What is the most impt factor in selecting a college? - Page 7

prachi240987 · 09-08-2005, 05:15 AM

so finally is how the college teaches you important or their prestige more important?[coz anyones gonna take a student who has done engg from harvard over a student from gtech even though gtech teaching is better?]

irishmeghan23 · 09-08-2005, 09:47 AM

i think it depends on what you personally perfer. if you have had better teachers its going to show in your work and in your confidence in the work that you can do. If that is the case then you probably wont have a hard time getting the job. I think its up to you as to what is more important to you personally.

jennchen929 · 09-14-2005, 08:30 AM

i chose more than one...

tuition, potential scholarships, and cost of living
academic strength in my intended major
location

terrybhs06 · 09-18-2005, 11:53 AM

I cant believe the majority of ppl picked academics.. Every school in the top 100 has good enough academics to get you a great job and if u work hard enough any can get you in grad school. I think the most important is the vibe b/c remember your going to live there for the next 4+ years.

p.s. Ohio University is the greatest place on earth

tnnsaction · 09-22-2005, 05:04 PM

Prestige definately is the most important.

sous_lepontmirabeau · 10-04-2005, 12:19 AM

Don't forget about size! Size is actually one of the most important factors to me. I don't want to go to a large school; I don't want to be an anonymous number or just another face in the crowd. I'm applying to small, top-notch LAC's because I want a small school where I will get to know almost everyone but also doesn't sacrifice academics.

IzzyJ · 10-07-2005, 08:15 AM

For me I'd say dining requirements (Muslim) and financial aid (int'l student). *grin* If I was a non-Muslim American citizen I'd say diversity and strength of major.

antygrav · 10-07-2005, 09:17 PM

Does anybody know of any good web sites where I can find information about college rankings from past years?

IzzyJ · 10-08-2005, 05:36 AM

Rankings...USNEWs...online. I don't remember the website address. *searching*

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/col...ndex_brief.php

Here it is.!

ames0587 · 11-10-2005, 06:58 PM

I think prestige is the factor many people use first to narrow down their list, and then they use which one feels like the better fit. And then financial aid has the final say for some people.

terrybhs06 · 11-10-2005, 07:56 PM

so am i basically the only person on cc who doesnt care about prestige?

sakky · 11-10-2005, 09:39 PM

Quote:

coz anyones gonna take a student who has done engg from harvard over a student from gtech even though gtech teaching is better?]

Is the Gtech teaching really better than Harvard's, even in engineering?

Let me put it to you this way. Caltech is a superbly prestigious research powerhouse when it comes to science and engineering. But many if not most Caltech students will concede that the actual teaching is mediocre at best. The RESEARCH at Caltech is great. But the teaching? You can even go to the Caltech section of this forum and ask the current students, and even they will admit that on average, Caltech teaching isn't the best. Sure, there are some Caltech profs who are good teachers, but there are many others who are not so good at teaching. They're great at research, but when it comes to teaching, not so much.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to put down Caltech. Indeed Caltech has many great things about it. It's just that actual teaching skill is not one of them.

So I ask, why do you say that the Gtech engineering teaching is going to be necessarily better than Harvard engineering teaching. I would agree that the Gtech research might be better, but the teaching? I don't know about that. You gotta remember that these profs are hired and promoted not because they're good teachers, but because they're good researchers.

Glass-Box · 11-18-2005, 08:45 PM

I consider both prestige and tuition cost as the biggest factors in selelcting a college...

ckmets13 · 11-25-2005, 03:45 PM

1. Top 100 Universities
2. Somewhere east of the Mississippi
3. A few highly ranked sports programs (preferably bball or football)

DianeR · 12-22-2005, 04:28 PM

Having to choose just one, I would have to say academic strength in the intended major. I suppose if a student weren't quite sure in what field they would end up, overall academic excellence would be the key factor.

Now other things being equal, then other things can factor into the decision. But the academic program is why one goes to college, right? (You can tell I'm a parent ...)

My kids have ended up at prestigious schools, but this didn't seem to factor into their decision-making. My son looked at lists of top engineering programs, and then started winnowing them down using other factors (the city, his feel for the student body, and extracurriculars primarily). My daughter is going into such an esoteric field that where she would apply was pretty much preordained -- although finding the schools to begin with wasn't that easy. Fortunately, she made it into the only school that has an major in what she wants to do. It's an Ivy, but that wasn't a factor in the decision. If this one program was at some much cheaper state school she would have gone there.

Neither of my kids are enamored with distribution requirements. So my son found a place he liked that would require very little in the way of nontechie things and my daughter found a place that has no distribution requirements whatsoever. But I suppose this goes into the strength of the academic program in a way. If you aren't taking courses you just have to take to fulfill some college requirement, you can be taking those that relate in some way to your field or that you find personally interesting.