This actually lets me responded in a threaded way, rather than your blog, apparently? So my bad, I'll just respond here.
Do you feel that your experience or mine is more mainstream? When I read Joel's "The Perils of Java Schools," I felt that it described my school to a tee. I had just assumed that that's how most programs are, given my school's size. Obviously, Ivy-leage schools should be better, but I just kind of assumed that my own experience was average.
Wordpress.com's threading leaves much to be desired I'm afraid.
I can't judge what would be mainstream in US accurately enough to rate your school I'm afraid. I'd see some of the details of the main schools as they write up their courses in journal articles; but my experience is mostly with Irish universities. However, from what several people here and back on the blog and over on reddit are saying, it sounds like the average Irish CS degree is a step or two ahead of at least some US schools. Which I have to say is a major surprise to me, since US schools were (I thought, from speaking to grad students and academics from them) better funded than Irish ones.
I'm not sure if it's a funding issue. It's more of a philosophical one. We've been telling kids for the last few decades that colelge is the path to success, and we've lowered standards so much that everyone goes to college, so that it's actually true.
College is quickly becoming a big commodity business, rather than a place to learn.
Do you feel that your experience or mine is more mainstream? When I read Joel's "The Perils of Java Schools," I felt that it described my school to a tee. I had just assumed that that's how most programs are, given my school's size. Obviously, Ivy-leage schools should be better, but I just kind of assumed that my own experience was average.