Post your own state's college reputations'

JWT86 · November 28, 2008, 12:22am

Not sure why you think UT has an “inflated” perception, considering it IS - by all relevant academic measures - one of the top publics. You yourself mention excellent graduate programs all around… what do you think makes a school a top school? It’s usually quality/accomplishments of faculty and program - both of which are reflected in the breadth and depth of top ranked programs at UT. Even according to the USNWR undergrad rankings, UT and Rice are tied in peer assessment scores (4.0), putting them in the top half of the nation’s top 50 universities. UT actually even had a higher PA score than Rice last year.

hkkxp · November 28, 2008, 1:44am

New Jersey

Rutgers New Brunswick - flagship state school, people who are about B - ish go there. its not terrible, but when we get a bad grade in a class we say “you are gonna end up in rutgers” to each other.

Princeton- obviously, very very good. only about two or three people get in from my school per year

TCNJ- varies from person to person. some say its better than Rutgers, some say its worse.

Montclair- basically for those who partied away.

William Patterson- same as Montclair. Most likely got all Cs and couple Ds here and there through out high school

FDU - no one goes there.

Felician- look above

Ramapo College- still considered a fairly “sucky” school. those who got into rutgers usually go here since its only about 5 mins away. Mostly for Avg B students.

NJIT - don’t know anyone who choose to go there.
Stevens - avg.

rowan- some say its good for education, but i think thats b/s

all other schools that i didn’t mention- Don’t know anyone who go there, mainly because they are " who the hell goes there* colleges.

hotasice · November 28, 2008, 2:58am

He means that it’s overrated in Texas. That is, Texans probably think and brag about how UT is so much more awesome and amazing than it already is (hyping it up even more, though yes UT deserves a lot of credit and of course is one of the top publics in the country). It’s similar to how Californians think UC’s are the best things that happened to the education system since the Ivies (okay, just a theoretical example). He’s referring to the extremely high regional prestige UT has in Texas. He’s not saying UT does not deserve high merit, because it does.

UT and Rice held the same PAA rank (or UT higher than Rice) simply because UT has so many great graduate schools and is so much bigger than Rice - Rice on the other hand is very undergraduate-focused with a much, much smaller (5,000 including grad students versus UT’s 51,000 including grad students - that’s over 50x the size of Rice!) student population. Rice does not focus as much on graduate schools and graduate students as UT does.

Lbr218 · December 3, 2008, 2:37am

ha! my mom went to VCU (the art school) and my dad went to ODU… VCU sounds very much like my mom. But my dad isn’t a slacker (bit he says he was in college)
keep in mind they graduated in the early 80s from those institutions.

go_carolina_528 · December 3, 2008, 6:47pm

South Carolina

University of South Carolina-Columbia- Pretty good academics, somewhat of a Party School, most popular school in the state, big on sports

Clemson University- Out in the middle of nowhere, good academics, excellent Engineering and Agriculture Programs, Party School

College Of Charleston- Party school with good academics.

Coastal Carolina University-Party school with bad academics.

Furman University- One of the nicest schools in the state. The academics are excellent. Very challenging school and great Political Science program.

Wofford-Tied with Furman for best school in the state. Has a great Interim program. Small

lacy1991 · December 4, 2008, 10:18pm

Maryland School Stereotypes

UMCP - big gorgeous campus, party school, basically in the ghetto but near DC, crazy football, EVERYONES from Maryland, pretty much half of my class went here. it’s getting harder and harder to get into. great for business, journalism, engineering but mediocre in everything else. tries too hard to appear “prestigious”

UMBC - really good for sciences, but okay at everything else. very much a commuter school in a pretty boring area. not much social life/sports life, but has really nice facilities and good education.

