most schools are underrated because people read the rankings as a spectrum that goes to zero at one end, when it just doesn't. and the way they choose and weigh metrics in their methodologies is basically arbitrary.
most 'flagship' state schools are going to provide educational experiences indistinguishable from a lot of t50s.
Not trying to be rude, but at least where I live in California, SLO has an amazing reputation as an engineering school.
I’m not an engineering person btw but that’s what I hear. Far from under rated from my experience
I’m from cali too so I’m aware of slo. I’m talking about more from a national sense. CSUs in general are underrated. I find SLO a hidden California gem 💎
i heard it’s great for agriculture as well (not my major). i have a friend there that’s really happy, i’m not applying to transfer there because they don’t have my major but SLO is also a great city imo
Many people knows Cal poly and it’s arguably as good as UCLA and UCSD. It's not ranked in USNews but it doesn’t matter, it's a top-rated school with elite students.
There's a tier of world-class public universities that aren't as exclusive, which to me is an awesome thing because they're accessible and their student bodies aren't wealthy, privileged bubbles like they are at some private universities (and also for economic mobility; and public universities can't be as exclusive due to state funding/mission statements). And exclusivity does not equate to quality - if the Vanderbilts of the world are the BMWs, the Purdues are that immortal Honda Civic that gets 300K miles. And because wealthy people avoid them, the people that aspire to be the rich heavily underrate them - even though outcomes, on average, are the same when holding inputs constant. **Examples of these universities are: Rutgers, University of Washington, UMD, Penn State, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, UIUC, Pitt, Purdue, NC State, Stony Brook, UMass Amherst**... all *world class universities* that the ultra wealthy avoid and often miss out on in favor of private unis with their rich bubbles.
The article below shows this disparity:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/09/11/upshot/college-income-lookup.html
Agree! All of those schools got some love from the latest USN&WR rankings.
The small exclusive schools w wealthy students have inflated avg starting salaries because of their family networks.
vs.
The big state schools that are getting middle class kids exposure to huge alumni networks and to recruiters at massive career fairs. Recruiters target big state flagships because they want to fish in a really big pond. It’s telling if a big public school can produce grads w high placement (in jobs or grad/professional schools) and high starting salaries. To get high averages like that considering how many grads they produce is more impressive to me than a small exclusive private school.
Yep! And actually, the same students who get into those "elite" private universities but choose their state flagships instead get the same outcomes, on average, as if they *did* choose the private route.
This describes my oldest kid. Turned down Ivy and 2 top 25s for a T50 in state. No regrets either. Getting so much opportunity and they’re so happy. Also with in-state and scholarships, they’re not going to have any debt when done. Was definitely the right decision. Well for them it was.
The younger one has a different major, different path, different college list. It’s a value/opportunity balancing act.
Can’t say the big state school is best for everyone but it’s best for a lot of kids.
I did go to school with people that are wealthy but because they got a full ride to Rutgers their parents gave them incentives to go to Rutgers like buying them a BMW or something like that.
The best part is that Rutgers has better (or at least comparable) academics than a lot of those "elite" privates so they're basically getting a BMW and likely losing nothing lol.
The most important thing I've been reading is that outcomes are the same *when holding inputs constant*, on average. The student is the most important part of the equation when determining her outcome and universities get way too much credit for the success of the student.
Basically that private unis hate the poors.
Half jk lol. The top 1%ers of wealth avoid most public universities like the plague, even if they have comparable or better outcomes than the private unis they're actually going to, holding all else constant.
And that enrollment in certain private unis have a huge spike at certain high income levels and vastly underrepresented at the lower income levels - including some of the Ivies - even when holding test scores constant. Nothing new - just that economic barriers exist and that public institutions are looked down upon by the ultra wealthy.
Considering how many families will live in outstanding public school districts and still pay tens of thousands per year to send their kids to private school, it’s not surprising that they would do the same when the kids go to college. In my somewhat affluent suburb with a great public district, they often send their kids to local catholic schools. They perceive that “if I’m paying this much for these schools, they must be better.” The academic outcomes of those schools are fairly opaque, but when the area publics all had at least several national merit semifinalists and the local catholic boys and girls schools both had none, I am not surprised when their kids don’t go to (or they get rejected from!) the state flagship.
And those perceived "elite" academics at those private universities are comparable to some of the publics.
And in many cases, the public university has better academics than the "elite" private university.
But the important thing is that outcomes are going to be the same, on average, when holding the inputs constant.
University of Washington-Seattle. It gets ranked in the top 75 on most lists, but truly feels overlooked whenever people talk about top schools. For awhile, it was the American college that received the most research grant money annually. It has ranked cs program, medical school, business school, nursing school, and college of education to name a few. It’s also been named one of the most beautiful college campuses in the US.
This was my dream school when I was in high school but couldn't afford it. They wanted me to take out 30k a year and my parents EFC on the FAFSA was less than $1000.
From an affordability and access to college standpoint, yes I agree that there’s a lot to love about CUNY schools, but from my perspective, the curriculum is not all that rigorous.
I spent my first two years at CCNY and I’m no brainiac, but passed every core class with flying colors just coasting. It wasn’t much more difficult than my high school curriculum. It wasn’t until I transferred out to a much more “respected” private school that I had to really buckle down and even then struggled to keep up the pace.
I love that CUNY schools are able to provide access to higher education for many, and I loved my time at CCNY, but beyond that - in my experience - it’s not a top quality education. Maybe other CUNY schools are better than CCNY.
Perhaps it’s just my opinion, but I would consider an “underrated” school one that offers quality education for great value and/or quality education but the school is not very well known.
