Post your own state's college reputations'

College Search & Selection
1181

<p>Virginia</p>

<p>UVA - Fine school. Always hear about it. Probably a bit overrated but apparently also a tough school. Stereotyped as preps and sports fans.
W&M - Fine school. A bit lesser known than UVA. Supposedly also tough but with a well rounded student body.
Tech - The tech and engineering school. People underestimate how hard it is to get into now because it used to be such an average school. Students are rather spirited.
VCU - Average school. Where you might get stabbed. Or beheaded.
Radford - Used to be the party school. Now, the campus is dry. Stereotyped as the quintessential safety school.
UMW - Average school. Very community service and volunteer work oriented.
George Mason - Politics
Longwood - Middle of nowhere and parties. Also, a school for teachers.* What is up with that name? </p>

<p>*Even though the most common degree is business.</p>

1182

<p>Indiana!</p>

<p>IU: Party school. It’s considered a respectable school, but not amazing. The campus is gorgeous (although I disagree). The music, business and journalism programs are the best. College town. ~35% of my school goes here</p>

<p>Purdue: Definitely has a much better academic reputation than IU due to its excellent engineering program. The party scene here is certainly vibrant but nowhere near Purdue’s. Purdue’s campus is known for being ugly (although I disagree) and the liberal arts are basically nonexistent here. College town. ~20% of my school goes here</p>

<p>IUPUI: The opinions on this school are varied. Many people consider it a decent choice if you want to stay close and go cheap. The academics are definitely nowhere near IU and Purdue’s. The relation to both schools (IUPUI means Indiana University Purdue University - Indianapolis) helps its reputation.</p>

<p>Ivy Tech: State community college. Bad reputation, for slackers who didn’t work in high school.</p>

<p>University of Indianapolis: bad</p>

<p>University of Southern Indiana: bad</p>

<p>Notre Dame: Excellent academics and reputation. The city is really sketchy, though.</p>

1183

<p>Any more on Rhode Island? Specifically Bryant U? I’m not even close to there and applied on a whim. Got accepted and I’d like to know the reputation</p>

1184

<p>Opinions of most Illinoisans:</p>

<p>U of I: Most popular school in the state, pretty expensive for a public school great engineering and ag, lots of partying, mediocre sports teams (but they still get pretty good support), lots of Asians compared to the Asian population in most of the state. This is probably the most common first choice for above average but not necessarily elite students. </p>

<p>Northwestern: Elite school, great campus, out of reach for most. Not a great sports scene, but it’s improving. Lots of out of state students, which is normal for a private school.</p>

<p>NIU: Common destination for average students, not a great college town, average academics, lots of crime, lots of commuters.</p>

<p>SIU: Better college atmospheres than NIU, decent engineering school for average students, no one (at least up north) can tell the difference between the two campuses. </p>

<p>ISU: Half of the teachers at the local middle school and high school went there, better atmosphere than NIU, decent place for average students, good if you want to be a teacher.</p>

<p>Eastern and Western: Kind of out of the way, generally for the kids that couldn’t get into the other state schools.</p>

<p>Loyola: The medical center.</p>

1185

<p>Washington
Not saying this is true, just the reps each has
Uw- best state school in the area. Doctors and asians
Wsu- joke. Parties. 3.5 gpa makes you a genius. ‘Theres always wsu’
Western- uw reject. Teaching.
Eastern & central - where the pretty good but not great dumbass football players go
Whitman- smart white kids
Evergreen- weird artsy stoners</p>

1186

<p>Opinions on Texas colleges</p>

<p>UT Austin - The ultimate goal for almost every high school student in Texas. The “if you’re not in the top 7% good luck” university. Almost everyone that I know wants to go here. Bill Powers is the second most powerful man in Texas behind Rick Perry. This university is the epitome of what it means to be Texan.</p>

<p>Texas A&M - Basically UT Austin for those that hate the Texas Longhorns. Also, Johnny Football.</p>

<p>Texas Tech - Good, but you’re in the armpit of the universe (Lubbock).</p>

<p>Baylor - For religious people.</p>

<p>UT (insert city here) - Are you going to transfer to UT Austin next year?</p>

<p>Rice - Only the most academic people really have any knowledge of this university. Also, baseball.</p>

