Higher Education?

[Croc]

Yea, in CA that seems to be the way to go. CA has a great public higher education system, so why not take advantage of it? Proof: What state-owned and state-funded schools are mentioned routinely in the same breaths as Harvard, Yale, MIT, Dartmouth, Duke etc? Really...only UCLA and Berkeley come to mind there though I would love to be enlightened of any others. The CCs are pretty good out here from what I've seen. A friend went to one in Huntington for a semester before going back to IU in Indiana to be closer to his girlfriend. He loved it, just had some issues with homesickness.

[CSpec]

Yea, in CA that seems to be the way to go.  CA has a great public higher education system, so why not take advantage of it?

Proof: What state-owned and state-funded schools are mentioned routinely in the same breaths as Harvard, Yale, MIT, Dartmouth, Duke etc?  Really...only UCLA and Berkeley come to mind there though I would love to be enlightened of any others.

Harvard is so much better than any other school in the country that it's not really fair to compare other schools to them (not in terms of student experience, but that's another topic). But I agree that Cal is definitely up there with most of the Ivies, Duke, Chicago, and so forth. I wouldn't say UCLA is that good, but it's certainly good. The only other state schools which can compare are Michigan and Virginia.

[Enzora]

*whistles*

[CSpec]

Whoops, sorry Enzora. Chapel Hill is also a very good state school.

[Croc]

Harvard is so much better than any other school in the country that it's not really fair to compare other schools to them (not in terms of student experience, but that's another topic). But I agree that Cal is definitely up there with most of the Ivies, Duke, Chicago, and so forth. I wouldn't say UCLA is that good, but it's certainly good. The only other state schools which can compare are Michigan and Virginia.

[post="74358"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

I have to disagree about Harvard, I think they are incredibly overrated. They are one of the best schools, but IMO not "the" best. I'd say Yale is better than Harvard, by a lot. But again, when you are among the best you are among the best, anything else is just a stupid pissing match.

[Croc]

I've never heard of Chapel Hill...sorry :unsure: UCLA isn't as good as Berkeley, but I still think it ranks up there.

[CSpec]

Harvard is not necessarily the best school, but their reputation is golden and Harvard has a magic X-factor that other schools don't... I mean it's Harvard. The school thinks they're God's gift to the earth. Their endowment shows it; it's unfairly huge. Here are select endowments:

1. Harvard - $23 billion
2. Yale - $13 billion
3. Princeton - $10 billion
4. Stanford - $10 billion
6. MIT - $6 billion (I know I skipped 5; it's U of Texas at Austin which is the same as Stanford)
10. Wash U at St. Louis - $4 billion
20. USC - $2.4 billion

And Chapel Hill is the flagship U of North Carolina.

[Enzora]

Chapel Hill, UNC, Tar Heels, oldest public university in America . . . . Along with being one of the top public universities, it's rated as the best education per dollar by most publications. And of course, Davis Library is one of the top places for public sex in the country. North Carolina has several good colleges, public and private. It's kind of funny, since we also have one of the worst public school systems in the country. Edited January 15, 2006 by Enzora

[trinacriabob]

Harvard is so much better than any other school in the country that it's not really fair to compare other schools to them (not in terms of student experience, but that's another topic). But I agree that Cal is definitely up there with most of the Ivies, Duke, Chicago, and so forth. I wouldn't say UCLA is that good, but it's certainly good. The only other state schools which can compare are Michigan and Virginia.

[post="74358"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Dude, you know your schools. In fact, all of the public ones you mentioned are reputed to be of "public ivy" caliber -- though that label was coined for Virginia. I have friends that have gone to UCLA and Berkeley and those schools can be intimidating. I went to visit those places and, at 17, I opted out. I felt overwhelmed just being on their campuses. I needed something smaller at that time. In reality, I wish I had gone to a public university for my first 4 years of college, though a more laid-back one like Univ. of Florida that is considered a good school, but not a pressure cooker. Instead, I took 1/4 of my Catholic grammar school class and 1/4 of my Catholic high school class to college with me. Not much of a change - rather stifling in fact. Michigan is too cold (sorry NOS) so Virginia would be the one I would opt for on the snooty list. It has about half the students of either UCLA or Berkeley. However, you have to deal with the elitist Southern society crap and way too many fraternities (where's that barf icon when you need it?). I applied there for graduate architecture school. I didn't get in. There were 260 applicants for 20 spots in their "stretch" masters for unrelated bachelor's degrees. Oh well, hello corn fields (it was Univ. of Ill. instead).