Towson - party school, mediocre academics, houses all of the Maryland - College Park rejects, lots of dumb kids

Salisbury - east-coast school, mediocre academics, don’t know too much about it

Frostburg - total party school in the mountains, kind of a joke, extremely easy to get into

St Mary’s College - honors public school, beautiful campus, very open-minded students, good academics, everyone bikes everywhere

Mount St. Mary’s - decent Catholic university, “The Mount”, conservative, high school-like atmosphere

Stevenson U - untraditional students/grad students, decent academics, tiny campus

Morgan State - historically black school in the Baltimore ghetto, lots of kids from bad areas, strict about visitation and such, bad food

College of Notre Dame - sheltered all-girls school, lots of strange people and very strict housing

Goucher - small liberal arts college, some call it depressing while others love it, lots of “weird” kids go here, no school spirit

Hood - no one really talks about Hood, but its got a nice campus in Frederick and it’s relatively easy to get into

Johns Hopkins - HARDCORE, great reputation, lacking social life, amazing campus

Loyola College - conservative Jesuit school, high school atmosphere, pretty dorms

McDaniel - beautiful campus, cozy liberal arts school, good academics

Washington - i don’t know too much about it, but i’ve heard it’s alright, nothing special

and there are some others but that’s about it

country_day · December 5, 2008, 9:49am

I heard UMCP had a groddy campus.

jec7483 · December 5, 2008, 11:25am

Yeah, I have also heard the UMCP campus is ugly.

ConnerChivone · December 5, 2008, 11:44pm

IOWA!!

Someone already did Iowa, but they weren’t from the metro like I (ahem) am

U of Iowa- Big party school, also has sex scandals concerning white girls coming out of there like no other, really, watch out! But if you want to do humanities, you go to Iowa.

Iowa State- Asian school, even Asians who want to major in the liberal arts go here, so many asians that although U of I’s scholarship program for underrepresented minorities includes Asians, ISU’s program does not, which ****es off my Asian friends to no avail. It’s for all the science geeks I know as well.

U of Northern Iowa- Only if you want to be a teacher

Grinnell- If your parents make you stay in Iowa but you have the stats to go out of state

Grand View- If you forget to apply anywhere else, you apply here and get in, Seriously 98% acceptance rate!

wobudong · December 6, 2008, 6:35pm

Westsidewolf: I consider Rice to be the badly-needed antidote for the Ivy’s. Equal to any academically for undergrads, but less proviincial, more diverse, and more tolerant. UT is the most underrated of the state universities–easily the equal of Michigan, UNC and UVa.

kayleealia · December 6, 2008, 10:09pm

Maine -

Bates: Nobody really knows anything about Bates here, no joke.
Bowdoin: Best known for athletics and academic integrity.
Colby: Great resources, known for the art museum.
UMaine: Decent state school. Orono is best respected. Known for engineering.
Thomas: Decent school with too big a pricetag.
University of New England: Where all the premeds go.
College of the Atlantic: People who eat granola and have classes in fields and use biodegradable everything, no athletics.

Rh · December 6, 2008, 10:22pm

This is the reputation at my high school.

U of Texas at Austin - Most people want to go here, but very few get accepted. The kids who do go here only get in cause of the top 10% rule and usually have ****ty EC

Baylor University - If they dont want to go to U of texas at austin they usually want to go here. It’s known for being extremely hard to get into and comparable to harvard LOL! It’s not really hard to get into if you dont already know. It’s a christian college where most kids are hypocrites.

U of Texas at san antonio - a lot of students go here, it’s alright. People think it’s much better than it really is. People at my school believe it’s comparable to UT austin.

Texas A&M - No one really cares since my high school is the outskirt of austin. People think it’s alright, but not as good as baylor or UT austin

Texas Tech - Not much of a reputation, good or bad

Abilene college - Pretty good reputation, the valedictorian of my class wants to go there for some reason…

Rice University - people usually ask “is it a good college” haha! It’s not as respected as it should be.

Texas State - God… Not much of a typical college if you ask me. Most of the students are from a community college or are 40 year olds returning to college. Not a lot of people at my school wish to go here

U of North Texas - Pretty well liked mostly community college students go here, but I hear it’s a pretty good school to go to in order to save a lot of money while getting an alright education.

Southerwestern University - Pretty laid back students, not much of a reputation though.