<p>TCU - Another Baylor basically.</p>

1187

<p>California’s Major Publics:
UCSD: Great bio and computer science program, but lacks a social scene(University of California Socially Deprived). For UCLA/Berkeley rejects</p>

<p>San Diego State: Where the UCSD kids go when they want to party. STDSU Good business program, but for slightly above average students who couldn’t get into SLO/UCs. </p>

<p>UC Riverside: At least it’s not Merced! Sometimes called UC Rejects, since it’s almost never anyone’s top choice.</p>

<p>UC Irvine: A LOT of Asians. Known as University of Chinese Immigrants. Its science and engineering programs are excellent, but it has a very large suitcase population. </p>

<p>Cal State Long Beach: The Cal State that’s inexplicably popular with out of service area students. Very average school, but because of its location, a lot of kids, especially from inland areas, want to go there. </p>

<p>UCLA: It’s one of the best public universities of the world. Legendary basketball, and a world famous football rivalry with USC. For top students only. </p>

<p>UCSB: Congrats on making such excellent grades in high school. Now pass the handle/bong. It’s Wednesday. It’s time to party. Sometimes called University of Cannabis, Sex, and Beer or U Can Study Buzzed. Great location in a nice college town. One of the whitest UCs. </p>

<p>Santa Barbara Community College: Are you rich, but couldn’t muster more than a 1.9 HS GPA? Do you want to party? Well come on up to SBCC, where you can mooch off of the UCSB students in Isla Vista all while pretending to study so you can one day transfer to the school you wish you could have gone to from the get go (or at least that’s what you tell people). Worried about money? Nonsense! Daddy’ll pay for your absurdly high Del Playa rent.</p>

<p>Cal Poly SLO: The only CSU that matches and exceeds most of the UCs in terms of prestige. Great engineering, agriculture, architecture, and business. Awesome location. Most residential of any of the Cal States, and employers across the West hold it in high regard for its “learn by doing” approach. It’s also much cheaper than a UC at full cost, so quite a few UCSB/UCD/UCI cross admits end up enrolling there. </p>

<p>UCSC: University of Cannabis Smokers’ Central. After Berkeley became hyper competitive, it sort of took on Berkeley’s hippie reputation. Extremely liberal and inside a forest. Good art and computer science. The safety school for UCD/UCSB/ UCI.</p>

<p>UC Merced: Brand new school. Most people think you’re better off going to a community college or the local CSU. Admits those that don’t even apply and in the middle of nowhere. It’s where UC Riverside rejects go if they want the UC name. </p>

<p>UC Berkeley: Crazy hippies, nerds, and Asians galore. Probably the best UC, with world class programs in almost any field. It’s insanely difficult to get into, and getting a 3.4 is considered extremely impressive. The pride and joy of California public education. </p>

<p>UC Davis: University of Cow Dung. Seen as mostly an agricultural school in the middle of nowhere. Its other programs, which are mostly at least decent, are often under appreciated. It’s assumed that if you go to Davis, your eventual life goal is to be a vet. For some reason, one of the most popular middle tiered UCs (I’ve been to the campus and was not impressed).</p>

<p>Sonoma State: Quiet little CSU up in Napa Valley. It has a nice campus, and a good wine making program. A lot of weaker students who couldn’t get into/afford a UC opt to go here. </p>

<p>Humboldt State: Were you so high during the UC application that you forgot to start your UCSC application? Well don’t worry, Humboldt State is here for you! We’ll teach you how to optimize your hydroponics and UV light to make a product everyone in Venice Beach will appreciate. We pretty much accept everyone (except conservatives. No conservatives allowed), so come on up to a place that you literally didn’t know existed.</p>

1188

<p>California’s “Better” Privates Schools:
USD: For rich Catholic (but not excessively so) SoCal students. Nice campus, but owing to the fact that it’s the third college in the county with San Diego in its name, most people think it’s just UCSD. </p>

<p>Chapman: For rich white Orange County kids. Good film school in a fairly affluent neighborhood. Though it’s not a party school, there always seems to be some story in the news about drunken Chapman students. </p>

