Post your own state's college reputations'

Shoiab · July 10, 2008, 4:45pm

VIRGINIA

UVA- Smart Virginia students who didn’t get into Ivies… Most Virginians students goes there… Virginian’s one of dream schools…Good sports programs and Political Sci is one of the popular majors.

VT- Good college… Great engineering programs… many people wear VT shirts around here… haha. Sports are good especially football…Nice rural town… My younger brother’s dream college… lol

W&M- Don’t know very much but highly suicidal people… but heard it’s a good college.

VCU- Located in the capital city of Virginia= Richmond… Nice campus… Good medical program… VCU beated Duke in 2007 (was surprised)… My cousin major in Pre-Denistry there…

ODU- Not really familiar but some of students from my school is going there… ODU Girls basketball team is really good…

Radford- Haha… Popular kids who love to party and do drugs… I know most of popular people going there this fall… lol…

CNU- Not really familiar but knows some people going there and like it…

JMU- Mostly girls… but smart people going there too… but not really popular sports teams… I think…

GMU- Diversity… About 30 mins from my hometown… Went there twice… and it’s nice campus… and many students from Northern Virginia… Good business and Computer Science programs…

Gallaudet University- Not in VA but it’s in DC… I’m going there this fall… whoo! It’s liberal arts university for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing students but there are few hearing students also gets accepted… small student body (<1800 students)… and also a party school lol… Deaf studies, ASL, Deaf Education, and Business are the popular majors… Have improved a lot since the protest and accreditation problems… thanks to Gallaudet President, Dr. Robert Davila.

TUOwls2011 · July 10, 2008, 4:53pm

I spend a good amount of time in South Florida, so I’m well aware of local perception (Miami perception aside). I also benefit from the SE PA perception, which is people who go to Miami are a bunch of decent students, who are wealthy, like sports, and want warm weather.

MonStar · July 10, 2008, 4:57pm

I’ll do Louisiana, even though I’m sure most of you don’t care.

Tulane - Great school in an extremely unique, cultured city. Continues to gain positive momentum after Hurricane Katrina and is currently underrated by USNews due to the aftermath. Student body is one of the most diverse geographically in the country. Students tend to have a snobbish reputation with the locals, which is probably well deserved.

Loyola - Solid jesuit school with a good undergrad program but probably the 3rd best law school in the state. Seem to have a large number of hippies in the student body. Extremely small campus, literally one city block. Also has seen a little admissions bump recently.

LSU - Average state school with a rep for being a mediocre state school. Slightly underrated IMO. I think it should probably be 2nd tier as opposed to 3rd. Good school for regional employment. Great athletics and a great party season during college football season. Baton Rouge is an incredibly boring city otherwise though.

Louisiana Tech - Solid school for engineering and computer science. Also the only school in the state that offers a degree in aviation. Extremely small town and the student body is incredibly country.

Southeastern Louisiana University - Really mediocre school. I took a few classes there and was appalled at some of the stuff that went on. Known as “slow learners university”. Basically a feeder school where poor students go for a year or two to raise grades then transfer to LSU.

Don’t know enough about the rest to comment.

funployee · July 10, 2008, 5:07pm

Northern Illinois University- Has some good academic programs, but overall is very mediocre. Receieved national attention after the St. Valentine’s Day Shooting. Very Very Easy to get into overall.

University of Illinois at Chicago- A very good school for premed/md programs. It is in a very good location in the city by the loop. A good portion of students are commuters. Very easy to get in overall.

Loyola University of Chicago- One again, a very good school for premed/md programs. Located right near the lake. Also, good portion of students are commuters. Very Easy to get in overall.

University of Illinois- Urbana-Champaign- Majority of students at my school applied here. The most recognized school in my area. Known as a huge party school, but has some excellent programs including business and engineering. Not easy to get into overall.

University of Chicago- Almost all of its programs are excellent. Located with kind of a rough neigborhood in Chicago. Most students the go are known as nerds and very unathletic, although I find this very stereotypical. Very Hard to get into.

Northwestern University- Probably the most prestigous and has the most name brand. An excellent school in the great town of Evanston. Laid-back student body. Great Athletics. Very Hard to get into.

TUOwls2011 · July 10, 2008, 5:12pm

Northwestern’s athletics are horrible…

jmc2009 · July 10, 2008, 9:14pm

any one care to post about any of hte following schools: george town, george washington university, notre dame, carnegie mellon, tufts, wellesley, wesleyan?
THANKS (:

i can give you a run down of california schools if you would like ANOTHER one i`ll try not to say what previous people have already said…
(im from Socal and a high asian concentrated and competetive highschool so there might be a bias xD)

PRIVATES:
Stanford: well basically the name says it all… REALLY nice campus though ^^ difficult to get in… i think most from my school get in through early apps
USC: basically alot of money… (ex. when i told my dad i was thinking about applying he said that he should probably buy me a bmw) good business (mainly grad though) pretty good academics… and academic decent, i would say close/slightly below ucla… and well the whole sports thing ofcourse…
Caltech: science/tech-y/engineering and related … just as good as MIT (:

