Does anyone else notice that more families are encouraging their kids to apply to state schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So are the public universities stepping up their game? I went to a Top-10 private university, but also took some extra classes at a top-10 public near my home. It was like night and day; the private school's classes were so much more rigorous, while the public university didn't seem that much different than my public high school -- but hey, at least I got to be the smartest one in class again! Example: intro physics at my private was calculus-based while the intro physics at the public was not. Also, the tests were so different. The public uni had easy multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank where we just had to parrot back the info from the book or lecture, while at the private uni the tests were mostly short answer/essay or really difficult MC involving actual calculations &/or critical thinking.

I really would love my kids to be able to take advantage of the state universities, but I know that if I had chosen our state's public, I wouldn't have developed the critical thinking skills that I did, and I definitely became more worldly meeting so many different types of people. So now that more and more of the top-scoring students are choosing public for college, are those universities able to challenge these students?

Just wondering - what curriculum you were in? I went to a public university (not top 10), but the 2 semesters of physics that I had were calc based.

What school did u go to? Umd is rated higher than every ivy in physics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to an ivy league school and so did my spouse and so did our parents. But I am already encouraging my kids (both in private school) to apply to the VA state schools. I would be happy to see them to go to a top private college if they can get in (Which is now a complete crapshoot), but I would prefer to see them to go UVA or Tech or W & M over any of the second tier private colleges. I agree with the NYT article: just not worth it. Minimal "prestige" boost more than cancelled out by insane pricetag, and I believe the quality of the education at a good state school is every bit as good. If your kid goes to Harvard you are buying a network and a credential. If your kid goes to BU instead of UVa you are just getting ripped off.

This is so true. The problem is the kids don't believe it. They buy into all the marketing. No way we are letting them accumulat massive debt so early in life. This college spending bubble is going to burst in the not too distant future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to an ivy league school and so did my spouse and so did our parents. But I am already encouraging my kids (both in private school) to apply to the VA state schools. I would be happy to see them to go to a top private college if they can get in (Which is now a complete crapshoot), but I would prefer to see them to go UVA or Tech or W & M over any of the second tier private colleges. I agree with the NYT article: just not worth it. Minimal "prestige" boost more than cancelled out by insane pricetag, and I believe the quality of the education at a good state school is every bit as good. If your kid goes to Harvard you are buying a network and a credential. If your kid goes to BU instead of UVa you are just getting ripped off.

that's a fair assesment. I also think that having UVA in as your instate option is more conducive to that decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to an ivy league school and so did my spouse and so did our parents. But I am already encouraging my kids (both in private school) to apply to the VA state schools. I would be happy to see them to go to a top private college if they can get in (Which is now a complete crapshoot), but I would prefer to see them to go UVA or Tech or W & M over any of the second tier private colleges. I agree with the NYT article: just not worth it. Minimal "prestige" boost more than cancelled out by insane pricetag, and I believe the quality of the education at a good state school is every bit as good. If your kid goes to Harvard you are buying a network and a credential. If your kid goes to BU instead of UVa you are just getting ripped off.

This is so true. The problem is the kids don't believe it. They buy into all the marketing. No way we are letting them accumulat massive debt so early in life. This college spending bubble is going to burst in the not too distant future.

I'm not sure if kids believe the marketing as much as just fit.

For instance, UVA is a great school....and I really don't like UVA for its atmosphere culture, but i agree it is a superb school. Especially with instate tuition I feel UVA is a better option than places like Emory, Vandy and all the hot southern privates that have seen their popularity soar in the last 10 years.

However UVA is also huge in terms of population. There is definitely something to be said about going to a school with 14k UG's vs. 6k UG's (or less).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to an ivy league school and so did my spouse and so did our parents. But I am already encouraging my kids (both in private school) to apply to the VA state schools. I would be happy to see them to go to a top private college if they can get in (Which is now a complete crapshoot), but I would prefer to see them to go UVA or Tech or W & M over any of the second tier private colleges. I agree with the NYT article: just not worth it. Minimal "prestige" boost more than cancelled out by insane pricetag, and I believe the quality of the education at a good state school is every bit as good. If your kid goes to Harvard you are buying a network and a credential. If your kid goes to BU instead of UVa you are just getting ripped off.

This is so true. The problem is the kids don't believe it. They buy into all the marketing. No way we are letting them accumulat massive debt so early in life. This college spending bubble is going to burst in the not too distant future.

I'm not sure if kids believe the marketing as much as just fit.

For instance, UVA is a great school....and I really don't like UVA for its atmosphere culture, but i agree it is a superb school. Especially with instate tuition I feel UVA is a better option than places like Emory, Vandy and all the hot southern privates that have seen their popularity soar in the last 10 years.


However UVA is also huge in terms of population. There is definitely something to be said about going to a school with 14k UG's vs. 6k UG's (or less).

No, it's marketing. "Fit" is just a self-fulfilling result of niche marketing. 14k undergrads is by no means "huge" these days. UVA isn't even in the top five largest schools in VA.

