<p>Uhm, bball...who cares about international prestige? I'm not planning on becoming a farmer in Bangladesh anytime soon.This is supposed to be a clean opinionated thread, and you have just unleashed a flame war. Let me retract what I said...Duke is a top 10 school. There, that's better. </p>
<p>"When I had my interview, she asked what my top choice was, I said UPenn, she was like that is as good or better than Penn."</p>
<p>Huh?</p>
<p>"[Cornell] is one of the most internationally recognized schools (definetely top 10 in that regard) and is one of the best schools for science."</p>
<p>And? WUSTL is one of the best in medicine but you don't see people dancing in the streets and praising it as the next Harvard.</p>
<p>Thing is, I just think Dartmouth, Columbia, HYP, are all better than Cornell. That's just my opinion. Relax.</p>
<p>Let's just move on. However, I would like to apologize in saying that Cornell is a top 15 school at best. It is probably a top 12 school. I love Cornell, I just think most of the other ivies are slightly/way better save for Brown.</p>
<p>Umm...Wisconsin and Illinois are a JOKE to get into and they definetely don't deserve that ranking. They only have good ranks because of their graduate schools.</p>
<p>I continuously hear that UPenn's undergraduate program derives its reputation from the Wharton School. Not much is said of its Arts & Sciences, but I do not know personally so I won't pass judgment or claim that noone in the academic world holds UPenn in high regard.</p>
<p>Overrated: Dartmouth, Vassar, SUNY Geneseo, hmm...make that all ivies but Cornell, the UCs (on college confidential)
Underrated: Middlebury, U. Chicago, RPI, SUNY Stonybrook, University of Toronto, Tufts (ppl see it as a safety school for ivies when really it's a great place in its own right), NYU (only underrated by the rankings...most people on the street love NYU and give it proper respect), Wellesley, Indiana University- Bloomington</p>
<p>Oh, and I don't buy into the whole ranking crap if we're talking the difference between top 15 and top 25. Had I gotten into Harvard or Stanford, I'd have thought twice, but Ivy doesn't impress me unless there's a good reason to go there.</p>
<p>For the record, I don't believe that UPenn is overrated. It's an amazing school with an amazing reputation. Schools don't get reputations like Penn by mistake.</p>
<p>I take it bball you are a Upenn '09er? bball, UPENN College is VERY OVERRATED. If you are doing Econ or Finance, then penn is like a Mecca. What would its ranking be without Wharton? In the '80s it was struggling to keep in the top 25. Duke has never been out of the top 11. EVER. </p>
<p>By the way,</p>
<p>I got into most of the schools that we are discussing, so this discussion is not derived from Quaker hatred. lol I love upenn.</p>
<p>Edit: Nonconformity, why is Dartmouth overrated? Just asking what was your reasoning behind that is all.</p>
<p>First of all, sad to say, I am not a Quaker, but I am attending Cornell University, wow, no one likes Cornell on this website. I am pretty new to this website too.</p>
<p>I do think Dartmouth is overrated b/c I do not think its departments are that strong in comparison to Columbia, Penn, Cornell, Duke, etc... For example, for Economics, Dartmouth is ranked like #50, which isn't that wonderful. For engineering, Dartmouth isn't good either. I mean, what is all the hype about. I know it has supposedly a great undergraduate education, but I do not think that highly of its programs.</p>
<p>
[quote]
overrated means that everyone thinks this school is great and has outstanding out of this world academics and student body. when actually, it isn't allt aht exceptional as you'd expect.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>okay...</p>
<p>
[quote]
Ivies are overrated. you're basically paying for a name.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>uh...</p>
<p>so where is the backup to your statement which fits your own proclaimed definition of being "overrated"?</p>
<p>specifically:</p>
<ul>
<li>are Ivies not great schools?</li>
<li>do Ivies not have great student bodies, year in and year out?</li>
<li>do you not get a great education at an Ivy school?</li>
</ul>
<p>furthermore,</p>
<ul>
<li>does an Ivy degree give you a certain measure of understood credibility throughout your career / life?</li>
<li>have Ivies continued to excel in attracting the highest quality students and faculty in the world?</li>
<li>have the Ivies maintained their strong reputation and prestige over time?</li>
</ul>
<p>I'd argue an emphatic "yes" to all of the above.</p>