<p>My aunt who’s a department chair at Columbia U has recently told my mother that both MSU and OU are “Factories”. It seems that no one but CC is actually on my side with the fact that these schools would be good for me. Anything else to help me back up my opinions?</p>
<p>My Columbia educated mother married my Temple educated father. I think your aunt’s statement is entirely excessive.</p>
<p>I’m getting the idea that midwest schools are great from my friends, and that they’re horrible from my mom’s family and my parents. I don’t know how they expect me to make a decision that’s entirely mine with them giving me such biased information.</p>
<p>You should probably ignore what your family is saying, because they have no idea what they’re talking about.</p>
<p>It seems like every good point I throw at them they just have some stupid point to throw back. I need like hard proof that freakin’ Ohio or MSU have better opportunities for me, I tried the whole MSU having one of the best study abroad programs and that didn’t even work.</p>
<p>I’ve never, ever heard of Loyola Maryland or Quinnipiac but I hear about OU a decent amount. So…</p>
<p>where are you from?</p>
<p>I am from the northern Midwest, so that might have something to do with it. =)</p>
<p>And also, just tell your mom it’s not that big of a deal where you go to undergrad school if you plan on doing grad school. As long as you study hard and get good grades in undergrad, you can get into the big name grad she wants. You don’t have to go to Harvard or Yale for undergrad to get into their grad schools/NYU/etc etc.</p>
<p>I had to smile when I read this thread. My son is a medical student at OU and he did his undergraduate work at Vassar. It is not unusual for him to be asked where he got his BA and for the questioner to respond, “Oh, I have never heard of it.” So the idea of “well known” is relative! We live in Ohio, so Ohio University is highly thought of. And in the CC community, Vassar would be a top LAC but relatively unheard of outside the Northeast. The bottom line is that you should go where YOU are excited to attend and take advantage of the opportunities that exist at that school. YOU as a student are much more important to the equation than the school you enroll in. It is up to YOU to flourish and grow and take charge of your education. No school can do that for you, no matter how well known it is!</p>
<p>I know that you are already finished with your applications, but did you consider Clark University in your search?
They have a great undergrad. history department, as well as a dedicated center
for Holocaust Studies, which is one of only a small number to confer both MA and PhD’s.
[Clark</a> University | History](<a href=“http://www.clarku.edu/departments/history/]Clark”>Department of History | Clark University)</p>
<p>Another advantage is the ability to earn your BA and MA in only 5-years, with the 5th year free.
[Academic</a> Life | Undergraduate Admissions ~ Clark University](<a href=“http://www.clarku.edu/admissions/academics/bama.cfm]Academic”>http://www.clarku.edu/admissions/academics/bama.cfm)</p>
<p>While Fall '09 admissions closed on January 15, you may want to phone Clark to speak with your regional rep and ask if they would consider a late Freshman application. They frequently will for a student they consider to be an asset.</p>
<p>OP, I am sure the Jesuits did not brainwash your mom. :)</p>
<p>and OU is great. (For journalism, it is outstanding.)</p>
<p>Matt Lauer went to Ohio Univ. George W. went to Yale. Nuf said.</p>
<p>Quinnipiac is a fantastic school, anyone who has the option of going to the northeast for their private universities is stupid not too. The public schools in the Northeast are sub par compared to elsewhere in the country, but in New England they are known for their private schools, from the bigger ones- BC, BU, Northeastern, Quinnipiac. To the smaller ones-Babson, Bentley, Bryant, and Stonehill.</p>
<p>When it comes time for your first major job in journalism, the people that interview you probably will have gone to the journalism graduate program at Columbia. So, I wouldn’t disregard what someone at Columbia says. If you want to report on house fires in Dayton for the rest of your life, ignore your aunt. OU is in a sleepy town and has an extremely homogeneous student body of upper middle class kids. Do yourself a favor and bust a move on your life and go a school where you matter. The University of Richmond is a good school in the not to big, not to small category. Visit.</p>
<p>modo822… Update us.</p>
<p>Regarding Honorstudent’s comment above - I only know about QU and Loyola because I’m a college junkie, but I doubt that one in 100 Southerners will have ever heard of them. In fact, I only learned about QU so recently that I thought it was a very new school, and was surprised when I visited their website to learn that it was founded in the '20s. Most everyone here would have heard of Ohio University (or, they’ll assume that because there’s an Ohio, there must be an Ohio U.), but they may not know much about it.</p>
<p>It has come down to Michigan State and Loyola Maryland for me, and now, regarding financial aid, it may end up being Loyola Maryland for me in the fall. Still unsure, any opinions would be great.</p>
<p>Go to whichever one is cheaper!</p>
<p>which is shockingly loyola maryland…love grants</p>
<p>Mich state and ohio are probably your best choice, Fairfield is pretty good, You should have no problem getting in, they have fairly low stats. Loyola is good, stonehill is a safety school for Holy Cross but despite its lack of a name its a fairly good school…I would go with MS or OHU</p>