Overrated or Underrated?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
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<h2>"can we talk more about how our personal experiences at UNC make us feel about its 28th ranking. do we feel like the school should be above that, below that, or about the same based on the quality of our ACADEMIC experiences at the school? this would entail idmom06 taking her personal attacks elsewhere, since i'm assuming you are not a student at this university (?)."</h2>

<p>Omgosh...if I had a nickel for every student who started whining about parents posting on CC when the going gets a little rough. (My daughter is a junior at UNC btw.)</p>

<p>And if I had a dime for every person who blathers on about the meaning of life according to US News. armcp...are you actually a student at UNC and STILL obsessing over rankings?</p>

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What is uneducated about the statement that though UCB is great, it's no Stanford. Setting aside my Stanford bias (), I don't think anyone will disagree with me.

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<p>Right. No one said it was. YOU were the one who just brought Stanford into the question. That's like me saying that while UNC is great, it's no Duke. Comparing apples and oranges. Does Berkeley want to be Stanford? No. Does UNC want to be Duke? No. Do we really care? No, not unless you're trying to decide between Duke and UNC, which the OP isn't.</p>

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And it is factual that how far a UCB diploma will take you varies from region to region, or from industry to industry. I'm sorry if you don't like this...but the truth hurts. No doubt....UCB is still a great school. But I guarantee you, it will take a back seat to nontop 30 schools like UT or Texas A&M in Texas, UF in Florida, Mines or Penn State in the oil industry, you get my drift....

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Sure except that it happens to have a top-10 program in the field you mentioned....but, rest assured, there's a plethora of jobs available in CA for UCB grads w/o having to travel to the cattle, orange, or corn (?) states ;)</p>

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Btw vc...I don't think you caught the meaning of my post. (Often an issue I have with you.) My post was not a comparison of UNC and UCB on any level other than the susceptability of their prestige factor to region factors.

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<p>"Often"? I don't ever remember talking to you before. But if I'm somehow misunderstanding you, then present yourself more clearly. I received perfect scores on the reading and English sections of the SAT/ACT, as well as 5s on all AP English tests, so I'm pretty decent in that area. You weren't comparing UCB and UNC, but you brought them up? You said "Berkeley is good, but not quite as famous as you might think." Which implies more than regional bias (which is fine, it happens everywhere)--it hits the "intellectual/factual dismissal" category. If Berkeley isn't <em>that</em> famous, then why does it have such success placing grads into PhD programs (it has more grads go on to earn their PhD than graduates of any other university)? Why does it have more programs ranked in the top-10 than any other school in the country (including HYPS)? If it isn't <em>that</em> famous, why did my friend turn down Yale and Omgosh STANFORD! to go there? Btw, she's from Louisiana. Huge regional bias there, it seems.</p>

<p>I think it's probably pretty widely accepted outside of North Carolina (and apparently Texas) that Berkeley is more "prestigious" than UNC. Just like it's more prestigious than really any other public school (including the one I attend). That's what world-class research and faculty will earn you: a world-class reputation. In world-wide rankings, UCB consistently ranks in the top-10 universities. UNC is lucky to crack the top-30 (though obviously that's still excellent). So if it's a "world-wide" ranking system, it probably entails opinions outside the state of CA. </p>

<p>But there's more that goes into a school than just prestige; there's that experience part, too. And UNC is a very unique one. That's what makes it such a good school. Are you going to get the same experience at UT, UCB, USC, Vandy, Harvard, and UNC? No. But that's what makes each school great. So perhaps instead of criticizing another school in order to emphasize UNC's merits, you should focus on what it does well. For there's no short list there.</p>

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Omgosh...if I had a nickel for....And if I had a dime for

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I'm curious, if you had a 50 cent piece, then what would you do?! ;)
Haha sorry, you sounded like a few of my teachers on that one...couldn't help it :P</p>

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<p>oh vc..... tsktsk. Overcompensation and personal insults will never do in the real world. </p>

<p>Please re-read my posts and focus on my meaning; you keep reiterating that you have missed it completely. </p>

<p>And those of you overly concerned about rankings, please try not to stress yourself about this so much. I'm actually starting to feel badly for you. If you are attending UNC, or plan to, you have no worries. You will have a great college experience, and grad school and employment doors will fall open for you. What more should you care about?</p>

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<p>Btw....when I mentioned Berkeley's Petroleum Engineering program to my husband, he got a big question mark on his face. And he has been in oil and gas industry for 30 years and is the founder of a private equity oil and gas startup that received $1 billion in funding last year. (My own overcompensating on his behalf ;) )</p>

<p>The UCB website reveals no petroleum engineering, geological engineering or geophysical engineering major in their little section on engineering rankings. But it does clearly reveal a desire to be considered as good as Stanford or MIT as evidenced by the repeated comparisons. So maybe your q&a "Does Berkeley want to be Stanford? No." is a not exactly true.</p>