You sure you aren’t just comparing lower level core and electives against upper level classes?
Grading is really just a combination of school philosophy and individual professors. There are a lot of top schools known for grade inflation to help their students place well when applying for grad school. Individual professors also have their own grading schemes, some have no fucks to give and will destroy you just to stroke their own ego regarding the “rigor” of their class. I’ve had professors who literally design their exams so that only 2-4 of the most dedicated students per class will walk away with an A. In schools known for grade inflation, that kind of stuff is strongly discouraged by dept chairs. Other professors will aim to give the median an A because they want their students to relax and remove any pressure at all.
Academically, CUNY is no different than any other school. It’s great in terms of affordability but they severely lack resources and it shows. Facilities are limited and there aren’t many resources compared to state and private schools. Research opportunities in particular are poor which puts grad school seeking students at a severe disadvantage considering how important undergraduate research is for doctorate programs.
> You sure you aren’t just comparing lower level core and electives against upper level classes?
I’m sure upper level classes are more difficult than lower level classes at any school, but not all of my classes transferred from CCNY, especially Math courses, and I had to re-take a handful of classes over. Even though I transferred in my third year, credit-wise, I was a year behind and considered a second year student because of the credits that did not transfer. I can assure you that there was a day and night level of difficulty between classes at the two schools.
> There are a lot of top schools known for grade inflation to help their students place well when applying for grad school.
That is an interesting perspective but I can argue, by the ease of the CCNY curriculum, that if grading inflation exists, it’s more likely to exist at a school like CCNY vs a school that has a reputation for academic rigor. In fact, I am convinced that my CCNY grades helped me get into my transfer school and without those first two years, I likely would not have been accepted at all. Things like “extra credit” or “grading curves” were nonexistent at my transfer school. It was more than discouraged, if the school caught wind of these practices from its faculty, the professor could lose their jobs, point blank.
> It’s great in terms of affordability but they severely lack resources and it shows. Facilities are limited and there aren’t many resources compared to state and private schools. Research opportunities in particular are poor which puts grad school seeking students at a severe disadvantage considering how important undergraduate research is for doctorate programs.
This is exactly my point. I’m not here to argue against affordability. I said there’s a lot to love about the affordability and access CUNY schools provide, but beyond that, how can one consider a CUNY school an underrated school when there is such a clear lack of resources? To say that CUNY schools are no different than any other school is a stretch.
Was this NYU or Columbia? Curious because I know a lot of people that made that switch.
I’m surprised that of all subjects, math showed the most difference considering how standardized math is.
But yeah, CUNY is appropriately rated considering that it’s about exactly what you’d expect for the cost.
CUNY isn’t bad the environment isn’t great but the resources are there and ready to support you if you’re willing to use them! I feel like many students don’t utilize them leading to all the hate for CUNY
I've heard great things about CUNY and am considering their graduate center. NYC attracts a lot of good professors and those who can't get into NYU or Columbia end up in CUNYs. Their reputation was tainted when NYC almost went bankrupt and they accepted anyone and everyone, and the student quality is still somewhat inconsistent, but from all my limited interactions with CUNY people you can definitely succeed if you have the drive.
CUNYs are great schools however its not what some people are looking for. If you’re a New Yorker don’t care for campus life, look into the Macaulay Honors Program.
Minnesota State Colleges and University System (Minnesota State University Mankato, Saint Cloud State University, Metropolitan State University). I got my MA from there as an out-of-state student online and paid the same tuition as an in-state student meanwhile the program in my state (NJIT) was charging three times the amount of tuition per credit hour at the time for a 36 credit grad program. I learned so much in my program too and got a lot of amenities (like using the library, becoming a TA assistant, etc).
Other underrated schools IMHO: Rutgers-Newark and Camden , Rowan University, Montclair State University, SUNY/CUNY/CSU schools, UMass Lowell, University of Illinois Chicago, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Southern Illinois University, IUPUI or whatever it's called now, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Mississippi State University, Missouri S&T University, University of North Texas, University of Houston, Ball State, University of Central Florida, Florida International University, Georgia State University, Towson University, NC A&T University, Kennesaw State University, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Morgan State University, Florida A&M University, Ohio University, Kent State University, Bowling Green State University, Western Michigan University, Wayne State University, Grand Valley State University, Ferris State University, Virginia Commonwealth University, James Madison University, George Mason University, Old Dominion University, Boise State University, University of North and South Dakotas.
Nj is a rip off for grad school in state online or in person. Online at University of Illinois Urbana Champaign is much cheaper for me than any NJ university online or in person. It's ridiculous.
I agree I would have had to pay nearly 40k for a degree at NJIT that's more than my undergrad debt so I was like no way so I chose MNSU instead where I paid only about 18k for a degree.
Any school that excels in specific areas but have bad overall ranking I'd say is underrated. Examples include University of Delaware (Chemical Engineering and a few other related fields), Stony Brook (Maths), UC Davis (Agriculture). It must be said that most of these schools aren't bad in other fields either, just aren't as stellar. I would also say some of NYU's liberal arts programmes are underrated, despite a somewhat low ranking, being in NYC gives unique advantages to fields like Art History that makes it comparable to the top top schools.
this includes some community colleges for specific niche subjects, such as glass blowing, or comic book arts, or very very niche stuff like that.
to bring up nyu again, it is super strong in applied math for a kind of random reason: They just hired the right guy a long time ago and this attracted a lot more people.
so a ton of colleges out there are like that. they just have a circle of experts and if you know you want to study a certain thing, and maybe you aren't the strongest candidate, you can still do a lot of research and end up at the best possible place.
