Does going to a top school really improve the education and the quality of life?

College Life
1

<p>Hi everyone, </p>

<p>So now that the 2014ers are getting down to the wire with college admissions, I thought I would start a thread in which we can discuss how much going to a top school really improves ones education and/or quality of life. </p>

<p>Please discuss the following. </p>

<ol>
<li><p>Do top schools in general have better professors and/or more educational opportunities?</p></li>
<li><p>Do you believe that attending a top school will/has made your life better/worse/no change?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Please give specific examples (i.e. I went on a first date and my girlfriend was super impressed when I told her I was going to Harvard, or I went to Yale and now everyone thinks I am stuck-up). </p>

<p>BTW, if a thread like this was made before, I would appreciate it if someone told me.</p>

2

<p>most definitely. there is a reason why ivies get so much respect. its because they have the best professors, and best programs.
but remember, im in your shoe. still a high school senior, making presumption… ha</p>

3

<p>I don’t go to a top college, however, I did transfer to a college that is ranked higher than the first one I attended (unknown state school). There is a vast difference in quality. My professors are much better and diverse, and I find it to be more difficult because there is more work. There is also a lot more classroom discussion which I like, and a lot more resources and opportunities.</p>

<p>Also, some ivies don’t necessarily have the best program and its actually more difficult and competitive to get in else where.</p>

4

<p>I think another VERY important factor is the location of a particular “top school”.<br>
For ex. schools like Notre Dame and Vanderbilt would be MUCH more desirable if in Manhattan.</p>

<p>Just a thought.</p>

5

<p>I think that top schools have more to OFFER. However, you can only get the best education and quality of life if you take advantage of what’s available. My personal belief is that many of the students who go to these schools have learned previously that they need to use everything available to them, thus the overall impression of the university is that it’s a better education and quality of life. However, if a person at a “lower” school takes advantage of what’s available to them, but a person at a “higher” school doesn’t do the same, then the “lower” person will probably have a better education and quality of life.</p>

6

<p>With VERY few exceptions once you get your first job no one will ever ask where you went to college. Experience and your personal drive matter more than anything. I know quite a few Ivy grads that cannot find work.</p>

7

<p>90-95% of what I have learned in College has been through independent self-study.</p>

<p>High ranked Universities allow access to (sometimes) better Professors and better contacts with which students can “network” with. Also (sometimes) more serious students than at lower ranked Universities.</p>

<p>Other than that; the quality of education that the student receives is completely up to the individual. It would be sheer ignorance to say that a student could receive a good education at every institution in America; although any quality College or University in America can provide a student with a good education(Provided that the student is willing to learn). </p>

<p>Although the person a the higher ranked University does have an advantage. I wouldn’t know how to measure this advantage.</p>

8

<p>it is mostly up to you… but “better” schools generally provide “better” opportunities.</p>

9

<p>I am a Stanford student and i have had some weird conversations with people about college. Here is the way it typically goes:</p>

<p>Where do you go to college?
Me: I go to Stanford.
(Person becomes interested in conversation)
Congratulations on getting in, you must be pretty smart. What is the secret to getting in?
Me: There really is no secret to getting in, just do the best you can in high school and take ECs that interest you. If you think you have a chance apply and see what happens.
Other questions about my major and where else I got into school followed.</p>

<p>This line of questioning pops up every time I tell someone I go to Stanford, and for that last question every time I get asked it what I want to say is “Your kid is in FITH GRADE stop worrying about where he is going to go to college, odds are he won’t be able to get into schools like Stanford and that is fine, it is not the end all be all of your existence. There are plenty successful of people who went to their flagship public. He probably won’t end up working at McDonalds if he does not go to a top 5 school”.</p>

<p>Many times I just want to avoid this line of questioning all together since it makes me angry, so I have come up with a way around it. Here is the way the conversation goes.</p>

