Went to Slippery Rock University Orientation Friday (Pittsburgh, State College: high school, live)

[ML North]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

A degree is a degree. Penn State is the same as SRU, as far as most are concerned. Just a state U. Not like going to Penn or Princeton. Just state schools and they all carry about the same weight when looking for a job. No one cares much where you graduate, just that you have that paper. Sure is a strange scam in a way. I think there needs to be a different option. Just a testing center. You study a subject at a library and test out. The cost, a few late fees at the library and $50 for the test. Then you will know as much as the next guy at college. It is a scam and just an excuse to party for 4 years until you hit the real world.

I completely disagree. The distinction between colleges is much more fine-grained than simply Ivy or non-Ivy.

And for what it's worth, most of the Pitt and Penn State people I know at least had access to the big companies -- PwC, KPMG, Heinz, GE, Lockheed, PPG, etc -- that pay respectable salaries to new grads. On the other hand, I know a lot of state school people that fill contract positions at BNY, KL Gates, and UPMC for $15/hour.

In my personal opinion, I think the state schools are best for teachers, where the focus on alma mater is less prevalent. I will say, though, that I find the worst deal in college education to be the $50k liberal arts and business schools that no one has ever heard of.

[gmagoo]

I met a guy last summer who`s son was taking online courses from I don`t know where but he told me that his son`s wife was doing the kids homework. I wonder if she`ll go to work with him and do his job?

[gg]

Originally Posted by ML North

I completely disagree. The distinction between colleges is much more fine-grained than simply Ivy or non-Ivy.

And for what it's worth, most of the Pitt and Penn State people I know at least had access to the big companies -- PwC, KPMG, Heinz, GE, Lockheed, PPG, etc -- that pay respectable salaries to new grads. On the other hand, I know a lot of state school people that fill contract positions at BNY, KL Gates, and UPMC for $15/hour.

In my personal opinion, I think the state schools are best for teachers, where the focus on alma mater is less prevalent. I will say, though, that I find the worst deal in college education to be the $50k liberal arts and business schools that no one has ever heard of.

A state school is a state school. Just because some school has a football team or a basketball team doesn't mean it is a better school. Like I have stated, I went to a small private school, but took some classes at Pitt as well. I was VERY unimpressed with Pitt. The place was some guy reading out of a book to a bunch of kids in an auditorium. Kind of sad considering how much they charge. I don't know about Penn State, I only took one class at the New Ken location, so that wasn't Main Campus.

[ML North]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

A state school is a state school. Just because some school has a football team or a basketball team doesn't mean it is a better school. Like I have stated, I went to a small private school, but took some classes at Pitt as well. I was VERY unimpressed with Pitt. The place was some guy reading out of a book to a bunch of kids in an auditorium. Kind of sad considering how much they charge. I don't know about Penn State, I only took one class at the New Ken location, so that wasn't Main Campus.

Penn State and Pitt are not really state schools. They're state-related schools.

IUP, Bloomsburg, CAL U, SRU are part of the PASSHE.

Penn State, Pitt, Temple, and Lincoln are part of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education.

The state related schools typically have much more extensive research programs and more highly qualified faculty members than the PSSHE schools. Of course the PSSHE schools are cheaper and can be a great choice for a lot of students, but they're not the same as the state-related schools.

[gg]

Originally Posted by ML North

Penn State and Pitt are not really state schools. They're state-related schools.

IUP, Bloomsburg, CAL U, SRU are part of the PASSHE.

Penn State, Pitt, Temple, and Lincoln are part of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education.

The state related schools typically have much more extensive research programs and more highly qualified faculty members than the PSSHE schools. Of course the PSSHE schools are cheaper and can be a great choice for a lot of students, but they're not the same as the state-related schools.

Only people in and around PA will even know anything about what you are saying. Most young people still leave PA anyway, so they are just state schools to most anyone hiring. A university in PA is all the people know that are in hiring positions. Sure the odd job in PA might come along and even then, most don't care or pay attention. Have a GPA of 3.0 at one of the Universities and you are good to go. Now, if you are rolling out of a big time place like CMU, Penn or Princeton, that is different. Most schools are just looked at as "state schools" and it means nothing. Might as well go to FSU. It would be cheaper and when you are done, is worth the same as any state U.