<p>Occidental: Nice liberal arts college. Biggest claim to fame is that Obama went there before transferring to Columbia. Since most people in California don’t know about liberal arts colleges, it’s not nearly as selective as its East Coast counterparts. </p>

<p>LMU: Seems to be a school for rich B+ students. Absolutely beautiful campus, and does quite a bit of community outreach. Again, if it were located in the East Coast, it would probably be far more selective. </p>

<p>USC: You can’t spell suck without USC! As a lifelong bruins fan, I can never bring myself to say anything positive about the school, so I’ll just say that it’s academics are no longer horrible, and it’s not only for rich but dumb students anymore. </p>

<p>CalTech: For those in the know about colleges, this is one of the best schools in the world. The majority of Californians however mistake it for one of the Cal Polys. </p>

<p>Claremonts: Another one where those who know anything about colleges know that these schools are incredible. The vast majority of Californians will just give you a blank look if you boast that you or your friend is going to Pomona College. Actually they probably won’t give you a blank look, but instead congratulate you on making it into Cal Poly Pomona. </p>

<p>Pepperdine: The school where Porches are considered ghetto and one of the few places in LA where being a hyper conservative Republican is so normal, it’s expected. </p>

<p>Santa Clara: Catholic school for NorCal kids. Good computer science program. Don’t know much else about it. </p>

<p>Stanford: The best school in California. Among the top California high school seniors, it’s often seen as more prestigious than any of the Ivies (including Harvard). </p>

<p>USF: Somehow manages to be a Catholic school where the majority of guys are gay. In the middle of the city, and a nice alternative to SF State for the average B student.</p>

1189

<p>UT-A: Liberal, best public school in Texas</p>

<p>Texas A&M: Conservative, cult like alumni</p>

<p>Texas State: Had a 2.0 HS GPA? Come on in!</p>

1190

<p>North Carolina:</p>

<p>Duke: hands-down the best school in the state (and among the best universities in the country), students sometimes seen as snobbish
UNC-Chapel Hill: hands-down the best PUBLIC school in the state (and among the best PUBLIC universities in the country)
NC State: very prestigious engineering an design programs, strong academics overall; but is often seen as UNC-CH’s little brother school
Wake Forest: strong private university, second-banana to Duke, very preppy
Appalachian State: considered to be a hippe dippie school full of pot-smokers; it has pretty good academics, but is overshadowed by NC’s better schools
Western Carolina: it’s in the mountains like App State, but it’s full of rednecks instead of hippies; this school let’s just about anyone in
Davidson: a very good private liberal arts school located near Charlotte; despite its academic rigor and selectivity, the school is often an afterthought
East Carolina: NC’s unofficial party school, it is nicknamed EZU; despite some strong graduate programs, the school lets just about anybody in
UNC Wilmington: pretty much like Appalachian State, only near the beach instead of the mountains
UNC Asheville: offers a strong liberal arts education, seen as being full of artsy hipsters
UNC Greensboro: originally a women’s college, it has a reputation for being full of girls and gay guys; pretty mediocre academics
UNC Charlotte: kind of decent academics, pretty inclusive admissions; located near Uptown Charlotte, it is the most ethnically diverse school in the UNC system
Campbell: a baptist-affiliated private school, it’s where all of NC’s “Bible thumpers” go; located in the middle of nowhere
Elon: another decent private university, its athletic teams used to be called the “Fightin’ Christians”; it wasn’t until 2000 that the school realized that was pretty messed up
Shaw: a historically black college, it’s located in downtown Raleigh; this place is pretty ghetto, with rundown dorms; I feel kind of sorry for its students</p>

1191

<p>what are your opinions on Rowan university?</p>

1192

<h2>To add a little more about a couple of the downstate universities in Illinois</h2>

<h2>Illinois State - Large University that continues to grow responsibly. Many new buildings, and the the football field is getting a large facelift right now. They do have a good reputation for Education, but they also have nursing, along with all the other offerings. They have an excellent business school, including insurance (I think it’s the Katie school?). Two large insurance companies are located in Bloomington - so lots of support and great opportunities for jobs.</h2>

<h2>IWU - also located down the street from ISU. Excellent music program, but also good business</h2>