<p>Where do you go to college?
Me: I go to LSJU (which stands for Leland Stanford Junior University).
Where is that?
Me: It is in San Francisco Bay Area.
How big of a school is it?
Me: It is a mid size school.
How good of a school is it? (Maybe not that blatant but some variation of it)
Me: It’s a pretty good school.
A lot of times the conversation ends here, but some times they ask what LSJU stands for.
In which case I will mumble “Leland Stanford” and then emphasis the “Junior” in “Junior University”. They normally will stop talking about college after that happens.</p>

<p>As for the more important part of your question “Do they have better professors” I would have to answer yes in my experience, but my experience is more like comparing a new Jaguar to a Toyota Camry from 83 that has been through hell.</p>

<p>I took some classes at a community college since I exhausted all of the math and science classes at my school. I would ask one of my professors a question and they would have a very difficult time coming up with an answer to it, and many times they did not explain it well. Sometimes they couldn’t even come up with an answer at all. They also watered down the material and I did not need to do any outside homework in the class to get an A.</p>

<p>One thing that surprised me though was the number of hard working students there. Sure slackers were the norm, but at the same time I met some people who were pretty dedicated to their work and wanted to do well. They screwed up in high school and they turned themselves around.</p>

<p>Let’s compare that to my experiences at Stanford. I go into office hours and I ask a question. I get an instantaneous and complete answer. I can even ask a TA here a question and they will frequently give me a better answer than my community college professors would.</p>

<p>Granted, I don’t know what the difference is between a flag ship state school and a top private.</p>

10

<p>firehose -</p>

<p>Your comparison between Stanford and a community college doesn’t really answer the OP’s question. Community Colleges serve a much needed purpose in the higher education spectrum. It provides an education to students who are not prepared to compete at top schools like Stanford, but they do educate students that become valuable employees.</p>

<p>To the OP: There are many factors that will affect the quality of education and the quality of life that you experience. You may very well find that what suits you best is a “second tier” school, for example, and that is just fine. After your first job, where you went to school has less importance as time marches on.</p>

<p>It also varies with economic conditions. For example, Columbia’s school of engineering used to promote the school with the number of graduates who went to work on Wall Street following their degree, and their earnings. Last years graduating class found a much different atmosphere on Wall Street, and this year might not be much different.</p>

<p>But you must weigh what is important to you; student:faculty ratio, size of classes, small versus large enrollment, whether the school is a major research institution or a teaching institution, whether you want to find a job locally, etc.</p>

<p>Finally, most top schools offer opportunities that you will not find at schools two tiers below. The question is whether you will actually take advantage of the additional opportunities.</p>

<p>As far as the quality of life, that varies quite a bit among top schools as well and second and third tier schools. Again, it depends on your interests. My daughter was accepted at top schools two years ago. She ended up going to a top ranked school, but she decided on a school that was ranked lower than three other schools (Ivies) to which she was accepted.</p>

<p>She found the school that fit her best. As she intends on earning a PhD, her undergraduate school is of little consequence. That is not true of the graduate schools you attend. My brother was trying to decide between the Univ. of Oregon and Harvard. I convinced him to attend Harvard and that has paid off in spades. He is the type who changes employers often and because his graduate degree is from Harvard, he is always granted an interview (plus the fact that he has had an impressive career…it doesn’t work if your work during your career was mediocre, i.e., Harvard does not open doors alone).</p>

11

<p>firehose -</p>

<p>Your comparison between Stanford and a community college doesn’t really answer the OP’s question. Community Colleges serve a much needed purpose in the higher education spectrum. It provides an education to students who are not prepared to compete at top schools like Stanford, but they do educate students that become valuable employees.</p>

<p>To the OP: There are many factors that will affect the quality of education and the quality of life that you experience. You may very well find that what suits you best is a “second tier” school, for example, and that is just fine. After your first job, where you went to school has less importance as time marches on.</p>

<p>It also varies with economic conditions. For example, Columbia’s school of engineering used to promote the school with the number of graduates who went to work on Wall Street following their degree, and their earnings. Last years graduating class found a much different atmosphere on Wall Street, and this year might not be much different.</p>