[ML North]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

Only people in and around PA will even know anything about what you are saying. Most young people still leave PA anyway, so they are just state schools to most anyone hiring. A university in PA is all the people know that are in hiring positions. Sure the odd job in PA might come along and even then, most don't care or pay attention. Have a GPA of 3.0 at one of the Universities and you are good to go. Now, if you are rolling out of a big time place like CMU, Penn or Princeton, that is different. Most schools are just looked at as "state schools" and it means nothing. Might as well go to FSU. It would be cheaper and when you are done, is worth the same as any state U.

Well, of course not many people outside of Pennsylvania (or even inside of Pennsylvania, for the matter) are going to know the fine differences between state and state-related schools, but they will generally at least have heard of Penn State or Pitt. Also, these schools also have networks that can at least provide access for students to the bigger companies. For instance, I don't think GE recruits from IUP, but when I was a senior at Pitt, it was relatively easy for me to land an interview with them.

[Velvet Jones]

Originally Posted by ML North

Well, of course not many people outside of Pennsylvania (or even inside of Pennsylvania, for the matter) are going to know the fine differences between state and state-related schools, but they will generally at least have heard of Penn State or Pitt. Also, these schools also have networks that can at least provide access for students to the bigger companies. For instance, I don't think GE recruits from IUP, but when I was a senior at Pitt, it was relatively easy for me to land an interview with them.

You would be surprised. I went to one the State U. schools for my under grad, big companies were heavily recruiting on campus. I interviewed on campus with Westinghouse and US Steel my junior year. The CIA and FBI were also recruiting as well.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Curtis does have a bit of a point here, at least in certain fields. Really employers look at schools in this manner:

1. Top tier: MIT, CMU, Ivy League, etc.
2. Well known state schools/well known private universities (local or national doesn't really matter)
3. Unknown public/private schools
4. Everyone else (Associate degrees, community colleges, etc.)
5. Scam universities

I just interviewed some people last month and despite what people think this is how it goes in general. If you go to Pitt or a school on Pitt's level in the eyes of an employer it really doesn't matter. Despite what people say, employer perception is what matters and that's that.

[villageidiot1]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

Curtis does have a bit of a point here, at least in certain fields. Really employers look at schools in this manner:

1. Top tier: MIT, CMU, Ivy League, etc.
2. Well known state schools/well known private universities (local or national doesn't really matter)
3. Unknown public/private schools
4. Everyone else (Associate degrees, community colleges, etc.)
5. Scam universities

I just interviewed some people last month and despite what people think this is how it goes in general. If you go to Pitt or a school on Pitt's level in the eyes of an employer it really doesn't matter. Despite what people say, employer perception is what matters and that's that.

"employer perception is what matters and that's that."

Enough said.

Originally Posted by h_curtis

A state school is a state school. Just because some school has a football team or a basketball team doesn't mean it is a better school. Like I have stated, I went to a small private school, but took some classes at Pitt as well. I was VERY unimpressed with Pitt. The place was some guy reading out of a book to a bunch of kids in an auditorium. Kind of sad considering how much they charge. I don't know about Penn State, I only took one class at the New Ken location, so that wasn't Main Campus.

I have taken classes at Pitt main and two branch campuses, IUP, WCCC and RIT in New York. There is little difference between the quality of the faculty at these schools. All have both good and bad instructors. some even teach at a couple schools at the same time. There is a huge difference between the intelligence level and the willingness to work hard among the students at these schools. There are also differences within each school. Some majors are more selective while others will accept anyone. If you know anything about Pitt, you will know that a General Studies degree is not the same as a degree from the rest of the University. But to others, a Pitt degree is a Pitt degree.

[hornet67]

It wasn't all that long ago that Slippery Rock, IUP, Edinboro, CalU, etc., had State Teachers College as part of their name. I'm not sure if they are still percieved as such, which I must confess would include me.
The vast majority of my teachers in high school graduated from these colleges, which admittedly, was a long time ago!
I spent 15 years an an executive recruiter, and at those levels at least, the reputation of one's college or university matters significantly.