Top 20

College Search & Selection
61

<p>I think that college web sites are the only reliable informer of statistics, aside from speaking directly to the offices of admissions. I would not ever entertain listening to second hand information. Jphns Hopkins has informed students that collegeboard.com is wrong, wrong, wrong, yet it has been remiss in fixing its inaccuracies. It is perilous, in terms of determining admission chances, therefore, to go anywhere for information but admission offices. To suggest otherwise, in my opinion, does a disservice.</p>

<p>Question: why do people spend so much time bickering about schools? Putting down schools? I don't think that is very helpful to anyone. It seems to me that so much misinformation is put onto the blogosphere, and it is hard to understand the purpose, as this helps no one.</p>

<p>Hawkette, your passion and loyalty for Rice is wonderful, however. It must be a great place to go to school! Although I don't know anyone who goes there, I do know that it has an outstanding reputation. Keep up the good work on behalf of your school!</p>

62

<p>Johns</a> Hopkins Gazette | March 10, 2008</p>

<p>For Hopkins fans around the globe, and those with interest in research, check out this exciting news. JHU is truly amazing.</p>

63

<p>ellekay,
I take it from your statement above re Rice that you no longer support your earlier post (# 43) </p>

<p>"I sincerely doubt that Rice has a better student quality than Hopkins, Cornell, Chicago, Georgetown, Penn, and several others that are cited above. I have carefully looked at the websites of the schools I mentioned, and they all have higher stats than Rice." </p>

<p>My support for Rice is not meant to put other schools down, but to raise awareness of the school and others like it that I believe are terrific schools, but get much less press and general praise/consideration here on CC and elsewhere. I know that, for many students, these other schools could be BETTER college choices and result in a more successful undergraduate experience. </p>

<p>The point that I have often made on CC is that the elite college universe is not a zero-sum game, but that the pie has grown and this has worked to the benefit both of higher education generally and even more so the students who are choosing a college today. Where once there were a relative handful of top schools (eg, the Ivies, MIT, Stanford), today there are many more. The student and faculty quality is much more broadly distributed and while some of these places may not have the brand recognition of the historical elites, they nonetheless can offer an academic experience that is their equal or sometimes superior. </p>

<p>I strongly believe that a lot of what a student takes away from his/her undergraduate years involves things that happen outside of the classroom. For this reason, I urge students, when making their college lists and ultimate selections, to consider the full range of experiences that they will have at a college. </p>

<p>The colleges that I most strongly support are those which provide a full undergraduate experience encompassing academics/social life/athletic life. I regularly contrast these schools with the historical elites (esp the Ivies) and find that, for many students, these schools are the better college choice. </p>

<p>My personal favorites as schools that best deliver great academics, vibrant and diverse social life and exciting and nationally relevant athletic life are:</p>

<p>PRIVATES</p>

<p>Stanford
Duke
Northwestern
Rice
Vanderbilt
Notre Dame
Georgetown
USC
Wake Forest</p>

<p>PUBLICS
UC Berkeley
U Virginia
UCLA
U Michigan
U North Carolina</p>

64

<p>I understand, Hawkette. I thought you were a student. I didn't realize that you were some sort of college advisor or specialist. </p>

<p>All of the schools you mention are great schools, and I do have friends at all but Rice and USC. The stronger students from my high school do not choose those two in your favorites. They are generally bottom line safties. I guess regionality has a lot to do with it.</p>

<p>Anyway, I did look over the websites, and I believe that my analysis is correct. But there is room for lots of opinions. And really, who wouldn't want to go to USC, all things being equal? It is so beautiful, and does look like tons of fun. USC does spend time soliciting strong students, as does Rice. In junior year, I got lots of mail from them, outlining the types of scholarships I might be able to get if I applied. Honestly, USC was very tempting. Rice, not so much because of its location.
I do get your general point that there are many great schools that provide overall great experiences. I think that you are on a worthwhile mission, even when you sometimes seem to be insulting or put down the top schools on your way. I think pointing out the positives of the schools you love would be more effective than offending students who have worked hard to get into those top schools. Stay positive. I think you make many valuable points and a good contibution.
I will just mention that I have a good friend who applied early to Tufts, and did not get in. This turned out to be a real blessing because she got into Vanderbilt, which is actually a better school academically, and she loves it. She is having the best time.</p>

65

<p>Headlines@Hopkins:</a> Johns Hopkins University News Releases</p>

<p>Also, to all of those interested in science in combination with art, check out this amazing exhibit at one of Hopkins museums (Walters). It was curated by Jhu students, in collaboration with the Hubble Space program. The resulting art is incredible. I have never seen anything like this before. If you are in the area, or if you are going on a college visit, do not miss this!</p>

66

<p>ellekay,
I am intrigued by continued statements re your "analysis" of Rice's comparative student strength vs Hopkins, Cornell, et al, not to mention your statement that Rice is used as a safety by some at your high school. LOL-if you think Rice is anybody's safety, you don't know the school. You posted several times your opinion on Rice's student quality and I await your presentation of supporting evidence. I hope you know that unsupported statements don't carry a lot of value. </p>

<p>Re your comments about negative statements, I'm guessing that you're referring to Johns Hopkins (if not, please point me to what you are objecting to). If you are a JHU student or supporter, you are understandably sensitive to any challenges to their numbers and rankings. Others have fought this battle far more than I (see ucbchemegrad's link to the Research U thread) and a number of informative, useful points are raised in that thread and elsewhere that question some of the numbers provided by the school and what they mean for students. </p>

<p>Maybe you can help some of us to better understand Hopkins's numbers as the school does not make their Common Data Set available to the public. JHU is certainly not the only one not to publish their CDS, but I do wonder about some of their numbers, including any data that influences their ranking for Financial Resources by USNWR and whether this calculation includes (probably medical school) spending that has little to no application to undergraduate education. This would have the effect of boosting JHU's numbers vis-</p>

67

<p>OOOh, ma'am. It was not my intention to upset you. Please don't get so angry over a difference of opinion, and you really should not negate my personal experiences. Whether or not you accept it, where I went to high school, and at my friends' schools, Rice, although a great school, is considered a safety for high achieving students.
Of course I trust peer assessment. Why shouldn't I believe prominent and trusted educators who must have the proper creds to make such determinations? I understand that nothing is perfect and that something can be found wrong with everything. Still PA is the best we have, and I, and my college counselors, and my other friends' guidance offices trust in it and are in general agreement that it has great value when selecting a school.
Anyway, although we have different experiences, it is often good to read your posts.
Also, I am sure that if you want information about the various colleges, that most admissions officers would be happy to answer your questions or doubts. In the application process that is what I did, and most offices were very helpful and forthcoming. You don't have to search second hand sources if you go directly to the schools. That is my suggestion and I hope it helps your efforts to impart information to future applicants. The web sites are very helpful too. If you follow up with a phone call, you will have all the important questions that you feel are unanswered at your finger tips. This is how I approached getting information, which worked out very well for me! All the best!</p>

68

<p>LOL-No one is upset nor is anyone negating your personal experiences. </p>

<p>You made a claim, I asked you to support it and so for, you have not. That's all.</p>

69

<p>I chose Rice over Princeton, Notre Dame, UT-Austin, and Columbia. I visited all the schools, and Rice was the most appealing. It's academics are amazing and the social life is great. The college system is what won me over. Rice makes you feel part of something special, unlike some of the other schools. I don't think I would have been happier anywhere else.</p>