That’s about it, there are a couple more colleges in texas, but those are the main ones

crs1909 · December 7, 2008, 12:38pm

^I didn’t like Rh.s version of Texas, so I’ll do my own version of Texas schools

Texas

Rice - Very prestigious private school located in one of the nicer areas of Houston. Has a residential college system. Considered a nerd school by pretty much everyone at my high school. When I visited, I didn’t find the student body to be particularly attractive. Known to have a strong undergraduate focus, especially compared to UT. Good science and engineering programs.

UT - Most kids #1 school. It seems like over half the kids that finish in the Top 10% end up going here. Known for being one of Texas’s most liberal schools, if not the most liberal. Student body is a vibrant mix, ranging from drunken fratboy to creative artsy girl to huge nerd (usually an engineering/math/science major). Known for Business, Communications and Engineering. Also know for having a pretty attractive student body, especially the girls.

A&M - Not a big fan. A&M seems to be one of those places that you either love or hate/dislike. Most of the kids that go here tend to be Conservative. Also, the school is really big on ECs, so it’s as no surprise that a lot of the kids that go here were especially active in clubs when they were high schoolers. Located in College Station, a rural town that revolves around the university. Known for having a good engineering program and decent business and science programs.

SMU - Known for having a wealthy and superficial student body. Most of the kids I know that went here are pretty wealthy (+500k home). I’ve heard that the school has really strong cliques and that some people obsess over getting into the right sorority or fraternity. Located in a nice neighborhood in Dallas. I stayed in one of the dorms when I did a soccer camp there a few years ago. The dorm sucked. Known mostly for having a good business program. I’ve heard that if you were to look at most of the top businessman in Dallas, an unexpectedly high percentage of them would be SMU grads.

TCU - Slightly less wealthier and prestigious version of SMU. Located in Ft. Worth. (I actually prefer Dallas to Ft. Worth) I’ve heard that the school basically has two main cliques: those involved in Greek Life and everyone else. Not really known for anything, except maybe Business.

Baylor - Located in Waco. Not much to do there. A lot of religious people want to go here. People mistakenly think that Baylor and Baylor College of Medicine are affiliated. They’re not. Decent sciences and business program.

Trinity - It seems like most of the kids that didn’t have the grades to get into Rice applied here. Located in a nice area in San Antonio. Not as well known as the schools mentioned above, probably because a) the school is a Master’s University and b) D-2 or D-3 athletics.

Southwestern - I think one or two really artsy, nerdy girls went here from my class. Best LAC in Texas. Too small and unknown to be a blip on my radar.

UT Dallas - Becoming more and more prestigious. Admission standards are comparable to that of UT (Austin). Known for having a good science/pre-Med program and having a really depressing campus. I went there when the weather was overcast and I hated it. I live in the D/FW metroplex and most of the kids that want to live close to home and not pay too much go here.

Texas Tech - Located in Lubbock, which is in the middle of nowhere. I’ve heard that all you can do in Lubbock is get drunk and/or have sex. Everyone I know that went there came back at least 10 lbs heavier. When I asked this woman I work with, who was a Tech grad, what she got her degree in, she responded “I got a BS in Drinking and Partying”. If you want to party hard and don’t have the grades to get into UT, you settle for Tech.

Texas St. - Public college located in San Marcos, which is located pretty close to Austin. A lot of slackers from my school go here. Supposed to be a party school.

UT Arlington - Known at UTA (University of Thousands of Asians). Huge commuter school. You get to campus, go to class, then quickly leave campus. No school pride whatsoever.

UT San Antonio - See UT Arlington.

UNT - Students love to mention that they have the biggest Music Dept. in the country. Who cares?

