Why a Large Flagship/Public?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“ Sure they’re cheaper but the idea of a school where 75% of students come from a single state seems entirely unappealing.”

Especially if that state is one of the tiny ones in the northeastern part of this country.

Not sure that matters

Of course it matters. Texas and California are both huge states with large populations. There is a much larger diversity of students at their state flagships than someone attending the University of Rhode Island.

I attended URI and never ran into high school friends. 15,000 students at URI, 800 at my high school, maybe 5% got into the school and attended.

PP here: and 800 was entire HS, 200 in my class in which 10 were admitted and accepted

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure they’re cheaper but the idea of a school where 75% of students come from a single state seems entirely unappealing.

+1
College is about discovering new areas of interest, geographic cultures and people. Not living a 13th year of high school.

This^. There is more to higher education than a paper degree.

I always feel sort of sad for the kids who go to in-state U, often (but not always) joining the same sorority or fraternity as all the older friends from their high school, and they keep the same exact clique of high school friends all through college! You can follow it on Facebook. Literally 5 to 12 friends who remain basically joined at the hip from like 9th grade through college and often after college in Washington, NYC, etc. Maybe sad isn't the right word, I understand the appeal I guess, but it's not the ideal college experience, in my opinion. That said, I think with iPhones and social media, it must be increasingly common to make fewer new friends at college, especially if you remain in-state.

I don't know of a single kid in the DMV who did what you just described. None.

Come on. Be honest. So many tend to extend their high school set up into college. I observe it often.

Please explain how you "observe this often?" Do you stalk local high school students and their social media postings? How old are you?

You don't have any 40- and 50-something friends with young adult children? Your kids don't have any friends? Friends and friends' kids and our own kids' friends grow up and share photos over the year on Facebook. You can see that those same friends they were in pictures with in 9th and 10th grade, are the same kids in photos with them on 12th grade beech week and high school graduation photos, are the same kids in college Greek event and spring break photos, are the same kids in Nashville or Manhattan together or taking some ski trip out to Vail together. It's easy to spot.

[Anonymous]

You all are riding on rails with your comments.

I posted previously. If one attended a small, private high school, then going to Cal, Michigan, Texas, Wisconsin or a few others, provides the top tier academic opportunities with the rah-rah college experience that frankly, you aren't going to get at any of the SLACS or IVYs.

It is all about perspectives, and for some kids, a state flagship is not 13th grade with a bunch of high school friends, but rather a completely different social experience with the best of research and academic opportunities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see any appeal or advantage to attending a large public university as an undergrad. The competition is fierce in the intro courses, you don't get direct interaction with professors, you could easily disappear for a few days or a week and nobody would notice, you could flunk out and nobody would care, etc....

Other than fun football games in the fall semester, what's the appeal?

The truth is they don't know any better. They and their kids are most likely public school lifers. Who was it Donald Rumsfeld with the unknown unknowns? Private education is so unknown to them, they have zero comprehension of what a private education is like, so they simply don't care or even realize what they are missing. And they are sheep who follow crowds and place extremely high value on party culture, D1 university athletics, apparel, and going to big university where likely everyone from their neighbors to their waitress at Olive Garden to their grandma in Ohio has heard of.

Hahaha - so tone deaf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“ Sure they’re cheaper but the idea of a school where 75% of students come from a single state seems entirely unappealing.”

Especially if that state is one of the tiny ones in the northeastern part of this country.

Not sure that matters

Of course it matters. Texas and California are both huge states with large populations. There is a much larger diversity of students at their state flagships than someone attending the University of Rhode Island.

I attended URI and never ran into high school friends. 15,000 students at URI, 800 at my high school, maybe 5% got into the school and attended.

PP here: and 800 was entire HS, 200 in my class in which 10 were admitted and accepted

That’s because you can drive 25 miles or less and be in a different state. That’s the point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see any appeal or advantage to attending a large public university as an undergrad. The competition is fierce in the intro courses, you don't get direct interaction with professors, you could easily disappear for a few days or a week and nobody would notice, you could flunk out and nobody would care, etc....