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<p>Idmom06, your post displays both ego and excessive overcompensation, especially in your need to mention personal wealth as to underscore your absolute control in this situation; your 'Omgosh' comment is ridiculous. No offense, but I don't trust anyone who uses the word 'omgosh' in lieu of 'omg.' I'm sorry. VC not only silenced your rant, but he (or she) also completely obliterated any chance for a rebuttal---so please stop.
The whole situation is fairly simple: on a realistic scale, it does not matter whether you attend UCB of Stanford, for equally competitive placement for job or graduate school is available through both programs. Goldman recruits as many students from UCB as they do from Ivies; many other industries follow in similar suit. There is almost no difference in world perception between Stanford and UCB. Period. I've been halfway all across the globe, and I feel able to comment; because in every region, somehow, I engaged in 'college talk' with my foreign friends. EVERY one of them has heard of Stanford; every one of them has heard of UCB; none among them holds any greater sentiment for either school.
Rankings are a joke, anyway. What does it mean, for me, within North Carolina, for instance, whether UNC is ranked 30th or 28th or even 1st? The fact that I attend and will graduate from Carolina already guarantees me an interview with ANY! prestigious NC firm in my area of specialization. They won't care whether I went to UNC or Duke; whether I spent 15 or 45 thousand a year. I don't need to open the current US rankings and point to Carolina's status.
But this argument doesn't only hold within the bounds of merely NC. UNC is not a no-name school, and we have recruiters come from all over the country, representing the very elite firms, and sweep away UNC students by boatloads. Will a student from Berkeley or Standford have a better chance at the VERY top positions? Maybe, but I guarantee that either UNC or Duke or Berkley or Stanford students will be considered for an interview, all having an equal chance to at least exhibit their knowledge. The rest is up to the student and how well he or she fares during the interview.
Three of my UNC alumni buddies work for Goldman, a few are currently in top law schools (Harvard, Chicago, Columbia...), two of whom I know are in HBS, and five work for Bank of American Securities. Was any of them hurt by NOT going to Duke or Stanford? No. (There's my ego and compensation, but I will totally admit it :) )Ranking are silly. End of story.</p>

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<p>Anyone who thinks that UNC is a no name school doesn't know what they are talking about.</p>

<p>UNC is a great school, but I just want to point out that W&M was left out of the list of the top public universities earlier. In my opinion it should look like this:</p>

<ol>
<li>Berkeley/Virginia</li>
<li>Michigan</li>
<li>William and Mary</li>
<li>North Carolina</li>
<li>UCLA</li>
</ol>

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Please re-read my posts and focus on my meaning; you keep reiterating that you have missed it completely.

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<p>No, I haven't. I've received a few PM's from people agreeing that you're pretty out-of-line on this one. Or are we all "misunderstanding" you?</p>

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But it does clearly reveal a desire to be considered as good as Stanford or MIT as evidenced by the repeated comparisons

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Umm, where? Stanford's website boasts about how they compare with HYP. So, in your mind, Stanford wants to be Princeton too, then? </p>

<p>I've got an idea. Since you are CLEARLY concerned with how certain schools are "wannabies", why don't you go ask this Q on the Berkeley and Stanford boards, exactly the way you presented it? In fact, I want you to do that. If you end up being right, and there's overwhelming response that Stanford is high and mighty versus Berkeley, then I'll be happy to admit you're right.</p>

<p>And, I'm glad to hear you're so rich! I finally get to "meet" the people who are charging us $4.69 per gallon for gas out here! At least somebody is making money off a busted economy though.</p>

<p>PS~ I'd be interested to see the "repeated comparisons." Because, I'm sure there are no repeated comparisons between UNC and Duke on their respective websites, right?</p>

<p>UNCC: Great insight. Sounds like UNC has served you well! And I really appreciate how you give UNC the credit it is due without putting down other great schools. It's clear that your time at UNC was 4 years well-spent. I found this line especially valid:
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Will a student from Berkeley or Standford have a better chance at the VERY top positions? Maybe, but I guarantee that either UNC or Duke or Berkley or Stanford students will be considered for an interview, all having an equal chance to at least exhibit their knowledge. The rest is up to the student and how well he or she fares during the interview.

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So true.</p>

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<p>UNCC - I hope you aren't a business major. Funding of a private equity startup has nothing to do with "personal" wealth, but it does has everything to do with investors willing to RISK wealth based on a person's knowledge or skills. (For the record, our own personal wealth is also at risk in this venture....so no need to make incorrect or inappropriate assumptions about our financial situation.) </p>

<p>My point is.... my husband has good and accurate insight and is VERY well-qualified to offer an opinion as to which schools are most respected for energy industry-related degrees. (omGOSH...I'm going to have work on my nouns and verbs I suppose...yet another person can't seem to hone in on the 'point'!) vc stated UCB had a top 10 program in engineering related to the oil and gas industry. Per the UCB website, that is not the case. Also, there is a chart at their website where UCB does compare their engineering rankings to those of Stanford and MIT. </p>

