News Ivy league or public university? [Archive]

DaKCMan AP

09-13-2010, 04:28 PM

DaKCMan AP

09-13-2010, 04:32 PM

Below are the Top 25 schools whose graduates were the top-rated by recruiters.

1. Pennsylvania State University
Penn State, with its main campus located in University Park, Pa., has undergraduates enrolled in more than 160 different majors. It has 20 undergraduate campuses, 10 of which offer University-owned housing. The school is 54% male and 46% female, representing 50 states and 131 countries. The average student/faculty ratio is 17:1.

2. Texas A&M University
This Texas school's main campus is in College Station, about 100 miles northwest of Houston and 100 miles northeast of Austin. The school has 10 individual colleges and boasts more than 800 student organizations ranging from athletics and recreation to professional and community service.

3. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, centrally located between Chicago, Indianapolis and St. Louis, has more than 150 majors and 1,000 student organizations. Students come from all 50 states and 118 countries. The school is 54% male and 46% female.

4. Purdue University
More than half of this Indiana university's students are from the state (62%) with 38% coming from elsewhere. Its West Lafayette campus offers more than 200 majors for undergraduates along with 18 intercollegiate sports teams and more than 850 student organizations.

5. Arizona State University
Arizona State University is situated less than 15 miles from Phoenix, with four campuses in the metro Phoenix area, including an Arizona State air field for aviation students. The university offers 250 majors to its undergraduates -- who are 71% in-state. There are 52% women compared to 48% men, and more than 30% of freshmen graduate in the top 10% of their high school class.

6. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
This Michigan school's campus is in Ann Arbor offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and several thousand undergraduate research opportunities. There are more than 150 first-year seminars, with no more than 15-18 students each. The university boasts the most living alumni in the world: more than 400,000.

7. Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology has nine schools and two outreach campuses -- one in Savannah and the other in Metz, France. The student body is 64% male. More than 60% of the university's students come from Georgia, with roughly 30% coming from out-of-state; another 10% are international students.

8. University of Maryland, College Park
This Maryland school's campus, stretching 1,250 acres, is about 10 miles from Washington D.C. It enrolls 67% in-state students; the student body is made up of 47% women. There are 13 colleges and schools within the university, which offers 127 undergraduate majors.

9. University of Florida
University of Florida, located in Gainesville, is home to 16 colleges and more than 150 research centers and institutes. Its freshman retention rate hits 94%, with almost all students attending from in-state (97%). There are 60% women in the student body. Alumni, topping 330,000, live in all 50 states and 135 countries.

10. Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon, located in Pittsburgh, Penn., sits on 143 acres in its urban campus. The university boasts a student/faculty ratio of 10:1. It consists of seven schools and colleges with just 17% of students coming from in-state. The school's motto "My heart is in the work," comes straight from Andrew Carnegie.

11-25
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704554104575435563989873060.html?mod=wsj_share_facebook#articleTabs%3Darticle

eazyb81

09-13-2010, 04:32 PM

The public schools mentioned are "top-rated" by recruiters because they don't come off as arrogant or greedy like Ivy Leaguers and comparable elite private school grads, but that certainly does not make them better candidates. The same job offer a Harvard grad might sneer at, a Penn State grad would get on his knees and beg for.

No one in their right mind would go to Penn State or Illinois over Harvard or Yale.

CaliforniaChief

09-13-2010, 04:34 PM

Have you seen the book "Debt Free U"? It verifies a lot of this...that it's better to go to a public school than to go to "elite" or private colleges.

I saw him on the Today show and his arguments were pretty compelling.

DeezNutz

09-13-2010, 04:35 PM

ASU is #5. I think that about wraps up the thread.

chiefzilla1501

09-13-2010, 04:35 PM

Makes sense. But it depends on your endgame.

If your plan is to go to graduate school and make big bucks, then you have a huge advantage going to an Ivy or Private school because that will get you into a good graduate school. If you don't plan to go to grad school, then a State school will get you a decent job and you'll have spent a lot less money, but your upside potential is very limited.

DaKCMan AP

09-13-2010, 04:57 PM

Makes sense. But it depends on your endgame.

