College 101
What the Heck is Out There? Article Type: Quick and Dirty
Feels like a good time for another top ten list…
Top Ten List of Things That Might Be Out There
- A werewolf
- That tree that's been there for over a hundred years
- The boogie man (or woman)
- Space
- Justin Bieber
- Your creepy Uncle Jonah
- Batman
- A pack of rabid squirrels
- The great unknown
- The slightly-less-great unknown
Yeah, okay…but, how about other than what's outside your bedroom window?
We're talking colleges.
Public University. Private Liberal Arts School. Institute of Technology. Ivy League. Head spinning yet?
You may have heard a lot of these words bandied about. There are loads of misconceptions out there as to the similarities and differences between them. But lucky for you, we’re here to shed a little light on the darkroom of your mind.
Even if you feel like you have it all figured out, it can’t hurt to review the basics. Here's a Quick & Dirty rundown of the types of schools that could someday appear on your application list:
Colleges and Universities
A college is just a less-fancy name for a university, right? Like… the movie could have just as easily been called Monsters College, yeah?
Well…sort of. But not. The exact definitions have been blurred throughout history, but there are a few differences that generally hold true.
First of all, keep in mind that the word "college" has come to be a synonym for just about any institution that offers post-high school education. With the possible exception of what you learned staying at Aunt Norma's beach house the summer after graduation.
But fine, we'll let them use the name. More specifically, though, a college is an institution that offers four-year degrees in the Arts and Sciences (awarding a B.A. or a B.S.). Colleges may offer graduate degrees but, if they do, the areas of study are usually more limited. Like…you shouldn't expect to get your graduate degree in "math" or "words" or "interesting stuff." Although, some will try…
A university, on the other hand, tends to be offer both undergraduate and graduate programs, and there's also an air of prestige associated with the name. But then again, there are plenty of schools with "college" in their names that are pretty darn prestigious (like Dartmouth College and Sarah Lawrence College).
Universities also tend to be larger with a bunch of smaller schools within them. For example, you might attend Cornell University, but earn a Bachelor's in their College of Arts and Science. Universities also tend to offer a wider variety of graduate and postgraduate degrees (Master's and Doctoral degrees). So if being in one place for the next fourteen years sounds appealing to you, a university is probably the way to go. (Your other option is to unsuccessfully pull off a major bank heist.)
Public and Private
Public colleges or state schools get some of their funding from the government. If you haven't noticed, the government isn't, uh, doing so well, which means public schools don't have the same kinds of resources that private schools do. You won't be showered with fancy resources and beautiful new facilities…but you also won't be showered with student loan bills.
That's right. The major difference between public and private colleges and universities involves money, honey.
If you go to a public school in the state you live, your tuition costs and fees will be way lower than the ivy-covered school next door. How much less? As an example, the University of California system estimates that non-residents pay an average of nearly $23,000 more a year than residents. Let's hope those out-of-towners don't sign up for an economics course right out of the gate.
Also, these days, plenty of state schools are just as well-respected as their golden-boy neighbors. If you're lucky enough to live in a place like California, Michigan, or Virginia, live it up.
Private colleges are four-year colleges that don't get government funding. Translation: they're mega-expensive. They're the Tesla of college education: they cost a ton, but they sure look good. Private schools come in all shapes and sizes, from the ivy leagues to the small liberal arts schools and everything in between. Some of the most expensive schools in the nation, like Sarah Lawrence, Columbia, and Vanderbilt, have sticker prices that start in the mid-forties per year. But who knows? Maybe you have really excellent haggling skills.
Here are the top ten benefits of attending a private as opposed to public school:
Top Ten Benefits of Attending a Private School
- You don't have to be shy about including that "III" after your name
- Free ivy
- 24 karat gold leaf textbooks
- Professors all have English accents
- Yacht club > Scrabble club
- Even the janitors wear ties
- Gate to keep out the riff-raff
- Mascots are classy and dignified, even when they're something ridiculous, like a unicorn
- It's right across the street from a Ben & Jerry's
- Extra leg room
Let's be real, though. Those pros might not outweigh the cons. We'll let you figure that out for yourself, though.
Think about it. Is it all worth $250,000 to attend?
Well, it depends.
If you borrow the full cost of an Ivy League education and don't get a high-paying job after graduation, you could still be paying off your student loans when you're fifty. Do you really want a mid-life crisis and student loans at the same time? Probably not. In other cases, though, that fancy degree can help you get a job that makes it worth it and then some.
So, ready to roll the dice?
Liberal Arts Schools
If you have conservative leanings…stay calm. We're talking about a different kind of liberal.
