<p>What do you think is the best state for public undergrads? </p>
<p>For public, ill probably have to go with California or Virginia.</p>
<p>This is actually a great question, I have thought a few times about where I would want to raise a kid as far as college options go. You have to look at options for everybody, too, not just options for the ivy-caliber kid who wants a cheap alternative.</p>
<p>California definitely seems ideal, as all the UCs are good schools for competitive students, and they have a broad range between the top (Cal, UCLA) and the less selective ones. Students who can’t get into a UC can go to a CSU, so there really are great options. </p>
<p>Virginia is decent, but not as great as you’d think if you just looked at the best school the state. UVA/W&M are awesome choices for top-caliber students, but only a few from each high school will get in (especially if you’re in NOVA, the competition is fierce). Virginia Tech and JMU are the next rung down, and VT is good for engineering and JMU for liberal arts. Mary Washington is a nice small alternative to one of these. For the students just below this level though, VA does not have the depth that CA does, as VCU/Radford/ODU/etc. are not especially highly regarded out of the state like all the UCs and many CSUs are. A great thing about VA though is that almost any student who goes into a “lower tier” school can transfer to UVA, Tech, or JMU with no real trouble if they get good grades.</p>
<p>I think Michigan would be a great place to be a HS senior because they have options that go pretty deep. UMich is great obviously for the top notch students, but MSU will accept lots of students who can’t get in there because of it’s land grant philosophy (UMich is the university of Michigan, MSU is the university for Michigan). Below that, all the directional schools (NMU/EMU/WMU/CMU) are well regarded in the state, and Michigan Tech is great for engineering if you don’t mind the cold. GVSU is a nice (if a bit odd) school thats around this level too. Again, it’s pretty easy to transfer from any lower tier school in MI to UMich or MSU, and quite easy to transfer from MSU to UMich. </p>
<p>Pennsylvania is another state with a great system. Penn State and Pitt are both great public colleges, and PSU’s branch campuses make PA nearly ideal. Almost any student can get into either Pitt, PSU, or a satellite campus, and transfer into the main campus is guaranteed after 2 years from any of the branch campuses if you keep up good grades.</p>
<p>I’ll give NY an honorable mention for the SUNY system, but they are only really known within the state. Still, any student in NY who wants a good postsecondary education can generally get one.</p>
<p>I second Michigan. PSU and Pitt are VERY underrated institutions. Cal is tops, they have the crappy UCs (Merced, Riverside, Davis), but UCSD, Berkeley, and UCLA more than make up for that. But of course nothing can beat the education one receives in Mississippi with its Tier 3/4 flagship schools, Ole Miss and Miss. St. leading the way, with Mississippi Valley St. not far behind :)</p>
<p>Davis is a very good UC, not crappy at all.</p>
<p>I don’t think I would call any of the UCs “crappy”, but Merced and Riverside are definitely at the low end of the system, while Davis is in the middle.
That’s really the beauty of the California system though, you’ve got schools for almost everybody in any given HS class (at least, everybody who is motivated to get an education).</p>
<p>True that, I apologize for the Davis deal.</p>
<p>For undergrads, W&M is best public school in the country. UVa is the best research U. Va Tech is fantastic engineering. Next level of Mary Washington, James Madison, George Mason are very good regional schools. With apologies to California, Michigan, and North Carolina, but Virginia has the best lineup of schools.</p>
<p>New York is great. You’ve got the SUNYs, the CUNY system of NYC, plus other schools like NYIT, Fordham, St. John’s, Syracuse, RIT, etc. Then you’ve got Columbia, Cornell, NYU, Vassar, etc.</p>
<p>
Um, no. UVa engineering and physical sciences are substandard.</p>
<p>How large are those schools in VA? I mean, what are the actual numbers of people they are educating? It seems to me that California and Michigan’s top schools educate a far larger number of students than Virginia’s.</p>
<p>
I’d say that’s a possibility…</p>
<p>
Sorry – Cal is the best research public university. Closely followed by Michigan. You look at the quality of graduate level programs, these two are tops across the board.</p>
<p>
Maybe, but Cal’s is generally top three with UCLA, UCSD, UC Davis, and UCSB coming with strong programs as well. </p>
<p>
Outside of Cal and UCLA, California’s got its own great cast of supporting schools with excellent regional reputations such as UCSD (pre-med and the sciences), UCSB, and UCD – plus a gem in the Cal Poly SLO CSU. By the way, UCSD, UCSB, and UCD are all ranked in the top 50 – something Mary Washington, James Madison, and George Mason can’t claim.</p>
<p>
VA certainly has a quality lineup of public schools but CA doesn’t take a backseat to them in this category.</p>
<p>doctorb </p>
<p>For undergrads, W&M is best public school in the country. UVa is the best research U. Va Tech is fantastic engineering. Next level of Mary Washington, James Madison, George Mason are very good regional schools. With apologies to California, Michigan, and North Carolina, but Virginia has the best lineup of schools. </p>
<p>–
Although William and Mary and UVA are my top choices, I’m sure that UVa is not the best research university.</p>
<p>Currently UVA and W&M educate roughly 6,000 fewer students combined than just the University of Michigan on its own at the undergraduate level. We’re talking about “public” universities here and the state(s) that best educate their constituents. While both schools are very good, they really don’t educate a significant percentage of the people who live in Virginia.</p>
<p>California’s system has so much depth; they have schools worth mentioning for students at all levels.</p>
<p>Bump10char</p>
<p>Berkeley and U of M are easily tops across all disciplines (top business, engineering, social sciences, sciences, etc.)</p>
<p>Berkeley is really lacking in the health sciences with UCSF so close by. In my opinion Michigan is the best complete public university in the country.</p>
<p>Even if Berkeley wanted to build a medical school, where would they find the land?</p>
<p>bumperrjmgelr</p>
<p>California, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin, Washington, Maryland, North Carolina</p>