The decade's 15 hottest colleges

[blueliner2112]

<p>People go to WashU when they have an overinflated opinion of themselves, then get shut down from the ivies, then don’t get in to Northwestern or UChicago.</p>

<p>Then try to claim that they’re “Just as good” as NW and UChicago.</p>

<p>Is it a “hot” school? Sure. Is it a “good” school next to NW, UChicago, and the Ivies? Absolutely not.</p>

[tk21769]

<p>^^ O.K., this Robertson thing is supposed to develop leadership skills and promote collaboration between Dukies and UNC students. It was endowed by a rich UNC alum with one kid at Duke and one at UNC.</p>

<p>I consider myself a fairly egalitarian guy, but I don’t see how this adds up to some insidious two-tiered system. So 15 favored students get to attend a dweeby dinner party with their fellow Robertsons once a month, while everyone else has to go to the dining hall and eat mystery meat. Is that it?</p>

<p>Interestingguy, are you a Maoist?</p>

[interestingguy]

<p>

Interestingguy, are you a Maoist?

</p>

<p>Neither Maoist nor Taoist am I…</p>

<p>Not Leninist. Not Stalinist. Oh my…</p>

<p>My fellow existentialists hear me cry…</p>

<p>If elitism has no meaning, I die.</p>

[eatsalot]

<p>

I consider myself a fairly egalitarian guy, but I don’t see how this adds up to some insidious two-tiered system. So 15 favored students get to attend a dweeby dinner party with their fellow Robertsons once a month, while everyone else has to go to the dining hall and eat mystery meat. Is that it?

</p>

<p>Exactly. Duke Robertson Scholars are treated no differently with “special benefits” than Columbia Scholars of Ben Franklin Scholars at Penn. Seriously, the only difference is that Duke isn’t tied down by the name “Ivy” and able is able to offer the bigger incentive of money, something Columbia and Penn or the other (non HYP) top schools may want to offer as well.</p>

<p>Columbia: [FREQUENTLY</a> ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ) | Student Affairs](<a href=“http://www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/scholars/Frequently_Asked_Questions.php]FREQUENTLY”>FAQs | Columbia College and Columbia Engineering)

Q: How does one become a Scholar?
A: Scholars are selected by the Office of Admissions during the application process, based on their academic and extracurricular achievements during high school. All applicants are considered for participation in the Scholars Program; there are no special application forms required.</p>

<p>Q: Are there special opportunities for Scholars?
A: Yes! As a Scholar, you participate in an academic enhancement program featuring speakers, cultural events, meals with faculty and alumni, and year-long and summer internship and research assistantship programs. We are always looking for new opportunities to enrich your experience here at Columbia.

</p>

<p>Penn: [Center</a> for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships](<a href=“Penn CURF”>Penn CURF)

As a new member of the Benjamin Franklin Scholars, you are joining a group of talented individuals at the University of Pennsylvania, and participating in a program designed to help you get the most out of your undergraduate education. The Benjamin Franklin Scholars program is a dynamic blend of dedicated advising, small intensive courses, and opportunities and support for individual research outside the classroom.

</p>

<p>Meh, all schools want to help their best achieve to their fullest potential.</p>

[eatsalot]

<p>Ugh wouldn’t let me edit for some reason, but I just wanted to add that these select top students are not given bountiful resources that you claim that administrations hide from other students. Enough with the inaccurate claims.</p>

[modestmelody]

<p>Because of fear that we would create a tiered system, amongst several other concerns, Brown killed a program a science task force recommended which would create special “scholars” with better access to research. Perhaps it’s because I come from a small school with an open curriculum, but at elite schools the minimum standards should be high enough that no one gets access to better services because they are smart. Getting is the screening, once here, the whole of the institution should get behind you.</p>

[interestingguy]

<p>

@eatsalot

Seriously, the only difference is that Duke isn’t tied down by the name “Ivy” and able [sic] is able to offer the bigger incentive of money, something Columbia and Penn or the other (non HYP) top schools may want to offer as well.

</p>

<p>The Ivy League does not welcome mercenaries, only visionaries…</p>

<p>

@eatsalot

but I just wanted to add that these select top students are not given bountiful resources that you claim that administrations hide from other students.

