The University received a ranking of 13 in Kiplinger’s latest Best Values in Public Colleges for 2008, a one-spot drop from last year’s rating.
N.C. State is among six North Carolina public universities to make the top 100 for in-state and out-of-state values with UNC-Chapel Hill holding the top spot in the nation.
“[The country] is kind of obsessed with top-ten lists,” Thomas Griffin, director of admissions, said. “Number 13 — that’s good out of all public universities in the country.”
Anna Mallard, a senior in political science and Spanish, said her brother John graduated from Carolina last spring. Even though she has spent time on both campuses, she said finds NCSU to be one of the best universities and values available.
“Obviously, I’m biased because I go to this school, but Carolina is a great school too,” Mallard said. “I just feel like I’ve had a lot of opportunity as a student that a lot of students — maybe even my brother — haven’t had.”
Griffin said rating systems fall short when ranking schools because they cannot take into account individual experiences, like Mallard’s.
“The real question is: what type of education you are getting and how you fit in at the school,” he said.
According to Griffin, a lot of stress is still placed on ratings systems of colleges and universities.
“Most ratings are overrated. People put more emphasis on ratings than they maybe should,” he said. “But you have to look beyond what the ranking number is and really look into the ranking.”
Jennifer Hardy, a sophomore in business management at UNC-Greensboro, transferred from NCSU last fall. She said that it’s difficult to compare the universities, which both ranked in Kiplinger’s top 100 values, because they are so different.
“State is bigger and a more traditional school with more traditional students,” Hardy, whose father and brother are alumni of State, said. “[UNC-]Greensboro has more adult students, and it’s friendlier and more diverse. It’s definitely not as big, but I like it.”
And NCSU was the best choice for Mallard because of all the opportunities and individual attention she has received, she said.
“First Year College was a tremendous experience,” she said. “I’ve never once felt like a number. I’ve never felt lost.”
And Griffin said the larger population size of NCSU than other schools definitely can factor into “different institutional priorities.”
“We’re serving so many more students than [Carolina is],” he said. “It’s like comparing apples and blueberries. It’s just a different type of fruit. We are looking for a different type of student than they are, especially for our special programs.”
According to Hardy, having unique opportunities at each UNC system college or university has been advantageous for her.
“State is a better education in general, but academic-wise, you have to find whatever works for you,” she said.
Mallard agreed.
“North Carolina has some of the best public schools in the country,” she said.
“At Carolina, you are going to a prestigous school for a public-school price. I think State is the same way, but people overlook that.”
