<p>I'm still relatively new to the college scene. Can someone tell me the major differences between "respected" schools and the average university (i.e. Florida State)?</p>
<p>That’s a realy big question. I’m pretty new to the college scene too 
But I would say the main differences are more qualified professors, better facilities, more intelligent students, and just overall more prestige.</p>
<p>Why isn’t FSU respected? It is a respectable U.</p>
<p>What do you mean?</p>
<p>Do you mean to compare FSU to Ivies/elites?</p>
<p>@mom2collegekids: In a way, yes.</p>
<p>I guess I should rephrase the question. What determines the prestige/selection/tuition of one school in comparison to another?</p>
<p>Is it the quality of the professors? Variety of majors? Bragging rights?</p>
<p>Supply and Demand…</p>
<p>To be honest, in my state of Ohio, our top-ranked flagship state U is thousands less for in-staters than another state school that is a considerable notch below in prestige and quality.
(THE Ohio State University and Miami University are my example schools, btw)</p>
<p>Why? People prefer the LAC-style environment of Miami, and they have the money behind them to pay for this school. My parents are suckers for this philosophy just as much as anyone else in the state. OSU, to many, feels much larger, impersonal, and does not “jive” as well, driving down demand to fill its 50,000 undergrad spaces while Miami’s small-town vibe easily brings in enough people to fill 20,000 places.</p>
<p>As for private vs. public, you should realize that the difference was nowhere near as significant until the 90’s/Clinton Era Financial aid reform that created the FAFSA in the first place. As more aid was available, colleges prices hiked up to meet the difference. </p>
<p>Although it is arguable that this system effectively routes tax money into our nation’s most important institutions, the main people that this reform left behind was the upper-middle class who maybe could pay $30k/yr out of pocket but not the full $50k/yr that FAFSA seems to believe can be paid. So, students of these people, who are more likely to be “overachievers” in schools, are routed away from top schools and instead diverted into their state flagship’s honors program, LSU, or U 'Bama ;). As our financial woes have grown, so has the decision for many top students to choose lower-priced schools. Who knows what such logic will do to college admissions of the future…</p>
<p>^^completely agreed…Myself and another kid in my hs class(both top 3%) will be most likely headed to Bama due to money(both poor with no parental help)
Kids ranked below us are going to cornell and lehigh…but hey…no debt is nice</p>
<p>Prestige is regional. Some areas of the country put a great deal of emphasis on attending private universities. When I first moved east and worked as an admissions counselor for the SUNY system (New York), my observation was that many New Yorkers acted as if any private school was better than any state school. It was weird. In my experience, the East Coast inhabitants are much more interested in ranking and prestige. In the Midwest and South people seem more interested in the flagship schools, especially those with great football. I dont’ know about out west.</p>
<p>“Must not be very good. I’ve never heard of it.”</p>