If your plan is to go to graduate school and make big bucks, then you have a huge advantage going to an Ivy or Private school because that will get you into a good graduate school. If you don't plan to go to grad school, then a State school will get you a decent job and you'll have spent a lot less money, but your upside potential is very limited.

I've seen where going to a state school for undergrad and then going to an Ivy/private for grad school works well. I have several friends who went to Florida for undergrad and then Harvard/Berkeley/MIT/etc for graduate studies.

chiefzilla1501

09-13-2010, 05:12 PM

I've seen where going to a state school for undergrad and then going to an Ivy/private for grad school works well. I have several friends who went to Florida for undergrad and then Harvard/Berkeley/MIT/etc for graduate studies.

I have most definitely seen it.

But you better kick ass in school and kick ass in the professional world. An average student at an Ivy school will have probably about have the same shot as a good student at a state school when it comes to grad schools. If you're talking about med school or law school, you better be completely at the top of your game.

VAChief

09-13-2010, 05:13 PM

ASU is #5. I think that about wraps up the thread.

Hooters can be very discriminating in the quality of candidates they consider.

underEJ

09-13-2010, 05:38 PM

I have a question in regards to payoff from expensive degrees. Many people in my department have expensive degrees, and master's degrees in computer science. Many of us don't. I've heard several of the degree holders mention they deserve higher compensation and preference for promotion due to school expenditures and prestige. My feeling is that is relevant only for the entry level contract, but beyond that work performance is the only fair judge for measure of increases and advancement competition. My view holds true in my company, but I am curious if that is unusual.

Do most companies continue to reward degrees or especially prestigious degrees throughout career development? Are they right in their expectations?

DaKCMan AP

09-13-2010, 05:40 PM

I have a question in regards to payoff from expensive degrees. Many people in my department have expensive degrees, and master's degrees in computer science. Many of us don't. I've heard several of the degree holders mention they deserve higher compensation and preference for promotion due to school expenditures and prestige. My feeling is that is relevant only for the entry level contract, but beyond that work performance is the only fair judge for measure of increases and advancement competition. My view holds true in my company, but I am curious if that is unusual.

Do most companies continue to reward degrees or especially prestigious degrees throughout career development? Are they right in their expectations?

From what I've seen in my short professional life, career performance is definitely the driving factor but having advanced degrees allows faster career progression.

cdcox

09-13-2010, 07:20 PM

No one in their right mind would go to Penn State or Illinois over Harvard or Yale.

Depends on the field. Illinois is rated higher in most engineering fields than either Harvard or Yale, and is competitive with MIT. Penn State is competitive with Harvard.

In Business, Law, and Medicine, Harvard and Yale are great, but they aren't the end all in engineering.

A state school for UG is fine, even if you plan to go to graduate school. There is a big shortage of American-born PhD students in science and engineering. If you earn a 3.7, score well on your GREs, and get involved in research as an undergrad, you can get a full ride at one of the top graduate schools. Again, law, business and medicine are more competitive to get in the top programs, and you'll pay your own way.

I'm sure one of the keys to the WSJ ratings is that these programs all graduate large numbers of students that are looking to enter the workforce. They are driven by quantity as well as quality.

'Hamas' Jenkins

09-13-2010, 07:24 PM

Several of those are "public ivies" FWIW.

sportsman1

09-13-2010, 07:27 PM

Wreck 'em! Number 18. Beat out USC and Notre Dame! Lol

AndChiefs

09-13-2010, 07:36 PM

Wreck 'em! Number 18. Beat out USC and Notre Dame! Lol

#2. :)

sportsman1

09-13-2010, 07:38 PM

Oh noez is there really an aggie among us? An Aggie that is a Chiefs Fan is the only Aggie alright with me ;)

notorious

09-13-2010, 07:39 PM

Florida has a 60% female population.

Nice. :)

I wonder what the ratio is in Rolla, Mo. LMAO

BWillie

09-13-2010, 07:49 PM

Seems like alot of these are big ten schools. Iowa definitely has to be #26.....we got shorted!!!

eazyb81

09-13-2010, 07:56 PM

Depends on the field. Illinois is rated higher in most engineering fields than either Harvard or Yale, and is competitive with MIT. Penn State is competitive with Harvard.

