What prestigious colleges are easiest to get into?

[Anonymous]

Add Barnard to women's schools -- 22% acceptance rate is tough, but compared to neighboring Columbia it is much easier to get in.

Add Brandeis --For the quality education, acceptance rates are relatively high.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:USN&WR ranks the following National Universities followed by acceptance rates (Fall 2012):

#12 Johns Hopkins(17.7%); Northwestern(15%);
#23 UVA (29.6%);
#28* Michigan (26.6%);
#32 NYU (35%);
#37 PSU (54%);
#47 U Miami (FL) (39%);
#52 Tulane (23%);
#62 Clemson(58%)/ Syracuse(51%)/ UMCP(47%)/ PITT(56%);
#69 VA Tech(70%);
#75 UDel(56.6%);
#91 Auburn(77%)/Florida State(54%)

Correction: Northwestern (not Northeastern) at #12.

[Anonymous]

USN&WR ranks the following National Universities followed by acceptance rates (Fall 2012):

#12 Johns Hopkins(17.7%); Northwestern(15%);
#23 UVA (29.6%);
#28 Michigan (26.6%);
#32 NYU (35%);
#37 PSU (54%);
#47 U Miami (FL) (39%);
#52 Tulane (23%);
#62 Clemson(58%)/ Syracuse(51%)/ UMCP(47%)/ PITT(56%);
#69 VA Tech(70%);
#75 UDel(56.6%);
#91 Auburn(77%)/Florida State(54%)

Anyone have any ideas why Penn State jumped in the rankings this year? I not a fan or hater (S scandal aside) but PSU never seemed like at #37 school to me. Any thoughts/insights?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

USN&WR ranks the following National Universities followed by acceptance rates (Fall 2012):

#12 Johns Hopkins(17.7%); Northwestern(15%);
#23 UVA (29.6%);
#28 Michigan (26.6%);
#32 NYU (35%);
#37 PSU (54%);
#47 U Miami (FL) (39%);
#52 Tulane (23%);
#62 Clemson(58%)/ Syracuse(51%)/ UMCP(47%)/ PITT(56%);
#69 VA Tech(70%);
#75 UDel(56.6%);
#91 Auburn(77%)/Florida State(54%)

Anyone have any ideas why Penn State jumped in the rankings this year? I not a fan or hater (S scandal aside) but PSU never seemed like at #37 school to me. Any thoughts/insights?

applied science/engineering powerhouse and recruiting darling for 'middle class/upper middle class' companies. i.e. big 4 accounting, cpg companies, etc. WSJ ran a bunch of articles from a couple of years ago with recruiters loving psu.

I think PSU could break in the top 30 if it was 60-75% the size and say in mainline philly suburbs.

the location really sucks (its just terrible..rural but not picturesque) and it's really overcrowded...QoL blows.

on that USNWR michigan is way underrated.

[Anonymous]

I learned right here on DCUM just how popular Michigan is among MD high schoolers. It hasn't been as popular in VA, as far as I'm aware. But it's on DS's list now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I learned right here on DCUM just how popular Michigan is among MD high schoolers. It hasn't been as popular in VA, as far as I'm aware. But it's on DS's list now.

+1 Something like 45 kids from my DC's Moco high school are applying there this Fall, and prior-year naviance statistics show they typically admit a good percentage of the kids who apply.

[Anonymous]

Not saying they're equal, but Michigan seems like a great alternative to UMD or Va Tech or Penn State for those looking for something else. Anyone have current or recent Michigan experience who could offer any insight?

[Anonymous]

I went to Penn State and have to say that it is a solid state university, but just not an elite institution. There is huge disconnect between its USNW ranking and its selectivity. Based on the statistics in Bethesda Magazine, almost 100% of the applicants from suburban MD high schools were accepted. It is somewhat astonishing that it would be ranked just five spots behind NYU and 15 spots ahead of Tulane, which has average SATs 200-300 points higher than Penn State. What's more, even while the 54% admission rate really sticks out among its cohort, just about anyone can go to University Park after sophmore year if he or she goes to essentially a community college first, which dilutes further the quality of the students. At bottom, it seems that USNW may be measuring some parameters well -- e.g., graduation rates, placement -- but it does not seem to measure in a reliable way the sort of "prestige" that folks generally discuss here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not saying they're equal, but Michigan seems like a great alternative to UMD or Va Tech or Penn State for those looking for something else. Anyone have current or recent Michigan experience who could offer any insight?

I went to one of those schools and i don't think Michigan is an 'alternative'...it's a class above.

The issue of course is - is it worth paying OOS tuition for michigan over instate at UMD, VTech (or if your from PA, PSU)?

That's a very subjective/case-by-case thing dependent on your finances and your desires.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not saying they're equal, but Michigan seems like a great alternative to UMD or Va Tech or Penn State for those looking for something else. Anyone have current or recent Michigan experience who could offer any insight?

I went to one of those schools and i don't think Michigan is an 'alternative'...it's a class above.

The issue of course is - is it worth paying OOS tuition for michigan over instate at UMD, VTech (or if your from PA, PSU)?

That's a very subjective/case-by-case thing dependent on your finances and your desires.

University of Wisconsin-Madison also is a well regarded state school on the East Coast and has far cheaper OOS tuition. I'm not saying it has the stature of Michigan but the school has a similar feel and student body and seems like a relative bargain compared to Michigan and other popular state schools in these parts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not saying they're equal, but Michigan seems like a great alternative to UMD or Va Tech or Penn State for those looking for something else. Anyone have current or recent Michigan experience who could offer any insight?

I went to one of those schools and i don't think Michigan is an 'alternative'...it's a class above.

The issue of course is - is it worth paying OOS tuition for michigan over instate at UMD, VTech (or if your from PA, PSU)?

That's a very subjective/case-by-case thing dependent on your finances and your desires.

As odd as it may sound, DD probably has a better chance of getting into Michigan than Va Tech. So, for us, is Michigan worth $40,000++ vs paying $35,000 for PSU or peanuts for JMU or GMU or any other college in VA? The answer is yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to Penn State and have to say that it is a solid state university, but just not an elite institution. There is huge disconnect between its USNW ranking and its selectivity. Based on the statistics in Bethesda Magazine, almost 100% of the applicants from suburban MD high schools were accepted. It is somewhat astonishing that it would be ranked just five spots behind NYU and 15 spots ahead of Tulane, which has average SATs 200-300 points higher than Penn State. What's more, even while the 54% admission rate really sticks out among its cohort, just about anyone can go to University Park after sophmore year if he or she goes to essentially a community college first, which dilutes further the quality of the students. At bottom, it seems that USNW may be measuring some parameters well -- e.g., graduation rates, placement -- but it does not seem to measure in a reliable way the sort of "prestige" that folks generally discuss here.

We discovered a few years ago that Penn State really has a soft spot for B/B+ students from this area--it's one of the few schools where being OOS really works to your advantage. But none of have my kids have been inclined to attend PSU.

[Anonymous]

Brown. They'll let anyone in. No joke.

[Anonymous]

If the ultimate question is what is the highest-ranked university that is easiest to get into, it looks like we may have our answer -- PSU. If one is truly seeking out prestige, in more of a social currency sense or exclusivity sense, i.e., probably not so much. PSU's SATs and acceptance rates look more likely Indiana, Michigan State, or Iowa than Michigan, UVA, or UNC, let alone the sort of borderline prestigious private schools (e.g., BU, GW, Miami, and Tulane).

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I don't get the Penn State rank, at all. It's a good state school (in an awful location, IMO) with lots of proud and supportive alums. But #37? I don't see it.