Forbes 2016

Parents Forum
261

@UWfromCA

No I meant Skidmore to make the point. It’s not top 10 and yet most people I know know of it.

No I’m not. I didn’t say or suggest that all of your classes at the U would be overflow at Kane. Though that’s as bad as it gets ( can it get worse? ) the devil is in the details. That 23% (sounds low) will occur largely in the first two years, and using “over 50” as a descriptor is misleading. If you attended there you know that. While not the 800 student extreme, which happens more than I think you’d care to admit, you’re going to have several classes in the 120 to 300 range, and 30 is as small as they regularly get there.

I assume we’re not arguing this point. You go to UW you’ll experience a lot of large classes to get through. I think that’s beyond dispute.

Finally “timely” as in I mean I mentioned the idea before the article was cited. Do you mean to suggest that the trend described in the article is changing?

262

@LBad96

In what way do you mean Forbes doesn’t know what it’s ranking?

263

The methodology website is down, but if I remember correctly, the point difference between number one and number ten was marginal; 2 points or so (on a 100 point scale). When Pomona was 1 and Stanford 2, the difference was .03 or something. As the component rankings change every year, it’s not surprising that the top ten/twenty/so on fluctuate.

264

@MiddleburyDad2 the very fact that UNCW is lower than those schools that I mentioned suggests to me that they aren’t as credible as they like to think. Highly questionable, as a matter of fact.

265

Just because your school is ranked lower than you think ? You realize everyone says that right?

It would be one thing if you were the Johns Hopkins guy wondering which 65 schools were better than his. But UNC Wilmington?

266

30 is as small as they regularly get there? 60% of courses have under 30; 35% have under 20; and 14% have under 10.

Whether you will have more than one or two, if any, 100+ courses (10% of courses) while at UW depends on your major, your satisfaction of some general requirements and major prerequisites with AP, IB, Running Start or similar credits, and your personal course selections (and to some extent whether you are in the Honors Program). Students in large lecture courses, including those with 50 to 100 students (13% of classes), also meet weekly in small discussion sections.

267

Wow. I guess I was wrong. UW sounds like Whitman from your description. It certainly sounds like a different place than the one experienced by those I know who attend or attended there. I for sure don’t know first hand - not my school.

I wonder what the honors college offers that isn’t available to the general student body? It sounds to me like a redundant department given your description of the experience.

268

Not my school either (although I did enjoy some time there during my grad school years), but the published data is consistent with the past and current experiences of family and friends there.

No, not like Whitman (1,500 undergrads). It has 90% of courses under 30 and 0% over 50.

Here is some information about the Honors Program, since you inquired:

http://depts.washington.edu/uwhonors/apply/freshman/faq/

You’ll enjoy this quote from the Honors Program website:

“The University Honors Program provides a rigorous environment for highly motivated students looking for an interdisciplinary educational experience. Bringing selected faculty into close contact with dedicated students in an atmosphere of small, challenging classes allows the Honors Program to combine the intimacy of a small, interdisciplinary liberal arts college with the strengths of an excellent public research university.”

269

I mean, you don’t get to be #75 of the Forbes list for nuthin’! :D/

270

@MiddleburyDad2 of course someone who’s school is ranked high would try to dismiss the grievances of someone who disagrees with their own school’s ranking (rolls eyes). there’s no way a ranking of 482 is justified. That’s way too low. According to Forbes, Quinnipiac, Stetson, Rowan, NJIT, Hofstra, Seton Hall, Montclair, Pace, Centre College are all better than UNCW. They’re saying it’s only on par with Rider (my safety school), St. Cloud State, and other rather unknown schools. That is an absolutely fallacious statement and it’s an insult that Forbes would put this out while being that uninformed. Research my school and you’ll agree with me.

Compare the incoming freshman stats, graduation rates, and retention rates of my school with all the others I mentioned. You’ll know why I scoff at it.

271

The question is why you’re spending so much time scoffing at it. It’s a pretty meaningless list that’s not worth the effort.