<h2>Southern IL U - Edwardsville - beautiful campus, somewhat more rural, and very different from SIU-Carbondale. Edwardsville promotes themselves as being the most affordable public university in the state. They have a lot of newer buildings, lots of land. Good engineering, pre-med, along with the usual.</h2>

<h2>Southern IL - Carbondale - Much larger, still working off it’s reputation as a big party school. They have one of the only Aviation programs in the state.</h2>

<p>Western - Known for Law Enforcement and Agriculture</p>

1193

<p>california: these are mine, and our areas perspective(santa monica)</p>

<p>ucla- asians, and if you get in your a genius
usc- my dad, cousins, and grandparents all went to ucla, but sc is good for some things( business and film), but not at football anymore, boom
uci- davis and la and berkeley asian rejects( im not steryeotyping)
ucsb- everyone wants to go there, but not because of academics, very selective
berkeley- asians(common theme maybe), again your a genius if you get in
santa cruz- hippies
riverside- everyones safety, and it’s riverside come on
davis- " where’s Davis?" berkeley and ucla rejects, or you like agriculture
merced- " where’s that?" i honestly dont have a clue</p>

<p>lmu- expensive, good reputation here
pepperdine- all i know is they have a olympian as their water polo coach
sdsu- party
ucsd- engineering, parties at sdsu
sf state- pretty good
cal poly- engineering, on the rise, same par as top tier uc’s in quality i think
santa clara- jesuit? catholic? actually idk
sjsu- its right in downtown
cal state la- ghetto
and santa monica college: either your asian and going to a uc, or your anyone else going to a uc, or you spending 3-5 years there not getting classes</p>

<p>im probably going to uiowa though</p>

1194

<p>Adding on to blueslipper’s comments about Downstate Illinois:</p>

<p>ISU - I had numerous friends who graduated from there in the 80’s. They are primarily working in Chicago’s Business and Financial sectors. All doing very well for themselves. The campus was a pit in the 70’s & 80’s. I toured it recently and was surprised how nice it is. Spoke with some professors and was very impressed. Good for business & education. </p>

<p>UIS - I am biased, my son attends UIS (University of Illinois at Springfield). It is very similar to a private LAC with the perks of the University of Illinois system. The merit aid for smart kids is almost unparalleled. It is well known for political science. Many students intern and are employed at the state capitol. It also has small science departments. I’ve met students who were accepted into medical schools & other grad schools while having little or no debt. </p>

<p>Knox - The closest that you’ll get to an East Coast LAC. It is one of the prettiest campuses in Illinois. Great education albeit expensive. Reputation of Knox graduates that they go to U of C graduate schools. </p>

<p>SIU - Carbondale - During the 70’s & 80’s, it had the reputation around Illinois as a party school. When I moved out west (to New Mexico), the professors asked me why I left Illinois. SIU had world class research going on there. They inferred that I was foolish not to attend SIU.</p>

<p>EIU - Reputation as the modern party school. But every graduate that I meet always has fond memories of Eastern. All are working in their fields and are doing well for themselves.</p>

<p>Wheaton College - It’s not a central or southern Illinois college but it’s reputation is unusual. When ever I hear people talk about Wheaton College, they mention how conservative it is. And they bring up the students who disappeared in the late 80’s. There was a manhunt for months. It turned out they ran away to be with each other. I think that “creepy” reputation still sticks around. </p>

<p>Couple of side notes -
While touring WIU, my kids both noted that none of the students were talking to each other, laughing or even smiling. They both nixed WIU just because it didn’t look like a place where the kids were happy.</p>

<p>All in all - In the Chicago area business & legal communities, I see a lot of DePaul, Loyola, UIC, UIUC, Iowa & ISU grads. There are a few UC & Northwestern grads, but not s many as you would think.</p>

1195

<p>I am a native of Kentucky. Since it is very underrepresented on this thread (and my new state of California dominates), I will focus on Kentucky.</p>

<p>I don’t want to elaborate since I’m lazy. However, I will rank the public and private universities of the state, first by perception and respect, then by (based on alums I’ve met and what I’ve learned about the colleges) academic quality.</p>

