<p>When I first came to this website (and read posts), I am shocked that many people are looking at Ivies. I am a regular high school student in Louisiana. I know many people that have good grades and ACT scores (around 26 thru 32), but they don't even bother to go to schools with big names. They look at schools that they would be happy with, despite these schools (such as University of New Orleans, Louisiana Tech, and University of Louisiana in Lafayette) are not considered good for many CCers (Don't beat me up!!!). I also know many people transfer from LSU (this school should be big enough that I don't need to say the full name) to the schools I just mentioned. </p>
<p>So, I would like to know that if big names make a difference. It doesn't matter for me.</p>
<p>What exactly do you mean by “make a difference?” My older brother was at the top of his high school class and was also the STAR student, but he chose to go to Georgia Southern- which, by CC standards, is by no means a top tier school- because they offered him a free ride. Straight out of college, he got plenty of job offers, went to a few interviews, and ended up with $60,000 starting salary as a computer software engineer or some sort of thing (I’m just majoring in English so I don’t know about these things lol) in Kansas City. They obviously didn’t look at his resume and say, “Georgia Southern? Well, this is Missouri. We’ve never heard of Georgia Southern.” </p>
<p>I’m in the same boat as you, just in a different state. I’m about to give you some advice that I’ve been having trouble with myself, and that is to be happy with whatever school you attend, even if it isn’t some top 20 private school.</p>
<p>A lot of people on CC truly love whatever top 20 school they want to attend, a lot of others only care about name though. I personally have both fell in love with and eliminated top 20 schools from my list. When it comes down to it, those top schools tend to have better financial aid and opportunities, beyond that it comes down to what each individual wants in a school.</p>
<p>A famous name like Harvard will have a positive effect on career chances, but not as substantial as some expect. </p>
<p>As some have said, it is much better to do well at a “mid-tier” school and get good grades/be involved than struggle at a name-brand university.</p>
<p>aleyna22 and BuBBLES FoR SALE:
I agree with you. In America, education is not that important like some Asian countries. My Asian (they are pure American, please remember that!) friends told me that if they (were in Asia) do not go to Ivies, they would have a hard time finding a job. We (if you are an American) value emotional intelligence, so going to big names shouldn’t matter a lot. I am concerned if ei really matters because in CC, people are very into Ivies. You know what (Not showing off!), I can have a free ride to LSU, just like your brother.</p>
<p>Many of my classmates and I am not very into Ivies, but kind of shocked and feel na</p>
<p>mom2collegekids:
Thanks for looking at my posts before you reply.
I am interested to do anything with Business.
Do people from big schools have more advancements from workplace than people from regular schools?</p>
<p>Yes, alumni from big name schools tend to go further.</p>
<p>The question is whether alumni are relying on innate traits (work ethic, intelligent, shrewdness) , or whether they are relying on what the university actually taught them. In my experience, it is more the former than the latter. </p>
<p>If I had to break it down, I would say the success of “big school” alumni is attributable to
60% innate skills, i.e., good genetics and cultural upbringing.
20% being thrown into a highly competitive environment. The small fish in the big pond is forced to mature and adapt. The big fish at the local state school stagnates.
10% networking with classmates and alumni from aforementioned big name school.
5% is on-campus recruiting, which allows kids to get their foot in the door.