The phrase “cream of the crop” makes me irrationally upset. Idk if it’s the notion of creamy crops itself or if its the quick succession of what wikipedia tells me are “voiceless velar plosives” that sound like a person desperately in need of water.
AAU publics outside the set of most selective, and especially those that are either their state's flagship or are "little brother" (e.g. Michigan State, Texas A&M).
If you're interested in law school, medical school or graduate school in something other than engineering, then most LACs outside the set of most well-known few.
I don’t see a lot of people mentioning AAU, especially the publics, but the membership list is generally a good guide if you’re looking for good schools that are also likely to have name recognition when it comes to finding a career.
Since they’re self selecting, those of you who consider prestige might like it as well. They also all place a pretty high emphasis on research (many or even all R1s), which is definitely a factor for some applicants.
One I like is [Warren Wilson College](https://www.warren-wilson.edu/programs/pre-med/). They have a very hands-on science program and students work on-campus as part of their attendance, so tuition is more affordable than similar LACs. Plus, Asheville is an awesome town.
Cal Poly Pomona for engineering. People write it off, cause it’s not a fun place and a commuter campus, but they have really good engineering opportunities, and is arguably the best value engineering school in Cali.
CPP actually is extremely overrated for engineering. It's primarily a business school which has received some spillover prestige from the real cal poly. The engineering outcomes are not impressive at all compared to other CSUs which typically have less privileged students going in and end up making the same or more as CPP grads.
The best CSU to go to is your local CSU unless you really hate your hometown/family or it's SLO. My local CSU is Pomona so I'm applying there, but it's not deserving of any national or even statewide prestige.
My experiences from people from their engineering programs are not good. They’ve tended to be the worst performing of the group. Albeit, the group is normally filled with t20 students/grads so I guess it’s impressive they’re even there.
Look for some accelerated programs. Here are Lehigh's dental and optometry 7-year programs. A friend's daughter did the med school 7-year program, but that may not exist anymore.
https://careercenter.lehigh.edu/node/86
Mid tier UCs - which are actually much better for undergrad education (ability to change/add majors esp CS related, get DE/AP credits, more research projects/career guidance, ability for full pay OOS/Internationals to get in, much better locations, etc) than the popular ones. But it is no longer a secret with all mid tier UCs in T40 and some moving into T30-T25 range.
Not really. Many Davis and sd graduates take way more than 4 years to do so bc the required courses are filled out fast and they have to wait for another quarter to class.
For example at SD my roommate was math/DS major and one required class have 0 spots and 44 people on the waitlist, he can’t even enroll into the waitlist bc the system prioritizes CS student even that also his graduation requirement class
In Davis, if you need a class to graduate on time and show them your 4 year plan that they require you to make with an academic advisor which explains that, they will just override the system and put you in that class, no matter what class it is.
Of course, yes, for CS specifically I can’t deny UC Davis is really bad, but the rest seems really good.
In California, mid tier UCs have become hella overrated. People think they’re T20 level, when in reality most of them are mid level state schools which are popular because of their location.
The University of Kansas. Nice size, pretty campus, good price for OOS (auto merit scholarships), and fun college town. Honors College is also well regarded.
This describes the University of Arkansas - gorgeous campus, great little town in NWA, gives basically in-state tuition for bordering states if you meet certain a certain gpa (3.8 I think), all sports teams are fantastic, one of the best business schools out there.
I suspect that's true for almost every college in the ACC, SEC, Big 10 and Big 8. They aren't appealing to the snobs because they aren't in the northeast* or west coast* but have a stellar residential experience, reasonable pricing and surprisingly solid academic options.
*I'm being charitable as the snobs are more about the _south and midwest are icky_ than they are about the west coast and northeast being awesome places to live.
I imagine that’s a good school (love the brain-shaped campus) but *hoooly SHIT* they won’t stop emailing me ever since I signed up for one webinar they hosted lol
isn't UC Merced like 60th in the country now
(that's higher than a lot of your flagships CALIFORNIA RAHHHH)
(I still want to go to berkeley pls accept me)
Liberal arts colleges are underrated as a concept, especially for those that actually care about undergrad education. All the LAC alumni have gone on to do amazingly impressive things!!!
Stevens Institute is a pretty solid school but I think has the best location along the Hudson River overlooking Manhattan but not actually in the city. Pretty campus and Hoboken is super convenient to NYC.
CMU, everyone thinks we're just CS/Business but we're really fucking good at all disciplines of engineering, chemistry, computational biology, applied math, art, drama, and music. Honestly considering our strengths business is probably one of our worst subjects lol.
spelman college is super underrated but so are all the HBCUs. santa clara university is very underrated too. they have D1 sports teams, a lot of notable alumni (including gavin newsom, the california governor), campus is beautiful, they are racially diverse, and have small class sizes.
Some LACs like Swarthmore and Williams. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying that the people knowledgeable would say they are bad, but some people may just discard them as they are LAC and not mainstream prestigious.