Rh · December 8, 2008, 12:11am

^ I was doing what people at my school view these colleges, not how they really are…

suomalainenlove · December 8, 2008, 6:33am

O.H.I.O :)))
Akron - slackers.
BGSU - STDs, teachers college.
Central State - what? where?
Cincinnati - dirty.
Cleveland State - didn’t want to go to community college, but had no other options.
Kent State - good fashion program, but… Kan’t read, Kan’t write, Kent State
Miami - J.Crew U
Ohio State - Buckeyes sports. HUGEE. 
OU - Journalism. Party school.
Shawnee State - What? Where?
Toledo - slackers, although, I must say this schools image is improving, mostly because of the merge with NEOCOM (Northeast Ohio College of Medicine). And they have a water slide in the pool, which is pretty cool.
Wright State - What? Where?
Youngstown State - What? Where?
Denison - what? where? oh, right… preppy, sororities and fraternities.
Kenyon - creative writing (if they have heard of it). oh, and the swim team.
Oberlin - tiny. hippies. music.
Ohio Wesleyan - small.
Wooster - it has sports camps for kids in the summer.
Case - really good school, too bad it’s in Cleveland.
Cleveland Institute of Art - top art program.
Cleveland Institute of Music - top music program.
Lake Erie College - just started a football program 2 years ago. horses. annoying commercials on KissFM.
Marietta - small and near West Virginia.
Mount Union - football.
Ashland - teachers.
Bluffton - baseball accident 2 years ago.
John Carroll - couldn’t get in anywhere better. party school.
Hiram - tiny.
Findlay - all-girls, even though it’s not. and the vet program.
Dayton - party.
Ursuline - all girls. for people who couldn’t get in anywhere better.
Xavier - in Cinci. so obviously dirty.
Capital - near Columbus, not much is known.
Wittenberg - small and preppy.
Baldwin-Wallace - small and good music program.
ONU - pharmacy. tiny. in Ada (poor kids.)
Otterbein - near Columbus. horrible campus. party school.
Malone - crazy christian kids.
Heidelberg - for kids who want to go away to school, but not to far. and they like to party. or are super nerdy. or are into Theatre.
Please note that these are not necessarily my opinions, but the general attitude of the people in my town in Ohio.

Sparkeye7 · December 8, 2008, 9:27pm

OHIO

Small <1,000
Medium ~10,000
Large >10,000
Mega >50,000 students

<ol>
<li>Oberlin College - Perhaps the best liberal arts college in Ohio, great music program. Rural
(Small)</li>
<li>Kenyon College - On par with Oberlin academically w/o the music conservatory. Rural
(Small) </li>
<li>Case Western Reserve University - Great Engineering / Science programs. Private, Bad neighborhood (Mid-size)</li>
<li>Miami of Ohio at Oxford - Original Public Ivy, preppy, upper middle-class, solid undergrad programs. Unfortunately, its overall academic prestige & student selectivity had been surpassed by OSU in the last few years imho. Rural (Large)</li>
<li>The Ohio State University - Typical Big Ten campus, located a few miles from downtown Columbus. Public Ivy, Major research University, Highly selective, #14 Up-and- Coming Universities by USNWR 2009. Recent campus projects from the top of my head included but not limited to the Main Library Renovation (108 million), Dorm Renovation (250 million), Ohio Stadium Renovation (194 million), Schottenstein Center (116 million), RPAC (140 million), Ohio Union (115 million) & $1 billion Medical Center Expansion. Home to the highest paid public University President in America - Gordon Gee. Solid Academic w/ vibrant campus social life. City (Mega)</li>
<li>Ohio University - Good Journalism & Osteopathic School. City (Large)</li>
<li>University of Cincinnati - Good music program. Bad Neighborhood. City (Large)</li>
<li>Bowling Green U. - Decent business school, decent football program. Rural (Large)</li>
<li>University of Toledo - Decent health care programs. Defeated Michigan this season in football!</li>
<li>University of Akron, Kent State, Wright State, U. of Finlay - not much to say! @_@</li>
</ol>

LennyPepperidge · December 9, 2008, 12:58pm

OHIO–(separated by public and private, then posted top to bottom in terms of reputation in my town/high school within each group)

PUBLICS

OHIO STATE–Huge! Strong programs across the board. Great faculty resources. At my school was almost always the in-state public choice for top students, with the exception being a few kids whose parents had gone to Miami. Diverse student body. Good entertainment options in Columbus. Generally seen as a high quality national university; although some older people have a bad view of OSU based on old admissions policies from the 60s and 70s.

