<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>