<p>I applied to some state colleges(Fairmont State College in West Virginia) that have a lower cost of attendace but a higher acceptance rate and I was wondering about the academic and teaching quality. Do you know anything about ‘state colleges’ in general ?</p>
<p>i dont think you can generalise state schools into one category. uc berkeley ucla, uva, u nc chapil hill and others are probabably equivalent (in acadamics and teaching quality) to ivy’s or maybe even better (such as ucb).
also, i heard that state school students segregate into their own little groups more because most of them know each other from their own highschools and stuff.</p>
<p>Your question…about the quality of “state universities in general” is impossible to answer. </p>
<p>There are many excellent state universities. For example:</p>
<ul>
<li>University of California-Berkeley is considered a top 6-10 university nationally.</li>
<li>University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is considered a top 7-17 university nationally.</li>
<li>University of Virginia is considered a top 15-25 university nationally.</li>
<li>University of California-Los Angeles is considered a top 17-25 university nationally.</li>
<li>University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill is considered a top 20-30 university nationally.</li>
<li>University of Wisconsin-Madison is considered a top 20-30 university nationally.</li>
<li>University of Texas-Austin is considered a top 25-30 university nationally.</li>
<li>University of Illinois-Urbana Champain is considered a top 25-30 university nationally.</li>
<li>University of Washington is considered a top 30-40 university nationally.</li>
<li>University of California-San Diego is considered a top 40-50 university nationally.</li>
</ul>
<p>Other excellent State universities included:
- College of William and Mary
- Georgia Institute of Technology (especially in Engineering)
- Indiana University-Bloomington (especially for Business and the Humanities)
- Pennsylvania State University-University Park
- Purdue University-West Lafayette (especially for Engineering)
- University of California-Davis
- University of California-Irvine
- University of California-Santa Barbara (especially in Engineering and Physics)
- University of Maryland-College Park
- University of Minnesota-Twin Cities</p>
<p>So, as one can clearly see, there are several great state universities. And there are many decent state universities. Of course, there are many mediocre and bad state universities too. In short, state universities are like private universities. Some are elite, others are solid and yet others are mediocre. </p>
<p>As far as Fairmont State College goes, I am affraid I do not know much about it.</p>
<p>State Colleges aren’t really good, if that’s what you’re after.</p>
<p>How’s it going H88? Nice and overcast day in Dubai eh?! hehe Anyway, although I agree that many state universities are not “really good”, some are. Of the top 25 pr 30 universities in the US, I would say 8 of them are public. I would also add that most private universities in the US are not that good either. Let us face it, you have 3,000 universities and colleges in the US. Of those, only 200 or so are decent-good. The rest are mediocre at best.</p>
<p>Hehe yeah, Alex. Intense month, I tell ya! (decisions) ;)</p>
<p>But I was referring to State Colleges, not State Universities. State Colleges are like Community Colleges, but Public ones… No one doubts the quality of the “top” state universities. ;)</p>
<p>Hope you’re doing well. :)</p>
<p>so what can i expect from a college like fairmont state college where they have a one hundred percent acceptance rate ? do profs teach easier material ?</p>
<p>I hear you H88. Well, good luck with the decision making. Feel free to use me as a sounding board. That’s what we are here for.</p>
<p>The thing is, why are you aiming for State Colleges? I am not aware of the quality of academics at FSC, but you should aim a bit higher. Trust me, a local university in your country will be much better than a state college in the USA. Heck, at least aim for a state university. ;)</p>
<p>I think State Colleges were built for mediocre students? Not sure though.</p>
<p>EDIT: Thanks for your caring, Alex!</p>
<p>h88 , actually i applied to fsc and other state colleges as safety, i hope to get into a good private lac :)</p>