Rank the SEC schools from an academic standpoint

College Search & Selection
61

<p>Let’s get serious. Vanderbilt wins the academic beauty contest, but you can find great academics at any of these schools. The really big question is which schools really make their mark in the tailgating world!</p>

<p>If you’ve seen them first-hand, then you likely will agree that the SEC tailgate scenes for college football are without peer. All are pretty darn good and several are downright heavenly and redefine the expression “work hard/play hard” schools. </p>

<p>According to some folks at ESPN, below are their comments on the most prominent tailgate scenes in the SEC and their ranking nationally (only 10 colleges ranked):</p>

<ol>
<li><p>LSU
Nobody cooks like the Cajuns. Walking among the tailgaters here is like strolling through one of Emeril Lagasse's restaurants, including groups serving jambalaya, duck and oyster gumbo, stuffed quail, deer sauce picante, wild duck, cochon de lait, Cajun sausage, crawfish etouffee, rabbit, alligator stew and marinated pork tenderloin. And that was for a non-conference game. More important, LSU plays most games at night, which means you have an entire day to soak it in. The only downside is you may not be able to get yourself into the stadium by the time kickoff rolls around.</p></li>
<li><p>Ole Miss
What one loves best about the Mississippi campus is that the speed limit is 18, in recognition of the jersey number worn by Archie Manning. Tailgating in The Grove is an experience so sublime even native son William Faulkner would be at a loss to describe it. </p></li>
<li><p>Tennessee
With boats able to tie up on the nearby Tennessee River, this offers the nautical experience mixed with SEC passion. Plus, there's better barbecue…and Rocky Top non-stop.</p></li>
<li><p>Auburn
How crazy does it get here? For a game on Labor Day weekend, a fan pulled off the highway and saw the roadside crowded with people tailgating and figured he must be near the stadium. He finally arrived at Jordan-Hare … nine miles later. When he asked the parking attendant at the media lot what time the fans started showing up, the man replied, "Seven in the morning … Thursday morning. And they aren't leaving after the game, either.''</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I think it is a travesty that Florida, Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina weren’t included, but I guess ESPN had to spread the gold stars around….</p>

62

<p>Did I miss something? What does that have to with this thread at all?^</p>

63

<p>Sorry, jotajota. You know, college is about more than just what goes in the classroom. Just trying to add lightness and fun to the discussion.</p>

64

<p>Yeah, SEC is where it's at as far as fun in college goes. You only live once.</p>

65

<p>"I will try to respond in a way you can understand. Penn State students are like totally like way better and stronger than UF, dude."</p>

<p>Sarcasm is a sign of low self esteem. </p>

<p>I gave solid facts about how Penn State has a better funding source on account of their disgustingly expensive in-state tuition. UF on the other hand was ranked the 2nd overall best value in all of higher education by Kiplinger. When the state legislature allows UF to raise the tuition to the national average, then it's not unreasonable to assume that we could catch UIUC and Wisconsin.</p>

66

<p>Ummm . . . generally mediocre to poor, with just a very few exceptions?</p>

67

<p>3 very solid universities, and the rest are building up FAST (with the exception of Mississippi State).</p>

68

<p>"SEC academics" = oxymoron</p>

69

<p>


</p>

<p>Not to quibble, but . . . "by general acceptance" New York is variously placed in the "East," "Northeast," or "Mid-Atlantic" regions, all subsets of "the North" along with that portion of what is commonly called the "Midwest" (or sometimes the "Great Lakes" or, to the U.S. Census Bureau, "East North Central" region) that was settled primarily by Yankees, took up the abolitionist cause in the ante-bellum years, joined the Northern cause in the Civil War and Reconstruction, and underwent the same rapid industrialization, urbanization, and waves of immigration from Ireland and Eastern and Southern Europe in the late 19th Century as did cities further to the East, as well as the same waves of migration of the Black diaspora from the South in the twentieth century. In short, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa are just as much a part of "the North" as is New York, though New York is in the "Northeast" or "Mid-Atlantic" subset and Michigan is in the "Midwest" subset of that larger category.</p>

<p>Some other states further to the west---the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas---also consider themselves to be "Midwest" but they have a very different history, and less in common economically, culturally, socially, and historically with places like Michigan and Ohio than the latter have with places like Pennsylvania and upstate New York. I wouldn't place these Great Plains states in "the North," notwithstanding their northerly latitudes; nor would I place Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, or Alaska in "the North" as they also have a very different history. The historic divide over slavery, abolitionism, the civil War, and Reconstruction is what defines "the North" and "the South" in the United States. States that came later and therefore do not share that history cannot be placed into either "the North" or "the South." In other words, although Montana is in the north, it is not part of "the North" as that term is commonly used; and although Arizona is in the south, it is not part of "the South." Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa, however, are most definitely part of "the North," every bit as much as New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.</p>

<p>The dictionary I have in front of me (Random House Webster's College Dictionary) concurs. Under various definitions of "north," it has a separate listing for "the North" which it defines as "the northern area of the United States, esp. the states that fought to preserve the Union in the Civil War." </p>

<p>Wikipedia, taking a broader view, adds several other definitions of "the North":
* in international relations, "the wealthy and technologically advanced nations" as opposed to the developing South;
* in Canada, "Northern Canada, generally understood as comprising the three territories, or coincident lands";
* in Italy, "the richer richer industrial and commercial heartland of the country" as opposed to the poorer and primarily agricultural South;
* in the UK, "the area of England north of the Midlands," though sometimes including parts of the Midlands and occasionally also Scotland;
* and in the United States, "those states which supported preserving the Union during the American Civil War (see U.S. Northern States)." </p>