You know what's funny is that you often learn the same thing at a less lofty school. My friends who went to Cal State Sacramento said they had the same books for engineering classes that they did at Berkeley. They use the same "Investments" book in run of the mill evening business programs that they do at the top ranked business schools. In short, it depends on you to make something of your education.

[CSpec]

Chapel Hill, UNC, Tar Heels, oldest public university in America . . . .

Really? I thought Rutgers or Willam and Mary were the oldest. Ah well, you learn something every day. EDIT: I just realized that William and Mary is a college.

Along with being one of the top public universities, it's rated as the best education per dollar by most publications.

I think I would agree with that... tuition is very reasonable and the COL in the South is considerably less than Cali or the Northeast.

You know what's funny is that you often learn the same thing at a less lofty school. My friends who went to Cal State Sacramento said they had the same books for engineering classes that they did at Berkeley. They use the same "Investments" book in run of the mill evening business programs that they do at the top ranked business schools. In short, it depends on you to make something of your education.

It's true that in the end most schools end up teaching you the same stuff if you are motivated enough, but unfortunately the name of the institution on the piece of paper they give you carries a lot of weight. I mean, business school is pretty much Kindergarten but with case studies instead of finger painting. More color and pictures = good. But you're weeded out by going ot a good business school... Wharton and Sloan are very hard to get into, but once you're in you're set.

[trinacriabob]

It's true that in the end most schools end up teaching you the same stuff if you are motivated enough, but unfortunately the name of the institution on the piece of paper they give you carries a lot of weight.

[post="74380"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

And that's exactly why there's that competition to get into those schools. It's an investment in the "after life"...either grad school or a job. I know that some firms or companies will only consider you if you went to certain schools. For B-schools and law schools, some draw a line at a certain point on the "rankings" list.

[Croc]

Harvard does have that X Factor. I will give them that.

[sciguy_0504]

Overrated.

[The O.C.]

Bachelor of Science in Sales & Marketing from GMI Engineering & Management Institute (now Kettering University) in good ole' Flint, Michigan.

[Satty]

I got rejected from Kettering, high school GPA was .12 too low and I didn't have a Chemistry class under my belt. In hind sight. thats probably a good thing, that visit to Michigan really made me re-think wanting to move to Michigan. I've got most of an associates degree, afterwards I'll get all of a bacherlors degree, probably in psychology.

[trinacriabob]

I got rejected from Kettering, high school GPA was .12 too low and I didn't have a Chemistry class under my belt.  In hind sight. thats probably a good thing, that visit to Michigan really made me re-think wanting to move to Michigan.  I've got most of an associates degree, afterwards I'll get all of a bacherlors degree, probably in psychology.

[post="75099"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

If I remember from the old board, aren't you or weren't you at Mizzou? I know a real raunchy chick (facially attractive, but a little too much Jamie Lee Curtis butchness in the overall approach) that was at Univ. of Ill. in a different grad program. She went to Mizzou for undergrad. But, she was great in the sense that you never had to censor anything you'd want to say around her.

[TDDWEST]

I dropped out of high school to work and earn money when I was 16, but complete my GED, a Year and a Half Before I was supposed to Graduate. Went to work for a few years, but then went to a Jr. College and got an A.S. degree in Marketing Was about to go to Florida Southern to finish my 4 years for a B.A., but got a job offer I couldn't refuse and have been in Sale ever since.

[Satty]

I spent a year at Mizzou. I rarely went to class, which resulted in a 1.98 GPA which got me a "Dont come back for a year" letter which got me to re-focus, take some time off then get back into the swing of things. I just needed some time to "grow-up" and realize that college wasn't going to be as easy as high school. So far, the results have been pretty good. My GPA, even with all of the D's and the two F's I unfairly received (Ethics and American History...instructor issues, long story) is getting up to where it should have been all along. My goal is to get my associates with a 3.75, unless I completely fail the 20 hours I have left, that'll happen with ease.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

I have obtained a 2 year degree in arts. I'm currently double majoring in Psychology and Business.

