<p>Ahh, the age-old controversy. Well, not so much age-old as...as old as Generation Y's ever-connectedness and the '90s baby-boom effect on college admissions! </p>
<p>What are the benefits of State School? </p>
<p>What are the benefits of the Ivy League? </p>
<p>Is the education THAT substantially different? </p>
<p>...Well, personally, I would fit in better with a smaller, private school. I just mesh better with the kinds of people that are attracted there opposed to The Institution. However, I really realize my fate is most likely state school! (Which I'm fine with, by the way)</p>
<p>Can a public institution funded by a state government that's billions of dollars in debt really provide the same level of education as an overpriced private school?!</p>
<p>State schools tend to be bigger. For those students who didn't want to be lost in a sea of 25000 undergrads, that might be bad, but some of them have honors programs or something like that. </p>
<p>Ivy League has the long-standing and far-reaching prestige, but many state schools actually do provide an excellent education, and it is often less expensive especially for in-state residents.</p>
<p>There are of course, geniuses at state universities, but I agree that the overall caliber of the student body is much higher at an Ivy League school and therefore I like the atmosphere better. There is a huge difference between the average intellectual capacity at a place like Brown and a random under-funded public. Also, big schools tend to streamline the process more, and it's less likely you'll leave your 4 PM class with a Nobel Laureate and then bump into a media guru who just happens to be on campus. Of course I'm not saying this doesn't happen at state universities, but the opportunities just aren't the same. Any ambitious student can make opportunities for himself/herself wherever the student is though.</p>
<p>The worst type of school to go to is somewhere like Johnson and Wales, where they suck the money out of you, only to provide a laughable education featuring less-than-stellar professors, crappy dorms, and no real career options after college unless you're into hospitality and culinary arts. Sounds harsh, but generally true.</p>
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...but I agree that the overall caliber of the student body is much higher at an Ivy League school and therefore I like the atmosphere better. There is a huge difference between the average intellectual capacity at a place like Brown and a random under-funded public.
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<p>I'm curious whether you've experienced both atmospheres with equivalent amounts of time and energy.</p>
<p>State schools might not be as bad as you think. I go to Ohio State and am in the honors program. Really, if you get into an honors college at a big state state school, it's like a small ivy league school within a huge research university. For example, at Ohio State, about 1/5 kids in the freshman class are in the honors program, which you MUST have at least a 30 on the ACT to get into. So, that's over a thousand kids in the freshman class alone, and it's comparable throughout other classes at the university. You take classes with them and live with them. Sometimes I think that the only thing an ivy league school would change would be the price, because the people I interact with are usually extremely intelligent.</p>
<p>The quality of your fellow students and the quality of the faculty is much better at the Ivies. Much better education and overall experience at the Ivies. Great for self-confidence. The prestige of being associated with the Ivy League has benefits. Wonderful culture and academic climate at Ivies.</p>
<p>There are 4 or 5 excellent public universities that might win the cost-benefits analysis for students with financial concerns but otherwise there is no contest. At least not if academic quality is your criterion.</p>
<p>Not necessarily. I know some kids that go to ivy league schools, and even they are jealous of my situation. Public schools are usually more generous. In fact, if I keep on the track I'm on, Ohio State will have paid me over $20000 extra, in addition to paying for tuition, room and board, etc. by the time I graduate. If you're intelligent enough to get into an ivy league school, you could probably get a similar deal at a respected state school. Plus, if you go to an ivy league school, you'd be just another fish in the pond. If you go to a state school, you could really distinguish yourself, all the while getting paid to get a degree.</p>
<p>In the state vs Ivy debate, I like to consider whether the student intends to go to grad school. Regardless of your ability to pay or receive financial aid, I think for many students grad school is where you want to step up to the Ivys or similar. There are many terrific state options for your undergrad degree with plenty of very intelligent students, but without the uber-competitiveness of the Tier 1's. Remember - it's a little bit your comfort and happiness, too.</p>
<p>Unless your family income is greater than $180,000, most Ivies will be cheaper than state schools. At around $60,000 family income, about half are completely free. So the first benefit is tha they're dirt cheap.</p>
<p>The single greatest distinction in quality between institutions is the talent of the student body that will be your peer group. Everything else - including what happens in the classroom - is secondary to the influence of being lifted up or weighted down by your fellow students.</p>
<p>^ I know plenty of people at Cornell who make about that or less and have great financial aid packages (with mostly grants). And at Harvard and some other Ivies, that aid would be even better</p>
<p>I would do undergraduate at a reputed state school and save money, get good grades and stuff and apply for admission at a Ivy for graduate studies</p>
<p>I've had difficulty understanding what the difference is. Can someone who's actually been to a private university AND a public university explain his or her experience? What is the difference? I never hear from someone who's been to both. There are lots of high schoolers who seem to know all about the difference between colleges they have never been to. There are some ivy league graduates who tell you that there's no difference. There are some public university graduates who tell you there's no difference. But there are so few people who've been to both who can explain the difference.</p>
<p>The difference has more to do with selectivity than public versus private although students at private schools may be more serious about studying because of their financial investment. It depends on the quality of the public versus private school. Public schools have a mandate to educate the general population and favor applicants from their home state. Publics tend to be less selective.</p>
<p>There can be a vast difference in the maturity of the students and faculty.</p>
<p>Publics also tend to be large which affects the educational experience.</p>
<p>Another big difference between public and private schools can be the amount of endowment; privates usually have huge reserves which enable them to build fantastic research facilities and attract top-notch professors.
I come from a family of mostly Ivy-Leaguers, although I and my two children attended large public universities. The differences are many, although the life path of each individual has been dictated not so much by the origin of the undergraduate degree, but rather by the determination of the degree holder.
For my family, it was important to find colleges with "Rah-Rah Factors" that were a good fit. For example, an Ivy League school with a large Greek system, frequent parties and great sports teams would have a high RRF. A state school can also have a huge RRF, but it's also easy enough to find one in which the Greek system plays a minor role, the student body is generally tame and the best sports on campus are the intra-murals. A little self-exploration goes a long way in determining what's right for you - and if you end up at a 'good fit' school you'll have a better chance of being happy, and happy students learn well and go farther in life.</p>