[zippy5]

Wow... congrats, zippy5. And best of luck the rest of the way!

Thanks!

If there's one thing I learned about Akron when I was there - it's that a lot of people get in, but only the best get out. It provides an opportunity for a lot of people to get higher education, but I'd put my classmates up against most anyone that just graduated. It's a top engineering school, top 100 business school (out of 1000+ even though it's easy and generic) and a whole heck of a lot else going on and improving. Can't can sit by and hope their reputation from the 70's van get them by, but I'm proud of my alma mater.

[Zipmeister]

Hey zesty,

I think the reason people are responding negatively to you is that your assertions about the University of Akron show that you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

I don't know if or when you attended Akron, but I attended there from 1977 to 1982, earning a degree in political science. I had good enough test scores to go elsewhere, but circumstances dictated that I live at home and work while going to school. So Akron was my only option. When I arrived on campus, I believed then exactly as you do now. But actual experience often differs from perception, and that was the case with my experience at Akron. While I did indeed meet a lot of under-prepared students due to Akron's open-enrollment policy, the faculty I encountered were generally quite good, even at the survey-course and General College level. As a junior and senior within the political science and history departments, the instruction I received was almost universally first-rate. Yet, as I applied to various graduate programs around the country, there was this fear in the back of my mind that somehow I would not measure up when I got to a "real" school. My GRE and LSAT scores were very good, but I still wondered if I could really cut it.

Fact is, though, I shouldn't have worried. Graduate school at a "real," "selective" university... in my case, the University of Arizona... turned out to be a cakewalk compared to the rigor demanded of me in the poli-sci department at little-old Akron. Not only that, it became apparent to me almost immediately that some classmates of mine from places like UCLA, UC San Diego, Oregon and elsewhere were far less prepared for graduate-level work than I was. I met U of Cal graduates(!) who hadn't even taken an essay test since high school for God's sake! I shudder to think how they might have fared in Paul Weidner's Constitutional Law course at Akron. They would have pissed themselves, I'm quite sure.

So, with all due respect... to hell with your notions of "nationally-respected" universities. And to hell with all the otherwise intelligent folk who can't get it through their thick heads that open enrollment reflects the quality of some incoming students, not the quality of faculty or programming or the quality of the students who actually complete degrees. In short, I'll stack my alma mater's quality against anyone's.

I won't join in calling you a douche, but I gotta tell ya, your posts in this thread don't impress this Akron grad. Far from it.

82, I'm sure whatever you specialized in at Arizona was the exception, but in the 1980s there weren't too many schools with a bigger party school reputation than Arizona. Those guys made Ohio U students look like Rhodes scholars. The major obstacle to concentrating on your studies was the clothes the coeds were (not) wearing.

[Class of 82]

82, I'm sure whatever you specialized in at Arizona was the exception, but in the 1980s there weren't too many schools with a bigger party school reputation than Arizona. Those guys made Ohio U students look like Rhodes scholars. The major obstacle to concentrating on your studies was the clothes the coeds were (not) wearing.

LOL... we had fun, for sure. And the co-eds... well, I was lucky enough to marry one of those fine young thangs! She's still gorgeous 26 years later, but 18 straight Ohio winters have destroyed what was once her permanent sun tan. She's never forgiven me for bringing her to Ohio. (Truthfully, she loves it here.)

But I think you have the University of Arizona in Tucson confused with Arizona State in Tempe. UofA was, and still is, tame by ASU, or even Ohio U., standards. And it's hard to get into UofA (especially from out-of-state or for most graduate programs), whereas ASU is open-enrollment just like Akron.

BTW. I studied public policy and administration.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Yes, seriously. Akron has great engineering programs. That's awesome. The business school is above average, but more than anything it's a bargain. The School of Communication is well-funded, but the professors are pretty unimpressive and the students are, well, 13 ACT students for the most part. Once you get past those departments, you hit a bunch of community college-level programs.

