<p>I know school rivalries are mostly predicated on sports, but sometimes these rivalries transcend the playing field and enter the realm of academics. Sometimes schools with no sports teams strike up rivalries with each other based purely on academics. Since collegecondfidential is more intellectual than the general public, I thought you guys might wanna discuss the most equal and most unequal academic rivalries out there. Here's my list:</p>
<p>Most Equal (academic-prestige wise):</p>
<p>Yale vs. Harvard
MIT vs. Caltech
Ohio vs. Michigan State
UCLA vs. USC</p>
<p>Most Unequal (academic-prestose wise):</p>
<p>Duke vs. UNC Chapel Hill
Stanford vs. Berkeley
Princeton vs. Penn</p>
<p>this used to be much more unequal than it is today. maybe employers and a select group of students/parents recognize USC as on par academically with USC, but the vast majority of people who have been following this athletic rivalry for years will think USC being academically par with UCLA is the biggest joke ever. in fact, even as recently as 5 years ago it would've still been a joke. like shrek2004 stated, PUBLIC PERCEPTION of USC as an academic equal to UCLA isn't too popular, and the academic quality is much more skewed toward UCLA than it is here on collegeconfidential. as for athletic rivalry, then they're relatively equal... USC advantage in football, UCLA advantage in basketball, and both dominate some non-spectator sports like tennis, volleyball, water polo, etc. </p>
<p>i think UT-Austin vs. Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma (or heck, the entire Big 12) are academically lopsided. </p>
<p>I think Vanderbilt could hold an academically lopsided rivalry... if it could actually start an athletic one in the SEC.</p>
<p>Please, can we let this thread die before it starts to pick up some speed. We all know where its going, a big argument about Cal and Stanfurd. Its been done to death and doesn't do anyone any good except ultra-trolls like Uber and Gutrade.</p>
<p>"this used to be much more unequal than it is today"</p>
<p>Exactly. Today, USC has surpassed UCLA in several select categories and anyone who doesn't subscribe to anachronistic and outdated stereotypes realizes that they are on par. As much as UCLA students would like things to be how they were in the past, even recent past as you mentioned kfc4u, this is not so anymore. </p>
<p>If you want to base your argument on popular perception then I unfortunately would have toagree with you. But if reality...</p>
<p>as a san francisco native, i must say this: hotel and restaurant management program at CCSF: very good, well respected, more useful than a degree from many liberal arts colleges, if a job is what your looking for. With that said, stop being a prestige whore. </p>
<p>Stanford and Berkeley are not equal, but they do not belong as "most unequal" by any means. </p>
<p>I think Northwestern vs. The rest of the big ten (except michigan of course, and possible illinois urbana-champ for engineering) is pretty unequal academically. </p>
<p>UCLA = great school with an excuse for a football team
USC = good school that IS the excuse given for making a football team</p>
<p>generally, schools arent going to be rivals with schools that arent of similar academic stature, because usually rivalries develop when students ended up choosing one school over another, and then feel inclined to remind the other school why they didnt choose it. </p>
<p>With that said, you do have one glaring omission:
The Frozen Four hockey tournament features a few same great schools every year. North Dakota and Boston College have a rivalry in this. Thats pretty unequal, i would say.
In the Boston Beanpot hockey tournament, four schools have a pretty harsh rivalry: Harvard, BC, BU and Northeastern.
I think we can agree that a Harvard-Northeastern hockey grudge is pretty unequal academically.</p>
<p>lol. take a look at rooster's location and you will understand why he is saying that. All i've gotta say is go and look at grad school rankings. WE're comparing Universities here, not their undergrad departments. </p>
<p>Rooster- don't be mad Berkeley stomped Stanford this year (41-6). don't hate, congratulate.</p>
<p>TheCity- I'm from the East Bay and I was just talking about the way Uber is obssessed with prestige. I have no problem with him at CC, but I just don't see why he is so obssessed with these top notch universities when he himself is not at one of them. He has an unhealthy obsession with the elite privates.</p>