<p>njcollege, you didn’t say what your GPA and SAT scores are, but if they are just average you might want to look at Longwood which is in Farmville, VA. I took my daughters there 2 years ago and we all liked it. We went on fall break so there wern’t many kids there, but we ran into two business professors in a classroom building who both dropped what they were doing at the time and took us on a personal tour of the school. They obviously care very much for their students. I was very impressed with them. Nice campus, a new Rec center was being built at the time, all facilities looked new, especially in the business school. Definitely worth a trip, not too far from Richmond.</p>
<p>momray, you’re wrong. ODU has 23,086 total students. JMU has 17,964 students.</p>
<p>You’re saying the employment prospects of someone who went to VT (Blacksburg) and JMU (Harrisonburg) are better than the employment prospects of someone who went to William and Mary (Williamsburg) because of the size of the school they attended and the employment situation in the local area?</p>
<p>So, by that logic, a UVA or W&M (or Harvard or MIT or Stanford) grad is less employable than a ODU or NVCC or GMU grad – or am I misinterpreting things?</p>
<p>Geez, pity the poor people that went to Amherst and Williams, they <em>thought</em> they were going to the best liberal arts colleges in the country, little did they realize <em>they could never leave</em> and that they 'd spend the rest of their days shoveling sidewalks and raking leaves for a living … </p>
<p>Ultimately, the percentage of graduates of W&M, UVA, JMU, and VT that actually seek employment in the immediate locale of the school after graduation has to be < 10% - most look for work in locations either near their home, or near the major employment centers - like DC/Northern Virginia. People go where the jobs are.</p>
<p>I am not talking enrollment…the SIZE of the school. ODU is jammed on both sides of Hampton Blvd…very small campus, regardless the number of students. And of those, a good majority are part time, working on a degree in spare time. Trust me, I am an alumni</p>
<p>One thing to keep in mind is that W&M just completed a new building for the Mason School of Business. It’s a beautiful, state-of-the-art high tech facility that will really enhance the experience of business students who attend.</p>
<p>momray, why would you make a comment addressing the size after I made mine? It doesn’t make sense.</p>
<p>Squiddy, I don’t think you’re comprehending what I stated. I said JMU and UMW, not UVA, W&M, Harvard,etc.</p>
<p>I believe Squiddy and I have the same approach. A school’s prestige is not based on the size of the enrollment.</p>
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</p>
<p>Exactly. And, to a certain extent, the relationship is often inverse, as a school with an enrollment of 25,000 undergrads would have a hard time making the case that they’re “Selective”.</p>
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<p>Are you talking about the “JMU” in Harrisonburg? Because I’ve heard JMU described in many ways, but “(small), liberal arts, (non-state school)” have never been among them; it’s pretty much none of those things. </p>
<p>I mean, you’re probably right, I probably <em>am</em> misunderstanding what you’re saying. </p>
<p>Since we’re discussing b-schools in VA, if you want to make a case that graduates of large VA state schools are better off than graduates of smaller liberal arts colleges, then you may want to include references to “Outcome” data, which is often provided in the various media rankings of schools, and often provided by the schools themselves.</p>
<p>Squiddy, take the time to scroll up the page. I stated as follows:</p>
<ol>
<li>GMU/JMU- GMU is really big. 30k students with 10k graduate students. JMU is midsize</li>
</ol>
<p>Nowhere did I call JMU a small school nor did I state it was non-state. Again, I urge you to pick-up on your reading skills a bit because they are severely lacking.</p>
<p>Since we are talking about business programs, I suggest you to call the largest business companies in your proximity and you’ll finally understand the importance of regional reputation and school size.</p>
<p>Again momray, reread what I wrote. I never said a school’s PRESTIGE was determined by school size. Hence my rankings which I posted above and you failed to comprehend:</p>
<p>When picking a school you have to look at regional job reputation and decide where you want to work. </p>
<ol>
<li>UVA - midsize school with decent sized graduate student</li>
<li>W&M - small</li>
<li>Va. Tech- larger school</li>
<li>GMU/JMU- GMU is really big. 30k students with 10k graduate students. JMU is midsize</li>
<li>VCU- big school</li>
<li>ODU - moderately big</li>
</ol>
<p>Come on Hulk, stop with the ad hom.</p>
<p>Instead of using relative terms, why not use actual numbers?</p>
<p>…what’s the fuss with ranks,</p>
<p>UVA, WM are both good colleges.</p>
<p>Its not Harvard or anything near such entity,. what i can say is that they are both public schools in the top 10 public school.</p>
<p>WM needs to increase its international student percentage…for financial increment as well as diversity in the school’s atmosphere. And connect more with the world around them. - what I mean, is the exchange student program needs to be expanded to connect with prestigious colleges in Asia as well as Europe. </p>
<p>The reason NYU exceeded WM in the USnews ranks…you know why…
International students + financial endorsement. ( I know that comparing pvt schools , with public schools seem useless… but its the truth.</p>
<p>…frankly I don’t care about the ranks.
