<p>I go to Loyola University Chicago. Its a good Jesuit school, and I find the workload challenging, yet when people hear the name, they basically assume I was too stupid to get into Northwestern or UChicago, which is true in a lot of ways. </p>
<p>Anyway, I just feel like I'm at such a disadvantage here, like I'm always going to be playing catch up to these kids who graduated from Northwestern, UC, Michigan, etc. </p>
<p>This makes it very hard for me to get motivated to do well. An employer is going to take a 2.5 graduate from Northwestern over a 4.0 graduate from Loyola. So what's the point? </p>
<p>Well, let me put it to you this way. Only about 27% of all Americans aged 25+ even have a college degree at all. Hence, just earning a degree from any college will make you a relatively highly educated person. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, if you feel strongly that your school isn’t going to provide you with sufficient opportunities, then you can motivate yourself by looking to transfer elsewhere, i.e. to one of those other schools you mentioned. Do as well as you possibly can so that you can put forth the best possible transfer application. Either that, or look to go to one of those other places for grad school. </p>
<p>In fact, put aside places like NW, UC, Michigan, or places like that. Those are excellent places for grad school, but you can also go to places that are just as good, if not better. For example, there are people who come from Loyola University Chicago who go to law school or business school at Harvard. </p>
<p>I’ll give you another example that I find quite inspiring. I know of a guy who freely admitted that he was an extremely lazy and mediocre student in high school. He sadly lost both of his legs at age 17 in an accident. Rather than fall into despair, he dedicated himself to academics. He obtained his bachelor’s degree from the Millersville University of Pennsylvania, a school I had never heard of before, but the best one he could attend because his high school record was pretty shoddy (because of his former laziness). He worked extremely hard at Millersville and did very well, and after graduating, he got a master’s in mechanical engineering from MIT and then a PhD in biophysics at Harvard. He then became a professor at Harvard Medical School and is now a professor at MIT, where his research is devoted to developing high-quality medical prostheses/biomechatronics. Basically, he wants to walk again and he’s devoted his life to finding a way to do that. If he succeeds, not only will he be able to walk again, but others who have lost their legs will also be able to walk again. He didn’t let the fact that he was forced to go to a no-name undergrad school deter him from his goal. I’m glad it didn’t, because his work has already served to improve the quality of medical prostheses.</p>
<p>I go to school at the U of C, and two of my bosses (who are employees of the U of C) are Loyola grads. They are really terrific people, they’re great at what they do, and they’ve helped me as a student/employee a lot. I’ve never thought, “Oh, gee, I could do your job, being as I’m going to graduate with a more prestigious degree than you and all.”</p>
<p>The traits that are valued in the working world are not necessarily the traits that are valued in college admissions. Do you want to know unemployed people who had perfect scores on their SATs and graduated from Ivy League colleges? I know a few-- while they are as smart as any, their work ethics are appalling.</p>
<p>A lot of jobs require people skills, organizational skills, stress management skills, and service with a smile. Colleges don’t teach you how to do these things, and you can be better at these things than somebody from an elite school.</p>
<p>I worked in a bookstore for a few years in high school and college during summers, and even though I had the fancy education, I was far from the top employee, and was consistently outperformed by people who didn’t have college degrees.</p>
<p>I could get into a “top” school, but I think I’m above all that self pretentious bullcrap. </p>
<p>Paul Allen, one of the richest men in the world, was a Washington State dropout. He is thought to be one of the most intelligent people in the world (he did get a perfect SAT). He didn’t waste his time going to some “elite” school to impress anyone.</p>
<p>To the above poster, Steve Jobs was a Reed dropout.
If memory serves me correctly, Bill Gates was some sort of Ivy dropout – perhaps Harvard.
