<p>I'm interested in the opinions; from what I've heard, it's pretty conflicting.</p>
<p>i really don't know. Go ask your doctor/dentist where they did their training. You will be surprised many went to very ok schools, nothing of the sort from the "wow" effect. They are pretty dam successful as you can see while many Harvard and Yale grads do not make the big bucks. My dad went to his flagship state school in the midwest, and ended up at a top 5 medical school.</p>
<p>Some say that if a student is truly exceptional, then any college is good. However, some say a good college "name" looks good on your resume for jobs.</p>
<p>::::bump:::::</p>
<p>A name doesn't really matter unless you need that to define you as a person. It might look nice on your diploma or help you get an interview, but beyond that nothing really. The important thing is doing well. A lot of people feel the need to go to a "top" brand name school, because they think that somehow means they are better or because they are insecure.</p>
<p>Then why more and more appls to ivies? So many insecure people?</p>
<p>A lot of people, especially internationals, have only heard of certain schools- mostly Ivy and they want the prestige or the name. If that is all you are looking for in a college- name and prestige- that smacks of insecurity.</p>
<p>Not really, I'm just wondering what everyone else thought.</p>
<p>my dentist went to yale. </p>
<p>Both of my parents do alot of recruiting for their companies (both fortune 500 corporations). In a market where one position can get 5,000 applications, competition is crazy. Microsoft alone receives over 100,000 resumes a month. So, to cut through all of the crap, they only interview those who graduated from top colleges (positions that require experience are different). Yes, a person with a 3.3 gpa from an ivy will be picked over the person with a 3.9 at good, but not top LAC. I've done several case studies at Cornell on this, the best companies do this. This happens because the companies rely on the selective and elite collges to weed out applicants for them. Only the best of the best are in the ivy league in the first place and many companies simply dont have the time to dissect a pool of 5,000 resumes from 1,000 different colleges. Yes, there is the possibility that a fantastic student from college X will be perfect for the position, but because they didnt go to an elite college they wont be considered ... this is a risk that many companies are willing to take. Now, i'm not saying that people from second-tier colleges wont get a job, it's just that the very best jobs go to students from the very best colleges. </p>
<p>...if anybody thinks i'm wrong, check out the Harvard Business School case studies on corporate recruiting. If you need exact numbers, i have them.</p>
<p>Wow, that contradicts everything then. Everyone seems so divided on this. But I do believe that going to a name one would not only give job preferences, but also a good education, as the best professors teach there. Then again, Harvard has TA teaching students :(</p>
<p>(in reference to #9)
I wouldn't want to work at those kinds of companies anyways.</p>
<p>Go to a big name graduate school- that's where it really counts. You can get into one of those from a "lesser" undergrad, as long as you did well. I'd rather have a brand name grad degree than an undergrad one anyday.</p>
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<blockquote> <p>Then again, Harvard has TA teaching students <<</p> </blockquote>
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<p>This is incorrect. With the exception of some foreign language classes that are required to be taught by native speakers, and certain writing classes that are taught by published authors, all classes at Harvard College are taught by professors. It's required. The professors are often aided by TAs who supervise small study sections, just as they do at many other colleges, but the classes themselves are always taught by professors.</p>
<p>From what my Uncle has told me, the name of the undergrad or grad school you attended can make a great impact on your career success. Going to schools with more prestige and well known names gives you more networking and job opps. My uncle went to U.Chicago and is now a doctor and his wife went to Vassar and is a pshycologist. They are extremely well off. My uncle has told me many times that from his experience going to a big name school will help you get that internship or that 1st job. Someone with a 3.8 from a community college or even a college like Temple/Drexel wouldn't be likely to get a job over someone with a 3.5 from Harvard....think about it.</p>
<p>i'm pretty sure most anybody who was offered a 6 digit salary from "those kinds of companies" would jump on it. They get so many applications due to their stellar benefits packages, high pay, and tremendous growth opportunities. It isn't a fluke. </p>
<p>I agree with scarletleavy's post about grad schools. But, again, those comming from top undergrad schools and high GPA's tend to get into the very best grad schools. It's not as cut-throat as corporate recruiting, but check out Harvard Law school's class and where they came from. Most colleges are lucky to have one or two students at HLS. The ivy league schools, plus standord, duke, ucb, etc each have around 40-50 students in attendance. A 3.6 at Cornell (notorious for grade deflation, bball can help me with this one) is much harder to achieve than a 3.9 at a SUNY school. </p>
<p>Coureur - what's with so many people thinking schools like harvard are ruled by TA's??? At Cornell TA's just sit there and take notes to help us for the tests. Then, their job is to lead small discussion groups in conjunction with lecture. The only time i've been taught by a TA was when one of my professors was suddenly ill and couldn't make it to class. Other than that, i've been closer to my profs than my TA's.</p>
<p>Smile, what you are referring to is personal contacts. You can get those regardless of where you went to school. My father went to RPI and then Temple (not the Harvards of the world) and he runs a multinational company at the moment. Its more who you know than where you went. </p>
<p>Someone on another thread said simply that going to a top name school increases your probability of being successful. It doesn't guarantee anything. Smart, successful people will be so regardless of where they go.</p>
<p>yes, but again, people from top colleges get the best jobs in the best companies. Imagine the connections that an MIT, Cornell, Harvard, Berkeley grad have at Microsoft. It's true that graduating from any college will give you alumni connections. Certain colleges just grant you better ones than others.</p>
<p>I don't think the value of going to college should be viewed at all in terms of alumni connections or resume luster. I understand most of us will need a job down the line, but that should not even be a factor in your college selection. Go with what feels a fit and where you know you will be challenged.</p>
<p>Well, I dunno about professors since my friend told me they were taught by TA; maybe she's lying?? What about educational quality? Must be better than community colleges.</p>
<p>does your friend go to an ivy league school? I'd say she's either talking out of her ass, making assumptions, or is at harvard and has had a very very bad coincidence of classes. Education quality at all of the top 20 colleges is amazing. But, I believe that the most important factor that sets these schools apart is the student body. There's nothing like being surroudned by thousands of people who were just as smart, if not smarter, than you were in high school. It's amazing to be able to pull a random stranger from a classroom, have a conversation and learn stuff that will blow your mind! I trasfered to my current school from another top-50 (well, number 50 to be exact) college, and the student body is sooo much better. I couldn't believe the difference. </p>
<p>would you rather be the best and an average school, or average at the best school??? I've done both, and the latter was the best option, no question.</p>