MIAMI–considered the only other high quality public in the state. Strong undergrad focus but without the level of faculty of a Big Ten school. Far from being Ohio State’s backup school but there still is a perception of a significant and widening admissions gap in OSU’s favor between the two. NO DIVERSITY–both in terms of students’ background (suburban, preppy, upper middle class, white) and thinking (conservative, greek). In the middle of nowhere. Everybody majors in business or education. ARROGANT–Miami people and administration always trying to convince counselors and parents that Miami is a lot more prestigious than it is. Recruiters (at least in the case of myself and my friends) seemed to go out of their way to badmouth Ohio State; whereas the OSU recruiters never mentioned Miami.

OHIO–likes to think of itself as competing with OSU/Miami, but journalism school aside almost everybody in my school/town sees it lumped in with the schools below. Medium size, party school, rural/small town atmosphere. Laid back, likable students–not pretentious like Miami but not shallow/meathead types like BGSU.

CINCINNATI–backup school. Large. In a dangerous part of the city. Decent engineering and science programs for kids who couldn’t get into OSU.

TOLEDO–Decent urban research university but still seen as a step down from Cincinnati. Overall reputation seems helped by recent med school merger. Decent diversity

KENT STATE–Very large. No real defining characteristics. Student body seems a little more diverse and liberal than those at Bowling Green.

BOWLING GREEN–teacher training school on the side of the interstate. It seemed to be the preferred school for the most slutty girls and shallow guys in my school.

AKRON–Five years ago, would have probably been lumped in with the commuter schools but seems to be making an effort to create a real campus. Still seen as an open admission campus for kids from the area without other options. Decent engineering and business but nothing special.

Wright State, Youngstown State, Cleveland State: Hey it’s better than community college if you have to live at home.

PRIVATES

CASE WESTERN–High quality. Science and engineering focused. Nerdy student body. In a decent but not great urban location. Considered a strong, high quality national university but, in my town, maybe not put on quite the same pedestal that Clevanders place the university.

OBERLIN–Top national liberal arts college. Smart students. Extremely liberal student body. Somewhat of a hippy reputation.

KENYON–Like Oberlin with a little more diversity in the student body politically. Strong English department.

DENISON–A national liberal arts college but generally considered a step down from Oberlin/Kenyon. Preppy and rich students. Sometimes knocked as a dumping ground for rich East coast kids who couldn’t get legacied into their parents alma maters.

blue147 · January 8, 2009, 3:33pm

bump. cool thread

afitscher · January 8, 2009, 4:00pm

New York: Too many to fully appreciate

SUNY’s-A great system of schools if instate or worried about money. UB is the major one, great party life, great engineering and med, great girls and guys, most of my class ends up there. Binghamton is considered the LAC, extremely tough to get into from OOS. Geneseo is the Honors College and Elite of the SUNY, good for everything. Majority of public school kids go to these or the other SUNY’s. We supposedly have great Community Colleges lol.

Syracuse- Great academics and sports following. Great for communications and law. Medicine is fairly good. Big party scene. City is kinda dirty, but lots to do.

NYU- you all know about it, no more needs to be said.

Cornell- probably to most beautiful campus you will ever see, ivy, amazing engineering program, most of our top 5 goes there. Our pride and joy along with NYU and our LACs.

Hamilton- great, great LAC school. Amazing Classics program.

Colgate- great engineering LAC. Lots to do even though its sorta in middle of nowhere.

University of Rochester- just as good if not better than NYU, but less recognition in terms of name. Amazing for medicine or economics.

Union-great mix of everything you could ever want. Top school that not many kids think about.

Cooper Union- architecture or engineering, take your pick and good luck getting in.

RIT- second or third hand engineering school. Like 5 girls and lots of unusual guys. They do have great program for undecided.

Canisus- private Jesuit in Buffalo that is really known for business or pre-med.

rjkofnovi · January 8, 2009, 5:09pm

Ohio State is NOT highly selective.

Post your own state's college reputations'

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