The term "liberal arts" originally referred to the areas of study that any "free man" should have access to ("liberal" coming from the Latin for "pertaining to freedom"). But…we have come a long way, and the term now (usually) refers to smaller, four-year schools that emphasize a general foundation of education before a student declares a major.
Are we breathing better now, Young Republicans?
These schools will likely have a series of core educational requirements every student must take to earn their degree (think Composition 1A, Biology 101, Intro to Philosophy, etc.), as well as more specialized courses once you have declared a major (think Composition in Blue Ink, Biology of the Water Buffalo, Philosophy Cosmetics, etc.)
Liberal Arts schools are also big on faculty interaction with students. Hello, letters of recommendation.
The Ivy League
Ah, the Ivy League. These are the hallowed halls of education where the nation's movers and shakers were and are educated. Students who attend these universities were born on silk sheets. Their first meal? Champagne and caviar.
True? Well…kind of. Minus the champagne because babies don't drink, obvi. The Ivy League is a group of eight schools that originally got together so that their football games could be standardized (Harvard used to have a rule that a kick was good if the kicker could rattle off all of the elements from the Periodic Table before the ball passed the uprights), but they evolved into some of the most selective and academically challenging colleges and universities in the nation.
The eight schools which make up the League of Extraordinary Colleges are: Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, Brown University, Dartmouth College, and Columbia University.
In the case of alien invasion, these eight schools have the ability to merge and form a giant eighteen-wheeled killing machine. So far, they have not had to take such action. Thank goodness.
But are these schools…worth the hype? Here's our answer to that question.
You can be certain you will be challenged academically, get a stellar education, have unparalleled networking possibilities, an impressive name on your degree (aside from your own) and something to lord over your younger siblings for all eternity—if you meet the school's requirements. But if the school doesn't meet your requirements, look elsewhere. There are plenty of other schools of fish in the sea.
Technical Schools
To sort this out, Shmoop actually had to graduate from the Polytechnic Technical Institute of Technology. It's a prestigious program that offers degrees in figuring out what the heck is out there in terms of technical education.
Technically (you knew that was coming), the term "Technical School" is a catch-all for any school that trains for a particular career having to do with the Sciences, Math, Engineering or Technology (STEM) fields. If you're into numbers, chemicals, or pulleys, we're probably lookin' at you.
The level (and quality) of education in these schools varies, so be sure to do your research. If there's a wild-eyed, crazy cartoon rabbit on the front of the building claiming, "I love maths!"…maybe steer clear.
Religious Schools and Religious Affiliations
The history of the United States has a lot to do with religion; we pretty much can thank churches for founding a lot of our colleges and universities. In fact, why not take a moment now and write a quick thank-you card. Just address it to "churches." They'll get it.
However, just because your college is named after a saint, it's not necessarily a foregone conclusion that you're going to be eating communion wafers for every breakfast.
Some of the best schools in the nation like Kenyon College, Boston College, and Notre Dame are religiously affiliated, but students may not feel the influences unless they specifically seek them out. So…you can pay and not pray. If you'd like to look at it that way.
On the other end of the spectrum are religious schools such as Seattle Pacific University, Wheaton College, and Brigham Young University which absolutely define their missions through religious tradition. You'd better be a big fan of God if you're applying to one of these babies.
Art Schools
Knowledge is beauty, but beauty is knowledge. You are more interested in matters of the soul than matters of the mind. Also, your parents may or may not have been hippies.
Whatever the reasons, being creative is your thang. Art schools, which range from private, for-profit schools to some of the most well-respected colleges and universities in the nation, could be just what you need to…paint your wagon.
Regardless of your art addiction—music, design, drama, film, visual arts, or some abstract combination of any or all of the above—here is a school or program that caters to it. Go ahead…feed the beast.
Some schools, like the New York Institute of Photography or New Mexico's Institute of American Indian Arts will focus on a specific genre or medium in the art world. Others, like the Savannah College of Art and Design or California College of the Arts, have a huge range of areas of study (SCAD offers forty-two different art-related majors).
Finally, there are loads of colleges and universities that may not focus exclusively on art, but have very well-respected art programs within their schools, like the University of Michigan's School of Art and Design, and the University of Florida's College of Fine Arts. Definitely consider the latter if you're passionate about painting portraits of gators. They've got their share of oversized reptiles down there in the ol' Sunshine State.
Don't stress, Shmoopers. It's a lot to process, but we're here to help guide you through this all-important decision. In the meantime, if you ever need a confidence boost, check this out.
Is anyone else hearing the Rocky theme right now, or is that just us?
If you want to learn more about how to get into art schools, check out this article.