<p>Anyone here have experience with these schools or have children at these schools? I'm looking for general impressions of the academic and social environments of these institutions and how people perceive them. Do you know what the specialties of these schools are? I know Missouri is known for journalism, but what other courses are these big schools known for, and conversely, which are disastrous? </p>
<p>Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>+1 on Mizzou journalism. S selected over other “better” colleges and it has been a dream. Very impressive program, including media convergence focus (for those who select it) maintaining high career placement even in this economy/ J-school meltdown. (Not that I am encouraging anyone to pursue a J career!)</p>
<p>Our concern with Mizzou was the large fairly non-selective larger student body – easy for a kid to wander into an undisciplined life. There is a relatively high dropout rate. I’d worry for an easily tempted kid; probably true at most large campuses (and can happen on any campus).</p>
<p>Iowa: really excellent English, particularly creative writing (drool).</p>
<p>OSU: recent emphasis on stepping up admissions/academic rigor. Miami O. should get a comp look as a smaller campus, particularly strong biz programs, although the preppie image has some validity. More diverse student body and broader range of research level majors at OSU. I’ve even heard MU may be an easier admit these days than OSU.</p>
<p>I recently visited three of the four schools on your list. The Univ. of Iowa has a beautiful campus & offers a lot of social opportunities. Lots of out-of-state students. Academics are what you make of the opportunities. And there are a lot of opportunities academically. Ohio State University has a solid honors program/college & is serious about attracting academically talented students. Nebraska is located in a beautiful city which is also the state capitol. Iowa is probably the most social of the three, while Ohio State & Iowa are both strong academically. A slight concern with respect to the Univ. of Iowa might be the labels attached to a freshmen girls dorm & attitudes that accompany such labels.
In my opinion, Iowa is the most attractive campus while a few areas around Ohio State’s campus have a lot of property crime according to a national report released a few days ago.
It would be helpful to know what attracts your student to these schools.
Missouri’s reputation for journalism/tv/radio is outstanding and it is one of only two (I believe) schools with its own TV station.</p>
<p>I would consider paying OOS tuition for my child to go to OSU and Iowa. I would only consider paying OOS tuition for my child to go to Mizzou if he or she were interested in journalism, and would not consider paying OOS tuition for my child to go to Nebraska at all (unless there were some unique program available only there that would not be available anywhere else, and I don’t believe that to be the case).</p>
<p>I’m only familiar with Mizzou’s excellent journalism program, which is one of the country’s best.</p>
<p>Otherwise, I wouldn’t pay OOS tuition for my kid to attend any of those schools. H has two masters from Ohio state, and chose that university over Cornell and WUSTL because at the time OSU’s graduate programs in H’s original field --German – was ranked higher than Cornell’s or WUSTL’s. I don’t think, however, that’s true now.</p>
<p>If I were to spend OOS tuition for my kid to go to a state school, it would be for either Mizzou’s J school or for a very highly ranked state school like Michigan, Virginia, UNC or UCLA. I wouldn’t do it for the schools you list.</p>
<p>Ohio State University offers a lot of scholarships to well qualified non-residents. Iowa does to a lesser extent or, at least, it did a few years ago when I last checked.
The issue of whether or not to pay out-of-state tuition to any of these universities depends upon the particular wants, needs & options for each student from each school.</p>
<p>Iowa is indeed #1 in Creative Writing. Also #1 in the following:</p>
<p>Nursing Service Administration Master’s (College of Nursing)
Physicians Assistant Program Master’s (Carver College of Medicine)
Speech-Language Pathology Master’s (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)</p>
<p>And they are #2 in the following:</p>
<p>Audiology Master’s, Ph.D. (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
Nurse Practitioner Gerontological/Geriatrics (College of Nursing)
Printmaking (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)</p>
<p>And finally, #3 in the following:</p>
<p>Otolaryngology (University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics)
Social Psychology (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)</p>
<p>As you can guess, they have a very strong medical school and programs. These rankings are from US News & World Report.</p>
<p>Northstar - I think your concepts are spot on. </p>
<p>There’s always exceptions. I am from Chicago, and if a student can’t get in University of Illinois (and U of I is hard to get into), then Iowa is a great option - a better college experience than the other public schools in Illinois. Iowa may be worth the premium. </p>
<p>But in general - I don’t understand paying out of state tuition to a place like Nebraska. Makes no sense.</p>
<p>I went to grad school at Iowa, taught undergrads there… I LOVED it, coming out of a small Northeastern LAC. The town just feels good, undergrad students were intelligent and focused. The state of Iowa takes its public education seriously, so kids come well-prepared. There is such a strong writing program there–creative, critical, playwriting-- I think that must filter into the journalism, but I don’t know that for sure.</p>
<p>In thinking about it, even if a school were very noted for its programs – such as Iowa’s creative writing program – I wouldn’t pay OOS costs for a student to enter that undergrad program with the exception of journalism at Mizzou.</p>
<p>Most students switch majors at least twice while undergrads. The student may spend big bucks to go OOS to an excellent program at one of those schools, then switch majors and be at a program ranked the same as our in-state options.</p>
<p>Mizzou’s J school would be an exception because from what I’ve seen (and I know profs there and alum of that school), it’s very hard to gain acceptance to and students who are accepted into that do tend to stick with their major.</p>
<p>^ Agree there is always the risk of a changed major and apparently statistically many do (I agree much fewer do as “pre-admits” to Mizzou J – these kids strongly identify to the program, likely much more than many 1st years). S reports kids who are struggling to maintain minimum GPAs to stay in J program have a lot of angst, so add maintaining academic performance to the “risks” of going Mizzou J. </p>