Can't State offers more than one or two good programs. Their journalism program is among the best in the nation. They're one of the only schools in this part of the country to offer a BA in sign language. You might make fun of their fashion program, but it's a top ten program. Check it out.

Again, I'm a proud graduate of The University of Akron, but I'm not blind.

Odd that you ignore UA's Law School, but tout K.e.n.t.'s Journalism program.

What can you do with a Journalism degree in 2012? Blog?

[you am i]

Odd that you ignore UA's Law School, but tout K.e.n.t.'s Journalism program.

What can you do with a Journalism degree in 2012? Blog?

The idea that Can't State's journalism school is "one of the best in the nation" is ridiculous. OU's program is highly rated, but Can't just has a journalism school. It's decent, but not more than decent. No national listing that I know of rates them among the "best. It does not hold a candle to OU.

Akron's law school is an excellent value. But the market for newly minted lawyers is bad for everyone except for grads from the elite schools.

I would not advise anyone to go into law or journalism. But I guess if that's your passion, that's the path you should follow.

[Yaznasty]

Well this discussion has dragged me in, being a recent grad with a political science degree and a current law student. '82, I'd be interested to hear your story, where your degrees have taken you career-wise.

I've noticed over the years that people mistake their university having a program that is not a given at every school with that program actually being a "good" program. There are 9 law schools in Ohio, and I was talking to a friend who was an undergrad at one of the schools with not as good of a law school, and she said "oh we have a good law school," and I told her that they really didn't. But because of the large number of higher education institutions in Ohio, and only 9 of them having law schools, she just kind of thought that theirs was good. Because Akron doesn't have a journalism program, that makes Can't's journalism program good? I don't think that is necessarily true. That has been my perception at least.

[zen]

Yes, seriously. Akron has great engineering programs. That's awesome. The business school is above average, but more than anything it's a bargain. The School of Communication is well-funded, but the professors are pretty unimpressive and the students are, well, 13 ACT students for the most part. Once you get past those departments, you hit a bunch of community college-level programs.

I scored a 26 on the ACT and received 2 degrees from University of Akron.

There is no way that Akron is a 13 ACT school, at least once you weed out the first year chaff and get to the serious students.

[Zipgrad01]

We currently have engineering co-ops from Akron, Penn State and Case Western. We will probably make job offers to the Akron students, but we can't wait for the other guys to wrap up their time and get out of here. Lets just say that I have lost a lot of respect for Case in the last several months.

[johnnyzip84]

We currently have engineering co-ops from Akron, Penn State and Case Western. We will probably make job offers to the Akron students, but we can't wait for the other guys to wrap up their time and get out of here. Lets just say that I have lost a lot of respect for Case in the last several months.

I'm speaking in generalities, but I have long felt that UA's College of Engineering does a much better job of preparing engineering grads for the work place than a more "prestigious" school like Case. We can thank the long entrenched co-op program for much of this. Often (not always) grads from places like Case, MIT, Carnegie Mellon etc have a strong sense of entitlement and are more suited to pure research. I'm not at all surprised by your recent experiences.

[Class of 82]

I'm speaking in generalities, but I have long felt that UA's College of Engineering does a much better job of preparing engineering grads for the work place than a more "prestigious" school like Case. We can thank the long entrenched co-op program for much of this. Often (not always) grads from places like Case, MIT, Carnegie Mellon etc have a strong sense of entitlement and are more suited to pure research. I'm not at all surprised by your recent experiences.

I've long heard much the same thing Akron's law school.

[pdt1420]

I'm speaking in generalities, but I have long felt that UA's College of Engineering does a much better job of preparing engineering grads for the work place than a more "prestigious" school like Case. We can thank the long entrenched co-op program for much of this. Often (not always) grads from places like Case, MIT, Carnegie Mellon etc have a strong sense of entitlement and are more suited to pure research. I'm not at all surprised by your recent experiences.

As a student/graduate of both engineering schools, you are spot on with your analysis.