[sciguy_0504]

I'm growing tired of college quickly. I can't stand "learning" by sitting in an uncomfortable desk listening to some nut or boring person lecture me for 2 hours and then read 10,000 dry text book pages afterwards. I have many more complaints but I don't want to get into it. Sigh...

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

I've probably posted this before (so I apologize, ok?), but if it can help anybody:

I graduated high school 6th in my class.  I was a year ahead in Physics and Calculus.  Everything was effortless.  I got accepted into the Univ. Of Minn's Inst. of Technology -- which had a sub-2% acceptance rate.  It had (I'm not sure if it still does now) an excellent reputation in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.  Being a CSCI major, I was stoked.  I quickly found out that they don't take attendence in college and expecting everything to be nearly as effortless as high school, I started partying more and missing classes.  Long story short:  I was placed on academic probation and was expelled after my first year.  Depressed, I went to a community college.  After the 1st quarter at the community college, I earned the same crappy grades - and then I figured out that it wasn't the school that needed to change - it was me.  Afterwards, I dedicated myself towards my studies - I showed up everyday for every class and I faithfully did my homework (even if it wasn't required to turn in) and my grades picked right back up.  After of a couple years at the c.c., I transferred into the Univ. Of St. Thomas (private school), and graduated a couple of years after that.  Things I learned along the way:

1) A community college is an excellent transition from h.s.  It's near-h.s. like setting, combined with a reduced cost is superb for getting a bunch of your first-years non-major-specific-required-coarses out of the way.  Nearly everything transfered over (except for my Golf class -> it was springtime & was a nice break)
2) When you transfer, no matter what, your grades follow you.  When I left the U of M, my grades went with me -- and when I left the c.c., my grades went to St. Thomas.  My final quarter at St. Thomas, my grades reached 3.0 -- I had to bust my *** to get it back up there (when I left the UM it was 1.11)
3) Screwing around costs you big time: It took me 5 1/2 years to get my 4 year degree.
4) Most importantly: LIFE IS A DO-IT-YOURSELF JOB.

Best of luck to all of those in school!

[post="64456"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Yep, I can mirror that exactly!

I screwed around and tanked my GPA as well. It's a LONG, hard fight back up the ladder. Don't make the same mistake!

[haypops]

I read a report of a study that said that perseverance was a better predictor than intelligance of success in high school and college.

[Satty]

I spent a year at Mizzou. I rarely went to class, which resulted in a 1.98 GPA which got me a "Dont come back for a year" letter which got me to re-focus, take some time off then get back into the swing of things. I just needed some time to "grow-up" and realize that college wasn't going to be as easy as high school. So far, the results have been pretty good. My GPA, even with all of the D's and the two F's I unfairly received (Ethics and American History...instructor issues, long story) is getting up to where it should have been all along. My goal is to get my associates with a 3.75, unless I completely fail the 20 hours I have left, that'll happen with ease.

Good lord that seems like so long ago. The standing right now is one A.A., one B.A. and a superfluous B.A. arriving in the coming weeks. Then its off to law school, because I hate myself.

[loki]

hm... this was quite a while ago topic. i was only in my 3rd year.

1st year, tired of school, in a pre-engineering major, ended with 17 hours for the year.

2nd year, took my sweet ass time in Engineering technology with some AC/DC classes.

3rd year. did fairly well with an econ class and had fun in Japanese

a few more years of what i had to take and 1 class of angling archery and firearms. archery was done in a gym and a lot of fun, firearms was with pellet guns, but did have a volunteer day at the range.

then graduated in may 09 with a B.S. engineering tech: electrical and control. with a gpa of 3.36.

[ZL-1]

Good lord that seems like so long ago. The standing right now is one A.A., one B.A. and a superfluous B.A. arriving in the coming weeks. Then its off to law school, because I hate myself.

I am int he stage of hating myself too. See below.

I graduated in Economics way back in 1999, and will be defending my Masters thesis (actually it was a project - valuation of GM pre-bankruptcy using the EVA metric which in a scenario of a longer recession and substantial fall in global industry volumes did point to a per share value of zero, ie a company right in the path of bankruptcy) on April 9th.

And now, because like Satty I hate myself, I am taking a 6-months program in audit and internal control. At least this one is paid for by the company!

