<p>As I enter my senior year, I am looking at potential colleges. And I am wondering, does it matter if a undergrad goes to a top notch ivy league school or just a state school that would be a lot cheaper? I mean, in the end, everyone gets the same education right? plus I constantly hear about adults who are still paying off loans. Is it better to go to a school that isnt as recognized but where you can get a great academic scholarship and as an athlete, an athletic scholarship as well. </p>
<p>Well, a lot of different factors come into play so it’s hard to come up with a definite answer. Some people value prestige. Some have enough money to not have to care how much they pay for whatever school they go to, while others have to carefully put financial factors into consideration. It also depends on the program-- some state schools have programs just as good as the ivies do, while others pale in comparison. The environment and social life at public schools vs. top notch ivies also shape the quality of one’s personal “college experience” which is as important as the quality of academics (in my opinion). Some ivies offer better networking opportunities than state schools, or perhaps vice versa. </p>
<p>A lot of people say that companies don’t really care all that much about what college you attended, which I think is true. Sure, a degree from Harvard does sound more impressive than a degree from Iowa State, but only if you have the transcript and capabilities to show it. That’s only in general, though-- a lot of public colleges have programs comparable to the ivies. Having a computer science degree from U of Washington Seattle may help you more than a comp sci degree from Brown or Columbia considering U Wash has one of the top 10 comp sci programs in the US (i.e. big corps like Facebook are building offices nearby in Washington just to funnel U Wash graduates for hire). </p>
<p>With all that said, I guess it’s most fair to say that the quality of your education heavily depends on the amount of time and work you are willing to put in. </p>
<p>Question is impossible to answer without details like specific schools, majors of interest, career goals of interest, and cost constraints.</p>
<p>For certain fields like investment banking your UG college matters. For fields with separate accreditations like engineering or accounting as long as the program has that accreditation you are good. </p>