Can you get a good education at a non-flagship state school?

Parents Forum
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<p>Hi CIA!
Absolutely, the answer is YES!<br>
Here in Washington, the “flagship” school is University of Washington. It is enormous (50,000 students). Expect to have to have a 3.5+ GPA to enter. Expect to be a small fish in an enormous pond. No red carpet for . . . anyone except athletes. Lots of departments, with some real strengths in things like political science and geology. </p>

<p>Our “land grant” college is Washington State University. Land grant colleges tend to be pragmatic – not as competitive as UW, but with real strengths in agriculture and engineering. </p>

<p>Our “other” public colleges are Western WA, Eastern WA and Central WA. Each has some strong specialties. If you were interested in primate behavior, one of the best places IN THE COUNTRY would be Central WA University because they have a primate colony and an excellent history of compassionate research (Jane Goodall stops in regularly). So, in this small, non Ivy school, there is a department that does something amazing and does it amazingly well. And the tuition and required entrance GPA are significantly lower than our “flagship” school. </p>

<p>My own younger S is headed to Western Washington University. It is 13,000 students (mid sized) and was originally a “teacher’s” college that has expanded into other fields. It has one of the finest outdoor sculpture collections in the US (weird specialty, but there it is). It is a beautiful, happy campus. </p>

<p>I think it is an excellent fit for a male student who is very bright but still a bit unfocused. (I think he could easily be lost at our flagship school). We have met many graduates from this school and have yet to meet one who was sour about their college years. </p>

<p>I don’t know the counterpart schools to the above list for Virginia – but I am sure they exist. </p>

<p>This is all a mini camp for the larger world. You will have the choice of going into huge corporations with a recognizable “name” – and fighting/navigating that world — or you will have the choice to swim in smaller ponds that have other things to offer (smaller, cozier community, less stress, personal satisfaction, . . .). There is no “right” path – anyone who tells you that you have to go to Georgetown, then to Harvard Law and then to Lobbyists R Us to be a worthwhile human being . . . is full of it. </p>

<p>Onward!</p>

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<p>Of course not, what a ridiculous idea!!</p>

<p>Lol, before I came to CC I never knew there were people who were so against state schools! I never knew there was anything wrong with them, and that’s because there is nothing wrong with them. You can save a TON of money by going to a state school, and that should really be a huge factor when considering what college you’re going to. You can spend just a few thousand a year at a state school or $30K a year at a private, Ivy, any other “top” school and you still come out with the same degree. A degree is just words on a piece of paper. What matters is what you do with the opportunities given to you and the experiences you’re able to get. It’s absolutely ridiculous that people would just assume that non-flagship state schools give you nothing in life.</p>

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<p>if you are in northern virginia, the question has to come up, is it worth enrolling for 4 years at VCU or Mary Washington, or attending Comm college for two years, and (assuming you can earn top grades in CC) transferring to UVA, VTech, or W&M. </p>

<p>Remember, saying that college X won’t provide as good an education, or that it will be harder to get a good education, or the opportunities for a good education are limited to a subset of the offerings, is not the same as saying you cannot get a good education at all.</p>

<p>I think its clear direction publics serve a purpose, often a valuable purpose. But whether they make sense for YOU is going to depend on the academic environment you need, among other things.</p>

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<p>Virginia’s Community Colleges have guaranteed transfer agreements with a multitude of educational institutions, public and private. Each 4-year school will have different requirements for a guaranteed transfer, but I think are well worth exploring. </p>

<p>[Transfer</a> List](<a href=“http://www.vccs.edu/Default.aspx?tabid=106]Transfer”>http://www.vccs.edu/Default.aspx?tabid=106)</p>

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<p>But as anywhere, do visit and make an effort to talk to faculty members in your major. A couple of weeks ago, my son and I visited a possible transfer school. The school has a low profile but I had an entirely open mind, hoping to find a diamond in the rough. After visiting with faculty members I got the distinct impression that it isn’t a very good school. So you do have to be cautious everywhere.</p>

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<p>“I bet if I mention CSU East Bay, ppl on CC will sneer at it. On a scale of 1 to 100, if Stanford is 100, this school is around 10.”</p>

<p>Hmm… I don’t sneer at CSU East Bay, but I don’t know if it’s a 10 on your scale either. Hope so though, because my son hss several CSU 's on his list.</p>

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<p>Take a look at GMU and JMU.</p>

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<p>In some cases, less-known non-flagship state schools were founded recently to meet demand in major population centers. These schools can sometimes offer excellent career connections with firms in the surrounding areas. Since you’re from VA, George Mason is the obvious example. Others that come to mind are UAH in AL, UTD in TX, Portland State in OR, UIC in IL, UCinc in OH, any of the CUNYs (esp. Baruch), and UCD in CO.</p>

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<p>sure, you have pointed out all the deficiencies of a major corp management style, however. on the flip side, do you mean all those ppl never got advanced are better educated and all the upper managements do not have good judgement to select their middle management? Do you imply that interlectuals don’t excel in the major corps? Only those ass kissers got their way?</p>

<p>I think the reality is far cry from that, sure, there are bad apples but majority of the middle americans are well educated and being rewarded as such.</p>

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<p>lol. I made the scale comparison just to illustrate the differences in prestige and stats of entering students. My scale level is not going to make any difference in reality and no one can say CSUEB is not a good school, afterall, with about 10,000 students, there bound to be some thing good.</p>

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<p>I see. </p>

<p>BTW, it’s over 10K, and for my son, that’s what makes it not so good.</p>

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<p>There are 38 CSU campuses and most of them are at 10K students, there are few real small ones, but they are specialized schools. CSU are created, because the governement recognize there is a need for “practicle training” Universities vs UC’s “research institute”. Differnet ppl has different stokes, there is no good or bad here. I found most ppl on CC are more of research oriented and want to know the chances form HPYMS and wilth an eye on advanced degrees. That is fine, but the “trade school” and “practicle training” type of dicussions are under represented, to say the least.</p>

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<p>Not to belabor the point, but this is what i refer to with regard to size.</p>

<p>[CSUMentor</a> - Explore Campuses - Comparative View](<a href=“Cal State Apply | CSU”>Cal State Apply | CSU)</p>

<p>My son is applying to Sonoma, Monterey Bay, and would DIE to get into SLO, but might settle for Cal Poly Pomona.</p>

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<p>Hay, in my D’s high school, many students got into SLO, maybe your son can as well. He should look at SJSU if he is a business major.</p>

<p>I have no idea the enrollment number of each college until I saw the web page you posted. LOL</p>