Graduation Rate information

[BoomGoestheDynamite]

Re: Graduation Rate information

I'll poke a HUGE hole in that argument... UM and Metro Detroit....

The reason I left Idaho was that there's nothing there, and no real support to bring anything there. That's why there's generally a mass exodus for the smarter kids. I have no friends from HS who still live in my home town- at least that I'm aware of. There's no real support in Idaho for any decent industry outside of ranching and farming. Even the INL struggles- but the state doesn't support it- we all do.

It's funny how people complain about lack of jobs, but there's no skilled people to start tech businesses, and really no decent business support that I can tell from the state.

Anyway, it's frustrating to see- the stats were probably the same when I went to school there- I knew a lot of people who never finished.

I can really only speak with authority about UM law school, but its a big enough name and a good enough school that firms from every major market love UM grads. Even with 25% of the student body required to come from the state of Michigan, they place the vast majority of their graduates in the Global Cities Kepler listed. I imagine the med, business, and under/graduate programs have the same kind of draw. Basically UM transcends its location much like SUNY Ithaca

[BoomGoestheDynamite]

Re: Graduation Rate information

...State Street?

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sour...,0.220757&z=12

He meant UM grads leave in large numbers for Chicago.

[alfablue]

Re: Graduation Rate information

I can really only speak with authority about UM law school, but its a big enough name and a good enough school that firms from every major market love UM grads. Even with 25% of the student body required to come from the state of Michigan, they place the vast majority of their graduates in the Global Cities Kepler listed. I imagine the med, business, and under/graduate programs have the same kind of draw. Basically UM transcends its location much like SUNY Ithaca

Basically, a good school will attract students regardless of the crappy local economy.

[Kepler]

Re: Graduation Rate information

Grad school and Law/Med school is a whole different thing.

There really aren't many great public, undergrad schools in perpetually-bad-economy states.

[St. Clown]

Re: Graduation Rate information

This was mentioned on Monday on the Milwaukee Business Journal:

Best College Values

In it, they talk about more than just graduation rates, being just one factor of overall value. Also, you can customize the report you want to see. I don't believe they go beyond their top 100 though, at least not in that particular report.

Is the 6-year grad rate for an undergrad degree? I would assume so, but just checking with others who would have more experience with these sorts of reports.

Back in 2000 or so, when I had just recently graduated, I remember reading a report discussing a recent survey that said ~60% of the 25-35yo people out there (I was 22/23) had attended at least some college, while only about ~40% of those that attend college go on to obtain their undergrad degree.

At the time of this report, they said that age group was the most highly educated demographic in the history of the USA. If that same survey was taken before, those numbers would likely be even higher yet. I would wager that the increase would still only be up by maybe 5% for each figure, though.

I don't remember the survey source, so I can't provide the backup information. Take it for what it's worth.

[pirate]

Re: Graduation Rate information

No, overall. BSU and Idaho are also state funded schools- Idaho being the formal state school- ag, law, engineering etc. One problem for the two schools is that education isn't a high priority in the state....

I really am starting to think that lots of the B10 success is that they very much concentrate on the acedemic side of things- see all of the info posted on the B10 expansion thread on the hockey side of things. That was very, very interesting to me, and, even as an alum, I had no idea.

While the B10 schools seem happy to let the face be altheltics to many people, behind the scenes, they are a very small part of the pie. I checked a recent set of data at Michigan, and the entire Athletic budget is less than 2% of the whole school- just under $100M vs $5.5B. I would not be surprised that any B10 school spends <5% on athletics.

But a lot out west are trying to make the case that expanded athletic spending will help the school- and to a point- I agree. But I also think it's short term gains- the school will be much stronger if the SCHOOL is strong- both for teaching and research. Make more graduates that contribute to your state's economy, and you make more tax dollars to go along with the circular research funding and private donations.

Off the cuff...there are quite a few schools that were less competitive and had smaller annual donation totals before they made a splash on the sports scene. Then, they get national recognition for football or basketball and the pride swells up for alums who come back to campus for games and donate more during the year.

The volume of apps goes up as well so the school can fill its seats with fewer C and B students, making it more competitive in the relative rankings. Although, one could argue that the school isn't better, it just admitted better students who may be getting the same education as the 'dumber kids' in the class above them.

I thought that economic effect was a motivation for schools that go from 1AA to 1 ...it isn't just that they want to play D1.

[LynahFan]

Re: Graduation Rate information

The volume of apps goes up as well so the school can fill its seats with fewer C and B students, making it more competitive in the relative rankings. Although, one could argue that the school isn't better, it just admitted better students who may be getting the same education as the 'dumber kids' in the class above them.

It doesn't even have to admit better students. If athletics success induces a bunch of D students to apply, then they can still admit all the C students while quoting a higher "selectivity" rate.

[SCONF]

Re: Graduation Rate information

Case in point: George Mason after their Final Four run in 2006. A mostly commuter school got huge national media time and now has built quite a bit more on campus housing, become more selective, etc. It's part of the Virginia system, but it's still pretty low on the totem pole; it's got a long way to go before it gets to W&M level (not that it will).

[BoomGoestheDynamite]

Re: Graduation Rate information

Case in point: George Mason after their Final Four run in 2006. A mostly commuter school got huge national media time and now has built quite a bit more on campus housing, become more selective, etc. It's part of the Virginia system, but it's still pretty low on the totem pole; it's got a long way to go before it gets to W&M level (not that it will).

It helps that NoVA is far and away wealthier and with a very different culture than the rest of the state. George Mason can potentially leverage this into keeping a lot of the local "B" students at home, rather than wander off to the rest of the state. It can probably pull itself up to No.4 in the public university system behind Virginia Tech, William and Mary, and UVA.