Some of you have kids here who are ready to apply for college so I thought this list could help a bit. Caveat, this is based solely on my experiences and talking to people from these respective schools. I will pick one underrated and overrated school for each major category, private, public, small liberal arts school.
Most overrated private school. This one is a no brainer for me, it has to be Stanford. In the 80's their engineering program in probation. They have a large endowment and a big name but they are not on the same level as Harvard, as much as they want you to think that.
Most understated private school. Did you know that BYU is ranked #21 in the US News and World Report rankings? They are one spot behind Duke and UCLA who are tied for 20, which is the perfect Segway to the next topic.
The most overrated public university, UCLA. I don't care what the US News and World Report Rankings say, probably because UCLA is an LA school, they ranked them higher than Berkeley but Berkeley is the #1 ranked public school, not UCLA.
Most underrated public uni, University of Wisconsin, Madison. Did you know Wisconsin is consistently ranked in the top 35? They are a mid west school, they are not going to get the love as an LA o NY school. They suffer from the same problem an elite East Coast or West Coast Cali school.
Most overrated liberal arts college Amherst. Just because it's in Boston everyone goes ooh and awww at Amherst but I would argue that Pomona College is just as prestigious, just not as well known.
One more category for Iranian parents here, engineering school
Most overrated engineering school- Stanford they were under academic probation, I believe in the 80's.
Most underrated engineering school. Did you know Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, has one of the best engineering schools in the country? The top 3 engineering firms Halliburton, Parsons, and Bechtel will gladly pick you up, and offer a nice job, if you graduate from that school. The problem is can you get in, it is almost as hard as getting into a good IV league school.
Honorable mention for most overrated public school MICHIGAN I love how Michigan students act like they attend Harvard.
Feel free to come up with your own list you can pick one from each major category.
Most overrated Iranian university, just for stuff and giggles, University of Sharif. Ok I know it really is a good school, I just want to piss off you know who. What's the matter bro couldn't get into University of Tehran or Amir Kabir? Seems like student body at University of Sharif are just a bunch of rude jerks, just from my experience. : I apologize ISP, I could not resist taking a dig at U of Sharif. Ya I know they have the #2 electrical engineering dept, next to Stanford, good for you. You don't have to be such a d bag about it, just saying.
Most overrated private school. This one is a no brainer for me, it has to be Stanford. In the 80's their engineering program in probation. They have a large endowment and a big name but they are not on the same level as Harvard, as much as they want you to think that.
Most understated private school. Did you know that BYU is ranked #21 in the US News and World Report rankings? They are one spot behind Duke and UCLA who are tied for 20, which is the perfect Segway to the next topic.
The most overrated public university, UCLA. I don't care what the US News and World Report Rankings say, probably because UCLA is an LA school, they ranked them higher than Berkeley but Berkeley is the #1 ranked public school, not UCLA.
Most underrated public uni, University of Wisconsin, Madison. Did you know Wisconsin is consistently ranked in the top 35? They are a mid west school, they are not going to get the love as an LA o NY school. They suffer from the same problem an elite East Coast or West Coast Cali school.
Most overrated liberal arts college Amherst. Just because it's in Boston everyone goes ooh and awww at Amherst but I would argue that Pomona College is just as prestigious, just not as well known.
One more category for Iranian parents here, engineering school
Most overrated engineering school- Stanford they were under academic probation, I believe in the 80's.
Most underrated engineering school. Did you know Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, has one of the best engineering schools in the country? The top 3 engineering firms Halliburton, Parsons, and Bechtel will gladly pick you up, and offer a nice job, if you graduate from that school. The problem is can you get in, it is almost as hard as getting into a good IV league school.
Honorable mention for most overrated public school MICHIGAN I love how Michigan students act like they attend Harvard.
Feel free to come up with your own list you can pick one from each major category.
Most overrated Iranian university, just for stuff and giggles, University of Sharif. Ok I know it really is a good school, I just want to piss off you know who. What's the matter bro couldn't get into University of Tehran or Amir Kabir? Seems like student body at University of Sharif are just a bunch of rude jerks, just from my experience. : I apologize ISP, I could not resist taking a dig at U of Sharif. Ya I know they have the #2 electrical engineering dept, next to Stanford, good for you. You don't have to be such a d bag about it, just saying.
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