<p>applejack writes well, sounds like a very bright individual, but must be just itching for an argument, or has a sense of humor that’s so dry its crackles…</p>
<p>MomofCollegeKids as mean-spirited - now that’s funny</p>
<p>Applejack: Mom2CK is anything BUT mean-spirited. We welcome differences of opinions and value various viewpoints (students/parents/alumni/visiting members), but we also value cordiality and civility. Although I am a Northeaster, dare I say we welcome “Southern Hospitality”, so let’s be gracious when we have opposing viewpoints and you might be taken more seriously.</p>
<p>Roll Tide!</p>
<p>gojack/applejack are y’all related? same last name. </p>
<p>just trying to lighten things up a bit!</p>
<p>BBfromNC,</p>
<p>Not to the best of my knowledge, I picked GoJack from my Alma mater,
the mighty SDSU Jackrabbits. Applejack is a hard apple cider drink, Ive never tried it, but I am very partial to Apfelkorn a German apple drink that seems to go exceptionally well with skiing in Bavaria ;></p>
<p>Wow, I go on hiatus for a few months and look at all the fun I missed. M2CK has gone mean on us, NJBama has gone borderline pacifist 
, and educated folks who are bamboozled by branding have gone nowhere. Of course, as a graduate of Michigan State University I could have saved everyone a lot of time here by just declaring what all MSU alumni know: Michigan sucks! (JUST KIDDING)</p>
<p>My epiphany about undergraduate education occurred when I attended MSU as a grad student. I attended UC Berkeley as an undergrad and knew that it was ranked head and shoulders above MSU. Yet, when I TA’d undergraduate courses at MSU I observed something very interesting: the caliber of instruction and level of discourse were no different than what I’d experienced at Cal. </p>
<p>As a grad student I interned in Ann Arbor with a lot of UM grad students. Again, UM’s program was much higher ranked than MSU’s, yet their students were no smarter or better trained than ours. </p>
<p>Now my son attends Bama as a National Merit Scholar and finds himself surrounded by students every bit as smart and motivated as his peers from the elite private high school he attended. His professors are every bit as good and challenging as he needs. And he is having the time of his life, getting a great education (both in and out of the classroom) at a place he loves.</p>
<p>When rankings become based on valid information about what is actually going on in the classroom, I’ll start paying attention. As Andrew Lang once said, “He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lampposts – for support rather than for illumination.”</p>
<p>Roll Tide, Go Green, Go Blue, y’all :-)</p>
<p>Welcome back, Malanai.</p>
<p>Welcome back Malanai! Told you you were missed!!</p>
<p>Yes!!! Welcome Back!!!</p>
<p>We missed our Hawaiian friend!!!</p>
<p>et, when I TA’d undergraduate courses at MSU I observed something very interesting: the caliber of instruction and level of discourse were no different than what I’d experienced at Cal.</p>
<p>DH discovered the same sort of thing. His Intro Greek class at U of Louisville was actually much harder than the medieval Greek class he later took at Harvard (and not just because Byzantine Greek is easier than classical Greek).</p>
<p>Welcome back, Malanai!!!</p>
<p>Glad to have you back, Malanai!!</p>
<p>And thanks for the wake up call. A pacifist is the opposite of everything I stand for. I shall work hard to regain the title of “meanest”, that Mom2CK cunningly stole from me :-)</p>
<p>Ah, I live to serve, NJ. Don’t want you going soft on me, now. And keep an eye on M2CK, will you? She clearly covets your turf :)</p>
<p>Seriously, though, thanks for the warm welcome back, my friends. This is an amazing family.</p>