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College admission is very much up to chance. My graduate school applications went to 10 very mediocre schools with money for teaching fellowships, all located

by holdenc 17y ago

College admission is very much up to chance. My graduate school applications went to 10 very mediocre schools with money for teaching fellowships, all located in nice relaxing places. I figured they'd leave me alone and I could concentrate stress-free. My parents gave me $75 to apply to Yale since I otherwise refused. Got into Yale, but got rejected by 8 out the 10 other schools.

psyklic 17y ago
I think that undergraduate admission is more chance than graduate. By the time you enter graduate studies, you have a lot more time to distinguish yourself from other applicants.
netcan 17y ago
I applied to ten Australian Universities that looked interesting without much real knowledge of their relative prestige. I got rejected by 8. The one I went to turned out to be the consistent no. 1 in the country. Until about my third year, I dismissed all of this as insider nonsense assuming that every Uni says this about themselves. Admittedly, I don't think they really knew what to make of my application being one of presumable very applicants with those qualifications. In my case, it probably was close to random.
- nailer 17y ago
  > The one I went to turned out to be the consistent no. 1 in the country. For technology or business? If the former, RMIT or ANU?
  - demallien 17y ago
    RMIT? Really? Whilst researching things for work, I tend to run into more references to papers from UNSW than RMIT, although I tend only to see IT-related papers, not general technology. I know that RMIT is the best for Aeronautics.
    - nailer 17y ago
      Yeah, most of my RMIT knowledge has come from aeronautics students, but apparently they have a good rep in mechatronics too. Otherwise it's ANU all the way. Don't know much about UNSW.
  - netcan 17y ago
    ANU. I was talking about overall rankings. Not really sure how they calculate it. eg http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/hybrid.asp?typeCode=144 http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/hybrid.asp?typeCode=14... I think RMIT is more of a niche uni. Doesn't come in high on overall rankings. Australia has quite a few pretty average Unis with pockets in specific fields where they are the best. Makes you wonder how bad they are at everything else to bring down the overalls

by holdenc 17y ago

psyklic 17y ago

I think that undergraduate admission is more chance than graduate. By the time you enter graduate studies, you have a lot more time to distinguish yourself from other applicants.

netcan 17y ago

I applied to ten Australian Universities that looked interesting without much real knowledge of their relative prestige. I got rejected by 8. The one I went to turned out to be the consistent no. 1 in the country. Until about my third year, I dismissed all of this as insider nonsense assuming that every Uni says this about themselves. Admittedly, I don't think they really knew what to make of my application being one of presumable very applicants with those qualifications. In my case, it probably was close to random.

nailer 17y ago
> The one I went to turned out to be the consistent no. 1 in the country. For technology or business? If the former, RMIT or ANU?
- demallien 17y ago
  RMIT? Really? Whilst researching things for work, I tend to run into more references to papers from UNSW than RMIT, although I tend only to see IT-related papers, not general technology. I know that RMIT is the best for Aeronautics.
  - nailer 17y ago
    Yeah, most of my RMIT knowledge has come from aeronautics students, but apparently they have a good rep in mechatronics too. Otherwise it's ANU all the way. Don't know much about UNSW.
- netcan 17y ago
  ANU. I was talking about overall rankings. Not really sure how they calculate it. eg http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/hybrid.asp?typeCode=144 http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/hybrid.asp?typeCode=14... I think RMIT is more of a niche uni. Doesn't come in high on overall rankings. Australia has quite a few pretty average Unis with pockets in specific fields where they are the best. Makes you wonder how bad they are at everything else to bring down the overalls