Other than fun football games in the fall semester, what's the appeal?

The truth is they don't know any better. They and their kids are most likely public school lifers. Who was it Donald Rumsfeld with the unknown unknowns? Private education is so unknown to them, they have zero comprehension of what a private education is like, so they simply don't care or even realize what they are missing. And they are sheep who follow crowds and place extremely high value on party culture, D1 university athletics, apparel, and going to big university where likely everyone from their neighbors to their waitress at Olive Garden to their grandma in Ohio has heard of.

What does this even mean?

I either know you or your one generation removed of what you revile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“ Sure they’re cheaper but the idea of a school where 75% of students come from a single state seems entirely unappealing.”

Especially if that state is one of the tiny ones in the northeastern part of this country.

Not sure that matters

Of course it matters. Texas and California are both huge states with large populations. There is a much larger diversity of students at their state flagships than someone attending the University of Rhode Island.

I attended URI and never ran into high school friends. 15,000 students at URI, 800 at my high school, maybe 5% got into the school and attended.

PP here: and 800 was entire HS, 200 in my class in which 10 were admitted and accepted

That’s because you can drive 25 miles or less and be in a different state. That’s the point.

This is nonsense. I am so happy I live in Mass now, as I don’t miss the “pointedness” of DC, or lack thereof

[Anonymous]

Middle class kids do not have a choice OP. That is all yhey can afford

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“ Sure they’re cheaper but the idea of a school where 75% of students come from a single state seems entirely unappealing.”

Especially if that state is one of the tiny ones in the northeastern part of this country.

Not sure that matters

Of course it matters. Texas and California are both huge states with large populations. There is a much larger diversity of students at their state flagships than someone attending the University of Rhode Island.

I attended URI and never ran into high school friends. 15,000 students at URI, 800 at my high school, maybe 5% got into the school and attended.

PP here: and 800 was entire HS, 200 in my class in which 10 were admitted and accepted

That’s because you can drive 25 miles or less and be in a different state. That’s the point.

This is nonsense. I am so happy I live in Mass now, as I don’t miss the “pointedness” of DC, or lack thereof

My comment was in response to the poster who stated that a school which had 75% of its students from one state was unappealing. The URI is 56% instate, which is unusually high for an average public university. California is huge. 85% of UCLA is instate. There is much, much more diversity at UCLA than there is at URI or any state school in the northeast.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure they’re cheaper but the idea of a school where 75% of students come from a single state seems entirely unappealing.

+1
College is about discovering new areas of interest, geographic cultures and people. Not living a 13th year of high school.

This^. There is more to higher education than a paper degree.

I always feel sort of sad for the kids who go to in-state U, often (but not always) joining the same sorority or fraternity as all the older friends from their high school, and they keep the same exact clique of high school friends all through college! You can follow it on Facebook. Literally 5 to 12 friends who remain basically joined at the hip from like 9th grade through college and often after college in Washington, NYC, etc. Maybe sad isn't the right word, I understand the appeal I guess, but it's not the ideal college experience, in my opinion. That said, I think with iPhones and social media, it must be increasingly common to make fewer new friends at college, especially if you remain in-state.

I don't know of a single kid in the DMV who did what you just described. None.

Come on. Be honest. So many tend to extend their high school set up into college. I observe it often.

Please explain how you "observe this often?" Do you stalk local high school students and their social media postings? How old are you?

You don't have any 40- and 50-something friends with young adult children? Your kids don't have any friends? Friends and friends' kids and our own kids' friends grow up and share photos over the year on Facebook. You can see that those same friends they were in pictures with in 9th and 10th grade, are the same kids in photos with them on 12th grade beech week and high school graduation photos, are the same kids in college Greek event and spring break photos, are the same kids in Nashville or Manhattan together or taking some ski trip out to Vail together. It's easy to spot.

Thanks for clarifying that, yes, you do in fact stalk your friend's kids on Facebook well enough to be able to draw conclusions on their social lives. That's not weird at all. Really.

