong alumni network throughout the state. william and mary is also a very good school, but it is a lot smaller than both uva and tech so it plays a smaller role despite the fact that it is significantly "better" than the latter. i don't think we have a unified system or anything. we certainly have our share of crappy schools like any other state but i won't bother to list them off. the top public universities here are better than any private schools in the state. i haven't looked at the stats recently but i'm pretty sure that uva is one of the nation's top public schools along with the likes of unc and ucla. one unfortunate thing is that many of the uva grads and students i've met have been ridiculously stuck up. i'm not totally sure why that is. they're more stuck up than anyone i've met at unc or better private schools. if i had to do go to a university in this state i would probably choose william and mary.
Also from VA, so, most of this I would have just repeated. But Ive never met anyone who went to UVA, but I have met many who went to Virginia Tech, and a few who went to William and Mary, and I found them to be for the most part stuck up brown nosers.
Also you cant look past George Mason (a top 100 public university), ODU and JMU (number 6 in South Region school rankings).
Not from Ohio, nor am I terribly familiar with the system, but they seem to have a good number of decent to better than average universities, with a high percentage of PhD profs and a diverse offering of majors.
More than an average amount are located in or very near urban areas, which seems to be a growing desire of many younger applicants.
Ohio is a very inexpensive State System that is quite friendly to out of state students.
Not a Buckeye, but have been to OSU. Really big school. Have a friend whose kid just finished Bowling Green and had a good experience.
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