In Business, Law, and Medicine, Harvard and Yale are great, but they aren't the end all in engineering.

A state school for UG is fine, even if you plan to go to graduate school. There is a big shortage of American-born PhD students in science and engineering. If you earn a 3.7, score well on your GREs, and get involved in research as an undergrad, you can get a full ride at one of the top graduate schools. Again, law, business and medicine are more competitive to get in the top programs, and you'll pay your own way.

I'm sure one of the keys to the WSJ ratings is that these programs all graduate large numbers of students that are looking to enter the workforce. They are driven by quantity as well as quality.

How many kids at the age of 17 know with 100% certainty that they want to be engineers? There's a very high drop percentage for engineering majors. I would hate to see my kid turn down Illinois for an elite Ivy because he though he wanted to be an engineer, then realize he hated the courses midway through his sophomore year.

Of course there are oddball scenarios where it may make sense to go to a much lower-ranked school, but in the huge majority of cases it will make more sense to go to the highest-ranked school possible due to the doors that will open.

eazyb81

09-13-2010, 07:59 PM

By the way, Carnegie Mellon and Michigan are fantastic schools, and I would rate them as Ivy-caliber.

I remember touring Carnegie Mellon's campus when I was looking at schools. I knew I would get an amazing education, but that place has to have the highest concentration of mega dorks I've ever experienced. I didn't see a single hot girl.

'Hamas' Jenkins

09-13-2010, 08:00 PM

By the way, Carnegie Mellon and Michigan are fantastic schools, and I would rate them as Ivy-caliber.

I remember touring Carnegie Mellon's campus when I was looking at schools. I knew I would get an amazing education, but that place has to have the highest concentration of mega dorks I've ever experienced. I didn't see a single hot girl.

You don't have to. That's why they have the designation, "Public Ivy".

cdcox

09-13-2010, 08:01 PM

How many kids at the age of 17 know with 100% certainty that they want to be engineers? There's a very high drop percentage for engineering majors. I would hate to see my kid turn down Illinois for an elite Ivy because he though he wanted to be an engineer, then realize he hated the courses midway through his sophomore year.

Of course there are oddball scenarios where it may make sense to go to a much lower-ranked school, but in the huge majority of cases it will make more sense to go to the highest-ranked school possible due to the doors that will open.

Depends on what you plan to study and do. If you plan to major in social work and go to work as a social worker, have fun eating raman for the next 30 years while you are paying off that ivy-league degree. There are only a few fields (business, law, and medicine) where the Ivy league degree will definitely pay off.

eazyb81

09-13-2010, 08:02 PM

You don't have to. That's why they have the designation, "Public Ivy".

Carnegie Mellon is private.

AndChiefs

09-13-2010, 08:03 PM

Oh noez is there really an aggie among us? An Aggie that is a Chiefs Fan is the only Aggie alright with me ;)

I thank you for your kindness. I suppose I can not hate you.

eazyb81

09-13-2010, 08:04 PM

Depends on what you plan to study and do. If you plan to major in social work and go to work as a social worker, have fun eating raman for the next 30 years while you are paying off that ivy-league degree. There are only a few fields (business, law, and medicine) where the Ivy league degree will definitely pay off.

Like I said, there are always a few oddball scenarios where it would behoove you to go to a cheaper and/or lower-ranked school. But the huge majority of people go to college to be successful and earn a high income (and often they go into business, law, or medicine), and the best route to do that is to earn a degree from an elite university that opens doors.

HonestChieffan

09-13-2010, 08:06 PM

The public schools mentioned are "top-rated" by recruiters because they don't come off as arrogant or greedy like Ivy Leaguers and comparable elite private school grads, but that certainly does not make them better candidates. The same job offer a Harvard grad might sneer at, a Penn State grad would get on his knees and beg for.

No one in their right mind would go to Penn State or Illinois over Harvard or Yale.

There is quite a price difference....

jAZ

09-13-2010, 09:05 PM

'Hamas' Jenkins

09-13-2010, 09:18 PM

Carnegie Mellon is private.

Penn State, Michigan, A&M, Georgia Tech, and many others.

That's why I said "several" and not "all".