Would you let your child go to Penn State?

[Smart]

Again, Smart with another opinion, tried to pass as fact, that lacks any and all empirical evidence.

Look at any review of students and their opinion of the town that their schools are in. The top 25 schools from large student surveys are all in cultural hubs. All the empirical evidence backs up what I am saying.

 

[KansasSooner]

So if a kid wants to be a veterinarian and work with ranchers and their herds they'd be better off going to NYC to study than K-State in Manhattan, KS? I'm sure there is enough bullshit in NYC to teach them how to avoid it in the pastures of west Kansas though.

 

[fordman84]

It has nothing to do with education. It has everything to do with how one entertains themselves and what values an individual has. I do think that there is something intrinsically better about cities with better cuisines, better museums, better music venues, more sporting events, more street life, prettier geography, etc. In a city like Madison or Minneapolis or Chicago or Washington DC or New York or Austin, TX, or Columbus, or Ann Arbor (the list goes on and on), you have everything you could do in a State College or a Champaign, and much, much more.

I guess one could claim it is elitism, but only in the most rudimentary manner. I don't think it is that crazy to suggest that having more options is worthwhile.

You know, I'm sitting here trying to think what "more sporting events" Austin TX has that College Station doesn't. I can't think of any. I'm sure there are some independent league teams there, but for the life of me...I can only think of all the hippie pot smokers that roll out of Austin as opposed to College Station. Sure, we have the Chicken...but drinking is legal.

I can only hope my kid wants to go to a big school in a little town. Then you actually get to experience college and not just go to school in a city. At A&M everything there was about the school. In Austin, UT is second fiddle. You can live next door to some family in an apartment. At A&M, the small town, you are pretty much guaranteed to be living amongst your peers.

Give me small town college over big city college any day, unless you are in grad school or plan on working in your undergrad field of study throughout college. Few do that though.

 

[NDHoosier101]

the gap between people who go to school in college towns and those who go to school in real cities is clearly apparent. The college town bunch do not know how to entertain themselves while sober, all their stories are the same (I did some stupid things while drunk....i'm so special), and they just aren't as well rounded as individuals.

University of Wisconsin-Madison ranked #12 on the Party School List.
#15 Lots of Beer
#4 Lots of Hard Liquor
#12 Party Schools
University of Wisconsin-Madison Ranked #12 Party School

From 2010, but clearly shows Wisconsin is just on a different level than every other school, and the students there aren't foolish enough to get drunk enough to do dumb things. Nor do they need to get drunk to be entertained

 

[fordman84]

Look at any review of students and their opinion of the town that their schools are in. The top 25 schools from large student surveys are all in cultural hubs. All the empirical evidence backs up what I am saying.

please post at least a single link where all 25 top schools are in cultural hubs and not small towns.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

Well Smart,

I went to a school in a college town, Virginia Tech. I also went to a school in big city with all of the culture and cuisine in the world, Pitt.

There is no difference in college idiots kids, no matter where you go. College is what you put into it, really. This is especially true in undergraduate programs.

 

[ckhokie]

Look at any review of students and their opinion of the town that their schools are in. The top 25 schools from large student surveys are all in cultural hubs. All the empirical evidence backs up what I am saying.

please post at least a single link where all 25 top schools are in cultural hubs and not small towns.

Fordman beat me to it. Please post any of these reviews

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

Look at any review of students and their opinion of the town that their schools are in. The top 25 schools from large student surveys are all in cultural hubs. All the empirical evidence backs up what I am saying.

Link?

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

Hey Smart,

Are you an only child?

 

[Smart]

So if a kid wants to be a veterinarian and work with ranchers and their herds they'd be better off going to NYC to study than K-State in Manhattan, KS? I'm sure there is enough bullshit in NYC to teach them how to avoid it in the pastures of west Kansas though.

Here are some vet schools ranked higher than Kansas State in cultural hubs:


Ohio State
NC State
UPenn
UW-Madison
Georgia*
Florida*

If the school is ranked that much better than everyone else, i'd be fine with it. I just wouldn't want my kid choosing PSU over equally selective schools like Minnesota or Ohio State for undergrad. You guys can (and obviously do) disagree with me, but i'm not gonna change my mind and I think empirical results do support my conclusions.

 

[Smart]

Link?

Here's the top ten from the Princeton Review. I used to own the book when I went through college admissions about 3-4 years ago. I assure you the top 25 followed the pattern. Anyone who has any sort of college guide from any major college guide company which surveys students can confirm this.

