<p>I'm a junior now at Southeastern Louisiana University in microbiology. A while back I was offered free rides to LSU, SLU, and Tulane, but ultimately decided to come to SLU for a more hometown feel along with smaller class sizes. Recently I've found a few of my friends like to pick on SLU as if it's an inferior institution. </p>
<p>Why is that? After attending a few events at LSU while I was still a high school senior, I realized that it doesn't matter where you go to school in our area, because you have to make the best out of your education no matter your location. Are my friends in the minority in such a mindset, or is it really a generally consensus?</p>
<p>It’s typical behavior of insecure individuals. People will latch on to anything to make themselves feel superior to others. It’s really no different from KKK members who use race to claim superiority when in reality it’s just plain ignorant.</p>
<p>LSU gets this type of stuff from Tulane, and LSU naturally returns the favor to ULL and SLU. </p>
<p>Don’t worry about it. You will likely be far more successful than the friends ragging on you. </p>
<p>In all probability they mean it in good fun. It’s a way of keeping you at their level.</p>
<p>Good luck with your education and beyond.</p>
<p>I went to Tulane and am from Louisiana. I know exactly what you are talking about. My family is all from alabama and it’s not the same there. There, as far as I can tell, if you’re going to college, you’re going to college. People think it’s great that someone is trying to better themselves. Here, it seems to be different. </p>
<p>Actually what really bothers me is that people seem to disparage people who go to UNO, which is a division 1 school. They also really pick on kids/people who attend Delgado. Listen, if someone is attending a community college, they probably haven’t had the easiest journey thus far in life. And even if they had, that person is going to school and putting in the work hours to get their degree. </p>
<p>Don’t listen to those that disparage. I don’t look down on other schools in the state if it’s any consolation. By some accounts, I should be able to. I went to Ben Franklin High School in New Orleans (#4 magnet school in the US) and on to Tulane full ride. I don’t because I’m not an idiot/jerk and I don’t judge someone based on things like that.</p>
<p>I lived in Missouri until I was 10 and, like alabama, there’s little if any condescension based on schools for the most part. Louisiana is worse than those two states that I’ve had experience with for some reason. I think LSUGuy is right in that it’s usually in good fun. It does tend to go too far and happen too often here in LA but I wouldn’t worry about it. </p>
<p>Now, if you are talking sports, then all of the gloves are off. :)</p>
<p>Also, I returned to Tulane to get my Master of Finance. I took classes with MBA’s who looked down on me because I was getting an MFin and not an MBA. </p>
<p>I was older than they were and had more work experience than they did. This sort of thing happens in life. Once the few of them that figured out I was more qualified than them to be there realized it, they completely changed their tune. They had already left their mark in my mind though as not worth my time. Trust me in that they’ll be hurt more in life by their attitude than you could ever be by your degree/credentials. </p>
<p>As a feather in your cap, the guy who was the worst in grad school to me and others BEFORE he figured out I’d worked on Wall St. and was his age, isn’t ‘working out’ at his hedge and is about to be replaced by, get this, a kid straight out of undergrad. His attitude is costing him his career. Being a nice guy, or at least not a jerk will help in life. It truly will.</p>
<p>There’s nothing wrong with SLU.</p>
<p>I am dual-enrolled at SLU. Growing up in Hammond, we see SLU as Slow Learners University. The general consensus around here is that SLU IS an inferior institution… and I kind of believe it. I think you know you are at the right place if you see yourself working for the same salary and the same jobs as the graduates. I don’t know of any high-rollers that graduated from SLU. Also, I don’t feel like the quality of students is all there. The only classes I have taken are the entry-course General Ed. Requirements, but it seems just like high school. People are still looking for attention, and are not interested in their coursework. I am hoping that the attitude is a little different at LSU.</p>
<p>I think that SLU has a good bio program though. We have some kind of west-nile research thing, so I guess thats good. </p>
<p>This is all coming from a high school senior, so all of this is just my opinion based on no merit. I’m sure that there are successful SLU graduates, but it just seemed to me like I had a better chance of climbing the industry ladder at LSU. The others who answered your question are probably more credible sources.</p>
<p>Good Luck,
stev</p>
<p>Louisiana has like 15 public 4-year institutions, and they can’t all be equal. LSU is now officially designated as the flagship school of the state, and will have funding to complement that status.
Is it a better school?
Let’s define better–bigger (means niche interests have the numbers to make a difference), more professors, more opportunities, larger variety of classes, and a larger budget.</p>
<p>So I suppose it is a better school, but if you spend your days drunk partying you won’t really notice the difference either way. It’ll still be what you make of it.</p>
<p>“The only classes I have taken are the entry-course General Ed. Requirements, but it seems just like high school. People are still looking for attention, and are not interested in their coursework. I am hoping that the attitude is a little different at LSU.”</p>
<p>Sadly, for the most part not really. If you take a big intro class, at least half the class will be doing their own thing on a laptop, usually Facebook. A good percentage are their to get their degree in the “social sciences.” The retention rate for second year is lower than most schools around the country because people who are getting D’s or whatever in the easy classes have no shot in the ones you actually need to work for.</p>
<p>You answered you own question my friend. Your degree is what you make of it. All colleges in La have great things to offer; you just have to work for what it’s worth.</p>