UCs: pretty good public schools
Berkeley: considered one of the best schools in california… sure its no stanford but still ranked pretty high especially among asians and on national rankings… basically people think of: liberal, engineering, competetive
LA: good all around school. good location, good social life, good academics (: good choice if you can get in ^^
SD: basically for those who want to go to a UC but cant get into LA or berkeley… good in sciences… i thought san diego was a nice location
Davis: ive only heard of people who like Vet and agriculture and sciences apply there… but its a pretty good school… NOT for those who either hate bicycles or being in the middle of nowhere ^^
Irvine: basically if you cant get into the first three UCs then you go here… mainly asians from OC/LA area… alot of “FOBs” or asian immigrants go here
Riverside: … o__o; for those who cant get into irvine? or you live in riverside? im not sure who would want to go there
SB is a party school and im skipping SC b/c i dont know much about it
Merced: new UC school for those who just want the name of UC and dont mind being in the valley and cant get in to ther ucs?

Calstates: basically a safety school or for those of not so high academics… often used as a steping stone for getting into UCs… few schools people from my school go to: calstate fullerton, san luis obisco(?)

i know some one asked about the best State for universities… i would have to say California or Massachusetts… both have TOP schools but out of the two GO CALI the weather is better here (:

rollins · July 10, 2008, 9:15pm

NU sports Horrible? Last year - national women’s lacrosse champs, nationally ranked in men’s soccer, wrestling, women’s softball, women’s tennis, football 6 and 6 last year and a couple Big ten championships in the past decade. One more example showing that you shouldn’t believe everything you read on on the internet.

nesh1080 · July 10, 2008, 9:53pm

Columbia: Best school in New York, nice campus, top notch academics, crappy area of the city

Cornell: Second to Columbia, highly respected and regarded, bad location, cold

NYU: Most overrated school in the nation, solid for art and business, very artsy, nice location, very large, not many people from New York understand its world-wide appeal, known for graduate more so than undergraduate, Columbia rejects.

Colgate: Very good LAC, rich kids school, somewhat competitive

Barnard: Very good school, either really well known or not known at all

Fordham: Decent Jesuit school, on the rise

Manhattan: Fordham rejects, not a very good school (maybe for engineering?)

SUNY Bing: Very good school, some really really smart kids go here because of $

SUNY Geneseo: Most underrated school I know, more competitive than Bing and many feel that it is the better of the two.

TUOwls2011 · July 10, 2008, 11:19pm

My friend is the starting goalie for the soccer team, so I know all about it, but seriously, outside of basketball, football, baseball, and hockey, no one gives a damn about anything else. Lacrosse is growing, but really…Their football team is nothing, their basketball team is nothing. Women’s lax? Women’s softball? LOL

chuy · July 10, 2008, 11:51pm

West Virginia:
Marshall - Ok academics, kind of a crappy location, bit of a commuter school. Definitely on the upswing though, with new academic buildings and dorms being built. And they’re getting an engineering program, just 4 years too late. :(

WVU - lol.

kwu · July 10, 2008, 11:53pm

HAHA, so true. I’m glad I’m not the only one who knows his NY schools well =)

rollins · July 11, 2008, 12:01am

TU owls - Several Big 10 football championships in the past decade for NU is nothing? Weird. Frankly looking at this and other comments on this thread it appears that you get enjoyment out of spewing misinformation just to get a reaction.

Buffs2013 · July 11, 2008, 12:18am

Colorado…

University of Colorado - Boulder - Large, liberal, party school, best public academics, hippie school, great campus, generally the place for the smart kids who want to stay in state and don’t want to pay private school prices, strongest in sciences/engineering, not weak in any field, so so/decent food, ok sports teams, slightly selective - I’ll probably end up here

Colorado State University - The other large state school, smart conservative kids often pick it over CU, good location, considered academically inferior to CU by many at my school, good parties, decent business school, strong agriculture and vet program, big rivalry with CU, decent food - another school I’m considering

Colorado School of Mines - Decent engineering school, small, students seem unhappy, sausage fest, pretty, but boring town, rigorous, harder to get into than other publics, crappy dorms, great job placement for graduates, food is fairly decent

University of Denver - private, not incredibly difficult to get into, good business programs, decent law school, on the smaller side, somewhat “inner city” location, good hockey, other than that, I don’t know a huge amount about it

Colorado College - most selective in the state, small, elitist reputation, rich white kids, drug/party school, block system, liberal arts college, good hockey, well thought of locally

University of Colorado - Colorado Springs - smaller, but growing quickly, considered to be a hidden gem, students love it(my sister included), strong in engineering and nursing, good food, new and spacious dorm rooms, nice on campus apartments, great view of Pikes Peak, easy to get into, not incredibly well known, but gaining popularity