Edited March 15, 2010 by ZL-1

[Lamar]

Wow... when this thread started, I was a senior in college. Since way back when:

BA Spanish (minor in Mathematics), Virginia Tech, 2005

MAEd Curriculum and Instruction - Second Language Education, Virginia Tech, 2006 (degree barely used, if at all)

MA Spanish, American University, 2009

PhD Hispanic Linguistics, University of Georgia, ca. 2014 (I start this fall)

[CSpec]

I got my BA in Economics in the spring (I was a freshman when this thread was started). Though I hope to avoid grad school and its associated debts, the most likely advanced degree I'll end up with is either an MPP or MBA or both, if I go down that path.

[Z-06]

I got my BA in Economics in the spring (I was a freshman when this thread was started). Though I hope to avoid grad school and its associated debts, the most likely advanced degree I'll end up with is either an MPP or MBA or both, if I go down that path.

You mean Marijuana Policy Project?

[DetroitNut90]

Well, I do have my high school diploma.

Right now, I'm working on my BA in German and a minor in Spanish at the University of Maryland. I'll graduate just as the world begins to end!

Oh yeah, I'm doing the commuter thing too. It's a little annoying when most of the professors/TAs just assume that everyone lives on-campus or in immediately-surrounding College Park.

Edited March 15, 2010 by DetroitNut90

[Z-06]

Well, I do have my high school diploma.

Right now, I'm working on my BA in German and a minor in Spanish at the University of Maryland. I'll graduate just as the world begins to end!

Oh yeah, I'm doing the commuter thing too. It's a little annoying when most of the professors/TAs just assume that everyone lives on-campus or in immediately-surrounding College Park.

I love UMCP campus. Beautiful chicks too.

[CSpec]

Well, I do have my high school diploma.

Right now, I'm working on my BA in German and a minor in Spanish at the University of Maryland. I'll graduate just as the world begins to end!

Oh yeah, I'm doing the commuter thing too. It's a little annoying when most of the professors/TAs just assume that everyone lives on-campus or in immediately-surrounding College Park.

Haha, I did the same last year, but I found a job and moved to Rosslyn in the fall. DC is definitely the best place in the country to find "professional" type work at the moment (for better or worse), so consider yourself lucky to already be stationed here.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

Update:

A.A.

B.A. in Psychology

B.A. in Sociology

Currently trying to score an entry level job in non-profit (amidst 11% over all unemployment on the state level and 20% peak unemployment in banker city) I'm very frustrated right now because I've been getting interviews but no job. As most of you know, I fought very hard for my degrees and it's disappointing that they're nothing more than TP at the moment.

The future will include grad school for Public Administration, Urban Planning or some sort of Psychology (most likely I/O or Community) That is of course, after the GF completes her Architecture degree (this May) and our plans are a bit more solid. (I'm biting at the bit to get back into school, but I just can't risk it right now)

[trinacriabob]

amidst 11% over all unemployment on the state level and 20% peak unemployment in banker city

I track BLS LAU stats that come out every month (this week (3/19) will post the Feb. results) and see what the states are doing. I knew NC was 11-ish, but didn't know CLT proper was in the 20% range. Is it really THAT high? Whose out of work - financial types? Any loosening up expected?

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

CLT (Mecklenburg county) peaked at 20% this past summer. I assume it's probably lower now, but it still isn't pretty. We basically got a double whammy when Wachovia went under and now with the BAC/Merrill Lynch scandals. Wachovia really killed us; they even had to sell off the new (hasn't even been completed yet) and highly publicized headquarters uptown. (Duke energy bought it) Rumors have been rampant about BAC abandoning Charlotte completely despite press releases saying that they aren't. (But hey, who can trust a bank?)

City leaders are complaining that CLT employment and industry isn't diversified enough now that the financial institutions have been shaken and I would tend to agree with that. But, I don't understand why the city didn't learn this lesson 35 years ago when textiles died. CLT and neighboring Gaston county were the largest producers of textiles in the world. When that industry died in the 70's, Charlotte basically went to hell for about a decade in a lot of ways.

Edited March 24, 2010 by FUTURE_OF_GM

[Blake Noble]

Well, EKU didn't work out.

Trying WKU instead, should know something within 10 business days.

[daves87rs]

Waiting to go back...