<p>While NY does have some "good" public schools, what it lacks is that one known flagship U. NY doesn't have a Penn State/Ohio State/U Mich/UCLA type school. The SUNY system outside of maybe Binghampton & Stonybrook are not well known outside the NY/NJ area. We don't have that big athletic school where everyone paints thier faces and roots on the football/basketball team. After visiting 4 SUNY schools, my daughter said she'd be flipping burgers in Mcdonalds before she went to a SUNY school. Of course that is just her, and there are many successful SUNY graduates, but NY definitley lacks when it comes to their state schools.</p>
<p>I like Virginia's state school system. UVA, William and Mary, Virginia Tech, James Madison, Mary Washington, VCU, Radford, Christopher Newport, etc. </p>
<p>I would like to think UVA/William and Mary are comparable to Berkeley/UCLA.</p>
<p>Arkansas would get my vote. I know people who move to Texas just to get away from the Arkansas public university system.</p>
<p>south dakota...</p>
<p>I lived there for two years, and hated it.</p>
<p>not people, just schools</p>
<p>Wisconsin has a world-class research U. Was it a joke, nominating it?</p>
<p>South Dakota has the school of mines, which I would think might elevate it above other states. </p>
<p>Wyoming has NO private colleges, just public--not sure of quality of those places though.</p>
<p>Maybe Arkansas is a contender. What about Mississippi?</p>
<p>Possibly Wyoming, but likely Alaska and Hawaii.</p>
<p>Many CC posters want to escape these states...</p>
<p>U. Hawaii-Manoa isn't good? :(</p>
<p>I think ACA was just trying to get a rise out of me about Wisconsin.</p>
<p>Hoedown, leave Mississippi alone! I am a proud graduate of two public institutions with three different degrees from Mississippi. I had great experiences there.</p>
<p>Hey, as a woman's college grad I'm a fan of MUW. But I wasn't sure how the state stacked up given the offerings of other states systemwide.</p>
<p>Nevada, they only have two colleges.</p>
<p>washington D.C., although it's not a state.</p>
<p>maybe rhode island?</p>
<p>some state schools academic rating from Princeton Review ... these are the only state schools I looked up ... there are many-many more state schools than those listed (and a few non-state schools snuck in also) ...</p>
<p>University of Virginia (UVA) 93
College of William and Mary 92
University of California at Berkeley (Cal) 90
University of Michigan 89
University of North Carolina (UNC) 88
University of Wisconsin 88
Penn State University 87
University of California at LA (UCLA) 85
University of Florida 84
The University of Texas 83
University of Illinios 82
University of Colorado 82
University of Miami 82
Florida State Univeristy 81
Virgina Polytechnic Inst. (Virginia Tech) 81
University of Southern California (USC) 80
University of Georgia 80
University of Delaware 79
University of Pittsburgh 78
North Carolina State Univ. (NC State) 77
University of Washington 77
University of Kentucky 77
University of Vermont (UVM) 76
University of Alabama 76
University of Mississippi 76
University of Maryland 75
University of New Hampshire (UNH) 75
University of Nebraska 75
University of Kansas 75
Louisiana State University 74
University of Rhode Island 73
University of Oklahoma 73
University of Oregon 73
University of Tennessee 73
University of Mass at Amherst (UMass) 72
Indiana University 72
University of Maine 71
University of Minnesota 71
University of Connecticut (UConn) 71
Purdue University 68
Michigan State University 68
Ohio State University 67</p>
<p>Bobbobbob, you sound like a typical NY elitist snob. Kids in VA and MI and I will include Wisconsin too don't go to the flagship because we cannot afford to go to ivy leagues nor is it because we can't get in. Besides, where do you think that "lower/middle income" New Yorkers go to college? Instead the pride of going to a strong school in one's state and not to mention the relative bargain is just too much to pass up. So, get off your high horse and quit making snobbish comments. PS 3togo, USC isn't a state school.</p>
<p>Actually, Delaware is the first state, but Pennsylvania is a not-to-distant second.</p>
<p>Wisconsin has some very good public schools. University of Wisconsin-Madison, -LaCrosse, and -Stevens Points are decent.</p>
<p>Nevada does have a pretty terrible public school system- all the way from elementary school through college. However, you CAN go to a couple of the Arizona colleges (reciprocity), which helps. That's if you get out of high school with some degree of literacy.</p>
<p>its gotta be like.......montana or something</p>
<p>Miami is private. Why do people keep naming it? MY vote goes to Maine.</p>
<p>virginia and california's public education system own.</p>
<p>Umaine-orono is a solid school. My vote is for Nevada, they only have two schools, Unevada-reno and unevada-lv, neither of which are that great.</p>