<p>PUBLIC: PERCEPTION & RESPECT

  1. U. of Kentucky: THE only school in Kentucky as far as many residents are concerned. MUCH better than the academically stronger Centre or Berea simply because it has the beloved Wildcats basketball team. I kid you not.
  2. U. of Louisville: the school in the “big, bad city” that most Kentuckians love to hate because it’s not in a rural area and the Cardinals are an inferior program to “the 'Cats.” Ranks as high as it does because of engineering and business.
  3. Western Kentucky
  4. Murray State
  5. (tie) Morehead State, Eastern Kentucky and Northern Kentucky are all about “the same thing.”
  6. Kentucky State</p>

<p>PUBLIC: ACADEMICS

  1. Murray State: no, I’m not an alum. Murray is just a great school!
  2. (tie) Kentucky and Louisville
  3. (tie) Western Kentucky and Northern Kentucky
  4. Morehead State
  5. Eastern Kentucky
  6. Kentucky State</p>

<p>TOP TEN PRIVATE: PERCEPTION & RESPECT

  1. Centre: well-deserved respect, I might add.
  2. Transylvania
  3. Bellarmine
  4. Georgetown College
  5. Berea
  6. Pikeville
  7. Kentucky Wesleyan
  8. Thomas More
  9. Lindsey Wilson
  10. (tie) Cumberlands, Sullivan, or Asbury</p>

<p>TOP TEN PRIVATE: ACADEMICS

  1. Centre
  2. Berea: never overlook this school if you come from a low income household!
  3. Transylvania: challenging but frankly a “rich kids’ school.”
  4. (tie) Kentucky Wesleyan and Asbury. Asbury is underrated on the state and national levels in terms of perception, the academic quality is quite good from what I’ve seen.
  5. Sullivan: very career and workforce-oriented while still having reasonably good academics. Campuses in Louisville, Lexington and Fort Knox, so they cover central Kentucky well.
  6. Pikeville: gaining more respect and recognition now that they have a college of osteopathic medicine.
  7. Cumberlands
  8. Georgetown College
  9. Thomas More</p>
1196

<p>And, what the hell, I’ll rank California schools.</p>

<p>UC system:

  1. Berkeley: duh!
  2. UCLA: duh!
  3. San Francisco (for professional programs only)
  4. (tie) San Diego and Irvine: UC-Irvine is a rapidly rising school NOT to be underestimated on the national and international scale.
  5. Santa Barbara: if not for natural sciences and physics, I’m not sure it would rank so highly.
  6. Davis
  7. Riverside
  8. Santa Cruz
  9. Merced: I have hopes for this school.</p>

<p>CAL STATE system I won’t rank entirely because there are 30 some-odd campuses. But, I’ll list the top ten from what I’ve learned, heard or perceived.

  1. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo: every bit as good as mid-tier UCs, as well as arguably the best engineering and architecture programs in all of California’s public universities.
  2. San Jose
  3. Cal Poly Pomona: don’t forget about it. Hidden gem.
  4. San Diego
  5. Long Beach
  6. Northridge
  7. Fullerton
  8. Chico
  9. (tie) Humboldt, Monterey Bay or Sacramento</p>

<p>PRIVATE (again, top ten):

  1. Caltech: yeah, I’m serious, it’s #1.
  2. Stanford: certainly not overrated.
  3. Claremont College consortium: it is seven colleges and universities, all among the very best in the nation. These are Pomona, Claremont McKenna, Claremont Graduate, Scripps, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer, and KGI. But, I will treat this is one college since there are so many other private colleges in this state to list.
  4. USC: overrated or not, it’s still premier.
  5. Occidental
  6. Santa Clara
  7. Loyola Marymount
  8. Marymount College
  9. Pepperdine
  10. (tie) Chapman or USF</p>
1197