[Anonymous]

I loved my large public university experience! The opportunity to meet so many different people from across the country and the world. Freedom. Independence. The ability to sample any class imaginable. The opportunities and clubs. There were kids from my high school that I never saw once in college. I could find myself without people knowing what I was like in high school. I loved the social scene and academics. The campus was beautiful. So much to explore. The price was excellent and my family was 2 hours away. I would not change anything. Now I’m happily married with 2 great kids and an excellent job in another part of the country. I don’t think I missed anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“ Sure they’re cheaper but the idea of a school where 75% of students come from a single state seems entirely unappealing.”

Especially if that state is one of the tiny ones in the northeastern part of this country.

Not sure that matters

Of course it matters. Texas and California are both huge states with large populations. There is a much larger diversity of students at their state flagships than someone attending the University of Rhode Island.

I attended URI and never ran into high school friends. 15,000 students at URI, 800 at my high school, maybe 5% got into the school and attended.

PP here: and 800 was entire HS, 200 in my class in which 10 were admitted and accepted

That’s because you can drive 25 miles or less and be in a different state. That’s the point.

This is nonsense. I am so happy I live in Mass now, as I don’t miss the “pointedness” of DC, or lack thereof

My comment was in response to the poster who stated that a school which had 75% of its students from one state was unappealing. The URI is 56% instate, which is unusually high for an average public university. California is huge. 85% of UCLA is instate. There is much, much more diversity at UCLA than there is at URI or any state school in the northeast.

Diversity of what, high school friends? Fact is - and back on topic - that state schools aren’t necessarily extensions of high schools. For some it’s a blue proposition (just because it’s further away and costs more doesn’t make it the best choice), for others it’s about flexibility, for others it’s about options after undergrad, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure they’re cheaper but the idea of a school where 75% of students come from a single state seems entirely unappealing.

+1
College is about discovering new areas of interest, geographic cultures and people. Not living a 13th year of high school.

This^. There is more to higher education than a paper degree.

I always feel sort of sad for the kids who go to in-state U, often (but not always) joining the same sorority or fraternity as all the older friends from their high school, and they keep the same exact clique of high school friends all through college! You can follow it on Facebook. Literally 5 to 12 friends who remain basically joined at the hip from like 9th grade through college and often after college in Washington, NYC, etc. Maybe sad isn't the right word, I understand the appeal I guess, but it's not the ideal college experience, in my opinion. That said, I think with iPhones and social media, it must be increasingly common to make fewer new friends at college, especially if you remain in-state.

I don't know of a single kid in the DMV who did what you just described. None.

Come on. Be honest. So many tend to extend their high school set up into college. I observe it often.

Please explain how you "observe this often?" Do you stalk local high school students and their social media postings? How old are you?

You don't have any 40- and 50-something friends with young adult children? Your kids don't have any friends? Friends and friends' kids and our own kids' friends grow up and share photos over the year on Facebook. You can see that those same friends they were in pictures with in 9th and 10th grade, are the same kids in photos with them on 12th grade beech week and high school graduation photos, are the same kids in college Greek event and spring break photos, are the same kids in Nashville or Manhattan together or taking some ski trip out to Vail together. It's easy to spot.

This
Yes, it is so easy to spot. I do observe it often. And I don't think it is a bad thing but like another poster said prior, the college experience should be different than the high school one. Ideally, that is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I loved my large public university experience! The opportunity to meet so many different people from across the country and the world. Freedom. Independence. The ability to sample any class imaginable. The opportunities and clubs. There were kids from my high school that I never saw once in college. I could find myself without people knowing what I was like in high school. I loved the social scene and academics. The campus was beautiful. So much to explore. The price was excellent and my family was 2 hours away. I would not change anything. Now I’m happily married with 2 great kids and an excellent job in another part of the country. I don’t think I missed anything.

+1 the shallowness and tunnel vision of most on this site is tiring

[Anonymous]

If you don’t know why then you made the right choice for you. For those of us who went to a large state school know why we went and had a great time.