Iowa State ranked best college in the state by Time

[Frak]

Obviously it depends on what you're after. Most school rankings are a joke anyways. If I want to go into engineering, design, vet med, ag science, etc., ISU is the best school in the state. UI has its programs that are stronger. For some people having a degree from an elite private lib arts college is their path to top grad schools. Arguing whether Harvard or Princeton is better, or Wisconsin or Illinois, etc, is dumb because they're so close. But Grinnell and Mount Mercy aren't even in the same stratosphere.

Honestly, if you're not going to law school or grad school, what good is an expensive liberal arts degree anyway? K-12 teaching, psychology, sociology, anthropology, English, history, foreign languages, music...fields like these while they can be personally fulfilling, the end game of a job is not very lucrative and definitely not worth paying extra for a high power degree. To me, the only reason to go to a place like Grinnell is if you either want to be a lawyer or a liberal arts professor. Pretty much anything else (including the sciences used for pre-med) ISU does better. Any kind of faculty position in STEM, you're going to get MUCH better research experience at ISU.

I do agree that most school rankings are a joke. It's just too subjective and too many variables. These "best value" ones are maybe a little better just because at least there's some basis in data, but there's still a lot of uncertainty.

 

[Mtowncyclone13]

Well, take a look at the graduate schools Grinnell alums are accepted into every year and compare. Those "useless" liberal arts degrees do come in a little handy. If you don't think graduate degrees from Ivies lead to higher paying job offers, we'll just agree to disagree.

i don't think anyone is arguing, on the whole, that grinnell students are smarter. pretty clearly they are.

it's like asking who is better - the Cubs or the Burlington Bees. They are useful for different things.

I've long felt academia is a popularity contest where a school on a CV is more important than the person. It's basically the system many faculty argue against in the private sector (like banking). So you didn't start your academic journey at 14 years old and apply to a good undergrad - somehow that means you can never teach at harvard. it's the SEC football of jobs - you can only teach at the best if you went to the best. who decides the best?

 

[srjclone]

Well, take a look at the graduate schools Grinnell alums are accepted into every year and compare. Those "useless" liberal arts degrees do come in a little handy. If you don't think graduate degrees from Ivies lead to higher paying job offers, we'll just agree to disagree.

I have 2 friends from my close group of friends that are going to "Ivies" that graduated from ISU, neither in any of the colleges that ISU is known for (engineering, ag, vetmed, fashion/design, etc.) And I can tell you first hand that it doesn't have as much to do with the school as one would think. It all depends on the person and the work they put in. In a place like Grinnell where you, more likely than not, are going there for a specific purpose, living in smalltown IA, and paying a lot more money to go to a liberal arts college, a person is far more likely to put in 110% of their effort to getting the best education they can. Not saying there aren't those at ISU of UI that devote most of their time to absorbing as much as they can, just that if you want to get into an Ivy League school it is dependent on the person not the school.

 

[CYphyllis]

Well, take a look at the graduate schools Grinnell alums are accepted into every year and compare. Those "useless" liberal arts degrees do come in a little handy. If you don't think graduate degrees from Ivies lead to higher paying job offers, we'll just agree to disagree.

We definitely disagree. Doesn't matter how pretty that bow is when it's placed on a pile of ****.

I have a relative that actually took the Grinell to Ivy League path. I believe she ended up getting a doctorate in Chinese Art History. Last I heard she was stocking shelves somewhere on the East Coast.

 

[Gonzo]

Honestly, if you're not going to law school or grad school, what good is an expensive liberal arts degree anyway? K-12 teaching, psychology, sociology, anthropology, English, history, foreign languages, music...fields like these while they can be personally fulfilling, the end game of a job is not very lucrative and definitely not worth paying extra for a high power degree. To me, the only reason to go to a place like Grinnell is if you either want to be a lawyer or a liberal arts professor. Pretty much anything else (including the sciences used for pre-med) ISU does better. Any kind of faculty position in STEM, you're going to get MUCH better research experience at ISU.

I agree. But the grad school thing is a pretty big deal. If you have Grinnell on your undergrad diploma you're much, much better positioned to get into a grad program of your choice than if it says Mount Mercy. Some families can cut a check, so the cost doesn't mean anything and it's an ego thing. They want their kid to attend a top-20 liberal arts college so they can brag to their friends.

 

[IAStubborn]

You've got to realize that any list of best schools in the state that doesn't begin with Grinnell is a joke, right?

Congrats though.

Best value for launching a career
Grinnell costs a lot more and nobody wants to hire the egg head Grinnaliens.

 

[Gonzo]

I have 2 friends from my close group of friends that are going to "Ivies" that graduated from ISU, neither in any of the colleges that ISU is known for (engineering, ag, vetmed, fashion/design, etc.) And I can tell you first hand that it doesn't have as much to do with the school as one would think. It all depends on the person and the work they put in. In a place like Grinnell where you, more likely than not, are going there for a specific purpose, living in smalltown IA, and paying a lot more money to go to a liberal arts college, a person is far more likely to put in 110% of their effort to getting the best education they can. Not saying there aren't those at ISU of UI that devote most of their time to absorbing as much as they can, just that if you want to get into an Ivy League school it is dependent on the person not the school.