<p>Following the link to "U.S. Northern States" brings you to a page where Wikipedia notes that the "northern United States," a region "most Americans refer to as 'the North'", is divided into two sub-regions, "the Midwest and Northeast." Wikipedia then goes on to discuss the pre-Civil War origins of the great historic division between "the North" and "the South" that I describe above.</p>

<p>So tomslawsky, it appears your rather narrow definition of "the North" as what most people describe as "the Northeast" is the non-standard and idiosyncratic one. My broader definition is the common usage.</p>

70

<p>There's a lot of insulting of Mississippi State going on in this thread. I would venture to say that those of you insulting State have probably never even set foot on its campus. I am a proud graduate and would not go back and change my experiences there for the world.</p>

<p>I was a 4.0 student in high school with above a 30 on the ACT. I could have gone any number of places but chose State because of the friendly atmosphere on the campus.</p>

<p>I had an outstanding academic experience there that prepared me for both a master's and Ph.D. later in my academic career. I am still in touch with so many people from my days there who are doctors, attorneys, vets, architects, etc. My roommate from State also later obtained her Ph.D.</p>

<p>I guess I just don't get the whole "prestige" thing. I had four fantastic and challenging years of college that I didn't have to pay too much money for. (In fact, because of scholarships, I actually didn't pay a dime.) Because of that decision, I was debt free the day I graduated from college and now make a great salary and live a happy life. I wouldn't trade my experiences at Mississippi State for four years at an ivy with $200,000 in debt at the end for anything! I've gotten every single job I've ever applied for so I don't feel that attending Mississippi State has held me back in any way.</p>

<p>State has a great architecture program as well as an outstanding engineering school. They also have a good vet school and are known nationally for their Professional Golf Management and agriculture programs. There are countless great professors there and so many faculty and staff members let me know that cared about me and my education.</p>

<p>I'm not so much insulted by people who are ranking State towards the bottom of the SEC, but I am bothered by people who are insulting the SEC in general academically. There are some outstanding graduates of all 12 schools. Do they let in more people than more prestigious schools? Sure, but that doesn't mean those people finish and it doesn't mean the quality of the education you receive there is poor. I'm married to one of the most brilliant people I've ever met and he went to Auburn. If you are going to stay in the south, the networking opportunities available to you if you attend an SEC school are huge.</p>

71

<p>nyccard- Your comments are the reason Yankees have a bad reputation down here in the south. Fine with us- stay home and leave the SEC schools to those who can appreciate the quality of education AND college life. You are really showing some astounding ignorance. I have a kid at an Ivy who is seriously considering a SEC law school and has a lot of respect for the SEC schools in general. Same with my daughter who is a Rice grad and a Vanderbilt grad student. Big universities aren't for everyone, but don't knock something just because you have your head up your a $$.</p>

<p>I agree about Mississippi State. It has a lot to offer and while it might wind up on the bottom of this particular list, it is still an excellent school.</p>

72

<p>Vandy
Georgia
Florida
Tennessee
Alabama
South Carolina
Auburn
Kentucky
LSU
Miss. State
Arkansas
Ole Miss</p>

<p>I live in Mississippi and have a sister at Ole Miss. Both of my parents have degrees from Ole Miss. They would agree that Ole Miss is last.</p>

73

<p>You SEC fans will enjoy this. I came down south to work an aerospace job after graduating from MIT and working a year in private consulting. I was a cocky SOB with (maybe) the typical CCer's bias toward northern elite universities. My first boss was a lowly 'Bama grad, and I figured I'd have his job within 6 months.</p>

<p>Didn't happen. I was humbled by his brilliance after the first week of working with him, and quickly realized he was <em>way</em> out of my league. Today, he remains my most esteemed mentor. And he wasn't an outlier...I found lots of extremely capable SEC grads around me...equaling if not exceeding the abilities of myself and those of my colleagues with "elite educations".</p>

<p>Bottom line. I learned...and am now a fan of the SEC.</p>

74

<p>And let's not forget that both Mississippi State and U of Mississippi have very good Literature/English/Writing departments. So what just are we supposed to be ranking?</p>

75

<p>Overall undergrad education. </p>

<p>Or try rank for me the best undergrad business schools in the SEC? I know Vandy does not have one, but don't know where other schools like 'Bama, UGA and LSU stand.</p>

76

<p>I concur with MomofWildChild. Amen to all of that! </p>

<p>Georgia, by the way, is very, very highly regarded academically and is becoming very selective, particularly for OOS students.</p>

<p>And yes, sports DO matter to a lot of people in college and there is NOTHING wrong with that. </p>

<p>Vanderbilt beating Florida this year was sweet! Really sweet.</p>

77

<p>...yeah, it might have been sweet. But it didn't happen.</p>

78

<p>"And let's not forget that both Mississippi State and U of Mississippi have very good Literature/English/Writing departments. So what just are we supposed to be ranking?"</p>

<p>Not necessarily, Ole Miss just capitalizes on Faulkner, and State on Grisham. Neither is truly spectacular. They're not bad though.</p>

79

<p>Florida > Georgia</p>

<p>Better endowment
Better faculty
Better academics
Better undergraduates
Better athletics</p>

80

<p>
[quote]
Interesting that the only two SEC publics that can compete nationally happen to be in the two states most culturally affected by northern transplants. Just saying...

[/quote]
</p>

<p>A ridiculous and ignorant statement. Georgia is not more "northernized" than Tennessee or North Carolina.</p>

<p>I think the success of UGa and UF has more to do with the fact the Georgia and Florida have the highest populations of states in the SEC. Higher population = higher tax base.</p>