Many people of this intellectual caliber dropped out of top-rate schools. For someone like Gates, it was probably not the most productive environment.</p>
<p>PureHoney, if you are not a success, you will not be able to blame it on attending Loyola.</p>
<p>I know a man whose bachelor’s degree is from another regional Jesuit university, less well known than Loyola Chicago. He spent much of his childhood in a Catholic orphanage, went to a Catholic high school as a “scholarship” student, then was educated at the Jesuit university at their expense. He did very well, got his graduate degree from U of Chicago, went west and made hundreds of millions at an investment firm he founded. He gives a lot of money now to his undergrad. university, is considering financing the establishment of a new department there (price tag, at least 15 million.)</p>
<p>Work hard, impress your professors and adopt a positive attitude. That is all my friend had to work with, and his story has turned out pretty well.</p>
<p>PureHoney I almost went to Loyola to take organic chemistry last summer, but its too much of a schlep from my location in the Chicagoland south suburbs. Although I live in the area, I went to school in PA, and a lot of my friends are from New Jersey and New York. A lot of them know of Loyola Chicago and consider it a great school, even as one of the better Jesuit ones. They also know closeby DePaul University quite well, even though most consider it less prestigious than LUC. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t despair at all about going to Loyola.</p>
<p>Um, Michael Scofield of Prison break went to Loyola. Sarah Tankreti went to Northwestern. So, that means your counterparts in college will be doctors, and you will go to jail. simple as that :D</p>
<p>Probably the most impressive person I’ve met in my graduate program so far graduated from Willamette University. I mean, from what I can tell it’s pretty good, but how many people outside of Oregon know it?</p>
<p>Seriously though, this guy is a star. He blows me (a UCLA grad) away.</p>
<p>Notice how Donald Trump loves Harvard guys, giving the school special mentions all the time, in spite of him earning his degree from Wharton? </p>
<p>I saw that episode when he made a comment about Loyola U of Chicago. I thought he didn’t really mean it when he said it. </p>
<p>He hired Bill because Bill has better personality than has Kwame, I thought. That’s what usually happens when you have equally competitive aspirants vying for a sole slot. </p>
<p>Heard Donald mentioned Rhodes, Harvard, Princeton, Wharton and Mensa (which I am a member of).</p>
<p>Wow powergrid, what a nice thing to say. Trump couldn’t possibly have been serious when he said something complimentary about a school as terrible as lowly little Loyola Chicago. </p>
<p>Thanks to those of you who posted encouraging responses.</p>
<p>The truth is, I’m not going to go to an Ivy League school or University of Chicago for grad school. I don’t have the grades. A lot of your responses actually further discouraged me in that they seemed to suggest that the only way I can escape the life of shortcomings my Loyola degree will afford me is to go to a top 10 university for grad school. Yea, that’s realistic. </p>
<p>I guess I’m just an average Joe whose stuck trying to compete in a world full of superstars like yourselves.</p>
<p>So Gates went to Harvard, Allen to WASU, (both prior to dropping out) and they team up to become two of the richest men on the planet. Ironically Allen is usually considered the “brains” of the operation.</p>
<p>What I get from that is that if you know what you’re doing, you will be successful, it doesn’t matter what college you go to. </p>
<p>There’s a guy at my mom’s work who still complains about paying off his student loans from Wash U STL. My mom joked that he could probably get his job/salary if he didn’t even go to college.</p>
<p>A teacher at my high school who got her Masters at Harvard constantly complains about still paying off her loans. She earns something like 8 k more a year than a teacher with less experience and a Bachelor’s from Eastern Illinois.</p>
<p>I went to a “top” school and managed to mostly avoid the pretentious jerks. Some of the most awesome and humble people I’ve met went to Stanford.</p>
<p>You just have to pick and choose your alliances. :)</p>
<p>A Jesuit education is priceless…be proud of who you are and your accomplishments and be proud of your school. MILLIONS of kids go to schools that are not in the top30. Being a success in life has little to do with the prestige of your parchment, your wallet size or collection of assets. It has to do with you as a person, your relationships, how you treat people, how you raise your family and prepare them for life and hopefully give them guidance on how to get to Heaven.</p>
<p>And in any event, GRADUATE school is where it is at anyway for the ultimate parchment…so if you want MORE…aim higher for graduate school.</p>
<p>If you feel inferior its because you let people treat you that way. I am not suggesting arrogance or belligerence…but carrying yourself with pride and confidence and telling people…yes, even people who go to Northwestern or Chicago how wonderful Loyola is and what fun you are having and how much you appreciate your opportunity there.</p>
<p>I am a HUGE fan of a Jesuit education. Being a “master” of the information you glean in college is MUCH more important than being a person who identifies only with superficial rankings and such.</p>
<p>At EVERY college in the United States there are kids just as bright and brighter than they are at NU. NU is a fine school with a higher AVERAGE SAT score…some kids are higher and some kids are lower than the average and some are lower than some kids at Loyola. </p>
<p>I know kids at Fordham with perfect 2400 SAT’s. </p>
<p>Its only “stupid” to let people put you down or condescend to Loyola. Be proud and be happy.</p>
<p>And yes, Melinda Gates went to Seattle University and Bill and Melinda Gates were married by its then President, Rev. William J. Sullivan, SJ, now its Chancellor.</p>
<p>In the end, though, you shouldn’t worry so much about this. Really, success should be defined by what you want, not what USNews says success is.</p>