How much does it matter when it comes to colleges? Let’s say NY gives a boost to applications vs Brownsville? Do you think colleges of similar standard rank differently in popularity partly because of their location?
I agree. Certain cities & regions are considered cool & others not so cool.
Since rankings & prestige are often influenced by how tough it is to gain entry, & the # of applicants is influenced by coolness of location, location can influence rankings.
There are colleges in New England, & the Boston area in particular, that have been boosted, & maybe even kept alive by their locations. One reason is that for generations, people in the highly populated Mid-Atlantic states (especially NY & NJ) have found it enchanting to go to college in New England/Boston. There are colleges with comparable academics in less-glamorous locations (especially South & Midwest) that don’t get comparable numbers of applicants or respect.
For example, a place like Kansas State–a respectable university with a nice campus & bigtime sports, accepts virtually everybody who applies. Publics in New England with comparable academics can afford to be much pickier, & charge higher out-of-state tuition.
@moooop I agree. It is about location. Son is from a big Texas city and there are great schools in TX but he got a great deal from Kansas State and has found a lot of other really smart high achieving students in his program (animal science/pre-vet). They have an awesome veterinary school but part of the problem attracting the undergraduates is the location and that they choose to accept almost everyone and give them a chance. After first semester most of the students left are high quality and the faculty is wonderful!
East coast (where I grew up), is very different. Such a big pool in a small geographical area. Easy to get to etc.
Just the way students from Asian-American community or affluent suburban public schools have to be twice as good for colleges to consider them, same goes for good colleges from southern states, they have to be twice as good compared to east coast schools to be considered by top students.
You mean how New York University became many high school students’ dream school in the last decade because New York became a desirable place to be (after shedding the crime reputation of a generation or two ago)?
Sort of. May be if Hollywood stopped promoting north east campuses, more student would be able to look outside the box.