<p>I’ll take a stab at Colorado, for my first post on this forum:</p>

<p>1) University of Denver (DU)–doesn’t blow the other schools away in a ton of categories, but I think it’s the best overall school, and its reputation is gaining by the year. Amazing facilities built on campus in the last 10-15 years. Really tremendous progress in that respect–amazing new law school building, new business school, the Ritchie Center, etc. DU is known for small class sizes, which gives it an advantage over the big state schools. DU also allows students to study abroad, for the same price as it is to study on campus. Huge benefit, in my opinion. Top notch hockey and lacrosse teams (both top 5 nationally) provide something to cheer for. DU is comfortably ahead of CU and CSU in overall rankings, and its business school is known as the best in the state. Law school doesn’t rank as highly as Colorado (65 vs. 45?), but recent trajectory indicates that DU law could catch CU law over the next 4-5 years. DU’s reputation is hurt by being known as a rich kids’ school. This may come with the territory with a big price tag and ski resorts close by. DU also needs to do more work in building a national, rather than a regional, reputation. I might send my child elsewhere if finances are an issue. But if not, then DU would be the top choice in Colorado. The private school prestige doesn’t hurt. Seems to be the choice of our top students in Colorado–I think I read that more Boettcher scholars (cream of the crop Colo. students who can attend any college in Colo. for free) attend DU, than any other Colorado school. DU is really on an upswing over the past 15 years, and doesn’t appear to be slowing down.</p>

<p>2) Colorado College (CC)–an excellent liberal arts school. Fantastic reputation, also comes with the private school prestige, and the block plan is an intriguing way to get an education. One course taken at a time during each block. Nice campus in the middle of an older part of Colorado Springs. Always ranked highly amongst small liberal arts schools, but reputation gets a bit lost in the shuffle, due to the school being so small, and due to its being nestled in Colorado Springs. If my child knew he or she wanted a strong liberal arts education, CC would be the choice. Not as well rounded of a school as DU or CU, but enjoys an excellent reputation for what it does well–a rigorous liberal arts education. Good hockey team, too. </p>

<p>3) Colorado School of Mines: known as having the highest admission standards of any school in Colorado, except perhaps the USAFA. If you have always wanted to be an engineer, it’s hard to imagine a better choice than Mines. If you’re not sure about that, it may not be the best place to explore your options in life. Also known for it’s unfavorable (to men) male-female ratio. Great salary upon graduating may make up for that.</p>

<p>4) CU-Boulder–has some excellent programs, and a well-regarded law school. A nice campus, too. However, its reputation takes a big hit due to the party school factor–and this is a case where the reputation appears to meet reality. Recent scandals on campus have not helped, as the ranking seems to be falling with every year. CU has some cache with out of state students looking for a nice campus near the mountains. But it does not strike me as a daring place for graduating Colorado high school students to go to college with everyone that they knew in high school. The price is right by attending an in-state school, but if I wanted my child to focus on academics, I would choose one of the schools listed above. </p>

<p>5) Colorado State (CSU): a good school, in the great town of Fort Collins. May suffer reputationally a bit because its admission standards are not as rigorous as the schools listed above. Sometimes seems to play 2nd banana in the large school competition with CU. I get the sense that you get a good education for the money here, and I am completely guessing that a student would have more focus as a Ram than as a Buffalo. But CSU gets a bit lost in the shuffle, due to middling admission requirements and a location in northern Colorado. Should be said that the location offers many benefits, as well, for students who enjoy the outdoors. Rooting for CSU to step it up a bit. </p>

<p>I don’t include AFA in this list–obviously, wonderful reputation, incredibly rigorous admission requirements, but a bit of a specialty school for obvious reasons. University of Northern Colorado has a great reputation for its music school and teaching programs, but just doesn’t get the name recognition and reputation as other schools in Colorado. The location in Greeley is nice, but remote.</p>

1198

<p>Princeton “You already know”: Rich kids, typical Ivy elitism, typical Ivy intellectualism, typical Ivy school spirit</p>

<p>Rutgers “The state school”: rising reputation, half of the school went to HS with you, in an awesome city that’s just as crazy as the school is perceived to be</p>

<p>Rowan “The other school”: for those who didn’t get into Rutgers or didn’t want to go there, middle of nowhere, much smaller than Rutgers</p>

<p>TCNJ “The wannabe Princeton”: unwarranted elitism</p>

1199

<p>Arizona</p>

<p>ASU is a party school and you will always just be a number there.</p>

<p>NAU is for hippies and ugly people
 an NAU 9 is an ASU 4. </p>

<p>UA is a crappy place to live (Tucson sucks) and is only useful if you’re going into a medical field.</p>

1200

<p>UCSD-full of bio majors
UCSB-party school
SDSU-party school
UCLA-good education, full of future doctors
USC-expensive and in the ghetto</p>