Overrated and Underrated Top Universities

College Search & Selection
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<p>Just out of curiousity, what do people feel are the most under- and overrated universities and colleges in the country? </p>

<p>I think that WUSTL is somewhat overrated, mainly because its numbers boosted by inflation of admissions rate due to their intense marketing operation. Yes, they are a very fine institution, one of the best our country has to offer, but ranking systems like the US News and others may place too much emphasis on their admit % etc and hereby artificially raise their stature </p>

<p>Personally, I think Johns Hopkins (Yes, I'm very biased, but maybe some of you will agree) is an underrated school for one. Obviously they are ranked quite highly, but are sometimes looked down upon unfairly. Maybe it is more that people only recognize them for their sciences but fail to recognize the strength of their humanities and social sciences programs. I think Hopkins earns respect internationally for their incredible research and contributions to medicine, but their contributions to political science/ IR, creative writing, history and more are sometimes overlooked, despite their gravity</p>

<p>I would say Cornell isn't really underrated or overrated, but it, like some other top schools, catches some flack because is "easier" to get into then its peers in the Ivy League. Cornell is a well respected school with a number of top flight programs, but being associated with the perceived pristine universities like Harvard and Yale earns it some undeserved criticisms.</p>

<p>Lastly, I think the top LACs in this country are both underrated and overrated. Let me explain; i think many people, particularly those versed in academia recognize the wonderful education offered by schools like Williams, Amherst and Swartmore. However, because of their size, both in number of students and the size of their endowments, it is very difficult for them to compete with the name recognition of a Princeton or a Harvard in areas where less is known about the education system, and also abroad in other countries. Some middle-upper range LACs though, may come across as higher ranked, merely because they are not being compared to the Universities, rather they are part of a much smaller group of elite schools, making them overrated. AWS and a few others on the other hand, can and do compete effectively with the elite universities.</p>

<p>Anyone, feel free to join in, im a little bored today so i thought i'd share my take</p>

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<p>Oh i just realize another group of schools; the elite state schools. Everyone has heard of Berkley, Michigan and UVA, but there are a slew of other state schools that have wonderful programs but are not as universally respected because of their status. Both of my parents attended the State University of New York at Stony Brook and to this day some of the classmates they have kept in touch with are some of the brightest we know. Their affiliation with institutions like Brookhaven and Cold Spring Harbor, serve to greatly enhance the opportunities of their students to excell in various fields of study. There are many beyond SUNY SB, from UT Austin to UW Madison to Georgia Tech and more.</p>

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<p>Im not going to write an essay on this subject, but in my opinion:</p>

<p>UNDERRATED: Cornell, NYU, and maybe Brown</p>

<p>OVERRATED: Wash U and ALL LACS (yeh i might be biased here... i dont like them)</p>

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<p>abrandei, i agree wit you about SUNY...its underrated...meanwhile the UC system is overrated just because of Berkeley (which is a great school btw)</p>

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<p>lol "ALL LACS" i think thats probably a little bias talking, but as i said, you're probably right in a lot of cases</p>

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<p>yeh :).......</p>

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<p>is it just me, or do more people think georgetown is overated.</p>

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<p>Overrated: Yeshiva University, RPI, Case Western, Rochester, Worchester Polytech. Institute
Underrated: George Washington University, NYU, UGA, Maryland, Texas, Florida State</p>

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<p>personally i have mixed feelings about Georgetown. Sometimes i think its overrated, sometimes i think its where it belongs. I think there is a club of schools including the Ivies, UChicago, Stanford, JHU, Duke and Gtown that all feed eachothers programs (graduate/undergraduate etc) and having talked to faculty and students at most of those schools, it seems that is the case. Some schools of equal rank like a WUSTL for example seem out of the loop a bit, despite their ranking and good graduate placement. Georgetown is somewhere on the cusp and so im not sure where they fit in, but many people regard it as a top flight school even amongst its peers</p>

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<p>esrajay-I consider Gtown as underrated, and I have no personal bias towards it. I consider Gtown and JHU in the same league as the ivies. Plus, Gtown is only ranked #25.</p>

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<p>Although Berkeley is overrated, the University of California system as a whole is not. Campuses such as Santa Barbara, San Diego, Davis and Irvine are excellent schools but do not get much respect. Even the system's lowest ranked schools, Santa Cruz and Riverside, are pretty good for the price.</p>

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<p>Stanford, Harvard, and MIT are underrated. People should view them as GODS, not as mere universities.</p>

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<p>that is completely ridiculous. Firstly, Harvard in my opinion, is overrated. Harvard, IMHO isn't really as good overall as Princeton or Stanford. No university belongs in a category distinct from its peers. MIT is a fantastic science school, but would you study english there? no probably not, you'd go to a different school. Harvard is a terrific school, elite to say the least, but its not the best in a lot of things. Unless a school is the best across the board, it doesnt deserve special treatment, and since no such institution exists, no university should be singled out like that.</p>

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<p>Gods? lol...</p>

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<p>Underrated: UCSD
Overrated: Dartmouth</p>

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<p>Tulane is vastly underrated.</p>

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<p>How is Tulane underrated?</p>

<p>Adding to the list: I think Tufts is overrated to the point that its considered "Harvard's little brother," which is nonsense. And Notre Dame and Rutgers are also overrated.</p>

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<p>Most Underrated : UCSD</p>

<p>Most Overrated: Dartmouth/Brown</p>

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<p>lol the people from Tufts that i know have major "i could've gone to Hardard"-itis, i agree with a lot of those...obviously everyone knows JHU is #1 though!! lol</p>

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<p>Interesting opinions. It is probably important to separate "overrated" from "fad schools". For example Wash U. (WUSL) has become a "fad school" (they have a great marketing dept. and must have a HUGE budget for postage :) ), and fad schools get more applicants. The higher the # of applicants, the more selective the school can be, the lower the acceptance rate but the higher the yield rate-- hence it likely moves up on the US News listing. WUSL is a very good school, but I agree, a bit overrated. Hard to know what makes a school a fad/hot school (like UVA) but then, who can predict a fad? Who'd have thought the pet rock would have been a fad?? A number of universities have put a lot into their honors programs (eg. U Mich. UGA, UF) - these are great programs and should help a school to have a higher rating in the school of public opinion. There are a lot of incredible schools (universities and LAC's) that are underrated (ie Rice, Reed, Rose Hulman) because they are small or less well-known. Personally, I think U Penn, while a great school, is also a bit overrated.</p>