While UDub and UNC are clearly ahead of Oregon, comparing the two is silly. Splitting hairs. UW would go further for you on the West Coast than UNC, and vice versa in the East. UW has one of the best med schools, and for undergrads a fantastic engineering program (Microsoft) but UNC is more selective. The rankings shift every year for no good reason other than to keep ppl watching, and it's backwards anyway - the student makes the most of the school, it's not the school that makes the student. Especially in undergrad.Performance and reputation generally come from grad school. Undergrad classes throughout the country the similar text books, which matters when a TA teaches the course, so material is often same. The rankings can be bogus sometimes too. The Notre Dame business school has been given a #1 or #2 ranking the last few years which sounds great on a resume and with recruiters (where it matters I guess) but it turns out the rankings don't count schools with no undergrad business degree...like HARVARD, with the top tier MBA program. For people who get it, hearing other people cite 'rankings' tells that they don't really get it, they need someone else to figure stuff out for them.Ultimately the rankings come down to intangibles. Can you really quantify the quality of the alumni network - one of the most important things there is? Does it matter more how an alum utilizes the network to their benefit? Would it matter how well the alum gets along with his fellow grads? If yes, then maybe a PacNW would be better of at UW, a southern belle better at UNC, and a Canadian under a Canadian coach. Arguing UNC>UW is splitting hairs.
Hey Bud wrote:
According to the U.S. News and World Report 2010 College Rankings of National Universities.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill #28
University of Washington #42
University of Oregon #115