It's both. The school absolutely matters.

 

[carvers4math]

I have 2 friends from my close group of friends that are going to "Ivies" that graduated from ISU, neither in any of the colleges that ISU is known for (engineering, ag, vetmed, fashion/design, etc.) And I can tell you first hand that it doesn't have as much to do with the school as one would think. It all depends on the person and the work they put in. In a place like Grinnell where you, more likely than not, are going there for a specific purpose, living in smalltown IA, and paying a lot more money to go to a liberal arts college, a person is far more likely to put in 110% of their effort to getting the best education they can. Not saying there aren't those at ISU of UI that devote most of their time to absorbing as much as they can, just that if you want to get into an Ivy League school it is dependent on the person not the school.

My limited experience in graduate school admissions is that in a field such as Physics, a high score in the Physics GRE subject test opens a lot of doors.

 

[CysRage]

Gonzo is just mad that his lib degree from Iowa is at least behind ISU, Mount Mercy, and Grinnell..assuming he actually did go to Iowa which breaks the stereotype that no Iowa fans go to Iowa.

 

[Gonzo]

Gonzo is just mad that his lib degree from Iowa is at least behind ISU, Mount Mercy, and Grinnell..assuming he actually did go to Iowa which breaks the stereotype that no Iowa fans go to Iowa.

More like enraged.

 

[GTO]

Gonzo is just mad that his lib degree from Iowa is at least behind ISU, Mount Mercy, and Grinnell..assuming he actually did go to Iowa which breaks the stereotype that no Iowa fans go to Iowa.

Poor Iowa is now not just little brother, they're the littlest brother. The baby of the state.

 

[VeloClone]

More like enraged.

I'm enraged that a list of colleges and universities misspelled Wartburg.







...mostly...okay, entirely.

 

[srjclone]

I agree. But the grad school thing is a pretty big deal. If you have Grinnell on your undergrad diploma you're much, much better positioned to get into a grad program of your choice than if it says Mount Mercy. Some families can cut a check, so the cost doesn't mean anything and it's an ego thing. They want their kid to attend a top-20 liberal arts college so they can brag to their friends.

soooo, this is the where it is all coming from. Your kid is going/goes to Grinnell. Got it.

 

[ribsnwhiskey]

From the article:

None of Iowa's four-year institutions cracked the Top 100 schools ranked by Money for offering "a great education, at an affordable price, that helps students launch promising careers.

So all of you arguing didn't read what this actual ranking took into consideration. It costs about 8 times as much to attend Grinnell as it does ISU. Grinnell's enrollment is less than 2000. Basically it is a wannabe east coast private snob school. In Iowa. I don't see much value in that.

 

[aeroclone]

From the article:

None of Iowa's four-year institutions cracked the Top 100 schools ranked by Money for offering "a great education, at an affordable price, that helps students launch promising careers.

So all of you arguing didn't read what this actual ranking took into consideration. It costs about 8 times as much to attend Grinnell as it does ISU. Grinnell's enrollment is less than 2000. Basically it is a wannabe east coast private snob school. In Iowa. I don't see much value in that.

Hey, only took 54 posts for someone to actually point out why Grinnell didn't score as well in this ranking. If the criteria is great education, affordable, and launching promising careers, Grinnell only delivers on 1/3.

I would assume for the purposes of this study they just looked at people with an undergrad only, to filter out any variability from grad work.

 

[Cycsk]

"Best" is such an arbitrary concept when it comes to colleges. Grinnell lives on a branding that is attractive to those who equate "best" with small and very expensive. I'm not sure anyone should equate "institution" with "education quality" anymore. Test scores, internship experiences (and letters of reference), and industry certifications mean so much more than a "degree." We all know there are morons who have graduated from any school in Iowa.

 

[CysRage]

Hey, only took 54 posts for someone to actually point out why Grinnell didn't score as well in this ranking. If the criteria is great education, affordable, and launching promising careers, Grinnell only delivers on 1/3.

I would assume for the purposes of this study they just looked at people with an undergrad only, to filter out any variability from grad work.

It's all because Gonzo is a big stupid doo doo brain.

 

[GTO]

It's all because Gonzo is a big stupid doo doo brain.

Gonzo just keeps rolling along:

 

[Gonzo]

It's all because Gonzo is a big stupid doo doo brain.

My daughters would agree.

 

[CascadeClone]

I will agree with Gonzo here. Grinnell has a good reputation as a strong lib arts school. Mt Mercy OTOH... I live in Cedar and know a lot of people who go there. It's a 4-year community college, IMHO, that will let anyone in who can sign a check. The large corp I work for will pay for literally any employee to go get their MBA, and I think its the only reason Mt Mercy is still in business.

And as others have said, these ranking are totally dependent on the criteria.