If you like the school, then what’s the fuss </p>
<p>they are both good schools in Virginia, … </p>
<p>YOU SHOULD REALLY END THIS THREAD <em>I MEAN ITS PITIFUL TO WATCH YOU GUYS >>>
acting like kindergarteners,-</em>-</p>
<p>What does this have to do with NYU at all?</p>
<p>Perception is based upon the eye of the beholder. Certain things are important to certain people. What’s most important is to find the college that is right for you. Most college graduates in the U.S. do not graduate from a top 35 school. And guess what? That doesn’t have much if any bearing on their longterm success. As an alum of W&M, I wouldn’t trade my education in williamsburg for any other. However, I knew from the beginning the school was a good fit for me. Go to the place that makes the most sense for your major, personality, and financial situation. You can still get into any graduate school out there as long as your standardized test scores (GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, GRE), GPA, and other relevant factors are what that graduate program is looking for. My reasons for going to W&M were that I wanted a challenge, I wanted to major in History, loved the campus, and I appreciated the dedication of students and Faculty that I noticed when visiting. Everyone has their own reasons for appreciating a given institution. Don’t get too wrapped up in perceptions, they aren’t the key to success. The key is to realize what you are interested in, where you would be most happy, and make the most of every opportunity.</p>
<p>btw, if you think that reputation is going to secure a job in business then you haven’t gotten out into the real world. A UVA degree or a W&M degree in business or business degree from a good school can’t hurt your chances. However, there is something called an interview. Many people think that they undoubtedly have what a company is looking for, but what company is going to take someone for a position in sales that can’t interact well with fellow workers and customers? A degree from a good school <em>may</em> open some doors for interviews you might not otherwise have gotten, but you aren’t going to be offered a position unless you are the complete package for that position. Numbers can be relevant, but it’s most certainly not all about the numbers. Someone with a great personality and a 3.3 from a state school’s business program would likely be seen as a better candidate for a people-related position than someone with a 3.6 at a higher ranked program and mediocre to average people skills.</p>
<p>Tribe1693 has hit the nail on the head with his last two posts. There is a school for everyone, look for yours! My daughters are seniors in high school and I’ve done by best explaining to them not to “follow the rankings” but follow their hearts and find the school that best fits. When I was in college I went to a military school and believe it or not some guys showed up not understanding that they would actually be told what to do, have their head shaved (1978 was not a “short hair” year for guys) and wear a military uniform! Spend time at the school, talk to the students and faculty, do your homework or you will be extremely disappointed with your choice. All of the schools have a wealth of information on the internet today so there is no excuse to not know all about a school before you take a tour. Good luck!</p>
<p>Tribe 1963 said…“Someone with a great personality and a 3.3 from a state school’s business program would likely be seen as a better candidate for a people-related position than someone with a 3.6 at a higher ranked program and mediocre to average people skills.”"</p>
<p>Exactly. I’ll go one further and say that for a business-corporate type position, a business degree from a mediocre school is more valuable than a history degree from a top ranked school. Who wants to hire a young adult just out of college for a marketing position if the person has no marketing training in college and internships?</p>
<p>I tell each of my four kids that I won’t be paying for college if you major in English, history, political science, womens studies, etc. I am paying for you to learn a marketable skill such as science, med school, nursing, teaching, architecture, any kind of business degree, etc. You want history? Go get a loan.</p>
<p>Wow. That’s kind of harsh. College is to learn to be a better, more knowledgeable, and well rounded person that knows how to think. Isn’t that the purpose of a “liberal arts” or “liberal arts-like” college? Would you pay for your kid’s College if they wanted to be a high school teacher? What if I they don’t know what they are going to major in as they enter college? And, if I was your child, would you pay for my college? I am majoring in International Relations and Environmental Policy. I’ll wait for an answer to this last question before showing that there are “marketable skills” in virtually every major.</p>