272

@usualhopeful tbf he’s asking for reasons, and I’m giving them to him. I don’t agree with the list at all. But whatever. Shrugs

273

LBad, you’ve given no reasons other than it’s your school, you’re proud of it, and schools you don’t like as much are rated higher. I hate to tell you, I wouldn’t have even known UNC had a campus beyond Chapel Hill.

274

"
No I meant Skidmore to make the point. It’s not top 10 and yet most people I know know of it."

Where in the country are you located? LAC knowledge is simply “deeper” on the east coast than elsewhere. My D went to Wellesley and plenty of people don’t know it at all, despite the fact that a W alum may be our next POTUS. Oh well. Their problem.

275

Lbad, every region of the country has its “hidden gem” schools. Few folks outside of the Midwest (other than corporate recruiters and grad school Adcom’s who know the school well) realize that Missouri M&T has a fantastic engineering program. Babson (outside of Boston) has a solid reputation even if not well known outside of the area. Santa Clara in California punches above its weight even though you’d get a blank stare in Minneapolis or Chicago if you said you were going there.

So be thrilled you found a “hidden gem” and leave it at that.

276

Unless you like the results in which case its the gospel truth upon which all college decisions should be made.

277

@Pizzagirl

I’m in Seattle for the most part, but split my time in Palo Alto.

I don’t know anyone who hasn’t heard of Wellesley.

278

It happens. One time someone asked where my sister was going, and when I told them Wellesley, they asked where it was. I went with the more generic “Massachusetts.”

279

@MiddleburyDad2, the West Coast also draws from everywhere.

Even in the Pacific Northwest, it depends on what circles you run in.

280

@Pizzagirl Okay, it seems that you want me to provide the evidence. No problem. Taken straight from Big Future College Board.

UNCW
81% of freshmen had a HS GPA of 3.75+; 11% 3.5-3.74, 4% 3.25-3.49, 3% 3.0-3.24, 1% 2.5-2.99
SAT middle 50%: CR 560-630, M 560-630, W 520-620
ACT middle 50%: 23-27
85% retention rate
71% graduation rate
61% acceptance rate
30% yield rate

Quinnipiac
17% of freshmen had a HS GPA of 3.75+; 46% 3.25-3.74, 16% 3.0-3.24, 18% 2.5-2.99, 3% <2.5
SAT middle 50% CR 490-580, M 500-600, W 490-590
ACT middle 50% 22-27
87% retention rate
76% grad rate
74% acceptance rate
11% yield

Stetson
61% of freshmen had a HS GPA of 3.75+
SAT CR 530-640, M 520-620, W 500-620
ACT 24-28
77% retention
64% grad
63% acceptance
14% yield

Hofstra
42% of freshmen had a HS GPA of 3.75+
SAT CR 540-620, M 550-640, W not given
ACT 24-29
80% retention
60% grad
61% acceptance
10% yield

Rowan
42% of freshmen had a HS GPA of 3.75+
SAT CR 490-600, M 510-630, W 470-580
ACT not given
88% retention
66% grad
56% acceptance
26% yield

NJIT
36% of freshmen had a HS GPA of 3.75+
SAT CR 520-630, M 590-680, W 510-630
ACT not given
88% retention
61% grad
61% acceptance
30% yield

Montclair
9% of freshmen had a HS GPA of 3.75+
SAT CR 430-540, M 440-550, W 430-540
ACT not given
83% retention
66% grad
70% acceptance
37% yield

**Pace/b
15% of freshmen had a HS GPA of 3.75+
SAT CR 470-590, M 480-580, W not given
ACT 22-27
77% retention
49% grad
85% acceptance
14% yield
Pace is below UNCW in LITERALLY all metrics, yet still ranked higher. It’s either a huge Northeastern bias going on (likely given that it measures ROI) or just a complete lack of actual attention to the schools being ranked. Total joke. No one who knows anything about colleges should take this seriously at all. Not trying to disparage any of the aforementioned schools, just exposing Forbes.