For engineering, many big state universities have a stronger reputation than they have overall. But that is the reverse for some private universities (e.g. much of the Ivy League).
Some types of elitist employers may recruit at some state universities in addition to the usual prestige private schools, but only in the state universities’ more selective business schools.
This is why, IMO, students/parents should focus on finding the right school/program for their money. This will work for the many students that know what they want to study.
Undecided students have a more difficult task here, since an academically suitable college must have good programs in all of their possible majors, and not be excessively competitive to get into any of them. That can make it more difficult to juggle with other important factors like cost and affordability that control most students’ college choices.
Agree,and the ability to get placed into their major when they finally decide is critical.
University of Maryland has some programs like this, including the Smith School of Business and the Clark School of Engineering. They seem to make the top programs “Limited Enrollment Programs (LEPs),” and you may be accepted to UMD and NOT accepted to the LEP you want. (I’m pretty sure Kelly and Farmer Businesss schools do that also - my son went to UMD but was accepted at the others).
My advice to people, including my sons, is to think carefully about picking a School that’s very good in one major, but not as good as others overall. Many students change majors. In my case, I had a STEM kid that picked a strong STEM school (he may have changed majors, but he wasn’t going liberal arts), and another business major who was less sure of major. I suggested the business major pick a school with several strong schools, just in case.
It happens at wealthy private schools and usnwr top Public unis as well. Sometimes the higher college or major helps account for its overall prestig-o meter rankings.
Penn is great but Wharton is more highly regarded. Engineering at Cornell cal uw UT GT. Foreign service at Georgetown. Biz school at Duke uva unc bc nd usc NYU Econ at Chicago.
With respect to undergraduate business programs, note that many highly regarded colleges do not offer majors in common business fields. This naturally creates space in business-program rankings for schools that may not be as highly ranked generally.
re ##25, FWIW engineering is usually not the highest ranked department or college at Cornell.
Architecture usually is relatively more highly ranked in its own specialty area, and more selective too, percentage-wise. In recent years Dyson has been as well, even moreso.
Its Arts & Sciences college is usually at least as selective as engineering, though with different emphases in selection. Various programs there (eg physical sciences, English…) are usually very highly ranked.
The contract colleges and the Hotel school are somewhat less selective in admissions, but have programs that are at or near the tops in their respective fields.
The relative note-worthiness of Cornell’s engineering program is not because it is so much “better” than other programs at Cornell. It is because it is often compared to a particular handful of other schools whose engineering programs happen to significantly lag behind the quality of their other programs.
It stands out vs. the engineering programs at those few other schools, not necessarily compared to other programs at Cornell.
IMO.
Two colleges really stand out to me for being nationally recognized in one thing.
Humboldt State and their Wildlife Biology program.
University of North Texas for music.
I do not think those universities get any national notoriety outside those specialties.
The general perception of things is often not the reality. In the question the OP didn’t make that distinction.
It was only an example.
It’s a common perception in my neck of the woods that Cornell has a wonderful and difficult engineering school. If given the opportunity between Cornell and Princeton for engineering. All things being equal, I could easily see choosing Cornell.
For other majors probably not as readily.
But it’s just a common perception or misperception. No big deal.