My situation provided me with some perspective that most other students didn't get. I spent two years at Fort Hays State University competing in athletics when I decided to give that up and concentrate on academics. I transferred to KU with the understanding that I was going to get the best education in the state.

When I went up there to enroll, I felt like a second class citizen. Since I didn't start at KU, people treated me like I wasn't good enough to go there in the first place. I expressed a desire to take astronomy and was told that it would be too tough for me because it required math (I'm now an engineer and graduated with honors). While that hurt, I took their advice.

Next, I found out that 29 credit hours from Fort Hays wouldn't transfer. When I went to the administration office to find out why, they said that they commonly don't accept transfer credits from less-demanding junior colleges. Fort Hays is NOT a junior college.

My class experience wasn't any better. Two of my teachers were some the snarkiest people I've ever met. It wasn't uncommon for them to humiliate one or two students in class for no apparent reason. I was raised to show respect for my teachers, referred to one of them as "sir" during a class discussion, and he made a sarcastic joke about the military because of it. Something about being too smart to be a drill sergeant.

On top of that, the classes were the easiest I had ever had. I was pretty frustrated that I spent the highest tuition in the state for classes that required no critical thinking.

Socially, I fit in pretty well. It didn't take long to find a group on friends. But people didn't make eye contact and smile or greet strangers like they did at Fort Hays. Also, a lot of people smoked.

I decided I had enough and wanted to transfer out and go back to Fort Hays. Of course they charged the highest transcript fee I had ever seen, because KU is more of a business than an education institution.

I finished out at Fort Hays. FHSU took all of KU's credits and worked to apply those credits to my major. I learned way more at Fort Hays than I ever would have at KU.

To sum this up, I've gone to Barton County Community College during high school and a summer, Deakin University in Australia, KU, Fort Hays - where I graduated with honors in Media Studies, and K-State - where I graduated with honors in Mechanical Engineering. As a school, KU was easily the worst. Both Fort Hays and K-State are much better. Fort Hays is the best value for your money, and K-State has the best atmosphere.

In my experience, the only thing KU has going for it is Lawrence. Lawrence is a nice place.

Do yourself a favor and review these school ratings here on Google. Also, see if schools are docked because of athletics and completely ignore those reviews. Unless of course you are a star athlete and are only using college as a springboard to the pros. Good luck in your college search.