Top private vs public universities: quality of college experience and future job prospects

[Anonymous]

We are considering between OOS public university and top10 private university.
One of the common advices I received is that public universities will make it difficult for students to get a personal attention and care.
I'm curious how much this is true compared to private universities.
Also, another advice I received is that the brand name of the private university will make a difference in the career.
I can see this in the case of HYPSM but other top10-20 private schools do really have a brand name recognition and advantages?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are considering between OOS public university and top10 private university.
One of the common advices I received is that public universities will make it difficult for students to get a personal attention and care.
I'm curious how much this is true compared to private universities.
Also, another advice I received is that the brand name of the private university will make a difference in the career.
I can see this in the case of HYPSM but other top10-20 private schools do really have a brand name recognition and advantages?

It really depends upon the individual university. Some privates really care about their students. Others, you are just a number. But by and large, privates tend to "care more" and offer more services.

[Anonymous]

Yes, you will be more of a number and have more bureaucracy at a public. Career difference, depends on the major and career goal, plus how good the alumni network is. All top 10 privates have prestige! HYPSM are great, but there are others.

[Anonymous]

Great point. Might want to look at schools with the brand name and the alumni network and connections to get kids into internships and a good entry jobs. Great disparity among top privates but usually pretty easy-the school pls with highest alumni giving rates used to be in 50’s % range but now in the 40’s. Such schools as Princeton Dartmouth Duke Notre Dame of course Harvard and Yale. For LACs, Williams, Holy Cross Bowdoin and Bucknell.

[Anonymous]

USC vs UCLA is a prime example in LA job market.

[Anonymous]

^Agree alumni network is the key metric.If a school has a proven record of getting its grads into good jobs their respective alums will donate and help future generations. In the East think Dartmouth and Princeton second Holy Cross( President of CNBC is HC grad) and can’t beat a Williams for its Wall Street pipeline.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, you will be more of a number and have more bureaucracy at a public. Career difference, depends on the major and career goal, plus how good the alumni network is. All top 10 privates have prestige! HYPSM are great, but there are others.

+1

[Anonymous]

Opinions on Michigan vs Northwestern? Something like poli sci/IR. Choose based on student preference, or is the larger Michigan alumni network a plus, as in, they're loyal and potentially useful to new grads?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:USC vs UCLA is a prime example in LA job market.

Would yo like to add some context? I live in the greater LA area and there is no difference in job market success between these schools. Both are excellent across the board. There are many other schools considered their equals in the area as well. Any typical C5, Oxy, UCSB, UCSD, LMU, Chapman, etc. grad will have lots of alumni in the area and do just fine.

[Anonymous]

Smaller privates as a rule have stronger alumni networks but look at those schools with a business or economics and or accounting focus. In Chicagoland, Northwestern stronger than UClicago(undergrad only yes Chicago Booth is top3 business school). Notre Dame is everywhere in the midwest and among top Catholic prep schools Holy Cross in Massachusetts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are considering between OOS public university and top10 private university.
One of the common advices I received is that public universities will make it difficult for students to get a personal attention and care.
I'm curious how much this is true compared to private universities.
Also, another advice I received is that the brand name of the private university will make a difference in the career.
I can see this in the case of HYPSM but other top10-20 private schools do really have a brand name recognition and advantages?

Would you like your student to get tucked in at night?

[Anonymous]

I can’t speak for every field. But as a tenured professor at a top private university who has taught at 2 top publics and 2 privates over my career I can 100% without a shadow of a doubt that the environment at an elite private is much more conducive to undergraduate teaching than at a top public. It is that simple.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can’t speak for every field. But as a tenured professor at a top private university who has taught at 2 top publics and 2 privates over my career I can 100% without a shadow of a doubt that the environment at an elite private is much more conducive to undergraduate teaching than at a top public. It is that simple.

So, Northwestern > Michigan?

[Anonymous]

Northwestern > Michigan? For undergraduate academics, generally, yes if similar price. Depends on program — e.g., not for aerospace engineering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Opinions on Michigan vs Northwestern? Something like poli sci/IR. Choose based on student preference, or is the larger Michigan alumni network a plus, as in, they're loyal and potentially useful to new grads?

I am a Michigan MBA. Northwestern MBAs and Michigan MBAs are pretty similar in vibe based on my work experience. I would expect the undergrads to be similar. However, the school campuses/settings are quite different. Also the likely first job placement patterns may differ due to hiring location.

Look at the local alumni clubs - size, activity if you want to compare DMV strength.

Michigan has a lot of ties to Asia. Also to the LA Metro. Has a good reputation in Silicon Valley, although I'm not sure of network size. Many Michigan grads stay in the Midwest, and a lot do head to the Chicago area due to the size and diversity of the job market.

I would not use the size of the alumni network as a decisionmaking criteria for an undergrad education. Except maybe in the case of intent to pursue NYC Finance jobs. Your kid would probably enjoy socializing with peers at either school. So all the other considerations should weigh heavier.

My kid is an in-state freshman at Michigan intending Poli Sci or Ford Public Policy. So far he has enjoyed his Poli Sci classes and Freshman Seminars. Michigan has strong departmental resources covering all regions of the world but does not have a Georgetown-like focus on IR. My husband got a grad degree from Georgetown so we are familiar. From looking at data, it seems like the dominant career plan for Michigan Poli Sci students is law school/practicing as a lawyer.