Why is it that most regional colleges/universities/institutions have poor reputations in academic circles? What are the reasons this is the case?

College Search & Lists
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This is likely the last question I’m going to ask for a while but it was on my mind recently now that I’m at the tail end of my Ph.D at an R2 institution that’s considered a regional institution. Hopefully, this is the right thread too. If not, mods feel free to change it accordingly.

I attended a regional university for my undergrad at an R2 for my BS in Psychology from 2013-2017 (Bowling Green State University). Unfortunately, I didn’t do well academically for a variety of reasons. One reason was that I was diagnosed with ADHD-I but was only told about my autism. Other things I wasn’t told about included 3rd percentile processing speed I also didn’t know about until I saved enough money to get a reevaluation back in August (it was 0.1 when I was younger), and severe social anxiety I was unaware of and always felt my heart racing during presentations that were, and still are, poorly received. My parents didn’t let me access the documentation for myself until I did my Master’s from 2018-2020 at a well known regional college in the NC State System that is not even an R2 in Experimental Psychology (now called Psychological Science). At the time I did my Master’s, 80% of students who were interested in Ph.D programs got their foot in the door. I really wanted to do a Ph.D, but didn’t know about the stigma regional institutions carry at all and I should’ve been skeptical. Also, little did I know that those programs they got into were R2 institutions at regional colleges. I’m kicking myself for not picking one of the other Master’s institutions that admitted me (I got into 6/8 Master’s programs despite my awful undergrad GPA of 3.26 since my parents hired a career coach to help me with contacting institutions and writing my personal statement), especially since many of them were teaching colleges in more urban areas or were close to one. Nationally, my Master’s institution is well known for football and major wins it took against giants in football that are R1s and may be considered public ivies but nothing academic other than eco related studies apparently.

I’ll never forget when I was told that attending the undergrad I went to would’ve been “throwing away my academic future,” despite it being the most affordable university I could attend. The major R1 in my home state that accepted me didn’t give any merit based financial aid (and they’re infamous for not giving much. My buddy who got a 32 on his ACT and another who got a 35 both only got $3,000 per academic year. The one with the 32 went to a SLAC that covered all of his expenses and the one with the 35 went to a smaller R1 that also paid all of his expenses and gave him a stipend to live). My parents weren’t willing to pay for my tuition at all, just living expenses despite their income being outside the bracket that disqualified them, me, and my brothers from needs based financial aid.

After I graduated, I was constantly told how much of an uphill battle it would be to get accepted to Ph.D programs without a Master’s at least (note that it’s 50-50 as to whether those Master’s programs gave assistantships that waive tuition. Mine didn’t at all). My Master’s institution also indirectly admitted to me after the fact that, barring some exceptions, their students rarely get into the more competitive Ph.D programs.

Why is this the case? Why is it that regional institutions are frowned upon in academic circles? I also find it confusing since many of those regional institutions have professors who graduated from big R1s themselves for their Ph.D or even post doc. If they’re the ones training regional college students, why are the expected outcomes from their learning different compared to the bigger institutions? Especially since many of them can get more individualized attention due to those institutions smaller class sizes. This was the major reason I attended my regional college since I graduated from high school with a class of 8 people (including me) and it would’ve been too much of a culture shock to go to the R1 with 50k undergrad students from my perspective. SLACs, even though some of my graduating class who succeeded in college attended them (most flunked out), were out of the question since they were unaffordable even with scholarships.

I’ve heard reasons for regional colleges’ bad reputation all across the board from reasons such as their high acceptance rates, suboptimal graduation rates, or just not being known to most graduate schools in the country. Are all of those reasons true? Or, is there more to the story?

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Where are you getting this information? In my experience, this isn’t true. Who is telling you these things?

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Please focus on answering the title of this thread as the beginning of this posts was addressed in the OP’s other posts. Thank you.

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Other academics, unfortunately. I’m glad to know all of this isn’t true or is questionable but this is what I heard from the first therapist who diagnosed me (clinical psychology Ph.D from UM) and those in the lab where I was a research assistant in high school.

Edit and update: I just got a response from a full professor who is tenured at an R2 regional college and teaches math on another forum where I asked this same question. He said that, compared to his elite small liberal arts college and R1 where he did his Ph.D, he covers content at a slower pace at his R2 compared to his R1 because the standards of admission are lower. He even said that he thinks only 15-20% of seniors at his R2 could handle the content covered at his elite small liberal arts college. It’s not like a college could survive with a 15-20% graduation rate though, hence lower standards.

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Oh, @mondoz. I feel for you. There is a definitive theme throughout all your threads.

This isn’t really true. Professors all have PhDs and are mostly big nerds who are obsessed with the work in their field. This is true regardless of where they work. There is, in most fields, an oversupply of PhDs, so colleges of all different types have smart, dedicated people employed as teachers and researchers.

