quote:

Originally posted by Rob Herbold:

quote:

Originally posted by GE Fan:
I know it is taboo is our child nurturing society to say this - but - some things are just better than others.

Indiana Grads do not have these kinds of spelling errors. Boilers, maybe. Hoosiers, NEVER!!

He's a U of I grad - I'm the Purdue grad (and my husband) and my spelling is generally excellent (minus ridiculous and surprise).

The article posted by GER is quite in line with my philosophy. And, Fan, I honestly believe that the type of instructors drawn to a large institution have more to do with research $ than anything. I think having a large applicant pool is attributed MOSTLY to one of two things: historical reputation or having successful sports teams on TV. I honestly don't think that's a good reason to choose a school. That said, a large research institution can be an excellent place to earn a degree but I have taken classes at NIU, Concorida, COD and Purdue. On the whole, the best TEACHERS were at COD. My husband earned his Bachelor's degree at Purdue, did all of his pre-med prerequisite courses at COD (after his undergrad degree) and went to UIC for med school. He would agree that, on the whole, the best TEACHERS were at COD.

Please don't misunderstand, I do think that U of I provides a solid education. But I do not believe that students in a given program at U of I necessarily get a better education than students in the same program at a different campus. I'd put up U of I engineering against SIU-C anytime. I'd put U of I Business up against ISU or NIU. I'd put U of I Education up against NIU, ISU, or EIU. I've seen the curriculum and known students going to every single school. You want the best Criminal Justice program in a state university? I'd tell you to check out WIU. You want good social work or nursing? Definitely UIC. Journalism or Theater? ISU. I just don't buy that U of I is that much better at everything they do.

Yes, the students admitted to U of I have higher grades and test scores because U of I has 800,000 living alumna in the Chicago area who want their kids or grandkids to go to their alma mater. Competitiveness comes from number of applicants versus spaces available and schools with higher levels of competitiveness can be pickier about who they admit. Simple as that.

OH - and I think DePaul's Law School is FANTASTIC! If I were going to law school, that's where I would want to go. I love their philosophy and all the faculty I've met at DePaul were top notch individuals.

GEmom2, thanks for the hard copy of the article!!

quote:

Originally posted by Yossarian:


My dorm at WIU, where the cafeteria was at the very top. Great views, bad food. Is SAGA still in business

My Dorm at WIU was Corbin Hall. I worked in the cafeteria for SAGA for my time in the dorm.. Had a great time and the money was good for 1976 and 1977. Nothing like peeling 100 lbs. of potatoes. Was a Law Enforcement Major, which is criminal justice today. Great program. I agree with the fact each school and/or child should fit what they want to study and some kids will do well with large schools, small schools etc. There is so much more pressure today. My mother did not attend college, she was valedictorian of her high school and in the 50's, she got married instead. But now she has her own business.

The average annual increase of Illinois state school tuition outstripped the interest on my kids' 529 accounts by a mile - I think I'm going to do more research on College Illinois. . .

first of all...michigan state and michigan are far more equal than some of the other pairs mentioned....and while going to a big ten school was a great experience (and fun as an alum during football season) I know far too many successful NIU grads to buy into the hype.

This thread is quite thought-provoking. In fact, rather than let it die, perhaps one more look may be in order...

The wise people who said a college should fit the student seem to be right on. As indicated above, high performing talent comes from a variety of higher educational institutions, or none. Individual achievement is never limited by what school systems from which one has earned her/his diplomas.

As in sports, all stars come from every team. Also as in sports, there can be only one best team, be it for a year or over time. UIUC has earned the distinction of being the premier public university in our state. Amy's post proves it - while different programs compare favorably, she did not assert that, for example, "therefore NIU is better than UI."

Does that mean that every graduate from UIUC should think they are better than any other graduate? Of course not. The degrees are equal. Should an employer automatically hire only UIUC grads over those of any other private or public university? No way. And, for the love of ivy, does where someone went to school (or not) be a gage for their success in life (happiness, success, wealth, etc.)? ABSOLUTELY NO! That's just plain nonsense.

We have a premiere public institution of higher learning in our state. We should be proud of it, not knock it down... Amen

quote:

Originally posted by 4MP:

Does that mean that every graduate from UIUC should think they are better than any other graduate? Of course not. The degrees are equal. Should an employer automatically hire only UIUC grads over those of any other private or public university? No way.

Employers shouldn't disqualify those who graduated from "other" schools, but it does need to be pointed out that a degree from U of I, at least in certain colleges (business, veterinary, and engineering off the top of my head), DOES mean that the person did well in high school and had a reasonably high degree of aptitude. For an employer, this is additional reassurance during the screening/interview process. With a degree from an "other" school, you have to spend more time trying to evaluate if that kind of aptitude exists. There's always an element of risk in making a hire. Any way to minimize that risk is always appreciated.

I'd agree with '87. A lot of doors have opened for me simply because I went to the college of Engineering at UIUC. Thank God they don't ask for GPA after you have a couple of years of experience under your belt...