How much harder can course work be at one college than another. Ex: Rutgers vs Ramapo

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by fstep, Dec 3, 2008.

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  1. fstep

    fstep New Member

    i'm not talking about IVY leagues here but say a top state school in New Jersey like Rutgers over the #2 or 3 school like Ramapo or Montclair State.

    How much harder can i expect the workload to be at Rutgers or is it about the same difficulty wise just more of it?
     
  2. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator


    There is no real answer for that - it depends on the teacher. My fiend graduated from Fordham and said the work her friend did at University of Phoenix was harder for some classes. My sister took some classes at Ramapo and hated the school and the people (just one experience out of 1,000's of students). A family friend graduated from Rutgers and Rutger Law and said it was not all that hard if you stay focused. He lived on campus and was just out of high school.
     
  3. lawrenceq

    lawrenceq Member

    I always asked people this same question. I agree with the guy above me-it depends on the teacher.

    I think many people have stayed away from big colleges because of this- myself included. I thought about several big name colleges, but decided to go with a cheaper less known college(FHSU). Through the power on on-line learning I will one day attend a big-boy college/university (Div-I). I might even graduate from one.
     
  4. Sowak777

    Sowak777 New Member

    I agree with the above: Course difficulty varies widely based on the instructor, NOT the school.
     
  5. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    I think "hard" (for me) comes in terms of reading and writing work load tied to grading expectations. For example, my class has a lot of reading and writing. Fortunately, the grading expectations are a good fit for my writing style, and I am doing well. If the TA or professor wanted me to write "better" or thought I wasn't developing a good fit for the type of work necessary- I would have to drop the class. There is just too much of it (weekly) and too little opportunity for other points- I would drown. My professor has really high standards for written work (she is the author of the department's writing guide LOL) but I expect this will be the norm.

    Personally, I like knowing I'm in a "hard" program. It helps me know that I'm doing quality work and learning quality material. During my undergrad, I knew it was half-ass, and I knew that I was taking away very little.
     
  6. BlueMason

    BlueMason Audaces fortuna juvat

    Don't think that because FHSU is more affordable that the work is any less demanding than a more known institution. FHSU does enjoy a good reputation and in no uncertain part due to the curriculum.
     
  7. Chip

    Chip Administrator

    I think it depends in part on the teacher, but also in large part on the student body as a whole.

    If the school is selective in its admissions process (or otherwise attracts intelligent students with good academic preparation) then the faculty members know that they're working with a sharp group of students who can handle a rigorous academic load, and will plan their course outlines and teaching strategy (and grading expectations) accordingly.

    On the other hand, at most community colleges and other schools that accept pretty much all applicants, teachers generally can't provide the sort of academic rigor you'd find at a selective school, because the students on the whole may not be up to the challenge... so the difficulty level of courses will, of course, be significantly lower.

    I remember there were a couple of years while I was at Oberlin that overall college applications were down nationwide, and Oberlin's admissions department had to relax their normally very rigorous and selective admissions requirements in order to fill up the class. The result was there was a LOT of complaining from the faculty that they had to "dumb down" what they were teaching those years in order to accommodate the students who were less academically prepared than the typical student accepted at Oberlin. A couple years later, college applications were back up again nationally, and Oberlin was able to return to the sort of academic standards it had held to in the past.

    This isn't to say that one doesn't get a good education at a non-selective school; I've had some amazing courses at community colleges taught by professors who were genuinely excited about teaching and about their material, and they did a good job of stimulating intellectual thought in their students. It's just much harder to do when you have to be able to teach to a very diverse set of students in terms of their academic preparation.
     
  8. AV8R

    AV8R Active Member

    I filled some of my lower-level degree requirements at a local community college. I heard occasional negative comments from students at the four-year state school just a few miles away about how I was going for credits at the "easy" school. Ironically, many students from both schools had no idea that a lot of the same teachers were teaching at both schools.

    Some of the classes I took at the cc were grueling while some of the four-year state school classes were pie, and vice versa. It just depended on the teacher.
     

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