<p>There is also always the option to transfer out if there is not longer a good match, unless the grades have tanked, but then you’re screwed wherever you are.</p>
<p>I’m probably an outlier on CC, in that I think it is more important for the kid to excel where they land than chase a brand name on the diploma.</p>
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<p>The Iowa creative writing program is very much grad-based, not undergrad-based.</p>
<p>I have no direct Iowa experience, but hard for me to believe the talent pool in the grad program wouldn’t result in top quality teaching at the undergrad level?</p>
<p>That’s right, Pizzagirl, Iowa’s well-known creative writing program is for graduate students only. The University of Iowa is known internationally as for its writing, and scores of well-regarded authors have come through its program. As an undergraduate at Iowa, you may take some writing courses taught by M.F.A candidates, and you may also take workshops with the same renowned faculty members that work in the graduate program. </p>
<p>In November of 2008, Iowa City was designated by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), as the world’s third City of Literature, making the community part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. Quite an honor. It speaks to not only the creative writing program, but the environment of the entire city of Iowa City and the emphasis placed upon literature.</p>
<p>Iowa DOES ofer a creative writing track at the undergrad level within the English dept.</p>
<p>Creative Writing Track
To be accepted into this selective track, students must be juniors or seniors, have shown competence in introductory writing courses, complete a portfolio of writing to be admitted into an intermediate-level workshop, and earn a minimum 3.33 grade-point average (GPA) in all UI English courses.</p>
<p>Barrons, I was aware that Iowa was going to start an undergraduate creative program which would utilize the resources of the Writer’s Workshop, however, I did not realize that it would be selective-admission. It sounds wonderful: “The hub of the Writing Track is a cluster of intimate Writers Seminars that will give students the opportunity to creatively engage the relationship between reading and writing and to explore questions of craft, literary traditions, and aesthetics in a manner that is both inspiring and rigorous.”</p>
<p>Mizzou parent here, with a sophomore S who started out in the j-school and switched this semester to political science, possibly with a history minor. Be aware that this does happen; teenage passion does fade. From his perspective: It’s going to be just fine. He likes it there and would not consider transferring, and he’s enjoyed his poli sci courses so far. He’s a very good student with law school aspirations. From our perspective: We hope it will be just fine, and we can only assume that it will. There’s no point in rehashing what he could/should have done at this point, because he has no intention of leaving. We pay in-state tuition through a tuition waiver/merit scholarship for children of OOS alumni (my H). We do not have our own state university option because we live in DC.</p>
<p>Anyone choosing Mizzou for journalism and staying with it will reap the benefits of its terrific alumni network and excellent reputation. (My S was underwhelmed by two out of his first three courses, however.) Now I’m feeling some buyer’s remorse, but it is hard to overlook how content he is at Mizzou, how excited he is about the courses he’s taking this semester, and how much he is liking his professors. I’m trying to have cluelessdad’s attitude: excel where you land!</p>
<p>I’m not sure how one compares large midwestern state universities at the undergraduate level, because they seem so similar to me. I think they get a bad rap, though, because they really do have a lot to offer. My S pointed out to me that he knows plenty of smart kids who could afford to go elsewhere (including one of his roommates, who he calls “the smartest person I’ve ever known”) choose Mizzou because they know they’re headed for grad school and want to conserve resources. There isn’t quite as much school snobbery in the Midwest.</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, my nieces and nephews in suburban Chicago would not have touched Iowa with a 10-foot pole because so many of their HS classmates went there!</p>
<p>*Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Ohio State </p>
<hr>
<p>Anyone here have experience with these schools or have children at these schools? *</p>
<p>My got one of his grad degrees from Iowa. Lovely campus. </p>
<p>Iowa and Ohio St give some merit scholarships to OOS students; don’t know about the others…</p>
<p>Keep in mind that unless you can pay “full freight” (minus any assured scholarships), OOS schools don’t give their financial aid funds to OOS students (exceptions: VA and NC).</p>
<p>The others are right. Unless money is no object, there’s no reason to pay full OOS costs to any of these schools - unless one has a very unique and highly, highly respected program (like the J school example).</p>
<p>Unless big merit scholarships are offered…too expensive…</p>
<p>Just to give you an idea…here’s the OOS cost of attendance for…</p>
<p>$34,812, U IOWA</p>
<p>$36,210, OHIO STATE</p>
<p>My son is planning on engineering in college. Minnesota, ranked #5 in engineering I believe. We are OOS but he just received one merit scholarship that would give us in-state tuition, and an additional merit scholarship on top of that. He’s not a super star, but does have strong grades and test scores, etc. </p>
<p>I also am aware that Iowa does have merit scholarships that could bring down OOS tuition.</p>
<p>^^ As a Midwesterner, I’ll second the view that the be-all and end-all college “tiers” of the CC world just don’t dominate views in these parts (that said, I’m sure CC doesn’t lack for dedicated Midwestern members). </p>
<p>Not that most CCers would care about fly-over country, but an elite grad may in fact find they have to counter a perception that they feel entitled to career advancement.</p>
<p>GeezerM, I encourage you to leave the buyer’s remorse behind:excellent educations are available at publics as well as privates. The key question is whether a kid will get lost in the shuffle at a large public or get distracted by “social opportunities” and it sounds like your S is navigating just fine.</p>
<p>Dedication and persistence are the key attributes that get recognized by grad programs and in careers over time. Or is that only true in the Midwest? :)</p>