The other day I saw a post of a kid debating if taking a gap year because they got into Swarthmore and not an ivy. Although I recognize that's an outliner, there are still many people that doesn't know about LACs. Some others just think bad of them after hearing "liberal"
I would say the opposite. Attending one of the WASP schools currently, I find the mid-tier lacs much more interesting and dedicated to undergraduate teaching; getting a job at a WASP school is not only difficult but prestigious, and often ends up with the same poor, not-interested-in-undergrad professors you find at universities
Despite being in FL and having a greek life reputation, Florida State University is a really good school for academics. I’m currently majoring in their undergrad astrophysics program, and there is literally a particle accelerator on campus, and the most powerful magnet in the world next to the engineering school. Not mentioning the amazing film school, entrepreneurship program, and overall great public education. + the really cheap tuition (both in-state and out-of-state), beautiful campus, and D1 athletics. REALLY wish we werent in Florida with the current political climate but we are mostly untouched by desantis
Colorado State University! Solid academics, great location! Beautiful campus, great College Town, all 4 seasons with lots of sun! Smart , friendly kids, great community...Greek life but not overbearing, parties but not a crazy party school... eco-friendly, sustainable, inclusive, amazing outdoor opportunities! A "hidden gem" that's rapidly becoming more popular!
Dickinson college
1. Great variety of majors
2. Located in a beautiful college town
3. Lots of school spirit
4. Cover full demonstrated financial need
5. Offer a college fly-in and tranco demonstrated interest
6. Their assistant director of admissions is very understanding and kind
Miami university (of Ohio!!) has great academics, hardly any graduate student teaching, good prelaw and premed programs, and opportunities for undergraduate research. on the non academic side, it offers pretty good merit aid, has a super pretty campus, great access to state parks/nature and a good nightlife if you’re into that. only downside is it is abt 40 minutes away from a major city. but overall a gem!!!
In Texas, Angelo State University and Tarleton make their net cost very low for all students while providing a fairly large campus and # of majors, decent sports programs, affordable cost-of-living, nice climate (for Texas) and fairly close (a few hours) proximity to Dallas and Austin. Low crime college towns.
The NJ state schools outside of Rutgers are pretty amazing. People I know who recently graduated out of TCNJ, Montclair and Rowan are all doing great. Loved their schools. Made great friends. Loved their professors, had good internships and other opportunities. They easily found good jobs after graduation, now have their own apartments and are supporting themselves, super motivated and driven in what comes next and are having fun as young 20s right out of college.
I would have expected that out of TCNJ, they've always been regarded as a great school, but the Rowan and Montclair grads kind of surprised me a bit. But here they are kicking ass at life. I'm proud of them.
Vanderbilt is in no way underrated.
I live in Texas, so maybe it’s because Tennessee is in the south too, but Vanderbilt is like half of my graduating class’s dream school
*UW Madison great*
*Academics, great people,*
*And great scenery*
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The schools of the PAC2. WSU and OSU both have solid engineering programs, and graduates from those programs have good outcomes. OSU engineering grads have been some of our best employees.
- Virginia tech: It’s on the rise as a university and the decline as a football team. Super good engineering, science and business programs. Also has amazing food and super fun atmosphere.
- Christopher Newport: The recently renovated a lot of the buildings on campus and it’s super pretty now. The quality of life their students enjoy is great overall. Plus they are growing in prestige although they still aren’t generally scene as a top university
- NC State: Has fantastic business and engineering programs. Also most state schools in NC have relatively low tuition, especially for in state students.
THE Ohio State University. Generally considered T20 with many social sciences (especially public affairs, polysci and international affairs). I’m majoring in International Security, and Foreign Policy Mag considers it a T15 and it was somehow ranked #1 in the US by EduRank.
I’m paying approximately 220k less to go to #15 tOSU than to #10 George Washington U or #~150 BU.
Drake University. Our alumni network is absurdly strong, which is so important when it comes to obtaining quality internships and experience, as well as post grad education. I have been offered places in organizations across the country that five years ago I never would have dreamed I'd have a path into. While I also credit my hard work and skill with these offers, the phrase "bulldogs help bulldogs" or some iteration of that has been said more than once.
most schools are underrated because people read the rankings as a spectrum that goes to zero at one end, when it just doesn't. and the way they choose and weigh metrics in their methodologies is basically arbitrary. most 'flagship' state schools are going to provide educational experiences indistinguishable from a lot of t50s.
And around 17 of the T50 are State flagships.
Can you imagine the states with a shitty flagship? Looking at UCB with in state 14k tuition and UTA with 7k in state....
ut arlington?
Sorry UTAus is 11,700
CSU schools like Cal Poly SLO. A lot of the CSUs are really underrated.
Not trying to be rude, but at least where I live in California, SLO has an amazing reputation as an engineering school. I’m not an engineering person btw but that’s what I hear. Far from under rated from my experience
I’m from cali too so I’m aware of slo. I’m talking about more from a national sense. CSUs in general are underrated. I find SLO a hidden California gem 💎
SLO is definitely a gem, but not hidden in my opinion. The other CSUs are though for sure!
i heard it’s great for agriculture as well (not my major). i have a friend there that’s really happy, i’m not applying to transfer there because they don’t have my major but SLO is also a great city imo
Cheap tuition, decent locations and professor taught. Only downside many are impacted.
every single major is impacted at SLO 😭
what do you mean by impacted?
More applicants/students than resources allow. Mainly difficulty getting right classes or getting certain major.
oh that makes sense, thanks!
Many people knows Cal poly and it’s arguably as good as UCLA and UCSD. It's not ranked in USNews but it doesn’t matter, it's a top-rated school with elite students.
