Was UM, UVA, and UW Madison considered more “prestigious” back in the day?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Back when I graduated high school( in the eighties), these were the schools people talked about. They weren’t Harvard, but I’d put them analogous to Notre Dame or Vanderbilt today. What happened? Is it all because they say “public” or “land-grant”, kind of how the ultra pretentious rip on Cornell.

I'm confused as to your point, OP. UVA has become especially difficult to get into. Are you trying to say it is "less" than it was "back in the day".? Today, it takes 4.52 weighted GPA, a 1510 and/or a 34 ACT to get in. That's the 75th percentile, which you need if applying unhooked from no. virginia.

And Michigan is far more difficult as well. Out of state, don’t count on 1500+ SATs and perfect GPAs to do it. It’s as much of a crapshoot as the T-10.

+1

For OOS applicants, it is a single digit admit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Wisconsin, meanwhile, has done everything wrong. They've remained focused on graduate programs instead of undergrad. They've had terrible political interference from state politicians that drove away both funding and talent. They're not particularly good at sports. And it's too cold, which is a no-no with this generation of students.

The GOP in Wisconsin gutted the University and University system under Scott Walker.

Gov. Evers has been turning it around significantly. Years of delayed construction has been underway for a couple of years now, with a new iSchool that is information technology and data science. The engineering remains strong as are the liberal arts. I am not sure how you say they aren't particularly good at sports with a couple of decades of basketball, football, women's volleyball, men's and women's hockey, cross country and crew excellence. Despite not competing in baseball and many of the "olypmic sports" that schools like Stanford and Berkeley dominate, they finish in the top 15 or so of the Directors Cup standings every year. They usually finish in the top 20 of basketball and football.

No, they are not Michigan, but who is?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t agree or disagree with you. But higher education is now big business, and some colleges and universities excel at spin and branding. It’s hard to discern quality.

I agree. I don’t know what makes Michigan “better” other than people saying it’s better than most publics.

We have many excellent schools in the US. The “best” school will depend upon the major.

The best will depend on what the student needs and wants and cost. USNWR does not factor any of that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVA is unique among publics for the combination of its founders, its architecture, its age, its quality education, including its professional schools, and its strong connections with Ivies.

UVA is absolutely superior to the other schools listed here. However, what is unique about the architecture? Other colleges have nice buildings too.

No, it isn't absolutely superior.

Why the hate? Is it personal?

PP claimed "UVA is absolutely superior to the other schools listed here". Other schools listed include Michigan, Wisconsin, and also Notre Dame, Vanderbilt. I said it UVA is not absolutely superior and you think that constitutes hate rather than fact? Then you try to start a false hate narrative.

[Anonymous]

At my expensive and high performing private school in the 1990s, Michigan, Madison and UVA were all well-regarded OOS flagships. These three and Berkeley were the only respectable public schools that carried the same oomph as the lower T25 private universities.

Don't recall much interest in UCLA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At my expensive and high performing private school in the 1990s, Michigan, Madison and UVA were all well-regarded OOS flagships. These three and Berkeley were the only respectable public schools that carried the same oomph as the lower T25 private universities.

Don't recall much interest in UCLA.

That doesn't seem right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVA is unique among publics for the combination of its founders, its architecture, its age, its quality education, including its professional schools, and its strong connections with Ivies.

UVA is absolutely superior to the other schools listed here. However, what is unique about the architecture? Other colleges have nice buildings too.

No, it isn't absolutely superior.

Why the hate? Is it personal?

PP claimed "UVA is absolutely superior to the other schools listed here". Other schools listed include Michigan, Wisconsin, and also Notre Dame, Vanderbilt. I said it UVA is not absolutely superior and you think that constitutes hate rather than fact? Then you try to start a false hate narrative.

Maybe you responded to a troll. Don’t you think the poster knew that saying “absolutely superior” would be a trigger? That’s not a level-headed comment.

[Anonymous]

I finished high school in the late 1980’s. UVA was considered a very good school back then. Michigan was probably a little lower. Wisconsin wasn’t even close to the other two.

Notre Dame was a tough admit unless you were a child of an Alumni. And those were the ones who really wanted to go there. Vandy was a good school but behind UVA, Michigan, Notre Dame.

Times are different now. Kids love the public schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVA is unique among publics for the combination of its founders, its architecture, its age, its quality education, including its professional schools, and its strong connections with Ivies.

UVA is absolutely superior to the other schools listed here. However, what is unique about the architecture? Other colleges have nice buildings too.

No, it isn't absolutely superior.

Why the hate? Is it personal?

PP claimed "UVA is absolutely superior to the other schools listed here". Other schools listed include Michigan, Wisconsin, and also Notre Dame, Vanderbilt. I said it UVA is not absolutely superior and you think that constitutes hate rather than fact? Then you try to start a false hate narrative.

Maybe you responded to a troll. Don’t you think the poster knew that saying “absolutely superior” would be a trigger? That’s not a level-headed comment.

Perhaps. Who knows?

[Anonymous]

“No, they are not Michigan, but who is?”

Truth!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“No, they are not Michigan, but who is?”

Truth!

Hopefully no one.

[Anonymous]

In the 1960s, Michigan and Wisconsin were prestigious. Not sure about UVA. Oddly we hear little about it in historic accounts of the campus activism of that time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the 1960s, Michigan and Wisconsin were prestigious. Not sure about UVA. Oddly we hear little about it in historic accounts of the campus activism of that time.

UVA was still all-male in the 1960s. They would have been quite different types of schools then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I finished high school in the late 1980’s. UVA was considered a very good school back then. Michigan was probably a little lower. Wisconsin wasn’t even close to the other two.

Notre Dame was a tough admit unless you were a child of an Alumni. And those were the ones who really wanted to go there. Vandy was a good school but behind UVA, Michigan, Notre Dame.

Times are different now. Kids love the public schools.

Michigan was only slightly lower than UVA at USNWR. That mistake was corrected a few years ago. In terms of overall academics, Michigan has always been ahead of UVA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I finished high school in the late 1980’s. UVA was considered a very good school back then. Michigan was probably a little lower. Wisconsin wasn’t even close to the other two.

Notre Dame was a tough admit unless you were a child of an Alumni. And those were the ones who really wanted to go there. Vandy was a good school but behind UVA, Michigan, Notre Dame.

Times are different now. Kids love the public schools.

Michigan was only slightly lower than UVA at USNWR. That mistake was corrected a few years ago. In terms of overall academics, Michigan has always been ahead of UVA.

Do Michigan baccalaureate graduates know more, reason and write better, accomplish more? I doubt it.