Has ANYONE else noticed this?!

<p>has anyone noticed how usually w/ public schools the "university of _<strong><em>" is better than "</em></strong>__ state university?"</p>

<p>for example:
University of North Carolina is better than North Carolina State University
University of South Carolina is better than South Carolina State University
University of Georgia is better than Georgia State University
University of Florida is better than Florida State University
University of Alabama is better than Alabama State University
University of California (system) is better than California State University (system)
University of Michigan is better than Michigan State University</p>

<p>and the list goes on and on... </p>

<p><strong>NOTE</strong> When i said "better" i mean "more prestigious"</p>

<p>the only way i've noticed "______ state university" can succeed is if it doesn't have a "university of ______" in their state.</p>

<p>for example:
Ohio doesn't have a University of Ohio therefore THE Ohio State University is one of the best universities in their state</p>

<p>Pennsylvania has University of Pennsylvania which is great BUT it is private therefore Pennsylvania State University can still attract great students.</p>

<p>i was just wondering if anyone else has noticed this trend and if anyone knows why it's like this?</p>

<p>In general, the older the university, the better it is. In most cases, the "university of" are the oldest universities in the state. I think that's because they are more likely to be the land grant universities, and possibly to have been started with a significant amout of aid from the federal government, too. Presumably when state legislators made allocations to universities, the alumni of the state's oldest public universities also were the ones in the state capitol and elsewhere who were in the most powerful and influential positions to determine funding.</p>

<p>well yeah because the university of is usually the flagship, so it has the most resources. there are some exceptions like penn st is the flagship but otherwise the university of is the flagship.</p>

<p>In addition, a lot of the "Whatever" State Unviversities started out with a more narrow focus. "Whatever" U was a broad based university from the start while the second school started out as primarily an agriculture school or techers school, for example, and then over time became a broad based univeristy and changed it's name.</p>

<p>so do you ever think "STATE university" will catch up to "the University of?"</p>

<p>hm, that's interesting.</p>

<p>University of Kansas is better than Kansas State University.
KU has a lot more programs that are "good," and K-State is mostly for future farmers, interior designers, and veterinarians.</p>

<p>Hmm indeed.</p>

<p>bump bump bump this thread!! =)</p>

<p>Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think that all of the University of North Carolinas are better than NC State. I was under the impressive that UNC Wilmington, UNC Ashboro and UNC Charlotte were all less prestigious than NCSU. I also think that the SAT averages and GPA averages would be lower than those schools. UNC Chapel Hill on the other hand, is of course more prestigious than NC State.</p>

<p>no, i'm talking about the main campus, the only one i included branches were university of california (system) is overall better than california state university (system).. however one can argue cal poly as being up there w/ some uc's.</p>

<p>but i'm just talking about the OVERALL picture</p>

<p>Interesting thread, to say the least. I don't think the (insert state name) state universities will match up with university of (insert state name)'s for a number of reasons. Take for example, the California system. UC-Berkeley, UCLA, UC-San Diego and even UC-Santa Barbara have been recognized internationally for their academic achievements. However, none of the California State Universities have received an equal amount of recognization, with perhaps the exception of Cal Poly-SLO. Now, the UC's get more funding than the CSU's and are have more name recognition. I agree that while some programs at CSU's are good (Cal Poly's Architecture program is the 2nd best in the country, after Harvard's - as ranked by a magazine), but as I said before, there are other factors to consider: funding, prestige, the quality of professors, even graduation rates (which are extremely poor at the CSU's), and also the quality of students applying and attending the schools. Right now, the UC's are gaining speed and it would be nearly impossible for even one of the CSU's to catch up.</p>

<p>The name -state-was usually used to signify the land-grant university for the state after the 1860's when land grants were started. These schools focused on agriculture and engineering. In some states the two were combined--Wisconsin and California and the use of "state" was more reflective of second class status.</p>

<p>The State University system in several states is an entity to connect all the single public colleges and often offers degrees up to and including a Masters, The University of....is usually a designation of a larger entity with several colleges at one location including graduate schools complete with Doctoral Programs. That is why the University of...appears to be more prestigious.</p>

<p>That's a good point by Mr B.</p>

<p>By the way, Mr. B, check your private messages; I sent you a message.</p>

<p>Uh, Ohio DOES have an Ohio University.</p>

<p>FSU is probably the best out of all the "state universities"</p>

<p>what about Mankato State U it's the best damn uni in minnesota</p>

<p>but ohio u. isn't the same as u. of ohio. And ohio state is more prestigous, not better necesarily, but it is more prestigous</p>

<p>Yeah Mankato</p>

<p>Yes, I have noticed! Especially being from Michigan.</p>

<p>To add to the list---University of Washington>Washington State University</p>