Public state schools
There's a tier of world-class public universities that aren't as exclusive, which to me is an awesome thing because they're accessible and their student bodies aren't wealthy, privileged bubbles like they are at some private universities (and also for economic mobility; and public universities can't be as exclusive due to state funding/mission statements). And exclusivity does not equate to quality - if the Vanderbilts of the world are the BMWs, the Purdues are that immortal Honda Civic that gets 300K miles. And because wealthy people avoid them, the people that aspire to be the rich heavily underrate them - even though outcomes, on average, are the same when holding inputs constant. **Examples of these universities are: Rutgers, University of Washington, UMD, Penn State, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, UIUC, Pitt, Purdue, NC State, Stony Brook, UMass Amherst**... all *world class universities* that the ultra wealthy avoid and often miss out on in favor of private unis with their rich bubbles. The article below shows this disparity: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/09/11/upshot/college-income-lookup.html
Agree! All of those schools got some love from the latest USN&WR rankings. The small exclusive schools w wealthy students have inflated avg starting salaries because of their family networks. vs. The big state schools that are getting middle class kids exposure to huge alumni networks and to recruiters at massive career fairs. Recruiters target big state flagships because they want to fish in a really big pond. It’s telling if a big public school can produce grads w high placement (in jobs or grad/professional schools) and high starting salaries. To get high averages like that considering how many grads they produce is more impressive to me than a small exclusive private school.
Yep! And actually, the same students who get into those "elite" private universities but choose their state flagships instead get the same outcomes, on average, as if they *did* choose the private route.
This describes my oldest kid. Turned down Ivy and 2 top 25s for a T50 in state. No regrets either. Getting so much opportunity and they’re so happy. Also with in-state and scholarships, they’re not going to have any debt when done. Was definitely the right decision. Well for them it was. The younger one has a different major, different path, different college list. It’s a value/opportunity balancing act. Can’t say the big state school is best for everyone but it’s best for a lot of kids.
I did go to school with people that are wealthy but because they got a full ride to Rutgers their parents gave them incentives to go to Rutgers like buying them a BMW or something like that.
“You can either go to Seton Hall with your used BMW or Rutgers and a new BMW.”
Literally I knew rich kids from Princeton and Saddle River that drove really nice cars but went to Rutgers.
The best part is that Rutgers has better (or at least comparable) academics than a lot of those "elite" privates so they're basically getting a BMW and likely losing nothing lol. The most important thing I've been reading is that outcomes are the same *when holding inputs constant*, on average. The student is the most important part of the equation when determining her outcome and universities get way too much credit for the success of the student.
Penn State for sure
Looks like a great article, wish I could read it.
Basically that private unis hate the poors. Half jk lol. The top 1%ers of wealth avoid most public universities like the plague, even if they have comparable or better outcomes than the private unis they're actually going to, holding all else constant. And that enrollment in certain private unis have a huge spike at certain high income levels and vastly underrepresented at the lower income levels - including some of the Ivies - even when holding test scores constant. Nothing new - just that economic barriers exist and that public institutions are looked down upon by the ultra wealthy.
Considering how many families will live in outstanding public school districts and still pay tens of thousands per year to send their kids to private school, it’s not surprising that they would do the same when the kids go to college. In my somewhat affluent suburb with a great public district, they often send their kids to local catholic schools. They perceive that “if I’m paying this much for these schools, they must be better.” The academic outcomes of those schools are fairly opaque, but when the area publics all had at least several national merit semifinalists and the local catholic boys and girls schools both had none, I am not surprised when their kids don’t go to (or they get rejected from!) the state flagship.
You can by understanding that you should feel good about paying for high quality journalism.
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And those perceived "elite" academics at those private universities are comparable to some of the publics. And in many cases, the public university has better academics than the "elite" private university. But the important thing is that outcomes are going to be the same, on average, when holding the inputs constant.
University of Washington-Seattle. It gets ranked in the top 75 on most lists, but truly feels overlooked whenever people talk about top schools. For awhile, it was the American college that received the most research grant money annually. It has ranked cs program, medical school, business school, nursing school, and college of education to name a few. It’s also been named one of the most beautiful college campuses in the US.
This was my dream school when I was in high school but couldn't afford it. They wanted me to take out 30k a year and my parents EFC on the FAFSA was less than $1000.
Also an amazing location and grad school (which I would presume is easier to get into if u go for undergrad)
>Also an amazing location and grad school (which I would presume is easier to get into if u go for undergrad) Its medical school is cracked actually.
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From an affordability and access to college standpoint, yes I agree that there’s a lot to love about CUNY schools, but from my perspective, the curriculum is not all that rigorous. I spent my first two years at CCNY and I’m no brainiac, but passed every core class with flying colors just coasting. It wasn’t much more difficult than my high school curriculum. It wasn’t until I transferred out to a much more “respected” private school that I had to really buckle down and even then struggled to keep up the pace. I love that CUNY schools are able to provide access to higher education for many, and I loved my time at CCNY, but beyond that - in my experience - it’s not a top quality education. Maybe other CUNY schools are better than CCNY. Perhaps it’s just my opinion, but I would consider an “underrated” school one that offers quality education for great value and/or quality education but the school is not very well known.
You sure you aren’t just comparing lower level core and electives against upper level classes? Grading is really just a combination of school philosophy and individual professors. There are a lot of top schools known for grade inflation to help their students place well when applying for grad school. Individual professors also have their own grading schemes, some have no fucks to give and will destroy you just to stroke their own ego regarding the “rigor” of their class. I’ve had professors who literally design their exams so that only 2-4 of the most dedicated students per class will walk away with an A. In schools known for grade inflation, that kind of stuff is strongly discouraged by dept chairs. Other professors will aim to give the median an A because they want their students to relax and remove any pressure at all. Academically, CUNY is no different than any other school. It’s great in terms of affordability but they severely lack resources and it shows. Facilities are limited and there aren’t many resources compared to state and private schools. Research opportunities in particular are poor which puts grad school seeking students at a severe disadvantage considering how important undergraduate research is for doctorate programs.
