<p>Take the poll!</p>
<p>(any impt reasons not listed?)</p>
<p>Perfect "fit", "match", ideal atmosphere...around that.</p>
<p>If you're talking ONE important factor, honestly, "fit" "location" "atmosphere" all these fancy words that english teachers and parents tell us are important go out the window...it depends on your career...if you're set on a profession like engineering where you really have to know yoru stuff, academic strength in your intended major counts the most...if you're looking for a career where a strong alumni network and recruiting is needed, overall academic ranking is most important.</p>
<p>Good to see that the votes are in the right place...</p>
<p>Prestige is the most important. Don't be hypocrits y'all. Why else is it so hard for a person to choose a state school over Stanford, or an LAC over Harvard?</p>
<p>Amen ubermensch...and it should never be hard to choose a state school over Stanford!</p>
<p>prestige yes, strength in academic interests was important to me as was location, but i think the real "most" important criterion is "where will the student be the most sucessful?" What school "felt right". Where will you thrive? That feeling when you walk onto the "right" campus, that i know i had, i think is the most important factor</p>
<p>what about factoring in the general location of the school? ie, rural/suburban/urban.</p>
<p>i kind of was interested in cornell, but ithaca is definitely not a happening place, and i much rather prefer city life.</p>
<p>I don't understand why Public schools are considered to be so "bad". They usually have a more down to earth environment, and focus on scientific research better than private schools do in general. </p>
<p>In many countries, Public schools are considered to be superior to Private schools. Just something to keep in mind.</p>
<p>Good vibes is very important to me... if i'm going to live somewhere for four years i need to feel comfortable... if i'm not comfortable then i won't as happy, involved, or work up to my potential.... another important factor is the size... because i don't think i could stand it the professors didn't know me by name or if i was just a number</p>
<p>Public schools are not bad, but the top private schools are better in terms of prestige and resources.</p>
<p>The reason why public schools are superior in some other countries is because the NATIONAL government takes an interest and active role in funding and organizing the school. Other countries have standardized tests that selectively determine the smartest students in the nation who have the most potential. Furthermore, other countries like Japan, unlike the US, dont have this notion of No Child Left Behind...theyll leave behind children if theyre not smart enough, leaving them with just the cream of the crop, which they provide with excellent public education to provide for the future of the nation.</p>
<p>In the US, none of this holds true...something else to keep in mind.</p>
<p>^ Big Jake. I have never heard of that. Most underrepresented minorities cant go to school in the US because they can't afford it. </p>
<p>Private schools typically spend only 5% of their endowment a year. That means a 8 billion dollar Harvard endowment is the same as a 400 million federal grant to the University of Michigan.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Good vibes is very important to me... if i'm going to live somewhere for four years i need to feel comfortable... if i'm not comfortable then i won't as happy, involved, or work up to my potential.... another important factor is the size... because i don't think i could stand it the professors didn't know me by name or if i was just a number
[/quote]
</p>
<p>What you said is true. You can only grow intellectually if you feel comfortable in your environment. Public schools in general have slightly bigger core classes, but there are graduate student instructors who teach smaller classes as a supplement. Also once you get into upper division courses, the class sizes are much much smaller. You will hardly ever ask a lower division professor for a recommendation letter, and usually ask an upper division professor anyways.</p>
<p>I would definately agree with Ally and West Side...
My teacher told me about the University of Rochester and that it was a pretty good science school and that it had a med school (she and her husband went there, her husband for Med School and she for her masters)... I myself had honestly never heard of it, however I had heard of its neighbor, RIT... I was going to the college and careers event at RIT and I said to myself that I should probably check out UR while I was up there considering what my teacher told me about it. So I did, before we had to check into C&C at RIT I went on my tour there and when I first went into the campus I saw that it was a pretty nice looking campus, but at the end of the tour that transformed into so much more... I knew that it was much more than a pretty looking campus, but a school that I could definately see myself at. I fell in love with it at first sight. Well, a few months later I know that I am the class of 2009 there. Honestly I don't care that UR is not as recognized by the 'common folk' as much as Yale or Harvard or Princeton.</p>
<p>I guess the notion of a classical liberal arts education is fading, what with so many people choosing strength in academic area.</p>
<p>Bigjake587, you got me thinking on this "NCLB" thing. Maybe you'll post about it some place else. In America, as compared to less diverse societies, every issue in education gets more complicated. NCLB is potentially destructive to a nation's quality of education, but in America you have to deal with issues of unequal opportunity. At some point however, once the opportunity has been made available, some people will have to be left behind or the enitire educational system suffers. I'm sorry for digressing from the theme of this thread, but your post piqued my interest. I'm out. Carry on.</p>
<p>The most important factor is can you go there, if you could be accepted with full financial coverage, most people would pick a known school with decent dorm life. If you get accepted into a school and then can't afford it, then all you have is a story to tell.</p>
<p>Shouldn't Prestige and overall academic ranking be separated?
And about prestige....
a lot of people do pick top LACs over HYPs/Ivies
(according to the Princeton Review "often/sometimes prefer" section)</p>
<p>Honestly, if you pick a school based on "academic reputation" or "prestige" without looking at other things, like the social setting, you are not doing a good job choosing a school.</p>
<p>Some people can adapt anywhere, some people will be miserable at some schools. That's the way it is. Being miserable for 4 years is not worth going to "the best school in the whole country, OMG!!!!!!oneone!!!!11." If you're not happy, you won't do as well as you could. And it's time that you can never get back, time that many people think is the best of their lives.</p>
<p>Many people on this board have skewed perceptions on colleges, and reality as a whole...</p>
<ol>
<li>location, location, location</li>
<li>must be in the top 100 National Universities list (i personally don't like LACs)</li>
<li>must have a football team, active greek life, good social scene</li>
</ol>
<p>Strong rank in business, and when I go there, I feel comfortable. That's all I really need.</p>