<p>I am a newcomer to this forum, and the advice given to many students seeking help on which school to attend seems mostly sensible and logical.</p>
<p>In your opinion, which schools would you consider to be emerging schools in the U.S. regarding having a national reputation for good overall academics (undergraduate and graduate)? We talk about emerging countries (China and India are two examples). You have schools that are established as having superb reputations: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, and other schools too innumerable to mention. But the emergent schools might, in the next 10-20 years, be on par with some of the named schools – that is if the established schools are stagnant and do not grow any further and the schools, such as the ones listed below, continue to progress.</p>
<p>Let me start with a list of five to see if you agree or disagree:</p>
<p>University of Southern California
Tufts University
Boston College
New York University
University of Virginia</p>
<p>I will be attending of the above “rising” schools in the fall for graduate school.</p>
<p>Breaking into the top 10 for USNews college ranking is definitely going to help its popularity. It’s also listed in the Princeton Review for one of the best universities overall for undergraduate education. It is even getting more selective, helping its selectivity ranking.</p>
<p>I can easily see it rising in popularity, perhaps as popular as Stanford in the years to come.</p>
<p>I’m not so sure about Chicago becoming as popular as Stanford. Chicago makes a concerted effort to discourage applicants that it thinks won’t fit in with the school’s rather quirky culture. It does not use the Common App and has really off-the-wall essay topics for this reason. It still gets an excellent caliber of student, but it has many fewer applicants than a place like Stanford. That plus the lack of sunny Californian weather and the reputation as the place where fun comes to die will I think prevent Chicago from becoming as popular as Stanford.</p>
<p>Going from top 20 to top 10 is not what I would think of as “rising.” </p>
<p>I’d nominate the non-Berkeley, non-UCLA campuses of the UC. The UC has only added one new campus since the mid-60s while the population of the state has more than tripled. This de facto increased selectivity combined with the growing maturity of the institutions, means that I would list UCI, UCSD, UCSB, UCD, and (maybe) UCSC and UCR as “rising universities.”</p>
<p>MikeU, I dont think a single one of those schools except MAYBE UVA will be even comparable to Stanford or Yale… ever. As for ones that will:
WashU
Emory
UMich
UChicago
UC-B
UPenn</p>
<p>also, i think that Yale is going to fall from its position of prestige, except for maybe political science</p>
<p>MattEisn, explain the reasons why you think those schools I mentioned will never equate to the established schools? Why do you believe the schools you mentioned will equate to the established schools?</p>
<p>The main reason why I believe the schools I list “may” (key word being may, I be proven wrong in the future) become to be on par with some of the leading schools (top 15 schools for discussion sake) is the quality of the students the schools are beginning to attract. The schools (NYU in particular) are also beginning to attract top faculty as well. These trends I believe will continue in the future. I like Catfish’s explanation about why the University of Chicago may never equal Stanford.</p>
<p>MattEisn, Emory and Umich aren’t really going to be comparable to Stanford or Yale, thier numbers are just way below and there really is no prestiege in either institution. You can buy students, but you cant buy prestiege.</p>
<p>On the other hand, I think Upenn is already on par with Columbia and is slightly below Yale. Uchicago is good, but its self selective, which won’t fly with the general public.</p>
<p>I agree with Tufts, UVA, UChicago – but BC and NYU are highly overrated universities and are not yet at the same level as the aforementioned schools.</p>
<p>I forgot to mention that what may help NYU is its location (New York City). More students (good students) are starting to view NYC has a good place to study. This may also help Columbia, not that it already needs it.</p>
<p>I agree with USC, Sample has really risen the university to new heights, what 10 years ago was the “other” school in LA is now 1 spot behind it in USNWR and might move ahead of it this year, and is more attractive to a great number of students, especially those from out of state.</p>
<p>Northeastern is sort of sky-rocketing right now.
Twelve years ago they accepted 85% of their applicants, this year only 39% if I remember correctly. It will be interesing to watch how far to the top it can rise.</p>
<p>UMich is a great university, but if anything, I would see it as a prospect for declining selectivity and rankings, since Michigan is such a stagnant state in terms of population and economics. If (when?) the auto industry finally goes belly up, the state is in for a world of hurt. Heck, read some of the current articles re: Detroit area housing - the highest rate of foreclosures in the nation, and people almost have to give away their houses to sell them.</p>
<p>Chicago has always had a superb reputation. Popularity is a whole different kettle of fish. Some people get ‘where fun goes to die’… others will never understand. It’s a bit like trying to understand why scaling Mt. Everest is someone else’s idea of fun. If you don’t get it, you’re never going to get it.</p>
<p>As for the OP, Tufts seems to be the new darling amongst our prep school monied friends.</p>
<p>I chose USC and NYU in my initial list because of those schools location as well.</p>
<p>Stanford University was founded in 1885. This school has grown in 120+ years to be viewed by many people as one of the leading institutions of higher learning in the world, not just the U.S. Location, I believe, is a major reason why Stanford has grown. The school is located in central California, where the climate is loved and thus is seen as attractive for many of the world’s best and brightest to study. USC may now begin to benefit from its location because of its warm, sublime climate, because LA is not perceived as such a bad city as several years ago.</p>
<p>NYU will benefit from being in NYC, which, as I said earlier, is increasingly being seen as attractive for people who want not only theory but practicability with their education. Also Tufts and BC in Boston. UVA is not far from Washington, D.C. </p>
<p>Please remember there is a trend toward studying in urban schools. If this trend continues, the big city schools will continue to grow. Harvard, Yale, and similar schools, regardless of their location, have such entrenched outstanding reputations, established over decades, that any current or future trends will unlikely affect how these schools will be perceived in the years to come.</p>