For undergraduate degree, aim for overall reputation or program ranking?
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Anonymous
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I think it really depends on the major. Some schools are strong all around and your kid will really be just fine if they switch from Engineerin to Business or Biology. Or from International Studies to History or English. I think where program matters more is for some of the more niche areas, like journalism or the arts or some of the health science specialties, even nursing. Some schools that may not be rated highly overall offer very strong program in some of these areas and I think would trump overall reputation.
If your kid chose program over the overall ranking and changed majors and was still happy at the school, would it even really matter? |
Anonymous
Not really. For undergrad, as long as the program is ~T50-60, your kid's success will come from what your kid puts into it. More important is the size of classes, access to faculty, access to the classes your kid actually needs and wants, internship opportunities/coop program (if engineering or major that typically offers coops at Non Drexel/RIT/NEU schools), access to undergrad research, what companies recruit on campus, etc. Undergrad engineering programs if ABET accredited are all very similar. |
Anonymous
Yup---these blanket statements make absolutely no sense. Except to those obsessed with the "Rankings". Fit is perhaps the most important factor IMO. As long as the college is good (Top 100), has the major your kid wants and a variety of majors should they switch direction. What your kid does when they are at the school matters much much more than the rankings. Finances are also key---unless you have $300K+ saved for college, your kid should try to exit college with minimal to no debt. |
Anonymous
Well, some slacs are better, namely Williams, Pomona, Amherst, Bowdoin, swarthmore, probably can go against T25. |
Anonymous
+100 to both posts above. The new DCUM format will obliterate the first post above but it's the one about how blanket statements re: "T10,T20" blah blah make no sense. Absolutely right; this insane focus on ranking (whether it's for programs, overall, whatever) is just that--insane. Of course I'm not saying, "Go to Podunk College that's been around for a hot minute and has no reputation at all." I'm saying all these "T" rankings tell you nothing at all about how any specific major program is run. Not ranked--run. The bold in the post above is right. I'm always amazed on this forum how very little is discussed about digging down even minimally into specific majors and departments. There are vast amounts of digital ink expended here on rankings rankings rankings and very little on how to find out the day-to-day nitty-gritty of how a college structures a specific major (and minors) of interest to the specific student. That's backward, to me. DD looked into what classes were required for her major of interest at the colleges she considered. The order of those classes and how flexible or inflexible the department was about allowing changes to the order. How hard it was to get into certain classes. How easy it was to do a minor and whether departments were flexible with each other re: minors versus majors. How large classes were, not just in junior and senior year but from the start. How well students got to know professors. How much "core curriculum" was required. Etc. But here, parents just post obsessively about ranking and getting into grad school four or more years down the line--not about the actual undergrad major program's structure. We were more interested in whether the major DD was going to spend four years doing was conducted in the way that worked best for her as a student. That's what I'd call academic fit, and alongside overall fit, it's what mattered to DD more than where some college fell on a list compiled by one or two organizations who do nothing of note other than...compile lists. Yes, not every kid knows what major he or she will end up doing. That's fine. Good colleges and universities will be ones where you can switch and the program will still be solid, and the college will support your change of majors without undue stress. But that's still not about ranking; it's about academic philosophy and departmental structures. But here, the only thing that matters apparently is T10, T20, Ivy.... |
Anonymous
+1 |
Anonymous
Top SLACs are basically top 20 |
Anonymous
They're larger, yes. Whether they're better depends on what you value in education. |
Anonymous
| overall reputation but I wouldn't necessarily worry about the prestige difference between w&m vs vanderbilt |
Anonymous
Could you elaborate on why you call out these three? |
Anonymous
I agree with this statement. What lack at slacs are graduate level courses. I dunno if they matters when it comes to graduate school application… |