mhendo, I think at issue here would be undergraduate reputations, not specific departments (which are usually ranked at the grad level) since we’re talking about the possibility of subbing the first two undergrad years with community college.
U-C is indeed one of the best undergradaute public universities in the U.S., but it is not a peer of U of Chicago. I am here at one of the other top public Unis in the country, with scads of graduate programs (including my own) ranked #1. But that doesn’t put us on par with the elite privates when it comes to undergraduate reputations, selectivity, or qualifications of the student body. I can see where dropzone’s remark seemed harsh, but in this case I don’t think he was not indulging in “private school parochialism.”
There’d be little quibbling about the quality of Berkeley’s history program, but I do so dearly hope that no one in your school takes Gourman seriously. Those rankings are arbitrary, unreplicable, and indefensible. I mean, people hate US News’ methodology too, but it’s worlds better than Gourman.
Oh, heavens, no! I was indulging in “Midwest vs California parochialism.” Jeeze, I put in a winkie and everything.
*Yep. And I would like you to point where I have ever indicated that I value the opinions and experiences of others, no mater how many of them there are, over my my own. I don’t post in IMHO because I daon’t have HUMBLE opinions. Though calling two of my best friends here “suckers” out loud might’ve been rude. (“Might’ve been?” :rolleyes: )
I asked my daughter what benefits she would’ve seen from starting out at a four-year school first.
“Independence and getting out of the house. But for $250 to $300 a month I found an apartment I could share with two other girls right across from campus.”
“And if your mother and I were both doctors, like Tigg’s parents, IIRC?”
“Then you damned well BETTER send me to a fancy school!”
Here’s another data point. My daughter went to UC Berkeley half time her senior year of high school. In this program she admitted a year, early, and could have gone on without even applying. She chose to go to the University of Chicago. She is now a fourth year, and has never regretted it. Plenty of her friends did go to Berkeley, so she is well informed. She is an econ major. Most private schools allow you to change majors, and a lot of people I knew did, but at UCB you cannot get into a very popular major, like EE, unless you enter as a freshman. You also get kicked out of the dorms after 1 year.
I went to MIT, the to the U of I in Urbana as a grad student. When I went there was plenty of money, and while UIUC had a great computer science department, at the undergraduate level it was nothing like MIT’s.
As for social relationships, I got married to someone I met through a friend at MIT, so I think I’ve had a lasting relationship stemming from my undergrad years.
