[wMceqj7F]

I think that I got a good education. I don't really know how to check rankings, I tihnk that my undergrad was the second best liberal arts college in the Northern Midwest.

What I have heard though, is that our Colleges are only decent.. and catch us up from having a poor Highschool/Gradeschool. It is our Graduate Schools which are excellent, and generally some of the best in the world.

My graduate school is one of the best Public Graduate schools in the US.

Jon Miller

[Buildityrit]

University (Waterloo) was good for me as a person.

College (Loyalist) was better for my employment.

[xIuvyAuT]

Originally posted by Jon Miller
What I have heard though, is that our Colleges are only decent.. and catch us up from having a poor Highschool/Gradeschool. It is our Graduate Schools which are excellent, and generally some of the best in the world. I have heard that even some highly-ranked private schools are relying on TAs to a great degree for undergrad, and class sizes are increasing. The students are getting much less prof face time.

Don't know to what extent that is true.

[baxodrom]

I attend University of Maryland at College Park for Graduate School. My undergraduate institution was Gustavus Adolphus College, in Minnesota.

In my Undergrad all classes were taught by Professors.. and in the advanced courses the Professors did all the grading generally (in less advanced courses, TAs would do the grading). Teaching Assistants (generally more senior students) would just assist with the Labs, Grade lower level HW, and spend evenings in study rooms (so they were available to tutor the junior students).

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/col...2353_brief.php
http://www.gustavus.edu/

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/col...2103_brief.php
http://www.umd.edu/
http://www.newsdesk.umd.edu/facts/2006rank.cfm

Jon Miller

[ResuNezily]

Yes and yes, although I acknowledge it wasn't worth what my parents paid for it. Part of that is that small liberal arts colleges are just really pricey and part of it is on me for partying too much.

I went to Trinity College. At the time, it was ~$30k/year in tuition + room & board. It's higher now and still climbing.

I could probably have gotten a decent enough education at UCONN at 1/4 the cost. But there's no way I can regret going to Trin. I had a great time, made fantastic friends... including my wife.

-Arrian

[cigattIcTot]

My university, The University of East Anglia, consistently gets rated as one of the best in terms of student satisfaction and is in the top 20 in the UK university league tables.

For this I paid £1200 or so for the last two years. In my third and final year, I pay nothing. The government pays on my behalf, adds it to my student loan debt, and I pay them back when I'm earning £15,000 or more a year.

[wrbwrbwrb]

My uni was alright I suppose

[ibiDb4uu]

Oh and I find it difficult to assess the quality of my education. I enjoyed the experience and found my professors ranged from brilliant to bumbling. I did obtain the credentials I needed for the workforce but since I attended only two universities ( both in Canada) I find it difficult to make a broader comparison

[Edqpdnuu]

At a Liberal Arts institution, the Professors are there because they want to teach. As such, most of them are generally good lecturers, care about the students, etc. The professors at my Undergrad were my freinds... They had my over to their houses, did activities with me (and others), really seemed to care.

There were very few Professors at my University who seemed to care about general physics grad students. Only a couple cared about general physics students, and I don't think any care about general students.

Caring does matter.

Jon Miller

[Imalaycle]

As far as being scientists go, the relatively less successful scientists at my Graduate Institution are probably more successful scientists then the the successful scientists at my undergraduate institution.

Jon Miller

[OixKKcj1]

You don't count, freshman.

-Arrian

[avaiftBoara]

Originally posted by Jon Miller
My undergraduate institution was Gustavus Adolphus College, in Minnesota.

[xochgtlm]

Originally posted by Arrian

I went to Trinity College. At the time, it was ~$30k/year in tuition + room & board. It's higher now and still climbing. OMG, that's obcene, my tuition is around $5,500/yr..

[bestworkother]

Yes and Yes. If you want good value, go to a good public school for undergrad and then the best graduate school you can get into. Typically, someone else is paying the bulk of graduate school.

The competition to get into Cal is so high now, that I'm not sure I would get in if I were applying now.

[allvideO]

Originally posted by DanS
Did you go to college? Are you happy with your education? Very.

I had multiple job offers when I graduated, and I'm making the same amount as a guy who just got his Masters in CS from a the University of British Columbia at the same company.

[CesseOveldset]

Quite satisfied so far here at Wash U (in St Louis). I'm more disappointed in the quality of the other students than anything else. Oh, and I wish the math department was bigger. But overall, .

[CefGemYAffews]

There's a lot of common *nix problems from UW in St. Louis.

[largonioulurI]

I went to a mediocre state university with an extremely broad selection of classes and a good college for my major, and it offered a good selection of foreign languages. It also had Army ROTC, a rifle team and a judo team, all of which I took advantage of. It was cheap, and located in the town where I went to high school. The class quality varied extremely, from "phone it in" general ed classes to truly excellent classes taught by inspired professionals.

In retrospect I should have taken all of my general ed classes at the nearby community college, which was cheaper still and had much better instructors for the classes it offered. All in all my education was not as good as it could have been, though much of what was lacking was focus on my part. I really should have joined the military before going to college. I needed the break from constant schooling, and I could really have used the educational benefits the military offered as well as the chance to grow up a little. I ended up working full-time while I was in college, which was one of the many things competing for my time. I had a blast socially, and really enjoyed the sports and other extra-curriculars. All in all I'd give the Uni a C- for my education, and a B+ for life lessons and skills.

[mArVHDO6]

Originally posted by DanS
Did you go to college? Are you happy with your education?

I ask because the US is considered to have excellent colleges, and many other countries are considered to be lagging. But does this perception bear out in actual fact for you personally? The US spends a very high amount on its universities compared to everybody but the Koreans, but does that lead to good educations?

By way of background, my alma mater is ranked about #120 in the US -- i.e., second or third tier. Private, with tuition in the $30k range. I think that I got a good education. I loved m college and consider it to be of excellent quality. I got to study under many world reknowned thinkers in the field of geology who were responsible for some of the greatest theories and innovations in the field. The University of California system truly deserves its title as the world's leading public university system.

[johnsonjunior]

Wow! I'm gettin' old!

My last quarter in college I paid $183 in tuition. Yep...college used to be an affordable thing...