5% is what the university actually teaches. Honestly, that’s being very generous. </p>
<p>If you are a middle-income white kid coming from the south, you are at an extreme disadvantage for top universities. There are ways you can bypass this:</p>
<p>1) Get an engineering degree. It is the only undergraduate degree that impresses employers across the board. Much like a Harvard degree, the right engineering degree makes people tack on 10-20 IQ points that you may or may not posses. </p>
<p>2) Go to a university near a major job market. This is rarely mentioned on this website but geography can often trump pedigree. Naturally, if you limit your school search to LA this puts you at a significant disadvantage.</p>
<p>The best approach would be to combine 1) and 2).</p>
<p>The reason why your US-born Asian ancestry friends tell you that they would need to have an Ivy degree to get a job in their ancestral country, is that in those countries very few foreign universities have any kind of name recognition. By comparison, how many universities in those countries can you name? One, two? In addition, in certain countries admission is based on the results of national exams and the top X% attend University A, the next X% attend University B, and anyone with a score of less than Y will never get into university at all. Period. Employers know exactly what they are getting when they hire from University A, B, or C, and career tracks after graduation are dictated by whether or not a student was admitted to A, B, or C. In those job markets, the assumption of employers is that the colleges and universities here can be ranked in a similar fashion. Those employers are wrong about US colleges and universities, but getting them to understand otherwise is nearly impossible because of the differences between their culture and ours.</p>
<p>If you will begin your working career in the US, where you go for college is much less important than your experience at that college/university. What courses will you take? What will your final GPA be at graduation? What work/internship/research experience will you have while in school? What recommendations will you collect from your professors/supervisors/etc. along the way? And three, four, five years out, where you got your degree, and the field of study that you earned it in will be much less important than what you have done with your work and personal life since graduation.</p>
<p>You’d have to specify just what “difference” you’re talking about.
Then we could discuss whether there is good evidence one way or the other.</p>
<p>Yes, alumni of “big name” schools do tend to make more money. According to payscale.com data (which only includes self-reported data from alumni with terminal undergraduate degrees), the average Princeton graduate makes $137K by mid-career. The average TCNJ graduate makes $78,700. The average Flagler College graduate makes $52K. So there is a rather big spread.</p>
<p>Now, there may be other “differences” that are important to you or someone you know. A wealthy, famous university like Harvard or Stanford can support cutting edge research that an average, smaller school usually cannot. In some fields (like theoretical math) it may attract a critical mass of brilliant students and professors that enables them to offer very advanced courses you wouldn’t find at very many other schools (because there just aren’t that many brilliant people working in these fields).</p>
<p>Then there are demographic differences. A “big name” will tend to attract students from wealthy (and occasionally famous) families from all over America (as well as very bright students from poor families). If you want to network with the children of Senators and CEOs, or with the occasional young movie star, you’re more likely to get that at an Ivy League school than at your average state college.</p>
<p>I will also add that an Ivy name coming out of college provides a significant boost to prospects for entry into a mid or low tier graduate or medical school program. There are tons of these places who want to boast on their admissions web sites that they attract graduates from Harvard, Stanford, etc. So, your 3.4 from Harvard can get you into medical school, whereas your 3.4 from LSU means you are toast. That’s the big name difference, right there.</p>
<p>A lot also depends on if you plan to do grad school. There are a lot of smaller colleges that have awesome grad school acceptance rates, and not that many people from my area have heard of them…</p>
<p>If you want to work in your home state or an adjoining state in business, then I personally think there is not much point in going to a “big name school”.</p>
<p>Duecey:
I did some research about engineering degree because I am helping a kid that is pretty stressful about his college choices.
Some people says that engineering degree is very similar throughout the nation. As long as they are accreditted, they should be good.</p>
<p>Happymomof1:
I agree with you.</p>
<p>tk21769:
Let me reply piece by piece:
I think it reflects how smart a person is, not how great a school is. According to a book I read, Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling (because some of my Asian friends recommended it to me and my high school requires to read for 10 minutes per day…so I just find something to read), it stated that emotional intelligence is the most important factor of success in America, not intelligence.
I agree on that.
I agree on that.
I see.</p>
<p>kellybkk and Jillian86:
I see. I was rejected from SMU. Should I go to LSU for undergrad and then apply for SMU grad school?</p>
<p>intparent:
I asked everyone around my circle, and no one seems to agree big names make a difference.</p>
<p>barrk123:
I think I would become an accountant. I am also interested into anything that is related to business.
I know my goal, but if big names are really a concern, I need to plan myself again. Student life is also important. For instance, if I am struggling in SMU/Tulane, but I am thriving in LSU…what is the most important factor?</p>