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Alam1: Most people outside of CC arent aware of what youre talking about. </p>
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Confusedboy: I said, a ranking for undergraduate, and Dartmouth is quite prestigious for undergraduate. In fact, on average, Darmouth graduates enjoy the highest salary scale according to payscale.com, and thats one of the reasons for ranking Dartmouth very highly.</p>
<p>"Can someone remind me, once again, why the general public thinks Georgetown is better than it is. "</p>
<p>Georgetown is one of the country’s oldest universities, and the country’s first Roman Catholic institution of higher learning. Nearly a quarter of Americans are Roman Catholic. And, Georgetown is the premiere Catholic university in the country if only on account of its widespread appeal.</p>
<p>Although academics may trash it because it’s not a research powerhouse, it’s considered prestigious among the ruling elite, graduate school admission offices, and top firms and corporations. And, it has popular appeal among the “general public”</p>
<p>Georgetown is definitely the premiere faux Catholic university in the US.</p>
<p>^^^Like who cares? It’s either good or it isn’t.</p>
<p>Okay…looking at this thread has made me more confused than ever! Decisions are due this Saturday, and I’ve narrowed it down between UVa and Northwestern. I want to go to the school that academically will best prepare me (NU I guess?) but socially will be most fulfilling (UVa???). Is there that much disparity between the two? I know NU is #12 and UVa is #24; will my chances of getting into med school and being part of a solid network be hindered if I pick one of these over the other?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t sweat it. I think Northwestern has the cold weather and Virginia has more partying. I don’t like either of those too much! But both are excellent schools and for me, I’d consider what part of the country I wanted to end up in. Quite true that both have national reputations but Virginia is more east-coast and NU more midwest, in terms of alumni networks, name recognition in the big cities, etc etc. </p>
<p>If money isn’t a factor, I’d probably go Northwestern because I’m a bit of a ratings wh0re. Northwestern isn’t ranked (considerably) higher by accident. Virginia is limited by being a state school. Even though only 7% of its budget is provided by the Commonwealth, the General Assembly still sets policy and the most damaging policies it sets require 2/3 of admitted students to be in-state and a certain proportion to be admitted from community colleges. </p>
<p>The pros and cons of these policies may be debated forever but the net effect diminishes the quality of the student body. And yes, I’m a graduate, counseling you to go elsewhere! If you were comparing with Berkeley or Michigan for undergraduate, I’d say Virginia in a minute. But Northwestern seems stronger to me.</p>