SMU

I've noticed a big increase in interest in state "flagship" universities over the past decade.

Every state has 1 or 2 top, public schools that aren't necessarily prestigious, but are often quite difficult to get into, and carry some weight in their state -- especially the ones that have big football teams.

George Mason, if it could rebrand as University of Virginia--Fairfax.

Anonymous wrote:New College of Florida

Sorry, no, they've been saying that for decades already.

VCU, hands down.

Furman

Talking with professors from midwestern flagships (think Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin) and they say the overall achievement level of entering students at their flagships have gone way up in the last 10 years. First rate in-state students turning down seats at the most highly sought-after east coast schools. Choosing to save their money for grad school or other things. Difficult for kids who could once count on being accepted to get in. Leave the snobbery of the mid-Atlantic/northeast corridor, and you can find a smart, high-achieving peer group. (Not claiming you can be scooped up by Wall Street firms. That's still the realm of the usual suspects.) Interesting to have the perspective of east coast educated profs... Anecdotal, take it for what it's work.

Anonymous wrote:So is the question which mediocre school will rich folks agree is a socially acceptable choice for their kids who can't get into any school with selective admissions?

I think Elon, GW, and NYU for not-so-smart kids with money who don't get in anywhere else, and the James Madison and the honors programs at University of Alabama and University of South Carolina for smart kids who don't get into the top tier, but don't have enough money for an SLAC .

Anonymous wrote:So is the question which mediocre school will rich folks agree is a socially acceptable choice for their kids who can't get into any school with selective admissions?

I get what you are saying but have to disagree. Now that the ivies are next to impossible to get into unless you've cured cancer or fostered world peace, it's time that people realize there are plenty of great colleges and universities out there full of really smart kids. Most of these kids would have gotten into HYP 20 years ago but cannot now so must populate the ranks of "lesser" schools thereby raising the caliber of students at said schools.

UC Santa Barbara

Thanks and, yes, UW makes sense to me. Both because I.m old enough to remember UT Austin becoming a nationally recognized university (after investing heavily in faculty recruitment, it seemed) and because the two people I know who were UW undergrads are smart, well-educated guys (in two very different fields).

Is UW improving (generally or in specific areas)? Or is its potential new hotness mostly a function of increasing OOS interest/awareness?

Anonymous wrote:So is the question which mediocre school will rich folks agree is a socially acceptable choice for their kids who can't get into any school with selective admissions?

I don't think so - I'm PP that suggested University of Washington.

It has always been a strong school IMO but due to the economic center of the country shifting west and strength of sectors which seattle is historically strong in all combine to make it 'hotter'.

For those though that are naming southern private schools - then yes, your comment is valid

I'm not sure which depresses me more -- the ROI calculations or the sense that colleges are just barracks for the reserve army of the unemployed and it's important to make sure your kid ends up in officers' quarters.

Anonymous wrote:So is the question which mediocre school will rich folks agree is a socially acceptable choice for their kids who can't get into any school with selective admissions?

That's how I interpreted it-mediocre school becomes more socially acceptable, attracts more money and better students, becomes more popular and more selective-and eventually everyone forgets that it was once only marginally acceptable.

So is the question which mediocre school will rich folks agree is a socially acceptable choice for their kids who can't get into any school with selective admissions?