Top 10 US Universities for Graduate Level

[cosmicfish]

<p>

Fine, so this is just a venue of entertainment for you, rather than a forum of serious discussion. Fair enough, at least we now know where you stand.

No, I take this forum seriously, just not this particular discussion. Big difference. And to be fair, I AM taking this discussion seriously, but am just not willing to invest in it beyond its entertainment value.</p>

<p>

Fair enough - then ask yourself why are a strong majority (~60%) of UM applicants rejected, if not for a lack of space?

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that they were mostly for academic reasons, and that general limitations on the size of the student body are dominated by other requirements, such as limits on the growth rate of the facilities and faculty. Still, I am sure that if you contacted UM admissions they would be happy to provide an answer.</p>

<p>

Seems to me that you’re now even more supportive of my proposal.

No, I am just trying to illustrate why NONE of this is a real issue, and why your attempt to correct this fictional problem would result in a REAL problem.</p>

<p>Interestingly, isn’t this how ALL our discussions end up? Chicken Little trying to convince everyone that the sky is falling down, but really just leading them to the Fox’s den where they are eaten?</p>

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But at least you now have the option. Without that option, you’re truly locked into your program for a complete 5 years. What if you discover by year 4 that you don’t actually want to be an architect anymore?

Answer: You switch to one of the already available, generic, and useless degrees of the type you mention. There is no need for a separate degree structure, especially for some one who is essentially abandoning hopes of working in that field.</p>

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So if you’re not prepared to abolish those programs, then what’s so outrageous about an interim unaccredited engineering or architecture degree?

Because I am NOT prepared to abolish those programs, and they already provide an outlet for those who will not complete the degree, and those who WILL complete the degree do not need an outlet. The only advantage to the degrees you propose is raising the self-esteem of those who take those escape routes so late in their academic careers that they could not transfer to a useful major.</p>

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Right, the payscale figures that deliberately excludes all students - which is almost surely the majority at Harvard, but not at UM - who never go on to graduate school. Never mind that one of the key attractions of attending Harvard for undergrad is that - because of its strong research resources, brand-name, and grade inflation - it serves as one of the premiere launching pads in the world for admission to grad school, often times back at Harvard itself.

I think I already said this was a simplification - a back of the envelope calculation based on the limited data available, not an in-depth comparison examining every student and outcome.</p>

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Right, the payscale figures that deliberately excludes all students - which is almost surely the majority at Harvard, but not at UM - who never go on to graduate school.

But it apparently DOES include those legions of Harvard grads going into finance and the like, right?</p>

<p>Nonetheless, if you have a better source of numbers, please provide it, or else acknowledge that your argument cannot be supported by anything other than panic, hyperbole, and hand-waving.</p>