<p>Why does no one include the highly desired Montana education? lol</p>
<ol>
<li>Carrol</li>
<li>Montana State</li>
<li>University of Montana</li>
</ol>
<p>jags- I think it's hard to distinguish between UVA and W&M. The schools attract very different applicants, and the schools themselves are radically different. W&M has the edge in SAT scores, but UVA does have the e-school, etc. They're both excellent schools that will prepare students well for their future careers, and one could argue for either to be #1. I don't really think that rankings are something to get worked up over, especially in regard to the VA schools. I feel lucky to be living in a state with such a good selection of in-state schools.</p>
<p>And, FYI, most of my family have gone to UVA- none to W&M. (Not to mention that I wouldn't go to W&M in a million years... just not my type of school!). So I hardly think that the only people who give the edge to W&M are those who have a connection to the school.</p>
<p>
[quote]
California Privates: Stanford, USC, Pepperdine, Santa Clara, University of San Diego, Loyola Marymount.
[/quote]
Ever heard of Caltech?</p>
<p>I have NV...lucky me. </p>
<p>In this state, it really depends on what you want to do...</p>
<p>For hotel management:
1. UNLV
2. CSN
3. UNR</p>
<p>For actually academic quality in other areas:
1. CSN (yes, the community college)
2. UNR
3. UNLV</p>
<p>And for CA, I'd personally put Occidental above Pitzer.</p>
<p>"i never understood why people continuously argue that w&m is better than uva. Any objective look leads you to the opposite conclusion. I hate to say it again, but the only people who think w&m is better than uva are people who have a connection to w&m."</p>
<p>Given that I we have had a child in each of these schools, I have a fairly unbiased opinion of each of the colleges. Both kids were offered admission to both colleges and each made their own personal choice. The reason I put W&M first and UVa second is simply due to the criteria by the OP.</p>
<p>That being said...I have to say that move in day at W&M was 100x easier that at UVa. All of the students were friendly, helpful and very welcoming.</p>
<p>But of course this is just my opinion.</p>
<p>well, based on the criterion put out by the OP:</p>
<p>"I wanted to open the door up for debate as the best overall colleges by state based on selectivity, graduation/retention, endowment, SAT scores, prestige, etc."</p>
<p>Graduation/Retention: UVa was 13 in grad/retention rank, while W&M was 18 in USnews
Endowment: UVa has a much larger endowment, in absolute and per student. 4.3 billion and $210,000/student vs. 490 million and $59,000/student
Selectivity: UVa ranked 26 in USnews vs. 31 for W&M
SAT scores: w&m students were 10 points higher in the 75% percentile and 20 points higher in the 25% percentile.
88% of UVa students were in the top 10% of their graduating class vs. 80% at W&M
Prestige: well, I'll say this much, I've never met anyone who thinks W&M is MORE prestigious than UVa (save the people who go/went there), but I've met plenty of people who think the opposite. Regardless, the fact that UVa's PA is .6 higher than W&M's should speak that people in academics think UVa is more prestigious than W&M.</p>
<p>so, newbieva, did you read the OPs criteria? because I came to a very different conclusion than you did.</p>
<p>That aside, people like to point to W&M's "small size and intimate environment" even though they ignore that UVa has more classes under 20 students than W&M, despite being twice the size. Regardless, with 5,800 undergrads, I don't see it's "small and intimate." As for the big bulking state U that UVa is, I've baby sat for professors, and I've had dinner at my professors homes. So, I never bought that line of reasoning.</p>
<p>UVa has more resources, a more reknown faculty, more programs, and at the very least an equally capable student body when compared to W&M. So I ask again, why do people constantly figure that W&M is the "better" school. Makes little sense to me.</p>
<p>Nebraska, depends on your career interests.</p>
<p>Creighton University (Rated #1 Master's school in the Midwest), has VERY strong pre-professional programs. I believe it's somewhere around 80% pursue professional degrees.</p>
<p>University of Nebraska at Lincoln (Has every major under the sun. A very strong business school, among others)</p>
<p>NOTE: Since 90% of the people in the thread didn't get it, it wasn't trying to "rank" the college by state, but identify what was a top LAC in the state, top National University in the state, Master's University, etc.</p>
<p>Kansas: </p>
<p>Kansas State University (strong programs in education, business, human ecology, engineering, architecture, agriculture and veterinary medicine, among others).</p>
<p>University of Kansas (strong programs in the arts and sciences, law, medicine, journalism, nursing, pharmacy, social work, fine arts, among others).</p>
<p>Really, there are only four feasible options in Colorado, which I would rank:
1. Colorado College
2. University of Colorado (falling)
3. Colorado School of Mines (too specialized to go above CU)
4. Colorado State (rising)</p>
<p>you can not compare UConn to trinity, connecticut college, or weslyan. UConn is too diverse to compare it with.... hence why they are in a totally different ranking in us news. If you want to compare liberal arts programs.... fine.... but not business, sciences, education, or engineering.</p>
<p>south carolina</p>
<p>FUrman
Clemson
Wofford
Carolina</p>
<p>i pretty much agree with the previous post about SC, but i added the University of south carolina to the list</p>
<p>Virginia</p>
<p>William & Mary
Washington & Lee
UVirginia
Richmond
VA Tech</p>
<p>NC</p>
<p>Duke
Davidson
Wake Forest
UNorth Carolina
Elon</p>
<p>To the UVA/W&M debate. W&M is a more intellectual atmospshere. Thats from Fiske guide to colleges. With regards to % classes >50, student/faculty ratio,SAT scores, acceptance rates W&M is superior.</p>
<p>Texas is an interesting case. For undergrad, in terms of selectivity and student quality, Rice is clearly on top. However, in terms of graduate programs, research, institutional resources (libraries, museums, performing arts spaces, computational capacity, etc.), and faculty quality, UT-Austin is #1 by far.</p>
<p>this has already been done.....</p>
<p>but for washington, UW is the best university, and Whitman is the best LAC.</p>
<p>uchris: I don't know why you find my ranking so funny. Berkeley only gets its high ranking because of its graduate programs. If you look at SAT scores of admitted students, job placement, class size and any other number of important criteria for undergraduate education, USC exceeds Berkeley.</p>
<p>swish, why do you have Wake above UNC?</p>
<p>Honestly, I just have UNC above Wake because I like UNC as a school better (though I am a deacon fan). I'm not trying to sound arrogant or anything, but I'm just wondering what people's reasons for choosing UNC over Wake (in an academic view) or vice versa are.</p>
<p>Massachusetts:</p>
<p>Harvard
MIT
Williams
Amherst
Tufts
Wellesley
Boston College</p>
<p>Indiana:</p>
<ol>
<li>Notre Dame</li>
<li>Purdue University</li>
<li>Earlham College (LAC)</li>
<li>Indiana University</li>
<li>Wabash College</li>
</ol>
<p>Illinois:</p>
<ol>
<li>University of Chicago</li>
<li>Northwestern</li>
<li>UIUC</li>
</ol>