 

[fordman84]

Here are some vet schools ranked higher than Kansas State in cultural hubs:


Ohio State
NC State
UPenn
UW-Madison
Georgia*
Florida*

If the school is ranked that much better than everyone else, i'd be fine with it. I just wouldn't want my kid choosing PSU over equally selective schools like Minnesota or Ohio State for undergrad. You guys can (and obviously do) disagree with me, but i'm not gonna change my mind and I think empirical results do support my conclusions.

And those of us with real life results will continue to disagree with your opinion based empirical results.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

Also, is Madison really a "cultural hub?"

 

[Jack_John_Mark]

Meh, all that 97% of the students want to do is party

 

[iowajerms]

It has nothing to do with education. It has everything to do with how one entertains themselves and what values an individual has. I do think that there is something intrinsically better about cities with better cuisines, better museums, better music venues, more sporting events, more street life, prettier geography, etc. In a city like Madison or Minneapolis or Chicago or Washington DC or New York or Austin, TX, or Columbus, or Ann Arbor (the list goes on and on), you have everything you could do in a State College or a Champaign, and much, much more.

I guess one could claim it is elitism, but only in the most rudimentary manner. I don't think it is that crazy to suggest that having more options is worthwhile.

That is considered "entertaining yourself"? I would put those as entertainment entertaining you. I went to a small college in Nebraska. It is in a town of 8,000 people and the college competes in NAIA sports. We entertained ourselves by walking 2 miles to the grocery store (locally owned) with a few friends, playing football or frisby in an open area, being social in the student union, doing homework, playing cards in the dorm, video games, etc. Some did drink, but the college I went to is very strict on alcohol (it's a Christian college). Most of those are something you have to make your own fun, and are pretty cheap. The movie theater there has 3 showings, movies are usually in theaters around the country for a month by that point.

The closest 10,000+ populated city to York, the town the college is in, is Lincoln or Hastings. It takes about an hour to get to anywhere in either one. Big cities have more entertainment and have a lot more to do, but the small college towns are where you have to entertain yourself a lot more.

 

[fordman84]

Here's the top ten from the Princeton Review. I used to own the book when I went through college admissions about 3-4 years ago. I assure you the top 25 followed the pattern. Anyone who has any sort of college guide from any major college guide company which surveys students can confirm this.

You said

The top 25 schools from large student surveys are all in cultural hubs.

and then posted a story about the top college towns. That is not the same. The top 25 schools in the US are NOT all in cultural hubs, unless you have a different view of cultural hubs than I.

 

[ckhokie]

When I talk to my friends who have gone to a variety of different schools, the gap between people who go to school in college towns and those who go to school in real cities is clearly apparent. The college town bunch do not know how to entertain themselves while sober, all their stories are the same (I did some stupid things while drunk....i'm so special), and they just aren't as well rounded as individuals. It isn't about elitism or intellectualism. It's about humanity, and whether a person can enjoy themselves without being self-destructive.

Here's the top ten from the Princeton Review. I used to own the book when I went through college admissions about 3-4 years ago. I assure you the top 25 followed the pattern. Anyone who has any sort of college guide from any major college guide company which surveys students can confirm this.

Your link does nothing justify your original claim. You posted a list of top college towns, nothing that would justify the claim of "a gap between people who go to school in college towns and those who go to school in real cities" Especially one that considers partying, drinking, or overall culture.

This isn't any sort of justifiable evidence, which is what many want after your absurdly unfounded claim.

 

[KansasSooner]

Here are some vet schools ranked higher than Kansas State in cultural hubs:


Ohio State
NC State
UPenn
UW-Madison
Georgia*
Florida*

If the school is ranked that much better than everyone else, i'd be fine with it. I just wouldn't want my kid choosing PSU over equally selective schools like Minnesota or Ohio State for undergrad. You guys can (and obviously do) disagree with me, but i'm not gonna change my mind and I think empirical results do support my conclusions.

6 of the top 25, big deal. That means 19 aren't in "large metro areas". And that list includes 3 (used to 5) Big 12 schools. A kid from Oklahoma, Kansas or Texas is not going to impressed with big towns...

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

A lot of these "college towns" on the list are just big cities with multiple colleges.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

6 of the top 25, big deal. That means 19 aren't in "large metro areas". And that list includes 3 (used to 5) Big 12 schools. A kid from Oklahoma, Kansas or Texas is not going to impressed with big towns...

Not to mention that calling Raleigh, Athens and Gainesville large urban centers is a bit of a stretch.