East Carolina University?

[castleview]

Has anyone gone to or know someone who has gone to East Carolina University? A friend's daughter is looking at it. She is not from the area and is trying to find some info or opinions on it.

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

ECU has a reputation as a party school. I didn't go there but everyone I know that has says that.

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

ecu has a reputation as a party school.

Easy U!

 

[blana]

Like every where else, you're going to get out of it what you put in. Yes, it does have a bit of a rep. (Easy Teasy from WAY back in the day when it was East Carolina Teaching College.) But, they have a great teaching college there, as well as pretty respected business type classes. (Had a niece who was looking into it for accounting.) And a good medical school. Have a good friend who is going there now. Just make sure the girl likes Jimmy Buffett & she should be fine.

 

[kellyg403]

Ecu did have a rep as a party school. But, in the last couple years they have a done a lot for the reputation. My dd was just accepted a few days ago! They have one of the best Teaching departments in the state. Their nursing program is excellent as well.

We are a little biased though, we live about 90 min south of greenville, we often go to the ECU games, most of our neighbors went to the school etc.

Go Pirates!

Kelly

 

[Golf4food]

Reputation or not their mascot is a Pirate. That should be worth bonus points in any college search regardless of any other reputation.

Besides, what type of self-respecting pirates would they be if they didn't pillage and plunder and pilfer and sack? Have you not ridden Pirates of the Caribbean or watched the movies?

 

[kellyg403]

Reputation or not their mascot is a Pirate. That should be worth bonus points in any college search regardless of any other reputation.

Besides, what type of self-respecting pirates would they be if they didn't pillage and plunder and pilfer and sack? Have you not ridden Pirates of the Caribbean or watched the movies?

And who can resist a color combination of purple and gold!

Kelly

 

[Onceler]

ECU has a reputation as a party school. I didn't go there but everyone I know that has says that.

To be fair, 98% of the schools in the country have party school reputations.

 

[DVCLiz]

To be fair, 98% of the schools in the country have party school reputations.

So true - I think Bob Jones and Brigham Young are the only ones that don't!

I think of ECU as a mid-level school in terms of the NC state schools - not a Carolina but not a UNC-Pembroke, either. But I think overall all of the NC state schools can provide a very good education - we have one of the best state school college systems in the country, in my opinion.

 

[creativeamanda]

I got my Master's degree from ECU. Although I got it completely online, I did have to go to campus for a few things.

The campus is beautiful. I don't know how much of a party school it is, I do know if it had too much of that type of reputation and her son were evidently partaking, my cousin would never send a check for tuition for her son. Not saying he didn't party in school, just that he kept up his grades and whatnot so that she didn't feel there were warning markers.

That being said, the Master's program in Special Education is one of the most rigorous programs I ever entered, but I enjoyed and feel that I learned an enormous amount. My only wish is that I could have spent more time on campus. Like I said--it is beautiful--it reminded me greatly of my undergrad college--Erskine College in SC.

 

[MrsPete]

I agree that ECU is a middle-tier state school; it offers a solid education for an excellent price. It's not as prestigious as NC State or Carolina, but it's better than some of the other NC schools (I won't mention names for the schools with lesser reputations). It's a large school, which is good for some students and not for others. It's in a warm climate that many people love.

Socially, it is definitely a party school -- yes, any college is going to have drinking and parties, but ECU goes above and beyond in that field. Playboy magazine recently named it as one of the top party schools across the nation -- not just in NC, but across the nation. They have a higher % of STDs than any other NC state school. Their real claim to fame is their Halloween party; students from the other NC schools pour into ECU for Halloween.

For the right student, it can be a great choice. As I said, it has a good reputation for offering a solid education at a good price. But you know your child best. Temptations to stray from the books exist at all schools, but this school does offer a greater than average temptation level.

 

[tar heel]

Yeah, it's a mid-level North Carolina state university. One my sons did a summer math and science program there. Besides teaching and nursing, another area it has a good reputation in is the arts, both visual and performing.

I'm assuming your friend is a North Carolina resident. It's not a school I would choose for out-of-state tuition rates.

 

[ilovepcot]

All my family is from NC and nearly all have attended NC colleges and universities since the early 1900's. The serious minded in the family attended either Duke or UNC-Chapel Hill. The slackers who were only interested in partying attended ECU. Most attending ECU did not finish and obtain a degree.

 

[teacherforhi]

I went to Barton--about 45 minutes from ECU. We always traveled there for the really great parties.

 

[castleview]

Yeah, it's a mid-level North Carolina state university. One my sons did a summer math and science program there. Besides teaching and nursing, another area it has a good reputation in is the arts, both visual and performing.

I'm assuming your friend is a North Carolina resident. It's not a school I would choose for out-of-state tuition rates.

She's not a NC resident. But instate tuition at our state university is the same cost as out of state for ECU. She's being recruited for swimming so might not even have to pay that much.

 

[MrsPete]

All my family is from NC and nearly all have attended NC colleges and universities since the early 1900's. The serious minded in the family attended either Duke or UNC-Chapel Hill. The slackers who were only interested in partying attended ECU. Most attending ECU did not finish and obtain a degree.

Curious about this, I pulled up some graduation rate data. Here are graduation rates for a few popular NC schools:

Duke -- 94% of students graduate within 6 years of entering college
Wake Forest -- 89%
UNC-Wilmington -- 65%
Appalachain -- 63%
East Carolina -- 55%
UNC-Charlotte -- 51%
UNC-Greensboro -- 50%
Western Carolina -- 47%
Pembroke -- 34%

I think this has to do with the fact that too many students are going to college these days; honestly, almost all my seniors are going to college. Yes, even the ones who have less than a 2.0 are being admitted somewhere. Even the ones who don't like to read, never do their homework in high school, and don't see a problem with skipping frequently. When I was applying to college -- wow, I sound old -- those same students didn't go to college. They got jobs. I wonder how much of this has to do with student loans being easily available. Anyway, those one-semester wonders aren't being admitted to Duke, and that's why their numbers are higher. Also, those students are less likely to be forced to interrupt their studies for financial reasons.

Ultimately, of course, the real question is whether YOUR OWN STUDENT has what it takes to graduate. Another site I found says that three factors have a strong influence on whether the student will graduate from college:

1. Students who become academically ineligible during their first year or who have a pattern of intermittent enrollment are less likely to graduate.

2. Parents’ educational and income level correlate to the likelihood of the student graduating. Parents with higher education and income are likely to raise children who see college as a necessity, and they're likely to provide more support -- both emotional and financial.

3. Students with lower levels of academic and social engagement are less likely to graduate. Students who are less involved are less likely to graduate from college.


And don't overlook the fact that people will beat these statistics. Looking at these statements, I shouldn't have graduated from college, but I did. Twice. Dean's list most semesters.

 

[MrsPete]

She's not a NC resident. But instate tuition at our state university is the same cost as out of state for ECU. She's being recruited for swimming so might not even have to pay that much.

LOADS of out-of-state people end up in NC colleges for just this reason! Our out-of-state costs are lower than their own in-state costs.