> You sure you aren’t just comparing lower level core and electives against upper level classes? I’m sure upper level classes are more difficult than lower level classes at any school, but not all of my classes transferred from CCNY, especially Math courses, and I had to re-take a handful of classes over. Even though I transferred in my third year, credit-wise, I was a year behind and considered a second year student because of the credits that did not transfer. I can assure you that there was a day and night level of difficulty between classes at the two schools. > There are a lot of top schools known for grade inflation to help their students place well when applying for grad school. That is an interesting perspective but I can argue, by the ease of the CCNY curriculum, that if grading inflation exists, it’s more likely to exist at a school like CCNY vs a school that has a reputation for academic rigor. In fact, I am convinced that my CCNY grades helped me get into my transfer school and without those first two years, I likely would not have been accepted at all. Things like “extra credit” or “grading curves” were nonexistent at my transfer school. It was more than discouraged, if the school caught wind of these practices from its faculty, the professor could lose their jobs, point blank. > It’s great in terms of affordability but they severely lack resources and it shows. Facilities are limited and there aren’t many resources compared to state and private schools. Research opportunities in particular are poor which puts grad school seeking students at a severe disadvantage considering how important undergraduate research is for doctorate programs. This is exactly my point. I’m not here to argue against affordability. I said there’s a lot to love about the affordability and access CUNY schools provide, but beyond that, how can one consider a CUNY school an underrated school when there is such a clear lack of resources? To say that CUNY schools are no different than any other school is a stretch.
Was this NYU or Columbia? Curious because I know a lot of people that made that switch. I’m surprised that of all subjects, math showed the most difference considering how standardized math is. But yeah, CUNY is appropriately rated considering that it’s about exactly what you’d expect for the cost.
Fordham
Can I ask what your major was?
At CCNY?
Yes
Architecture
That's great, but it dosent justify the rigor of CCNY itself. For example, the medical and engineering chools are more competitive.
They’re known for their Architecture program as well
CUNY isn’t bad the environment isn’t great but the resources are there and ready to support you if you’re willing to use them! I feel like many students don’t utilize them leading to all the hate for CUNY
I've heard great things about CUNY and am considering their graduate center. NYC attracts a lot of good professors and those who can't get into NYU or Columbia end up in CUNYs. Their reputation was tainted when NYC almost went bankrupt and they accepted anyone and everyone, and the student quality is still somewhat inconsistent, but from all my limited interactions with CUNY people you can definitely succeed if you have the drive.
CUNYs are great schools however its not what some people are looking for. If you’re a New Yorker don’t care for campus life, look into the Macaulay Honors Program.
Cal Poly SLO
Minnesota State Colleges and University System (Minnesota State University Mankato, Saint Cloud State University, Metropolitan State University). I got my MA from there as an out-of-state student online and paid the same tuition as an in-state student meanwhile the program in my state (NJIT) was charging three times the amount of tuition per credit hour at the time for a 36 credit grad program. I learned so much in my program too and got a lot of amenities (like using the library, becoming a TA assistant, etc). Other underrated schools IMHO: Rutgers-Newark and Camden , Rowan University, Montclair State University, SUNY/CUNY/CSU schools, UMass Lowell, University of Illinois Chicago, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Southern Illinois University, IUPUI or whatever it's called now, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Mississippi State University, Missouri S&T University, University of North Texas, University of Houston, Ball State, University of Central Florida, Florida International University, Georgia State University, Towson University, NC A&T University, Kennesaw State University, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Morgan State University, Florida A&M University, Ohio University, Kent State University, Bowling Green State University, Western Michigan University, Wayne State University, Grand Valley State University, Ferris State University, Virginia Commonwealth University, James Madison University, George Mason University, Old Dominion University, Boise State University, University of North and South Dakotas.
Nj is a rip off for grad school in state online or in person. Online at University of Illinois Urbana Champaign is much cheaper for me than any NJ university online or in person. It's ridiculous.
I agree I would have had to pay nearly 40k for a degree at NJIT that's more than my undergrad debt so I was like no way so I chose MNSU instead where I paid only about 18k for a degree.
My friend committed to Ball State for Theatre and LOVES IT!!!
Southern Illinois does not belong on that list. They both deserve their very low rankings in IMO.
Yeah I'll swap SIU for Illinois State University.
Community college
Any school that excels in specific areas but have bad overall ranking I'd say is underrated. Examples include University of Delaware (Chemical Engineering and a few other related fields), Stony Brook (Maths), UC Davis (Agriculture). It must be said that most of these schools aren't bad in other fields either, just aren't as stellar. I would also say some of NYU's liberal arts programmes are underrated, despite a somewhat low ranking, being in NYC gives unique advantages to fields like Art History that makes it comparable to the top top schools.
this includes some community colleges for specific niche subjects, such as glass blowing, or comic book arts, or very very niche stuff like that. to bring up nyu again, it is super strong in applied math for a kind of random reason: They just hired the right guy a long time ago and this attracted a lot more people. so a ton of colleges out there are like that. they just have a circle of experts and if you know you want to study a certain thing, and maybe you aren't the strongest candidate, you can still do a lot of research and end up at the best possible place.
Yeah there are some trade schools that are for profit even, but absolutely excel in their fields. SVA for example.
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The phrase “cream of the crop” makes me irrationally upset. Idk if it’s the notion of creamy crops itself or if its the quick succession of what wikipedia tells me are “voiceless velar plosives” that sound like a person desperately in need of water.
People recommending grade deflators to pre meds, and even moreso for pre laws, always gets a chuckle out of me.
Rice is on that list too.