There are some academics who have only studied at elite schools and have a snobby elitist attitude. But that is not the majority of professors. If you attend national/international conferences in your field (which you may have done already), you’ll realize that wonderful research comes out of people from all different places. People at elite schools have more resources and time to do research. They are not “better” than you or anyone else at your R2 by definition.

As you continually perseverate on your circumstances, you keep coming back here to receive confirmation that you have somehow erred grievously by choosing your graduate program. You have not.

You are ruminating, and it is unhealthy. It is not good for you. I know you’re under the care of mental health professionals. We cannot help you here, and you should seek and follow the advice of your health care providers, and of professors and professional academic staff that you know in real life.

You can get past whatever you don’t like about your graduate school experience and go on to succeed in whatever is next for you. Baby steps: graduate and get a job. Publish if you can. If you can’t, let it go and never think about it again. Focus on your new job. When the time comes take the next steps.

I wish you all the best, and I believe in you! Onward and upward!

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Cold wombat is giving you fantastic advice.

Continuing to focus on decisions you made years ago isn’t healthy. Make sure to share these thoughts with your health care team as you all work towards your medical and therapeutic goals.

Sending you a big hug. There are people with fulfilling lives and satisfying careers all over the world who did not go to graduate school or even contemplate a doctorate. You can figure out a satisfying career as well!

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Following up much later than I thought I would but I appreciate the insight. You’re right about the theme in this case. It doesn’t help that when I asked this question on AcademicStackExchange that the most upvoted reply is calling regional college education a “middle school education.” In any case, I’m taking what you and the others here are saying seriously (especially since you mentioned your background being close to mine before).

You’re right that my ruminating isn’t helpful at all and I’m going to try and avoid that with the treatment I’m receiving right now. The good news is that the new medicine I now have that’s fully prescribed to me is working well (when I posted here, it was only just getting back in my system since I was off of it for a day and a half as I met with my psychiatrist to get a full prescription. The partial hospitalization program I was in did not offer full prescriptions for the medicine they prescribed).

Side note: I’m starting to feel like the emphasis I’m putting on the job search right now at the expense of doing other things like getting caught up on grading and some dissertation writing now that data collection is complete (albeit doing what I can and when I can focus since I’m finding myself getting cognitive burnout easily) is a mistake. My goal (even though I’m inconsistent on that front) is to apply to one job a day. The vendor partnered with vocational rehabilitation who I’m going through right now paired me with someone who has helped one other Ph.D in the past. The person who is also helping me get 10 job leads a week was also friends with someone who did their Ph.D and knows about things most don’t like not being able to work during a graduate program.

From the looks of things, I’m likely going to settle for a job where I’m a research assistant or something similar since that fits where I’m at functionally speaking at this point (e.g., impaired cognitive functioning).

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STOP!

You do NOT need the opinions and half-baked theories of a bunch of strangers on the internet. This is not helping you.

You have a medical team; you are under treatment; you are working with someone to evaluate and map out your professional options. There is no need to add the voices of a bunch of strangers to the inputs you are receiving.

Stop asking the questions and you will move towards a healthy balance between your concerns about moving forward professionally and the reality that you cannot change the past. You attended the institutions you attended; you faced the challenges that came your way; chewing this over won’t change the past. BUT it can trip up your recovery quite significantly-- and I think you have enough insight now to realize that these random internet queries trigger you into a cycle of self-doubt and despair.

So stop. Continue seeing your therapist- keep up the good work with your meds; get healthy and the rest will follow.

We’re all rooting for you! And pro-tip: try eliminating the word “settle” from your vocabulary. It has a pejorative association which you do not need, and frankly, isn’t relevant or helpful. I work with career changers all the time and you would be stunned to see how happy and successful some people are when they “settle”. Sometimes aligning your interests, stamina, need for balance in your life, and putting your health first isn’t “settling”-- it’s reaching for the stars and grabbing hold!

You aren’t settling. You are moving ahead with the help of professionals who can assist you in figuring out where you need to be right now.

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In fairness, that kinda describes us too, lol. But @mondoz I agree with the above. Focus on your accomplishments! Congratulations!

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With the exception of College Confidential, of course :smiley:

Edit: Ah, I see @jym626 beat me to it lol

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Yes, we are a bunch of strangers on the internet. But I don’t believe that any of us engage in the kind of “University A is filled with geniuses and University B is filled with low-lifes” that many of the other sites deal in.

And if the OP were to decide- with the medical team- that CC isn’t helping, I’d be the first to give a virtual hug goodbye and say “You go focus on your recovery”.

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There are two options available when you wish to change the past:

  1. invent a Time Machine, or
  2. accept it and move to take advantage of your current situation.

Many successful people attended regional universities. Your success is in your hands.

