Creighton vs state university

salander
Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:41:00 +0000

Going to Creighton or a state flagship is probably not going to affect the likelihood of getting into grad school much. For a PhD having research experience will matter, and the recommendation letters from someone potential admission committees have heard about. In Creighton there will be less students per faculty, which will make it more likely to have close contact with faculty and work with them. But, faculty there focus more on teaching than on research, which means there are going to be less research opportunities and less top notch researchers. And, professors are going to be less well known by PhD committees. In Creighton you will likely find more quality teaching, but less course options. If the students is interested in the natural and physical sciences, I’d go with the state flagship too because it will have more resources. Social sciences and humanities require less $$$, so it might not make a difference. Again, both options are good but have definitive pros a cons.

But, if by grad school you mean a professional masters (either law school or medical school), admissions depend heavily on the LSAT/MCAT and grades, not so much on recommendation letters and previous research. So going to the place where you could get better grades might be a better idea.

As a note: I am a college professor. Both in grad school (PhD) and where I work it seems to be a 60-40 balance (where 60% come from flagship state schools and other research unis and 40% LACs). In other places I interviewed (hundreds, so I cannot remember each) the balance was close to 70-30. But, things change by field. This is just to say: don’t base your choice on that. His chances of grad school are probably not better at Creighton, I would think he is as likely to go to grad school at either. I would choose by fit (social, academic, etc.), financial aid, etc. instead.