Fort Lewis College - public, cheap, very easy to get into, bad food, rural, scenic location, party school, lac, small, good skiing and snowboarding, not a strong academic reputation, high Native American population

Western State College - cheap, small, public, very easy to get into, harsh winters, rural, not well known for anything, not a strong academic reputation

Mesa State College - cheap, very easy to get into, public, small, kind of rural, not known for its academics

Adams State - lac, rural, cheap, very easy to get into, small, public, not a very nice location, weak on the academic side

University of Northern Colorado - easy to get into, public, good music and education programs, smells bad, boring town

United States Air Force Academy - good location, rigorous(mentally and physically), good reputation, strong academics, nice campus

University of Colorado - Denver - great med school, crappy location, not particularly popular

Colorado State University - Pueblo - “taco tech”, not as good as CSU - Fort Collins, not a great town, easy to get into

Metro State - way cheap, very easy to get into, crappy location, commuter school

bclintonk · July 11, 2008, 1:15am

Haven’t seen Minnesota but I’m too tired to go back through all 39 pages of posts so here goes.

Private:

Carleton. Terrific LAC, one of the best in the nation but few Minnesotans go there & many have never heard of it. But it is the place that have us sen. Paul Wellstone, a hero in some quarters, along with a lot of other progressive political activists. Apart from them, Carleton students mainly come from elsewhere and go elsewhere, leaving the school with a pretty tenuous connection to the state.

Macalester: another fine LAC, just a close notch behind Carleton, big on international relations, international programs of all kinds. Lovely campus in a lively urban neighborhood in St. Paul. A real gem.

St. Olaf: very good LAC with strong appeal to those of Norwegian Lutheran ancestry, abundant in Minnesota but obscure to the rest of the nation. Shares the small town of Northfield with Carleton.

St. John’s/St. Bens: pretty good Catholic LAC in St. Cloud, north of the Twin Cities

St. Kate’s: not a bad little Catholic women’s college in St. Paul run by the progressive Sisters of St. Joseph.

St. Thomas: a somewhat more conservative coed Catholic school in St. Paul, but this is where Eugene McCarthy taught before he went into politics.

Hamline: OK ed school.

al the rest: can’t keep 'em straight.

Public:

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities: “the U,” the center of it all. A major research university, the only one in the state and long the default school for every Minnesotan, very strong in a lot of grad programs but struggling to raise its academic standards at the undergrad level to compete with Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan. You know how Garrison Keillor says in Lake Wobegon “all the children are above average”? Minnesota has a long tradition of settling for “above average.” The U is now trying to break through that barrier.

University of Minnesota-Morris: good public LAC and a bargain for Minnesotans, as well as residents of Wisconsin, North & South Dakota, and Manitoba who enjoy tuition reciprocity.

University of Minnesota-Duluth: great hockey school in the frozen north, perennial rival of the Gophers.

University of Minnesota-Crookston: where?

St. Cloud State: another good hockey school. We’ve got lots of 'em.

The rest of MNSCU (Bemidji State, Mankato State, Winona State, Metro State, and who knows what else): yeah, them too. If you can’t get into the U, there’s always MNSCU. Or you can probably get into one of the schools in the University of Wisconsin system and pay in-state tuition.

TUOwls2011 · July 11, 2008, 1:44am

If you wish to think NU’s sports are something special, go ahead, because you’re alone in that thinking.

lylbeachbabee · July 11, 2008, 11:23am

Since when is the University of Minnesota referred to as “the U”? That’s not very original. There is only one “U” and everyone knows where that is :)

gocanes · July 11, 2008, 2:11pm

I wonder if they came out with “The U” Idea before UMiami did. Interesting. First time I see it. Well, every school should technically be allowed to call themselves that, however UMiami is historically known for being called that. ESPN calls that the face of our athletic program.

elwoodblues · July 11, 2008, 3:18pm

I live in NC - I think where you live within the state has a huge bearing on what you think of the universities. xD

UNC - CRAZY about football. Also infamous for its jaywalkers - has the stupidest pedestrians I’ve ever seen in my life, but overall good school. (Lots of construction though.)

Duke - Around here everyone hates it (UNC fans) but nonetheless an excellent school.

NC State - Just sort of “there”.

Wake Forest - I was actually ASTONISHED to see how highly it ranked because around here people joke about it and think it’s something like Durham Tech.

Elon - I don’t think I’ve ever really heard anything about it from a Carolina resident, actually.

I used to live in Louisiana, but all I remember is that Tulane is a good school and the University of New Orleans is sort of awful.

jmc2009 · July 11, 2008, 3:31pm

anyone care to comment on DC’s schools (georgetown & GWU) or notre dame or wesleyan?

chuy · July 11, 2008, 3:36pm

Surely you mean basketball, because they are not at all “crazy” about their football. Not that they have any reason to be. I’ve been to a couple games there and have never been impressed at all by the fan support, and at some home games the opposing crowd drowns them out. That does not happen at schools that are crazy about their team.

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