</p>

<p>Do regular Duke students have “dual citizenship” (read: “full student rights and privileges”) at both Duke and UNC? Yeah, that’s what I thought…</p>

[tk21769]

<p>

The Ivy League does not welcome mercenaries, only visionaries…

</p>

<p>No marginally qualified legacies and athletes? No frankly under-qualified development admits? No “package” kids, celebrities, or “story” kids admitted even in part for their marketing and fund-raising value to the school? Only lovers of learning for learning’s sake committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world, I’m sure.</p>

[warblersrule]

<p>

@interestingguy

Do regular Duke students have “dual citizenship” (read: “full student rights and privileges”) at both Duke and UNC? Yeah, that’s what I thought…

As a matter of fact, they do. All Duke students have check-out privileges at UNC libraries as well as cross-registration privileges (which also provides access to UNC email and Blackboard). Both are easily used with the Robertson bus that runs between the two campuses every 30 minutes.</p>

<p>I took 7 courses at UNC as an undergrad at Duke, including several grad-only seminars, and completed a minor in classical archaeology over there. I researched and catalogued artifacts in the Ackland and the new classical collection at Carolina. Two members of the UNC classics faculty served on my thesis committee, and I was a member of Eta Sigma Phi at UNC…all of this without being a Robertson.</p>

<p>Incidentally, I got into every single archaeology program I applied to (including Brown, Penn, Chicago, Yale, Michigan, and Johns Hopkins) due in large part to my choice of college. Duke is a wonderful university, as is Carolina, and I wouldn’t trade my experiences at either for the world.</p>

<p>It’s been a while since I’ve posted on CC. Nearly two years, in fact. It’s sad to see not much has changed. Good to see you’re still around, hawkette.</p>

[interestingguy]

<p>

@tk21769

No marginally qualified legacies and athletes? No frankly under-qualified development admits? No “package” kids, celebrities, or “story” kids admitted even in part for their marketing and fund-raising value to the school?

</p>

<p>This sounds just like Duke, except no (at least A-list) celebrity would be caught dead going there…</p>

<p>Thanks for helping me make my point. I owe you one! ;)</p>

[interestingguy]

<p>

@tk21769

Quote:
The Ivy League does not welcome mercenaries, only visionaries… </p>

<p>Only lovers of learning for learning’s sake committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world, I’m sure.

</p>

<p>I couldn’t have said it better myself…</p>

[interestingguy]

<p>

Incidentally, I got into every single archaeology program I applied to (including Brown, Penn, Chicago, Yale, Michigan, and Johns Hopkins) due in large part to my choice of college.

</p>

<p>Congratulations, you may finally get to taste ivy after all…</p>

[eatsalot]

<p>Whoa! It’s pretty nice having IG on ignore. :)</p>

[michiganfall]

<p>Based on the posts on CC,i’d say UCB,UCLA,Cornell,Penn are the hottest universities.</p>

[lapras]

<p>

The kids at my hs seem to have a love/hate relationship with Columbia. Many think that the world revolves around NYC; at the same time, they want(ed) to go away for college.

</p>

<p>I’m with you on that one. I’m from NY too, and most of the people that want to stay in the city for college end up at NYU Tisch/Steinhardt. Only 1 person has matriculated to Columbia in the last 4 or so years, and he was legacy/recruit.</p>

[rjkofnovi]

<p>Whoa! It’s pretty nice having IG on ignore. </p>

<p>Doesn’t that work great? It works just as well for hawkette too.</p>

[SWHarborfan]

<p>12-21-2009, 05:53 PM #75
interestingguy
Member</p>

<p>Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 642
Call me cynical!</p>

<p>OR UNHAPPY!!!</p>

[tall_saint]

<p>

People go to WashU when they have an overinflated opinion of themselves, then get shut down from the ivies, then don’t get in to Northwestern or UChicago.</p>

<p>Then try to claim that they’re “Just as good” as NW and UChicago.</p>

<p>Is it a “hot” school? Sure. Is it a “good” school next to NW, UChicago, and the Ivies? Absolutely not.

</p>

<p>You’re right about the first part, with the possible exceptions of Cornell and occasionally Penn/Brown/Dartmouth. Not so sure about your NW/UChicago claim though; most kids here seem to have chosen Wash U from a list that very frequently includes both of those schools.</p>

[chsowlflax17]

<p>I really, even after all this discussion, don’t see the problem with merit scholarships at universities that don’t meet 100% of need. I almost went to my state university rather than Brown because it would pay me to go to school there, whereas Brown I’m going to be tens of thousands of dollars in debt. The goal of these schools is to make their universities better: yes, for MIT, Yale, Harvard, etc., it’d be great if NOBODY offered merit aid, because that would mean that all the best students would end up there as there’d be no ADVANTAGE to going to a state school. Merit scholarships, special opportunities, etc. are a way of leveling the field between universities for the very top applicants. Just like scholarships are a great way for schools to attract top athletes, who then often help the school win games, and therefore bring in money. For many schools, there is no other way to increase the quality of their students than trying to woo the top applicants. They will never be able to have amazing researchers, ground-breaking philosophers, etc. if they have no way of attracting them away from the top-tier universities. And top students at mediocre universities help improve the educational quality of the entire university.</p>

[rjkofnovi]

<p>^^^^Just curious. What state are you from?</p>