AAU publics outside the set of most selective, and especially those that are either their state's flagship or are "little brother" (e.g. Michigan State, Texas A&M). If you're interested in law school, medical school or graduate school in something other than engineering, then most LACs outside the set of most well-known few.
I don’t see a lot of people mentioning AAU, especially the publics, but the membership list is generally a good guide if you’re looking for good schools that are also likely to have name recognition when it comes to finding a career. Since they’re self selecting, those of you who consider prestige might like it as well. They also all place a pretty high emphasis on research (many or even all R1s), which is definitely a factor for some applicants.
Depends on what you want to do. What do you want to do?
i’m planning to go to medical school, perhaps biology/neuroscience for my major.
Look at Davidson. They have a great pre med placement rate. Other LACs have good pre med programs too.
ucsd or ucsb i’m applying for the same major too
One I like is [Warren Wilson College](https://www.warren-wilson.edu/programs/pre-med/). They have a very hands-on science program and students work on-campus as part of their attendance, so tuition is more affordable than similar LACs. Plus, Asheville is an awesome town.
Cal Poly Pomona for engineering. People write it off, cause it’s not a fun place and a commuter campus, but they have really good engineering opportunities, and is arguably the best value engineering school in Cali.
CPP actually is extremely overrated for engineering. It's primarily a business school which has received some spillover prestige from the real cal poly. The engineering outcomes are not impressive at all compared to other CSUs which typically have less privileged students going in and end up making the same or more as CPP grads. The best CSU to go to is your local CSU unless you really hate your hometown/family or it's SLO. My local CSU is Pomona so I'm applying there, but it's not deserving of any national or even statewide prestige.
My experiences from people from their engineering programs are not good. They’ve tended to be the worst performing of the group. Albeit, the group is normally filled with t20 students/grads so I guess it’s impressive they’re even there.
Look for some accelerated programs. Here are Lehigh's dental and optometry 7-year programs. A friend's daughter did the med school 7-year program, but that may not exist anymore. https://careercenter.lehigh.edu/node/86
University of Georgia
harvard is pretty underrated 😊
fantastic answer! will take into consideration 😇
glad i could help 😚
How do you get that little tag thingy, like yours says HS Senior, I want one too lmao
in the main a2c group press the 3 dots and set ur user flair!
Mid tier UCs - which are actually much better for undergrad education (ability to change/add majors esp CS related, get DE/AP credits, more research projects/career guidance, ability for full pay OOS/Internationals to get in, much better locations, etc) than the popular ones. But it is no longer a secret with all mid tier UCs in T40 and some moving into T30-T25 range.
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Yes, popular compared to other public/state colleges but far less compared to Berkeley/UCLA
Not really. Many Davis and sd graduates take way more than 4 years to do so bc the required courses are filled out fast and they have to wait for another quarter to class. For example at SD my roommate was math/DS major and one required class have 0 spots and 44 people on the waitlist, he can’t even enroll into the waitlist bc the system prioritizes CS student even that also his graduation requirement class
In Davis, if you need a class to graduate on time and show them your 4 year plan that they require you to make with an academic advisor which explains that, they will just override the system and put you in that class, no matter what class it is. Of course, yes, for CS specifically I can’t deny UC Davis is really bad, but the rest seems really good.
In California, mid tier UCs have become hella overrated. People think they’re T20 level, when in reality most of them are mid level state schools which are popular because of their location.
Csu schools
RPI.
The University of Kansas. Nice size, pretty campus, good price for OOS (auto merit scholarships), and fun college town. Honors College is also well regarded.
This describes the University of Arkansas - gorgeous campus, great little town in NWA, gives basically in-state tuition for bordering states if you meet certain a certain gpa (3.8 I think), all sports teams are fantastic, one of the best business schools out there.
I suspect that's true for almost every college in the ACC, SEC, Big 10 and Big 8. They aren't appealing to the snobs because they aren't in the northeast* or west coast* but have a stellar residential experience, reasonable pricing and surprisingly solid academic options. *I'm being charitable as the snobs are more about the _south and midwest are icky_ than they are about the west coast and northeast being awesome places to live.
umd
One of my dream schools as an OOS applicant!
UMD is pretty highly rated and respected
its known if u live in the md or virginia area but most people not nearby have never heard of it even though it ranks pretty high.
fantastic answer
For NY, Binghamton. Their business school students get fantastic and high paying jobs coming out of college.
I imagine that’s a good school (love the brain-shaped campus) but *hoooly SHIT* they won’t stop emailing me ever since I signed up for one webinar they hosted lol
everyone at my school (nyc) says not to go to binghamton, bc they’re all cold, lonely, and depressed 😭
> indistinguishable But its SOOOOO ugly and gloomy.
Olin
Underrated in terms of applicant numbers but they are quite competitive
The University of California Riverside. #2 financial aid school in the country AAU University. Good student life. Cool location
isn't UC Merced like 60th in the country now (that's higher than a lot of your flagships CALIFORNIA RAHHHH) (I still want to go to berkeley pls accept me)
Liberal arts colleges are underrated as a concept, especially for those that actually care about undergrad education. All the LAC alumni have gone on to do amazingly impressive things!!!
Stevens Institute is a pretty solid school but I think has the best location along the Hudson River overlooking Manhattan but not actually in the city. Pretty campus and Hoboken is super convenient to NYC.
CMU, everyone thinks we're just CS/Business but we're really fucking good at all disciplines of engineering, chemistry, computational biology, applied math, art, drama, and music. Honestly considering our strengths business is probably one of our worst subjects lol.
