Top 60 research universities

[Platypus]

Ahem, anyways... to vainly attempt to get some actual discussion out of this...

The university I plan to attend, Australian National University, was recently ranked 13th in the world, good enough for me; and it's probably the best uni for the course I want to do anyway.

I've never really cared about university rankings that much, really. I'm sure that it means something, but really, unless you're in a diploma mill, the education that you'd be getting at one can't be that much worse than an education you'd get anywhere else. It's mostly there for people to brag about who go to those schools, nothing more.

ANU offers the only really comprehensive International Law/International Relations course in Australia worth doing, although Deakin Uni does have one.

[Citizen James]

Well, as nice as it is to see my alma matter represented (UC Santa Barbara), I don't really think this has much to do with much at all.

Firstly, since I've returned to school at a local state school (Which from the vanity of some UC's is looked at with a certain elitist contempt), and found the quality of instruction to be much higher.  Since the professors are focused more on teaching than research, things are a little less cutting edge but a little more through.   The fact that it's a small and relatively new school with low enrollment probably helps for the time being too (smaller classes).

Now, I'll be the first to admit that there isn't always a connection between intelect and sense.  Back at UCSB we had our share of 'cookie socialists' (mostly rich kids with too much time on their hands, rebeling against their wealthy parents - though not the trust fund.  They just kind of figured when the revolution came they'd be promoted to the ruling class by virtue of their brilliance.   Most of them had Jr. VP slots waiting for them at their parent's companies when they graduated anyway, so they could afford a little delution).   Discounting them there were plenty of other examples of brilliant stupidity - binge drinking, drug use, and a ponzi scheme that absolutely amazed me as to how gullible these kids were.  (Side topic I may bring up later - does greed make people stupid?).

Of course conservatives have their own intelectual misfits.  Many of those have the odd paradox of bashing intelectualism while promoting their own odd intelectual theories.   As far as I can tell, there really isn't that much difference between neo-conservatism and communism.   Both seem to have this morbid fantasy that you can build a utopia through millitary force, and that if you allow the government a bit of authoritarianism they will use it wisely and return freedom as soon as possible.   Both have grand ideals, and neither works very well in practice.

Actually, I see a lot of the sorts of flaws that cause these problems around here on both sides of the aisle (or all sides, as the whole left-right thing is horibly flawed) - a lot of members seem to be stuck in idological purity, without thinking out the real world implications of things.   The would you disown your offspring threads are downright silly, only the shallowest of parents would disown their progeny for any but the most grave offences (such as, say, being the unibomber).   Beleiving that anyone with a certain opinion should be executed shows at some level (even if it is meant in jest) a fundemental lack of understanding of the ideals of the enlightenment that our great nation was founded on.   Our founding fathers were human, they made mistakes sometimes, but a lot of the higher ideals they supported were rock solid and carry through to today.

Anyway, that's my rambling view on this.

(Oh, did I mention I saw Steven Hawking in person a few times?  I guess that is an advantage of being at a prestigious research institution at least).

[riceowl]

You have a point with Rice, it does do reasonably well in some of the five areas listed (Arts & Humanities #44, Engineering #22, Phys Sciences & Math #18, Social and Behavorial Sciences #49). It's not listed in the Biological Sciences which probably unfairly hurts it.

Woot woot!

Sophomore here (English/Pre-med).