[Anonymous]

For example, Va Tech teaches calculus in a warehouse with a TA. No instructor and you learn math on a computer. Some do very well in these very large classrooms, others don't. Private colleges offer more interaction with your professors and hands on learning. You have to know the environment where u can thrive. Many kids graduate from VA schools with very broad degrees that do not help them in the long run--- it is about fit. Many kids graduate with no jobs be ause they weren't in the right environment to start with ---

BTW -- no one in Loudoun county gets financial aid -- but you can get merit aid to balance out a state vs private tuition cost--

[Anonymous]

I don't think Ivy or non Ivy has anything to do with whether you're willing to do menial tasks or not. We have people coming into our company from unknown schools with no intention of making copies or doing anything like that. Other people from a range of schools are fine with whatever you give them. I've never met an Ivy grad who doesn't work hard though. Do they want to make copies and wait it out for the rest of their lives? No. But they are usually willing to go the extra mile and work that extra couple of hours doing several menial tasks to get the job done. I know companies that don't even trust employees of 20 years to suggest a change, so I'm not sure it's always the Ivy's fault that they come across as requesting change before they've paid their dues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to an ivy league school and so did my spouse and so did our parents. But I am already encouraging my kids (both in private school) to apply to the VA state schools. I would be happy to see them to go to a top private college if they can get in (Which is now a complete crapshoot), but I would prefer to see them to go UVA or Tech or W & M over any of the second tier private colleges. I agree with the NYT article: just not worth it. Minimal "prestige" boost more than cancelled out by insane pricetag, and I believe the quality of the education at a good state school is every bit as good. If your kid goes to Harvard you are buying a network and a credential. If your kid goes to BU instead of UVa you are just getting ripped off.

This is so true. The problem is the kids don't believe it. They buy into all the marketing. No way we are letting them accumulat massive debt so early in life. This college spending bubble is going to burst in the not too distant future.

I'm not sure if kids believe the marketing as much as just fit.

For instance, UVA is a great school....and I really don't like UVA for its atmosphere culture, but i agree it is a superb school. Especially with instate tuition I feel UVA is a better option than places like Emory, Vandy and all the hot southern privates that have seen their popularity soar in the last 10 years.


However UVA is also huge in terms of population. There is definitely something to be said about going to a school with 14k UG's vs. 6k UG's (or less).

No, it's marketing. "Fit" is just a self-fulfilling result of niche marketing. 14k undergrads is by no means "huge" these days. UVA isn't even in the top five largest schools in VA.

I guess "huge" depends on what your definition of huge is. To me 14k is huge.

[Anonymous]

As college size goes, UVA is "medium". That's a fact.

[Anonymous]

One thing that seems to be missing from this conversation is the concept of merit aid. Many of the "second tier" (by that I mean in the, say, 40-100 range of the USNWR liberal arts college rankings, if you care about those) colleges give merit aid to attract students, reducing the sticker price to a level that can be competitive with in-state tuition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One thing that seems to be missing from this conversation is the concept of merit aid. Many of the "second tier" (by that I mean in the, say, 40-100 range of the USNWR liberal arts college rankings, if you care about those) colleges give merit aid to attract students, reducing the sticker price to a level that can be competitive with in-state tuition.

Good point. I think the colleges offering merit aid might even extend almost to the USNWR top ten. The ivies (some of which are I the second USNWR) by agreement don't offer merit aid, except for a few hidden pockets here and there.

[Anonymous]

Both children applied and were accepted to UVA and both children are going out of state for college. They were offered enough merit scholarships at other schools to bring the cost down to in-state costs or making it free. Also they did not want to go to a school where all their friends were going (an extension of high school).

If your child has the stats to get into UVA -- look elsewhere -- your child could possibly get a full ride (merit scholarships) elsewhere (Example: UMD - Bannker & Key scholarships). Rankings -- UVA doesn't rank so high on the World Rankings.


Academic Ranking of World Universities - 2012| Top 500 universities | Shanghai Ranking - 2012 | World University Ranking - 2012

World rankings - North America - Times Higher Education

[Anonymous]

Oops the links didn'twork:

http://www.shanghairanking.com/ARWU2012.html

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2012-13/world-ranking/region/north-america

[Anonymous]

That's why Umd alumni/grads invented-created
Google
Underarmour
Sirius satellite
The muppets
Created Seinfeld
The wire
Pulse Dopplar radar
The large screen stadium television
The universal price code
Miniaturized insulin pumps
Coronary stents
The automatic parachute
Retractable landing gear
The octane system
Frequent flyer systems
The boondocks
Diary of a wimpy kid
Broke watergate
Syndicated baywatch
Nautica
The hybrid engine
Linear programming

Have the most Nobel / Pulitzer /academy award alumni in the ACC
Have the most Nobel/Pulitzer faculty in the ACC
Have the most national championships in the ACC


While UVA grads have invented / created ..... A real estate title search.