<p>"I’ll ask you: Do you need to have small classes for professors to have a “strong dedication to undergraduate teaching?” "</p>
<p>Umm, yes. Which is why the professors there are only interested in research and cannot tend to the educational needs of undergraduates.</p>
<p>seadog, you chose CIT…congratulations! Great school. But, CIT does well on this measure: “Professors Get Low Marks: #2”
<a href=“http://www.princetonreview.com/CaliforniaInstituteofTechnology.aspx[/url]”>http://www.princetonreview.com/CaliforniaInstituteofTechnology.aspx</a></p>
<p>…so much for choosing a school that offers “better” undergrad.</p>
<p>And why would class size have any impact on a professor’s love and dedication to teaching? I think profs that like to teach want students to attend their lectures.</p>
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<p>Could be, but isn’t the sound of a violin that plays the correct tune … beautiful? I admit that I like it better than listening to the deafening instruments that support the cheerleading and pompom waving. </p>
<p>And, fwiw, violin or not, are you disagreeing that the transition from high school to college in California is mostly state-centric? How high is the percentage of students who decide to “emigrate” to other states? Are you disagreeing with the “speculation” that the GCs who work at the 100 HS in California will tend to know and value the state system better than GCs from other state.</p>
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Is it more state-centric than other states?.. I don’t know the answer to that.<br>
But I do know California is the most populous state. A large portion of top colleges around the nation have a significant number of Californians…so GCs at top California high schools likely have a wide perspective of schools. California also has a wide range of top quality public and private universities and LACs…so, is asking 110 California GCs out of the norm for a survey on education?..I don’t think so. </p>
<p>Why leave the greatest state in the nation?
In fact, I believe you came to Calfornia to benefit from its educational offerings. :)</p>
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<p>xig: I don’t doubt your hypothesis, but I’d love to see some numbers on it. Is California that much more local (on a % basis) then other huge states, such as Texas, NY, & FL? Or those with awesome instate publics like No. Carolina and Virginia and Michigan?</p>
<p>Just asking bcos I don’t know and don’t know where to look for that info.</p>
<p>you guys have wayyyyyyyy too much time on your hands</p>
<p>Our GC gave advice, that presumably she gleaned from attending college presentations and meeting reps, talking to TJ alums coming back to visit TJ who attended colleges in question, etc. </p>
<p>I mean I can understand dissing the USNWR rankings. Are we now dissing the GC’s as well? Who do folks on CC respect as a source of info, other than CC?</p>
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<p>BB, it does not really matter if other states have a high ratio of local acceptances. My underlying points are that one should realize that USNews plans to poll around schools from California, while not including schools from states they deem unworthy, and that is should influence the final results.</p>
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<p>LOL. It’s been my observation that in the minds of a number of regular posters on CC, “expert” opinions on colleges and universities are utterly worthless because no one can possibly know enough about colleges and universities to rate them—except, of course, the CC poster him/herself, who then goes on at great length to tell you which schools are good and which bad and why. </p>
<p>EDIT: this is NOT intended as a dig at anyone engaged in the current crossfire on this thread; just a general observation.</p>
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<p>Are we supposed to accept the GC as a great source of information and ignore years of accounts that clearly show how clueless IN THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PROCESS that group of people truly is? How many people do you think have found CC because they were left in the dark by their local GCs? </p>
<p>I make no apologies for believing that this group of people is easily the weakest link in the process. GCs should only have ONE function in the college admission process and that is to forward the CORRECT high school records to the colleges. At no time should this group be asked to provide letters of recommendations or TOUCH the standardized scores. When it comes to the college admission process, their role should be purely administrative, and it would be quite a feat if they could handle that without all the typical errors and omissions.</p>
<p>Please understand that this not mean that GCs are not needed in schools. They tend to be overworked, underpaid and obviously … underappreciated. I do not doubt that they are good people who offer a lot of good advice to students in general. Unfortunately, we cannot overlook that they are rarely qualified to offer advice on the issues that are debated here. </p>
<p>Hang around the forum for a while and you will see it for yourself. Pay particular attention to issues of selectivity and financial aid! And, as a bit of speculative trivia, how many GCs in the country did tell their top 2-3 students that they are shoo-ins for HYPS … this year alone?</p>
<p>Generalize much, xiggi?</p>
<p>Have you met my kid’s GC? </p>
<p>Again, I wouldnt take her word as gospel, but she is bright, knows lots of kids going to very selective schools, and most important knows my kid after working with her for four years.</p>
<p>I dont give a plugged nickel for “haning around the forum” that will show the horror stories people have with THEIR GC’s, not anything about our GC.</p>
<p>And no, I didnt count on the GC to tell me about financial issues. Just to add some suggestions to our college list, and to evaluate (in terms of fit) our list.</p>
<p>"And, as a bit of speculative trivia, how many GCs in the country did tell their top 2-3 students that they are shoo-ins for HYPS … this year alone? "</p>
<p>I am willing to bet that at my DD’s school, where they have significant experience with HYPMS, none of the GC’s did that.</p>
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The question is whether a survey of a large number of GCs will provide useful data for the ranking. Your opinion of your GC is entirely irrelevant given that she will probably not be surveyed and would represent only one vote even if she did have that opportunity. The average quality of the GCs who would be surveyed is what we are discussing.</p>
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<p>Absolutely! I do not know the GC who worked with your kids. And, neither do you know the GCs I met during my short life, nor do you know the hundreds of horror stories shared on this forum. Fwiw, I have met incredibly talented and competent GCs who worked at schools that were able to reward such talented people. I also met GCs who could not have been more different. All I can say is that I know that there are far fewer GC in the first group than in the second. </p>
<p>Thus, on the one hand, you DO have generalizations. And, on the other hand, you have … plenty of personal anecdotes! </p>
<p>Pick your poison!</p>
<p>Brooklynborndad,</p>
<p>Your D’s school, TJ, is the BEST PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL in the entire country, so I’m going to assume the GCs there are extremely informative and competent. The same cannot be said about the GC at my school or in 90% of the other public schools in the country unfortunately.</p>
<p>^ If that’s the case, the GC will likely be selected for the USNWR survey…</p>
<p>“^ If that’s the case, the GC will likely be selected for the USNWR survey…”</p>
<p>ha.</p>
<p>yeah, I would think USNWR uses their own top HS list to get the population for the GC survey, dont they already do a GC survey that way?</p>
<p>maybe USNWR should only use Gc’s from the top ten HS’s?</p>
<p>but then the opinions on the tier 4 schools will be kind of weak.</p>
<p>xiggi</p>
<p>there are two questions here. one is the GCs as a data source for the ranking. The other is your broad rant against all GC’s. Which I found over the top and unfair. To the point where it even leads me to wonder if some of the issues you have had with GCs might not have had something to do with you know, you.</p>
<p>I cannot speak for how informed all GCs even here in FFX county are.</p>
<p>I will say this. Absent USNWR or any other ranking, most kids ARE using their OWN local GCs as a primary source. I suspect a survey of lots of GC’s will be more reliable about the schools (though not about individual fit, of course) than any one average GC.</p>
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<p>BBDad, I am not sure I follow your analysis on my viewpoint on the value of GCs. If you have a theory about my “reasons”, do not hesitate to post it. One thing you can count on is that you’ll find a direct reply. </p>
<p>Two other things you can count on is that I did not reach that conclusion without good reasons and that I have remained consistent about it since 2003.</p>