Nation's Parents Top 50 "Perfectly Good" State Schools

[daylatedollarshort]

More money saving wisdom from the Onion -

Nation's Parents Release Annual Ranking Of Top 50 "Perfectly Good" State Schools | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

 

[Sue J]

Love the Onion!

Mine and DHs alma mater, Kent State, is mentioned and we did turn out Pretty Darn Good.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I had to laugh because we had the same kind of discussions over the years with many of the exact same points with our kids.

 

[LoneAspen]

ROFL! 35 seconds in, they mention my school, the University of North Alabama, ranked #14 "perfectly good" school! Woohoo!

We have a football team, just like Stanford!

 

[Telly]

They lost all credibility when I saw #5 - SIU. The party school. Cook meth out in the woods. Light up another [-]one[/-] three... That school helped populate southern IL with trailers.

Any "list" like this is too generic anyway. A particular school may be ranked in the top five in the nation for a particular discipline. But may well be ranked lower for other disciplines. For some fields of study, it will make a big difference. But for International Studies, Poly Sci, Basket Weaving, etc., it doesn't really matter where, McDonald's won't care.

I also doubt that it makes any real difference where for someone who will graduate with a degree in Education.

It's a fluff piece, I'm probably putting too much effort into it

 

[Lucantes]

They lost all credibility when I saw #5 - SIU. The party school. Cook meth out in the woods. Light up another [-]one[/-] three... That school helped populate southern IL with trailers.
Any "list" like this is too generic anyway. A particular school may be ranked in the top five in the nation for a particular discipline. But may well be ranked lower for other disciplines. For some fields of study, it will make a big difference. But for International Studies, Poly Sci, Basket Weaving, etc., it doesn't really matter where, McDonald's won't care.
I also doubt that it makes any real difference where for someone who will graduate with a degree in Education.
It's a fluff piece, I'm probably putting too much effort into it

Vrooooom! Right over your head!

 

[daylatedollarshort]

They lost all credibility when I saw #5 - SIU. The party school. Cook meth out in the woods. Light up another [-]one[/-] three... That school helped populate southern IL with trailers.

Any "list" like this is too generic anyway. A particular school may be ranked in the top five in the nation for a particular discipline. But may well be ranked lower for other disciplines. For some fields of study, it will make a big difference. But for International Studies, Poly Sci, Basket Weaving, etc., it doesn't really matter where, McDonald's won't care.

I also doubt that it makes any real difference where for someone who will graduate with a degree in Education.

It's a fluff piece, I'm probably putting too much effort into it

The Onion can't lose credibility - they never had any to start with. It is a satirical humor site.

 

[Telly]

The Onion can't lose credibility - they never had any to start with. It is a satirical humor site.

That's the problem being a person who only sleeps 4-5 hrs. per night... something I probably knew earlier in the day can get a bit fuzzy later!

Thanks

 

[Bestwifeever]

This story was too easy for the Onion--there are much inadvertently funnier rankings that are not supposed to be satirical ("Washington Monthly" has a few), so I can understand how the satirical elements of this story could be missed.

 

[Telly]

This story was too easy for the Onion--there are much inadvertently funnier rankings that are not supposed to be satirical ("Washington Monthly" has a few), so I can understand how the satirical elements of this story could be missed.

Thank you, B-W-E, I think I am fully awake now... or maybe I just think I am

 

[daylatedollarshort]

The Onion fools a lot of people. My favorite was when they reported on a study that all styles of parenting produce disturbed, miserable adults and it got taken seriously and widely reported as factual -

Parents Believe Onion Article, Freak Out Accordingly | TIME.com

 

[MikeTN]

I thought the parody made it pretty clear that the authors think that the more expensive, more selective top private schools like Stanford are really better choices. However, the research on that is mixed at best. There was one good study by economists who followed a group of students who were accepted at the most selective (e.g. Ivy League, Stanford) schools. They found that the ones who enrolled and graduated from these most selective schools had no more career success (eg. earnings) than the ones who, although accepted to top tier schools enrolled instead at a 2nd tier school (where middle class students are more likely to get merit scholarships if they are very talented)

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I thought the parody made it pretty clear that the authors think that the more expensive, more selective top private schools like Stanford are really better choices.

I didn't get that. I think they just made it clear kids often think that, and part of the issue is they usually aren't the ones footing the bill.

They actually poke a lot of fun at the cost of college:

College Admissions Office Finds Ideal Applicant Capable Of Subsidizing Tuition Of 3 Low-Income Students | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

 

[athena53]

They found that the ones who enrolled and graduated from these most selective schools had no more career success (eg. earnings) than the ones who, although accepted to top tier schools enrolled instead at a 2nd tier school (where middle class students are more likely to get merit scholarships if they are very talented).

That would be my BIL. Accepted by Harvard, decided to go to Ohio State. He and SIL built a hugely successful business and are worth in the tens of millions, last time I heard. (And that was 20 years ago.)

The deal my parents made with the 5 of us was that they'd pay if we went to state schools but we had to come up with the difference if we went elsewhere. None of us took the latter offer. They did relent when my youngest brother wanted to go to Miami of Ohio and they'd moved to Buffalo. (We'd lived in Ohio up till he started HS.) My mother said he was so happy to be back in Ohio it was worth the out-of-state tuition.

We did fine with state schools. DH and I chose to send DS to a smaller, private school (Drake) because we were afraid he'd get lost in a big school, and the local state U. was close enough we were concerned that he might spend his weekends playing video games at home. That was an easier decision to make with one kid than with five.

 

[robnplunder]

That's the problem being a person who only sleeps 4-5 hrs. per night... something I probably knew earlier in the day can get a bit fuzzy later!

Thanks

The Onion fooled me on another thread before I knew about The Onion's tendency to tell the truth and nothing but the whole truth.

 

[ziggy29]

I thought the parody made it pretty clear that the authors think that the more expensive, more selective top private schools like Stanford are really better choices. However, the research on that is mixed at best. There was one good study by economists who followed a group of students who were accepted at the most selective (e.g. Ivy League, Stanford) schools. They found that the ones who enrolled and graduated from these most selective schools had no more career success (eg. earnings) than the ones who, although accepted to top tier schools enrolled instead at a 2nd tier school (where middle class students are more likely to get merit scholarships if they are very talented)

If you intend to go into academia and get a doctorate, or if you intend to pursue professional schools such as medicine or law, yes, the expensive private schools may open more of those doors.

But for students just looking to earn a four-year degree and get out into the world, the cheap state schools open nearly as many doors and often don't have a significant income discrepancy. And when you factor in up to $100K less in student loan debt weighing you down like an anchor....

 

[FUEGO]

Don't worry if The Onion fools you. They have fooled illustrious powerhouse countries like China: Chinese Newspaper Falls For 'Onion' Article Naming Kim Jong Un Sexiest Man Alive

They even fool people that went to "Perfectly Good" state schools.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

If you intend to go into academia and get a doctorate, or if you intend to pursue professional schools such as medicine or law, yes, the expensive private schools may open more of those doors.

But for students just looking to earn a four-year degree and get out into the world, the cheap state schools open nearly as many doors and often don't have a significant income discrepancy. And when you factor in up to $100K less in student loan debt weighing you down like an anchor....

I am sure you are right on there being certain fields like big law where the school makes a difference. But at least some of the schools on the highest paying starting salary lists from Payscale do seem like "perfectly good" state schools -

The 25 colleges whose graduates earn the most - Vox