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One of my favorite quotes – you should keep it in mind:

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” -Eleanor Roosevelt

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Yes, and we generally don’t upvoted based on the edginess of our responses. Although I have definitely seen a few half-baked theories around here. I may even have been the origin of a few half-baked theories :wink:

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I’ll definitely frame my approach differently in this case.

I’d also reply to everyone just before this post if I could but I appreciate it.

I spoke to my therapist (DSW) yesterday about the latest updates related to my life and he kept reiterating that he thinks I’m in a good spot. Blossom was also right on a different thread that I was essentially finding reasons why I might not have belonged in a Ph.D program at all.

Maybe in some ways, I’m still coping with the reality that I’m becoming more realistic with how I pursue what I want to do for a career and that’s difficult. For example, my experience with my first Ph.D advisor who dropped me and sabotaged me as a thing where the university couldn’t protect me was something that radicalized me. It’s why I don’t want to pursue a tenure track position in academia or this small liberal arts college where I’m a visiting instructor at the moment. It makes no sense to be a radical who has grown to dislike the academic system to also keep participating in it beyond my Ph.D. Hopefully that’s not too out of left field.

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I repeat- millions of people who have satisfying careers and a happy life without a PhD.
And millions who HAVE a PhD who are not in academia, and STILL have managed to have a good career!

You will be in very good company regardless of which decisions you end up making.

Hugs. I know recovery seems endless but day by day, step by step, any time you are tempted to re-litigate the past remind yourself “I am moving forward”.

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I have a PhD and have never worked in academia beyond getting my PhD. I pivoted straight into a totally different career, one that has literally nothing to do with what I got my PhD in.

So, based on your what you seem to believe about college rankings, you might assume that I must have gotten a subpar education at some podunk regional university with a poor reputation and little respect among the academic elite. Nope, my PhD is from UC Berkeley in one of the tippy top graduate programs in the country.

Outcomes vary and generally have very little to do with the college name on your diploma. 90% depends on YOU.

And ultimately it’s about what works for YOU and what makes YOU happy in life. That may mean getting a PhD, it may not. That may mean pursuing a career in academia, or it may not. All those options are valid and what works for one person may not work for another, and that does not reflect anything good or bad about either person. Nor is it dependent on where they get their degree.

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I appreciate you sharing all of that. I definitely don’t want to pursue a career in academia after my experience visiting at a SLAC that’s for sure (especially since its not going well at all).

I’m not going to make a different post asking about this either, but I would like to hear from others who graduated from similar podunk universities I graduated from (and will soon graduate from with my Ph.D) and how they succeeded. At the expense of coming across as dismissive, I’m coming across others telling me it doesn’t matter where they graduate from when all I’ve seen here are graduates from Ivies or public Ivies where that name likely mattered in this case.

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I promise you that if you are interviewing for a job in market research as a statistician (just throwing this out there, I have no clue if you’d like the work) for a consumer products or industrial company, if you’ve got the technical skills they are looking for, the institution you graduated from is a tertiary concern (at best). If you apply for a job as a data analyst at a credit card company, and you have both the math piece and the programming skills they need, the rest is gravy.

The last statistician I hired- the hiring team initially wanted a doctorate. We ended up with a smart kid (seriously-- his first job out of undergrad) with a degree in applied math from a fine but not top tier public university. His problem-solving skills were amazing- he could see patterns and connections and relationships that other people missed because they were looking at regressions and he was asking questions about “who, what why, what do we know about…”.

Think about why some insurance companies make a lot of money selling motorcycle insurance and others do not. People who own motorcycles are generally bad risk bets since since it’s a pretty dangerous activity. But a really good analyst can figure out who the profitable motorcycle owners are in the population, and figure out how to identify them and then sell them insurance.

There are hundreds of jobs out there that you probably don’t know about… which require solid analytical and mathematical training.

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I see. The technical skills thing may be my saving grace in this case.

My brothers graduated from the same undergrad as me (Bowling Green). One’s in med school at a university 30 minutes away in a metro area from BGSU (double majored in biology and chemistry and got a 3.9 GPA) and my other brother had no issue getting an accountant job and he’s now a CPA who managed to keep his undergrad debt extremely low as well. He also got his accelerated Master’s in Accounting fully funded as well (which is apparently rare). They’re definitely examples that parallel what you’re talking about in this case since they had technical skills, especially accounting.

I’m not sure if this helps, but I have applied for Social Science Analyst jobs through the federal government (competitive and non-competitive positions for disabled folks). Duties in that case are primarily literature reviews and synthesizing information, which is definitely up my alley as far as skills go. I’m also going to be brutally honest too, I don’t have a lot of technical skills and just have a ton of soft skills (like my example in this paragraph). My first Ph.D advisor who dropped me as an advisee said graduate level education is all about those soft skills but I really don’t know anymore since it seems like the stable stuff goes to the folks with technical skills.