re: Why is LSU ranked 2nd to last academically in the SEC?

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It usually stems from parenting and the motivation their upbringing instills. You can't buy motivation. So considering LSU's out of state enrollment is among the lowest (I am guessing because of the TOPS program), there will be a lot of carry over of the in-state culture and little need to improve since recruitment is taken care of.

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Despite Louisiana's culture of ignorance, LSU still ultimately decides who gets in and who does good enough work to get a degree. As everyone has already said, lots of good students leave the state for college (especially from dem NOLA private schools). If the school had better academics, more of the good students (in-state and out-of-state) would come. It's a chicken or the egg scenario, but the Louisiana government has not been ambitious enough to make LSU a premier school. That's why you're left with mediocrity.

Parents are the ones who look at rankings. Students look at programs, student life, and what the area is like. They'd rather be happy while learning

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11

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It's like being #1 twice!

FYI, you can designate what your donation is used for

I love when LSU folks bash the instate schools. The la.tech, ULL,ULM etc.. how far superior they are when outside of the state they are viewed as not much better education wise .

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Thats pretty sad.

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I agree, but I didnt want to hijack the thread with all the butthurt that would occur

There are many reasons for the lower/mediocre ranking, but the reality is that LSU prepares Louisiana students for high quality jobs in the region, assuming the student puts in the effort. And they do it while not burdening students with debt. Earn good grades in business, engineering, pre-med, pre-law... and you'll compete with any other graduate from a state school and be debt free. Additionally, there are several top programs with national appeal such as Landscape Architecture and Internal Audit. It's also interesting that admission requirements at LSU are just as high or higher than most SEC schools.

The things holding LSU back from progressing towards a top tier state school include the following:
- Perception created by budget cuts and poor PR from F. King
- Lack of contributions from graduates
- Impact of Louisiana culture/mindset of both students (not all) and politicians
- Access to nearby major markets/employers (Houston is a feeder market but it's out-of-state and not like UGA to Atlanta, which is a huge built-in advantage for their students)
- Lackluster K-12 public education in LA

So many of the above factors are difficult to change, but if schools like Alabama can improve their public perception in these rankings, then there's no reason LSU can't do the same. Regardless, I don't think LSU jumping up 30 spots actually means the quality of education or student outcomes are any better.

We have one problem.....politics

Schools like Alabama and Auburn are recruiting and throwing lots of money at the kids who just quite didn't make the cut getting into UT here in Austin.