<p>But you must weigh what is important to you; student:faculty ratio, size of classes, small versus large enrollment, whether the school is a major research institution or a teaching institution, whether you want to find a job locally, etc.</p>

<p>Finally, most top schools offer opportunities that you will not find at schools two tiers below. The question is whether you will actually take advantage of the additional opportunities.</p>

<p>As far as the quality of life, that varies quite a bit among top schools as well and second and third tier schools. Again, it depends on your interests. My daughter was accepted at top schools two years ago. She ended up going to a top ranked school, but she decided on a school that was ranked lower than three other schools (Ivies) to which she was accepted.</p>

<p>She found the school that fit her best. As she intends on earning a PhD, her undergraduate school is of little consequence. That is not true of the graduate schools you attend. My brother was trying to decide between the Univ. of Oregon and Harvard. I convinced him to attend Harvard and that has paid off in spades. He is the type who changes employers often and because his graduate degree is from Harvard, he is always granted an interview (plus the fact that he has had an impressive career…it doesn’t work if your work during your career was mediocre, i.e., Harvard does not open doors alone).</p>

12

<p>I dont think one “name brand” school is always the best education. You need to look at their strong programs, and also see what they are teaching undergrads vs. grad students. If you go to a big research university, you may get taught by grad students, and professors may focus more on them. At my school, we have no grad students but also have a top-flight research program in Bio and Chem, as we run NIH and other funded labs. The result: As an undergrad I get to have some of the best professors around and still get to do work that is usually reserved for graduate students. That being said, I am at a top NESCAC school, so I guess it does carry a “brand name,” just not the HYP brand name.</p>

13

<p>The answer to your questions completely depend on the needs, wants, and abilities of each individual student. As for the second question, the answer is, personally, yes. For me, it’s a money thing. As a low-income student I have two options with less than $30,000 debt - no college or a top 20 school. Going to a top school means not worrying about money nearly as much, and the extra opportunities that provides.</p>

14

<p>The answer to OP’s question might be “Yes” for most, “No” for a very few. The jury is still out though.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/808755-you-were-accepted-into-hypsm-but-went-less-selective-school-now-you.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/808755-you-were-accepted-into-hypsm-but-went-less-selective-school-now-you.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

15

<p>go to a good weather school, like UCLA, Stanford, Berkeley, San Diego State University and then stay in Cali for the good weather</p>

16

<p>firehose, just wondering, what is ur major?</p>

17

<p>This question is unanswerable. There are WAY too many variables, like, what two schools are we comparing here? Obviously community college compared to Stanford is going to be leagues apart, but community college compared to the state flagship is leagues apart, too. Also what major or course of study are we talking about? Not only are different schools stronger in different things, but overall “smartness” of the student body is less/more important. For example is discussion important to your major? I.e. are you english/history? That might make a slight impact, if the quality of students is better, since class revolves a lot around discussing topics/learning from peers. But then, are you really going to pay 50K for an English degree, when most of that is reading and learning on your own? Hah! And what about size? If you want a small school, is the quality of life going to be better at Cornell or Columbia or at a small but lower-ranked LAC? </p>

<p>Now, let’s compare well-ranked engineering program at a state flagship and engineering program at Stanford. Is there going to be a huge difference? Quite frankly, I doubt it! The classes use the same textbooks, the profs are doing similar research, etc. A 3.7 at flagship vs. 3.7 at Stanford? Again, probably both will yield you impressive jobs. </p>

<p>Are the dorms nicer at Stanford? Probably.</p>

<p>Is the campus nicer? Probably.</p>

<p>Weather? Probably.</p>

<p>Are these things important to you? Not sure.</p>

<p>Are they worth a huge amount of extra money? Probs not. </p>

<p>Did Stanford or a top 20 give you better FA? Then maybe it is worth it!</p>

<p>See how impossible this is? Need a more specific scenario, really. But GENERALLY people over emphasize ranking and the fact is, if you take advantage of a state/public school, the education is usually just as good, as are the jobs afterwards.</p>