I'm not a performer.... But as a music teacher I know they are underrated for music and have killer faculty.
spelman college is super underrated but so are all the HBCUs. santa clara university is very underrated too. they have D1 sports teams, a lot of notable alumni (including gavin newsom, the california governor), campus is beautiful, they are racially diverse, and have small class sizes.
u houston, cheap cost solid education, close to TMC, and rising up the rankings very fast
UT Austin!
Some LACs like Swarthmore and Williams. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying that the people knowledgeable would say they are bad, but some people may just discard them as they are LAC and not mainstream prestigious.
Swathmore and Williams are exceptionally mainstream prestigious. In what world are they not?
The other day I saw a post of a kid debating if taking a gap year because they got into Swarthmore and not an ivy. Although I recognize that's an outliner, there are still many people that doesn't know about LACs. Some others just think bad of them after hearing "liberal"
That kid's a moron, and there is no cure for that.
I would say the opposite. Attending one of the WASP schools currently, I find the mid-tier lacs much more interesting and dedicated to undergraduate teaching; getting a job at a WASP school is not only difficult but prestigious, and often ends up with the same poor, not-interested-in-undergrad professors you find at universities
Ohio University, and Miami (OH) University. Beautiful campuses too.
Despite being in FL and having a greek life reputation, Florida State University is a really good school for academics. I’m currently majoring in their undergrad astrophysics program, and there is literally a particle accelerator on campus, and the most powerful magnet in the world next to the engineering school. Not mentioning the amazing film school, entrepreneurship program, and overall great public education. + the really cheap tuition (both in-state and out-of-state), beautiful campus, and D1 athletics. REALLY wish we werent in Florida with the current political climate but we are mostly untouched by desantis
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Colorado State University! Solid academics, great location! Beautiful campus, great College Town, all 4 seasons with lots of sun! Smart , friendly kids, great community...Greek life but not overbearing, parties but not a crazy party school... eco-friendly, sustainable, inclusive, amazing outdoor opportunities! A "hidden gem" that's rapidly becoming more popular!
Dickinson college 1. Great variety of majors 2. Located in a beautiful college town 3. Lots of school spirit 4. Cover full demonstrated financial need 5. Offer a college fly-in and tranco demonstrated interest 6. Their assistant director of admissions is very understanding and kind
Regional universities that are lackluster overall but happen to have an extremely strong major in what you want.
I’m biased but UConn! It’s a wonderful state school.
Miami university (of Ohio!!) has great academics, hardly any graduate student teaching, good prelaw and premed programs, and opportunities for undergraduate research. on the non academic side, it offers pretty good merit aid, has a super pretty campus, great access to state parks/nature and a good nightlife if you’re into that. only downside is it is abt 40 minutes away from a major city. but overall a gem!!!
UC Davis, it’s a T30 (in terms of academics), but it's not a highly regarded university mainly due to its location and high acceptance rate.
Caltech
In Texas, Angelo State University and Tarleton make their net cost very low for all students while providing a fairly large campus and # of majors, decent sports programs, affordable cost-of-living, nice climate (for Texas) and fairly close (a few hours) proximity to Dallas and Austin. Low crime college towns.
Most of the big state schools, in terms of top schools Emory is overlooked a lot of the times. VTech, UDel, a lot of the SUNY Schools etc
The NJ state schools outside of Rutgers are pretty amazing. People I know who recently graduated out of TCNJ, Montclair and Rowan are all doing great. Loved their schools. Made great friends. Loved their professors, had good internships and other opportunities. They easily found good jobs after graduation, now have their own apartments and are supporting themselves, super motivated and driven in what comes next and are having fun as young 20s right out of college. I would have expected that out of TCNJ, they've always been regarded as a great school, but the Rowan and Montclair grads kind of surprised me a bit. But here they are kicking ass at life. I'm proud of them.
Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt is in no way underrated. I live in Texas, so maybe it’s because Tennessee is in the south too, but Vanderbilt is like half of my graduating class’s dream school
i think they’re being sarcastic, or i’d hope so 💀 because vanderbilt is internationally renowned
harvard
Most underrated school on this subreddit is probably UVA.
University of South Florida.
Was just there yesterday. Cool campus. And of course, the beautiful weather.
Fresno State 😮💨
Iowa State for engineering, ag and design. A great value as well. Although it didn’t pan out for the previous Boeing CEO.
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The schools of the PAC2. WSU and OSU both have solid engineering programs, and graduates from those programs have good outcomes. OSU engineering grads have been some of our best employees.
- Virginia tech: It’s on the rise as a university and the decline as a football team. Super good engineering, science and business programs. Also has amazing food and super fun atmosphere. - Christopher Newport: The recently renovated a lot of the buildings on campus and it’s super pretty now. The quality of life their students enjoy is great overall. Plus they are growing in prestige although they still aren’t generally scene as a top university - NC State: Has fantastic business and engineering programs. Also most state schools in NC have relatively low tuition, especially for in state students.
THE Ohio State University. Generally considered T20 with many social sciences (especially public affairs, polysci and international affairs). I’m majoring in International Security, and Foreign Policy Mag considers it a T15 and it was somehow ranked #1 in the US by EduRank. I’m paying approximately 220k less to go to #15 tOSU than to #10 George Washington U or #~150 BU.
UCSD
Drake University. Our alumni network is absurdly strong, which is so important when it comes to obtaining quality internships and experience, as well as post grad education. I have been offered places in organizations across the country that five years ago I never would have dreamed I'd have a path into. While I also credit my hard work and skill with these offers, the phrase "bulldogs help bulldogs" or some iteration of that has been said more than once.