<p>My aunt and I were arguing about this...I know that Rice is a prestigious school, but my aunt (who went to cornell) to me that if I got into schools like Cornell or Brown, then I would have a better chance at getting a job in the northeast or west coast after graduating. She claimed that if I went to Rice, I would only be able to find a decent job in the south or in Texas. Although I have nothing against the south, I would like to work in the west coast (California specifically) in the future. So, is my aunt's argument true? </p>
<p>Sorry if this sounds like an insulting question</p>
<p>It’s a repeat question. Many of the Rice grads who went to school and graduated with my son last year are all over the globe and this country. Many went to the west coast, as my son did. (We’re from NY) They have a large group in Seattle that get together all the time to socialize…and they all loved their Rice Experience and the jobs they found after graduating.</p>
<p>I’m interested in this question too, although I think any answers here would be anecdotal. I think you have to assume that with the exception of perhaps six schools (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Stanford and possibly Caltech) every school has predominantly regional name recognition. Brown for example, although clearly a very fine university, is little known here in the midwest. The same is absolutely true of Rice. Moreover, there’s not an LAC anywhere that isn’t mostly unknown nearly everywhere.</p>
<p>But that said, we live in an age (and certainly those of you of college age <em>really</em> live in an age) when the country, and in fact the whole world, is a lot smaller. Any employer who is inclined to do the most basic due diligence can learn about Rice (or just about any college) with a few mouse clicks. For that matter, if you’re applying for a job, you can probably provide a few hyperlinks to make it even easier for the employer.</p>
<p>Our older son goes to a very good midwestern LAC. Yet only a few hundred miles away, almost no one I know has ever heard of it. But it is apparent to us that he is getting an excellent education. My younger son is considering Rice and Brown, among other schools. Once again, we know that if he chooses either most people here (and in many other parts of the country) wouldn’t be able to place those schools on a map, and would naturally assume that Nebraska or DePaul were better schools – after all, they have seen Nebraska and DePaul play sports on TV. (And I’m not knocking either Nebraska or DePaul.) </p>
<p>So all that said, I have pretty much come to the conclusion that you should find the place that feels right and that will give you the best educational experience. If you work hard, learn and do well, you’ll have the opportunity to sell the quality of your degree when the time comes. The fact you go to Rice or Brown (or a midwestern LAC) instead of MIT or Stanford won’t hold you back.</p>
<p>The thing to keep in mind is that you’re talking about a top 17 university. Everyone who matters knows about it…Especially top Employers and grad schools.</p>
<p>One of the cool things about Rice is… its location. Lovely park-like campus,but located in the city which now has the largest number of fortune-500 company headquarters in the USA. There are lots of job possibilities, and you can transfer to other cities, or get hired to work in other cities…
but…
<p>I agree that anything you learn in answer to this question here will be mostly anecdotal. Not that anecdotes aren’t useful! I think Laura’s son, a recent Rice grad, is at Microsoft, for instance. People I’ve talked to who work in academia, science or high tech have all heard of Rice and have high regards for it. Employers are going to be interested in more than just where you got your degree, though. You’re more competetive in the job market if you’ve got more to put on your resume after four years than just “B.A.” or “B.S.”. Rice offers incredible opportunities for projects, internships, summer work, etc. What you do with those opportunities will mean as much, if not more, to employers than the name of the school you graduate from.</p>
<p>Well, there’s certainly less social prestige attached to Rice than the schools your aunt’s inclined towards. That is, you’ll get more country club mileage out of a Brown ring than a Rice ring. </p>
<p>This, simply, is the case, and if this sticks in your craw, you’re probably better off elsewhere.</p>
<p>Personally I don’t think it’s an issue of not impressing, so much as just being a rarer beast there. Fewer other hires from that school , smaller alumni network. It is generally the case, everywhere, that on-campus recruiting has a regional bias. That doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t get a job elsewhere, or people elsewhere don’t have the notion that it’s a great school. Some people may be less well acquainted with it than the better schools in their own region, though.</p>
<p>Recently, someone put the whole reason for college in two words: first job. That first, after college job, is what we’re talking about. Employers won’t really look at the resume and care you graduated from Williams or Rice, Niagara or Providence, after you get your first real job and you have a glowing record. Yes, it’s all about recruiting: do employers recruit on campus? And networking: do alums keep in touch and help each other? But, getting that first job is the purpose of most colleges.</p>
<p>i choose rice over cornell
seems to me like your aunt has something i like to call ivy-itus
common symptoms include absurd believes that an ivy education is a golden ticket to success</p>