University Of Arkansas (schools, buses, transportation)

[hotair2]

Originally Posted by nmnita

Tell that to my grandkids that are just graduating or have in the past 5 years as well as their friends. Obviously you are not around many young 20 something kids. There will always be those who do want to move to the top of the ladder, they will choose Ivy league schools, Cal, Stanford or similar just to mention a few, but the majority of these young people will be content with getting decent jobs out of college, or getting their advance degrees. They are not looking at becoming CEOs or working for the most prestigious companies in the country. And this is good, as the majority of young people will not being attending the top universities for many reasons.

Nita

As I said before, if you want to live here the rest of your life a law degree from one of the state's law schools is fine; however, if you want to practice law in another state you will have a much more difficult time finding a good job with a law degree from Arkansas than from one of the top schools or a good school within the state that you want to work. It really depends on where you want to live after you graduate. It is not the same for all fields...medical school, you can go just about anywhere, but law school it is different. Georgia is one of the top law schools in the nation and it is cheaper than Arkansas, but it is very competitive to get into.

[grmasterb]

Regarding law school, it sounds like that may be the objective after undergraduate education. The OP's daughter could wind up going somewhere else for law school. As for her undergraduate preparation, whether it be in English, political science or economics -- typical paths toward law school -- I see no reason why she couldn't get a good education in Fayetteville, perform well on the LSAT and gain admission to a top law school.

[DC at the Ridge]

One other thing about law school is that you should consider the kind of law you want to practice. Different law schools excel at different programs as well. Maritime law, international law, corporate law, criminal law, etc. Getting your undergraduate degree in Arkansas is not a commitment to the U of A Law School, you can get your undergraduate degree in Arkansas and then go on to a graduate program at a different university.

[hotair2]

Originally Posted by DC at the Ridge

One other thing about law school is that you should consider the kind of law you want to practice. Different law schools excel at different programs as well. Maritime law, international law, corporate law, criminal law, etc. Getting your undergraduate degree in Arkansas is not a commitment to the U of A Law School, you can get your undergraduate degree in Arkansas and then go on to a graduate program at a different university.

That is true; however, depending on the law school, they attach points to the undergraduate school that you attended. Example being an A at Arkansas in Economics may not translate to A at William and Mary. Law Schools, for the most part, take into consideration LSAT scores, gpa as an undergraduate, and the undergraduate school. Points are assigned to the undergraduate school based on difficulty of the school and the school's reputation. Law Schools are extremely competitive.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by hotair2

As I said before, if you want to live here the rest of your life a law degree from one of the state's law schools is fine; however, if you want to practice law in another state you will have a much more difficult time finding a good job with a law degree from Arkansas than from one of the top schools or a good school within the state that you want to work. It really depends on where you want to live after you graduate. It is not the same for all fields...medical school, you can go just about anywhere, but law school it is different. Georgia is one of the top law schools in the nation and it is cheaper than Arkansas, but it is very competitive to get into.

hotair, I do understand what you are saying, but I believe anyone worth the salt that graduates from law school, yes, even from UA can get a decent job, again, I am not talking a top firm. My point is based on not everyone has the expectations of being the top of the pile..

Add to that, wingfoot is talking about all degrees, not just law school. The OP said his daughter may want to go on to law school. We all know 1/2 of the those who start college thinking they want to be thus and so change their minds 2 or 3 times. Actually probably more than 1/2.

For those who do aspire to be the best or the best and want to work for that, yes, they need to consider where they want to go to college, for others, the well rounded experience is what they are looking for.

Nita

[DC at the Ridge]

Originally Posted by hotair2

That is true; however, depending on the law school, they attach points to the undergraduate school that you attended. Example being an A at Arkansas in Economics may not translate to A at William and Mary. Law Schools, for the most part, take into consideration LSAT scores, gpa as an undergraduate, and the undergraduate school. Points are assigned to the undergraduate school based on difficulty of the school and the school's reputation. Law Schools are extremely competitive.

Law schools are competitive, and the GPA is important, but the points system is not consistently implemented at every law school or even at top tier law schools. LSAT's and other admission materials will often be weighed more heavily. Plus, top tier law schools are like top tier undergraduate schools, they do emphasize diversity. A U of A graduate might help a top tier school meet diversity goals in an admissions program. I think that the U of A has academic strengths and weaknesses. Someone coming from the Caribbean might find that the U of A, one of the smaller public universities, might be a good starting point, and as they better define their goals, may choose to change schools after the first year or two. Or not. It really depends on the individual.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by DC at the Ridge

Law schools are competitive, and the GPA is important, but the points system is not consistently implemented at every law school or even at top tier law schools. LSAT's and other admission materials will often be weighed more heavily. Plus, top tier law schools are like top tier undergraduate schools, they do emphasize diversity. A U of A graduate might help a top tier school meet diversity goals in an admissions program. I think that the U of A has academic strengths and weaknesses. Someone coming from the Caribbean might find that the U of A, one of the smaller public universities, might be a good starting point, and as they better define their goals, may choose to change schools after the first year or two. Or not. It really depends on the individual.

good points, I think you are on to something. COming from one of the small islands in the Caribbean and going to a large city for a top school could be a huge cultural shock and a real adjustment.

Nita

[ridicter]

Different schools are for different purposes and different students.

School rankings are based primarily on research (i.e. knowledge creation) and the quality of student. I think they're useful for certain types of students with certain types of goals.

UA is fine for the vast majority of occupations and vast majority of students.

[ARDave]

Originally Posted by rado26

Thanks so very much everyone! I also did some research on the USA College/University 2010 Rankings and UOA in Fayetteville Arkansas is indeed a great university. You should all be proud!

19k students may seem small to you in Arkansas but for us who live in a very small caribbean island, it certainly is a lot of students!

My daughter wants to be a lawyer but her first degree will be in Accounting or Economics with studies in pre-law.

Thanks again for all your input. Re the Public Transport, I think the exercise from the bicycle will be just good for her !

The Walton College of Business at the UofA is an EXCELLENT undergraduate business school. The use of technology is among the best in the nation. It is a GREAT value for the money, especially compared to Boston College. I have two friends who graduated from the UofA business school last May and started law school this fall (not at the UofA, though). Their undergraduate business degrees from the UofA were VERY well received at every law school where they applied including some very prestigious law schools. Have your daughter pick a great undergrad program and law school admission will take care of itself if she is a great student despite what people like Wingfoot say. In other words, I'm not using magazine ratings...I'm using actual examples of recent grads.

I will caution you about riding a bicycle everywhere, though. The campus area is VERY hilly and it can get cold and windy here in the winter. However, there is a transit system of university buses running all over campus and to off campus apartment complexes around town, the mall, etc. for her to use.

[reginaqingqing]

I also want to contact with him or her. Thank you.

Originally Posted by rado26

At a recent college fair my daughter and I met with a representative from the University of Arkansas and the representative has since been in contact with us.

I have nothing to go by as we have never met anyone who went there. We presently live in the caribbean and she will be very far from home. Please could someone tell me about the ratings/standards of this university, the safety and also it is very important that we know about the Public transportation system as she will not be able to drive.

If there is anything else you think I may should or any other information that may be helpful please let us know. Thank you so very much.