<p>Also, I don't really understand the comment re: the use of the phrase 'omgosh' UNC. Why would you distrust people based on something like this? But I do appreciate your acknowledgement of your own [over]compensation and ego in your post. Believe it or not, I appreciate the humor. This thread needs it.</p>

<p>Finally, in the real world, hyperbole is not respected. To describe my opinions as a rant, merely because you don't agree with, like or respect them is inaccurate and gross exaggeration.</p>

<p>vc - If you have an issue with the price of gasoline, you'd do well to speak to your legislators. How many years has it been since a refinery has been built in Cali? And for the record, independents do not refine. They explore and produce. Longterm analysis - the reason gasoline is so expensive is because it is an increasingly scarce commodity given the expansion of economies in China and India. OPEC nations are producing all they can as fast as they can and it isn't enough. ANWR reserves will be a meaningless drop in the bucket. You want solutions? My husband's advice is alternative fuel sources. Imagine that from an 'oil man'. (We are actually considering trading our gas guzzlers in for the Toyota Prius.) Also, for a better than laughable understanding of just the basics of economics, especially as they relate to the energy industry, try reading "Twilight in the Desert".</p>

<p>I apologize if I make anyone uncomfortable with my low opinion of rankings and those who insist on overemphasizing them. Those who do this truly do people who are here searching for meaningful information, and yourself, a disservice with this attitude.</p>

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<p>Does anyone think that UNC will be in the TOP twenty(public and private) in a few(5-10) years???</p>

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<p>haha k, ldmom, when I think oil producers, refiners, independents, whatever, are out for more than themselves, THEN I'll put effort into them. It's hard for me to fathom why they haven't "explored" "discovered", etc., more fuel options with such a large amount of money available (you mentioned your H had $1B...and that's just one person)! But I suppose I really don't matter much to them, since gas is an inelastic good and therefore marginal increases and decreases in price will have virtually no impact on the demand curve. Then again, what do I know. I only have a "laughable understanding" of Econ, right? You add a lot of humor yourself by assuming things you have no idea about.</p>

<p>UCB compares their rankings to Stanford, MIT, and CalTech, because they are all among the best schools in the world for engineering. In fact, in recent years, UCB undergrad engineering has been ranked higher than Stanford. That's TOTALLY different than "wanting"to be another school. As I mentioned earlier, Berkeley has more top-10 depts than Stanford, MIT, Harvard, etc. So I highly doubt they "want" to be someone else. Please only speak on what you know. You clearly aren't familiar with those two schools. As someone who has family on the faculty at both schools, let me say that they're extremely proud of who they are as individual institutions. </p>

<p>And I'm sorry if I'm a disservice to you. But your oil company is a disservice to my state's pocketbook, so we're about even I think ;)</p>

<p>Though I do admire your car swap...I've heard good things about the Prius. You'll have to let me know what you think about it :)</p>

<p>UNC: I think it already is in certain departments. But a lot of it depends on the success of other universities as well.</p>

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<p>I highly doubt UNC is going to crack the Top 20 in the next 5-10 years. More than likely, UNC is going to stay in the 25-30 range. Some years it'll be ranked as the 4th best public school, other years it'll be ranked 5th best.</p>

<p>U.S</a>. News Rankings Through the Years</p>

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<p>I'm a tarheel and I really love the school. I think UNC gets a pretty good rep, though some kids (actually mostly adults) turn their noses up because we are a public school. I don't know if it's so much we are underrated as that a lot (and I mean A LOT) of the private schools are overrated. Maybe not in terms of facilities and money (figures don't lie) but in terms of quality of students-I've been amazed at some of the kids that get into Ivies (no offense anyone).</p>

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<p>I couldn't be any prouder of going to UNC and being a Tar Heel.</p>

<p>If you want to talk rankings, let's talk this one:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/rankings/rankingDetails.asp?CategoryID=6&TopicID=43%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/rankings/rankingDetails.asp?CategoryID=6&TopicID=43&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I don't care if I could've gone to a more "academically challenging" private school. UNC has great academics, great sports, great DIVERSITY (sorely lacking at private universities and when it's there, it is often not legit: see Duke, where there is little race interaction). I am happy and that is what is most important to me in a university. I have grown as an individual more than I can possibly describe to a bunch of strangers (minus a few fellow students I know on here!) on a message board. I am finding myself while becoming more worldly, intelligent, and accepting all while having a good time.</p>

<p>So if we want to talk about the best well rounded college experience and what's supposed to be the best 4 years of your life, I give UNC a #1 ranking.</p>

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<p>"I don't care if I could've gone to a more "academically challenging" private school. UNC has great academics, great sports, great DIVERSITY (sorely lacking at private universities and when it's there, it is often not legit: see Duke, where there is little race interaction). I am happy and that is what is most important to me in a university. I have grown as an individual more than I can possibly describe to a bunch of strangers (minus a few fellow students I know on here!) on a message board. I am finding myself while becoming more worldly, intelligent, and accepting all while having a good time."</p>

<p>WAY TO GO HEATHERGEE!!</p>

<p>Yours should be the last post in this thread!!</p>