Interesting article from NYT on Alabama with an RU mention
- Thread starter ruhudsonfan
- Start date
Well two great mentions:
- NJ no longer #1 in sending students OOS (Take that, Illinois!)
- And the article shows a very qualified kid chose us and RU is stepping up the game.
The girl in the beginning though- Bama over Berkeley and Columbia? Wow that's bad. If parents are that foolish RU needs up the game.
- NJ no longer #1 in sending students OOS (Take that, Illinois!)
- And the article shows a very qualified kid chose us and RU is stepping up the game.
The girl in the beginning though- Bama over Berkeley and Columbia? Wow that's bad. If parents are that foolish RU needs up the game.
It did.
I still think it's a bad choice. There are probably 10-15 schools better recognized than Columbia or Berkeley, if that, not to mention what grad schools and employers think of them.
Maybe she likes the South and wants to stay there?
In which case, the local head of recruiting at XYZ Corp would take a leak on her diploma from Columbia or Cal...
Yeah, I went to one of those 10-15 schools.
But for most good undergraduate students, there is not enough of an advantage in paying to go to a top school vs full-scholarship at a major state university like Alabama. There are very few career paths where the difference between getting good grades at Columbia is a big advantage over getting good grades at Rutgers or Alabama. And not every student at a top university is able to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the university. (For example, as an undergrad, I was able to work in my advisor's lab and participate in cutting edge scientific research as if I was a grad student. This is an opportunity that I would not have received at Rutgers or Alabama. If I had pursued a career in this type of research, this undergraduate work would have opened a lot of doors for me. But I pursued a different career, so the research work was interesting but ultimately of little benefit in my career path.)
If I had a full ride to Alabama or Rutgers but not to my alma mater, I would have not attended my alma mater, and ultimately it probably would have made little difference in my career.
Maybe...but I don't many Staten Islanders with a keen interest in living in the Deep South. Not sure how that shakes out in a place like NC or Atlanta where the hiring manager may be from here.
That could be. But I wonder if just having JHU, or Berkeley or Columbia, on your diploma, makes a difference. My first two jobs, I was hired by one person who went to my law school and second one by someone who went to RU. After that, I had established myself and no one really pays attention except a few reminders about RU is losing a lot of games this year.
If the student wanted to go to law or med school and thought she could get a 4.0 or close at Bama, I could see that argument.
Given the cost of Columbia (or Berkeley for an OOS student), it's understandable to me why she took the free ride -- although I would think Columbia would kick in money for her. As a Berkeley grad, I think the school is great, but I would not advise an OOS high school'er to go there without financial aid (which is hard to get for an OOS'er). I'd probably pick Columbia myself, but I can understand the draw of a school that's coming up in the world. I hope she likes the South -- it's not to my taste, but I know many other Northerners feel differently than I do.
I understand why that girl made that decision. She gets the full scholarship and if she does well there then she can still get into a top notch graduate program at one of the
"name" schools.
Anecdotally, the son of an acquaintance I've known for thirty years graduated as valedictorian of his high school class. He applied and was accepted at Berkeley and Stanford. Stanford wouldn't give him any merit scholarship money while Berkeley basically gave him a package that would pay for his entire tuition. He would pay room and board. I totally get the family's reasoning in choosing Berkeley over Stanford in this example. Personally I find both schools as elite. My son will be applying to Berkeley next year as well as Cornell, Dartmouth and UCLA. If however he gets a scholarship in track and field, he may be willing to go to a school similar to an Alabama. One of his friends got a full ride to Washington State for cross country and he went there over getting no scholarship at any of the UC schools.
"name" schools.
Anecdotally, the son of an acquaintance I've known for thirty years graduated as valedictorian of his high school class. He applied and was accepted at Berkeley and Stanford. Stanford wouldn't give him any merit scholarship money while Berkeley basically gave him a package that would pay for his entire tuition. He would pay room and board. I totally get the family's reasoning in choosing Berkeley over Stanford in this example. Personally I find both schools as elite. My son will be applying to Berkeley next year as well as Cornell, Dartmouth and UCLA. If however he gets a scholarship in track and field, he may be willing to go to a school similar to an Alabama. One of his friends got a full ride to Washington State for cross country and he went there over getting no scholarship at any of the UC schools.
Anyone else notice that the Empire State Building was lit up in green and gold for William and Mary on the day of some event for donors? Perhaps now we will stop crowing that having it lit in scarlet somehow means we own New York City.
Fascinating story. As state expenditures for higher education fall, this competition has become more intense. A very enlightening read.
Fascinating story. As state expenditures for higher education fall, this competition has become more intense. A very enlightening read.
Interesting. Not even from the surrounding states, which tend to have average at best in state schools?
To me, Berkeley, UCLA, Michigan, UVA and UNC are the really worth it public schools to pay up for. If my kid from NJ got into Berkeley I would try to work it financially, as much as I love RU, that is a solid opportunity.
I have to say that I have a colleague whose son went to Berkeley, and the young man enjoyed the experience immensely and got a lot out of it educationally. (I don't remember what his other options were.) So maybe I'm being too down on my alma mater. I benefited a lot from being at Berkeley as an undergraduate and for law school. Much of what I learned I did not learn in the classroom, but rather as a student journalist and member of the community.
BTW, I think RU Man told us that his son opted to go to Berkeley, and he knows a lot about the options in California.
Camden, not my son. An acquaintance's son went to Berkeley over Stanford, because of money. My son is looking to apply there as well as UCLA and maybe some east coast schools. BTW he's almost in the middle of his junior year in HS and has a weighted GPA of 4.6 and an unweighted GPA of 3.8.
Yeah Berkeley-Stanford is a much closer call IMO than Alabama-Columbia. But everyone has to make their own choice.
Camden, no worries. I love reading your posts. I hope the fact that you mentioned my son was at Berkeley is a good omen. LOL!
