Which schools don't get the respect they deserve?

College Search & Selection
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<p>I think that some of this nation's finest educational institutions don't get the respect they deserve on these forums. Do you agree that the students on these boards are too obsessed with the ivy league (even though several ivies are arguably worse than some of their non ivy counterparts)?</p>

<p>Which schools do you believe are underrated on this board?</p>

<p>My picks:</p>

<p>MIT (the greatest tech school in the world)
Duke (arguably the most well rounded university in the US)
JHU (phenomenal in anything related to life sciences)
Cornell (maybe; it is viewed as being a glorified state school and it deserves to be held in higher esteem)</p>

<p>I'd also be interested in knowing which schools you believe are the most overrated. </p>

<p>My Picks:
Chicago (massively; several of my friends are miserable there)
Penn (not the cat's whiskers without Wharton)
Brown (the school that lets you do anything you want)
Berkeley (do you really want to go to a school that has intro classes with 700 people in them?)</p>

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<p>:/</p>

<p>You’re saying Penn isn’t the cat’s whiskers without its most prestigious program and then give credit to JHU for its most prestigious program?</p>

<p>Also who the heck doesn’t give MIT the most respect ever? >.<</p>

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<p>Cornell has some 700 student classes also. See the Best “Must Take” Class here:
<a href=“http://bestofcornell.cornellsun.com/Campus.php[/url]”>http://bestofcornell.cornellsun.com/Campus.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>In any case, I would hardly call MIT, JHU, Cornell,and Duke “underrated” on this board. “Underrated” would probably describe a lot of lower profile state universities (Stony Brook, NCSU, etc.) and the community college and junior transfer option. “Overrated” would probably most describe NYU and other schools that attract students for the “experience” rather than the education.</p>

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<p>I’m saying that Penn gets a lot of credit for Wharton but JHU gets none for its BME/medical programs. Although I do understand where you are coming from.
MIT is considered to be inferior to Stanford for instance and I really don’t think that there is a distinction between the two.
Cornell does have big classes, but it doesn’t receive as much respect as Berkeley.</p>

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<p>There are likely regional differences. If you are in the west, you may hear more about Stanford and Berkeley than MIT and Cornell. But people in the east may find it the other way around.</p>

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<p>Every top liberal arts school in the country (Williams, Amherst, Middlebury, Bowdoin, etc…)</p>

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<p>Gailforce - why are your friends miserable at UChicago?</p>

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<p>All of the universities you listed are held in extremely high regard and rightfully so.</p>

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<p>

Argument against: Duke doesn’t have chemical engineering.</p>

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<p>UCB, I was referring to well rounded from an academic and social standpoint. </p>

<p>Cue, to be fair I have some friends who are enjoying their time at the U of C. It just seems that for the most part the insanely rigorous academics and the miserable weather (subjective) make a lot of my friends feel melancholy.</p>

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<p>I think the “insanely rigorous academics” part is probably subjective too. From what I know, grade inflation is firmly taking hold at UChicago.</p>

<p>The weather is certainly tough - Chicago winters are legitimately cold.</p>

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<p>I must have a different idea about what makes a school “underrated” because MIT, Duke and Cornell definately wouldn’t make my list. I’d inlcude those great schools that people get that puzzled look when you mention them…Bowdoin would probably top my list…Rose-Hulman, Harvey Mudd, Olin, along with quite a few of the “colleges that change lives” members.</p>

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<p>Northwestern is more well rounded than Duke. It also is similarly ranked.</p>

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<p>

Really? Only to those who don’t know any better.</p>

<p>Penn’s School of Arts and Sciences has as many top-10 and top-20 departments and programs as–if not more than–virtually all of the other top-ranked schools with the exception of HYPS and Berkeley. And its Nursing and Bioengineering programs are also top-flight. Even without Wharton, Penn is easily the equal of the non-HYP Ivies, Duke, etc.</p>

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<p>Public institutions such as Pitt. Breakthrough research on bionic limbs and transplant surgery with a strong emphasis on undergraduate research.</p>

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<p>rjk, isn’t that somewhat preposterous? How can NU be more well rounded? Duke has much more school spirit and better sports teams. I feel like Stanford has a legitimate claim to the crown of most well rounded school, but not Northwestern. </p>

<p>Also, everyone is taking the Penn thing too seriously. It’s a great school but it gets a little more credit than it deserves (IMHO) because of the big W. </p>

<p>One of my best friends goes to Bowdoin, and he loves it there. Definitely a very solid school. </p>

<p>Cue, insanely hard academics is definitely subjective. I personally am all for strenuous course work. In fact, I think that Chicago is losing its distinctiveness by trying to assimilate into mainstream academic culture. I’m merely recounting what friends have told me about the whether and academics.</p>

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<p>

Not sure I follow you. Wharton and Penn Nursing get credit for being the tippy-top undergraduate programs in their respective fields, and Penn’s College of Arts and Sciences gets credit for being comparable to the non-HYP Ivies, Duke, Chicago, Northwestern, etc. It’s really not very complicated. ;)</p>

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<p>Any school not in the Northeast/ mid-Atlantic. Seriously, from reading these boards it seems as though the entire Southeast, midwest, pacific northwest, and most of California, just do not exist. Also state flagships get very little respect on this board except as a low cost alternative to the more expensive, and obviously vastly superior, private institutions.</p>

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<p>You’re making a gross exaggeration just for the sake of saying Berkeley is overrated. No intro class at Berkeley has 700 students. I’ve seen classes with 150-300 but they are not the norm. </p>

<p>[University</a> of California–Berkeley | Academic Life | Best College | US News](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/uc-berkeley-1312/academics]University”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/uc-berkeley-1312/academics)
[University</a> of California, Berkeley Academics - CollegeData College Profile](<a href=“http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg04_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=1090]University”>University of California, Berkeley Majors and Degrees | CollegeData)</p>

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<p>“rjk, isn’t that somewhat preposterous? How can NU be more well rounded?”</p>

<p>Perhaps because it offers a fuller range of excellent academics? NU has seven colleges for undergraduates, Duke only two. NU also is in the B1G, not exactly an unknown athletic conference.</p>