<p>Of course the name matter. If you have Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Dartmouth, Columbia, MIT, etc. on you resume, you know that recruiters at whatever firm you apply to would take you seriously. A better questions would be: can you make it without a big name school? Of course you can. It would be harder, but you just have to rely more on other qualifications (test scores, networking, etc.)</p>
<p>What really matters is finding the best school that meets your needs, then taking full advantage of what it has to offer you. In many cases that school will indeed have a famous name. Sometimes it won’t.</p>
<p>Poster Kisira is an aspiring medical illustrator. The other day, she started a thread on the subject. Kisira is lucky, as a high school junior, to have discovered a passion and talents for something so specific. She is fascinated by human anatomy. I assume s/he likes to draw. This is a very different starting point than deciding to pursue pre-med just because your parents are pressuring you to find a prestigious, high-income profession.</p>
<p>Brown and RISD have a joint degree program that might be perfect for Kisira, but s/he probably does not have the stats to get in. Several posters pointed her to schools with strong art programs. I pointed her to St. Mary’s College of Maryland, hardly a big name school, but one that happens to have a strong program in scientific illustration. In my post I included links to recent graduates of SMCM who are doing interesting work in this field. Young people are succeeding in it with undergraduate degrees from schools as diverse as Carleton, Harvard, Oklahoma Cristian University, Portland State, Reed, and UC Santa Cruz. ([Science</a> Illustration - Bios](<a href=“http://scienceillustration.org/bios.htm]Science”>http://scienceillustration.org/bios.htm))</p>
<p>@ #140</p>
<p>I know UCL is better, but it’s way more expensive. 9 k plays 5k. I am weary of collecting more debt. I calculate my monthly repayments in total would be £875 if I take another loan for a 2nd MA. (This includes credit cards, UG loans, 1st MA loan and other debts).</p>
<p>It’s a really hard choice.</p>
<p>The quality of the program matters as much, if not more than than, the name of the college that you attended. My boyfriend graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.S. in Computer Science, has interned at NASA and Microsoft, and currently works for Microsoft. Two of his friends graduated from Rose-Hulman in Indiana and Indiana University and both are his coworkers at Microsoft. Another of his friends from UT-Austin now works for Lockheed Martin.</p>
<p>In our state, the University of Washington is considered at top-tier school, and is recognized as such outside of our state, but for my major (Elementary and Special Education), it would not be considered a good undergraduate education option. </p>
<p>A good student can succeed anywhere, and can challenge his or herself with extracurricular options (research, organizations, study abroad, honor societies, honors classes and program(s), internships, volunteering). I am sure that it is easier to network when you attend an elite university, but that isn’t the only way to network. Understanding what opportunities are available and taking advantage of them is just as important to recieving a good education.</p>
<p>Sometimes a student simply cannot afford to attend an elite school, even if they are bright. That does not mean that their opportunities are limited. Students should strive to find the college, and the opportunities that best match their personalities, financial situation, career goals, personal goals and interests.</p>
<p>Wow, this thread is old. My kids were not in or had just started college when it was started. Now they have all graduated. Youngest this past May.</p>
<p>Now I know school can absolutely matter. D2 got her interview because of where she attended. She got the internship because of her hard work and ambition. But #137 above is true. She got the job offer, but now it is up to her.</p>
<p>S is as smart as D1 and attended a top college. He does not have the same ambition, so his school isn’t helping him much.</p>
<p>D2 attended a highly ranked school and did very well ( magna cum laude, top senior award for major, etc.). Too early to tell for her. She is still vert idealistic and wanting the job that will save the world. Haha. I see graduate school in her future. Will encourage to try to get in the best school, preferably an Ivy or equally ranked/known school.</p>
<p>A top school will not guarantee success . It WILL open doors. An ambitious good student from a lower tier school can be much more successful than a student graduating from a top school with little ambition or work ethic. </p>
<p>Most importantly, one must be able to communicate, write, analyze and problem solve. If you can do this and get yourself in the door, you can succeed. If your college curriculum does not require these and is not challenging, you are wasting your money.</p>