<p>To summarize what everyone has said…</p>
<p>Overrated: The really high reach schools to which few are offered acceptance (ie Ivies+SM)
Underrated: The schools no one knows about because they aren’t special (ie My college)</p>
<p>Overrated: UC Davis, UCSB</p>
<p>Underrated: Santa Clara U., Claremont colleges</p>
<p>Over: UPenn, PennState</p>
<p>Under: Pitt and the great liberal arts colleges that this state offers.</p>
<p>I do agree that the ivies are overrated:) There are schools that are lower ranked where you can get the same education for less.</p>
<p>Seen Michigan, California, Ohio, and New York more than a few times here, so I’ll add the Show-Me-State. This is coming from a state resident that knows a bit about the local schools around here.</p>
<p>Missouri</p>
<p>Overrated:</p>
<p>Missouri-Columbia - Being the only true big school in the state, it gets tons of people to go there every year from in-state. About 10% of my high school’s graduating class goes to Mizzou. Better than some flagships, but besides its journalism, it’s not anything special, its sports teams help. Great looking campus and underrated college town (Columbia) though.</p>
<p>Underrated:</p>
<p>Truman State - Best public school in the state, is located in a small town and has a tiny enrollment, but it’s a good school in Kirksville.</p>
<p>Saint Louis University - Located downtown and has some solid academics. Not like it’s Wash U or anything, but from what I’ve seen, SLU is a good, Jesuit, private school that’s definitely worth going to if it fits you.</p>
<p>Missouri S&T - If you will go into engineering or science related fields, Missouri S&T is for you, almost like a miniture Purdue. Almost 80% men since it’s programs are pretty much male-oriented, but for a good price, it flies way under the radar for anyone out of state.</p>
<p>i love that nyu is over-rated because it has long supplements!</p>
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<p>you go to Cornell?</p>
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<p>You missed Temple.</p>
<p>Or-BU
UR-BU</p>
<p>NEW YORK:</p>
<p>Overrated = Columbia, Barnard, NYU, Fordham</p>
<p>Underrated = CUNY Macaulay Honors College</p>
<p>Indiana overrated: Personally, I would say DePauw. It’s a fine school, but largely, it’s an expensive school.</p>
<p>Underrated: Taylor - although it gets its share of credit. I think it’s strong faith component gets it overlooked by a lot of people…people who probably would not enjoy the conservative atmosphere, no doubt.</p>
<p>Two outstanding public schools with decidedly different environments: IU/Purdue</p>
<p>Notre Dame gets left out of a lot of discussions of the most rigorous and most difficult schools to get into. If you are a Catholic, it is right up there in the league of the “gold standard”. For a lot of Catholic kids, they’d far rather go to ND than Harvard.</p>
<p>Saint Mary’s College of CA is underrated at least partly by virtue of being in the same general neighborhood as Stanford and UCB. The integral program, 4-1-4 schedule and rigorous sciences and business schools are fabulous! Their accounting grads are recruited heavily by the top accounting firms in the nation.</p>
<p>CA</p>
<p>Overrated:</p>
<p>Occidental
USC
Pepperdine
Sonoma State
UC Berkeley (people around here think it’s better than Harvard, it’s great but not that great)</p>
<p>Underrated:</p>
<p>UCSD
University of San Francisco (people treat it like it’s the worst school in California)</p>
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<p>What about Butler? I only know it because of basketball, but it seems to be great academically.</p>
<p>Overrated - Penn State University Park, Drexel</p>
<p>I’m international, but in terms of the schools ppls are applying to from my country TO the US, people seem to be clueless about many amazing schools. </p>
<p>OR: the Ivies, Stanford, Haverford, NYU, Tufts, USC, Northwestern, BU, BC, Babson, </p>
<p>UR: MIT, Caltech, UC schools, Claremont schools, Oberlin, Vassar, Wes, UChicago, Vandy, Amherst College, Any school in Texas,</p>
<p>Massachusetts:</p>
<p>Overrated: Northeastern and BU
Underrated: Babson College and Olin College of Engineering</p>
<p>Maryland:</p>
<p>Overrated:
Johns Hopkins</p>
<p>Underated:
Goucher</p>
<p>Canada
Overrated: U of T</p>
<p>Underrated: Queens</p>
<p>For California:</p>
<p>Overrated: The “party schools” including UCSB, CSU Chico, and SDSU</p>
<p>I don’t understand why Cal Poly is revered so much. It’s a state school, but it has a pretty low acceptance rate.</p>
<p>Underrated: Not really sure. I’d like to say the Claremont Colleges based on what I’ve heard from counselors and students, but I can’t say that because I didn’t visit Claremont. But based on visits, I’ll say UCSD. Probably the best school out of all the SD schools.</p>
<p>Underrated: A ton of good LACs which don’t have much prestige. Davidson, Carleton, Claremont colleges are all part of this group.</p>