Does It Really Matter Where You Go Undergrad?

<p>Sure, when we're considering resumes that include only school, GPA, and summer activities, each one of those things stands out.</p>

<p>I'm not talking about going to ASU, earning a 4.0, and stopping there. I'm talking about going to ASU, doing well academically, and making yourself stand out in ways that mean more than a college name.</p>

<p>So you have a kid who goes to Princeton and has a pretty nice summer job. You have a kid from ASU who has been working on a medical research team for the past three years that has made some major advances in the way brain trauma is treated. </p>

<p>There are 8,000 kids out there who go to Princeton, and I know exactly where to find them. You tell me where to find someone else on that research team.</p>

<p>And by the way, I love your guys' reasons. Telling me not to be a denier and that TUOwls is lying is SO convincing. You should definitely never call anyone arrogant ever again, MightyNick</p>

<p>chris, while I agree with a lot of what you said, Nick is a good guy. I know that. He's not the one you're really talking about.</p>

<p>
[quote]
You have a kid from ASU who has been working on a medical research team for the past three years that has made some major advances in the way brain trauma is treated

[/quote]
</p>

<p>What's the likelihood of that happening? Slim to none. </p>

<p>Maybe you don't think an ivy league school looks impressive on a resume, but trust me, most people do. The ivy league schools have the "WOW" factor. I'm not saying all employers kiss your butt when they see an ivy league school on your resume, but they are impressed. </p>

<p>Well, you are being kind of arrogant by implying that "I don't go to an ivy league school, but I am still every bit as smart as you are and will be immensely successful if I work hard". I'm not mocking the not so prestigious schools - i'm just saying the top schools should be respected for what they are. Instead, you're the one (and a few other posters too) downplaying the merits of an ivy-league education.</p>

<p>
[quote]
i'm just saying the top schools should be respected for what they are. Instead, you're the one (and a few other posters too) downplaying the merits of an ivy-league education.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Yes, but what about the flip-side of that?</p>

<p>That's it. I seriously can't argue with someone who views my self-esteem as arrogant and offensive. </p>

<p>Grow the **** up. Good luck in your quest to get everyone to admit that ivy leaguers are better, smarter, and more hardworking than them. If they're as eager to kiss ass as you are it should be easy. In the meantime I'll be praying every night that a medical research student from ASU steals your dream job from right under your pretentious nose.</p>

<p>Wow with that anger maybe you'll cure cancer</p>

<p>oh my god. I've reading through this and it's ridiculous! Ivy league schools have the "name" and the prestige and what not, but are people honestly saying that the only people qualified for a good job come from ivies? and who's to say what's a mediocre school?
Just because Newsweek or Princeton Review or any other fabulous piece of literature says a school is a top 25 or whatever certainly does NOT mean it's the only place to find motivated and qualified students.</p>

<p>sorry. that was just mildly aggravating</p>

<p>
[quote]
Grow the **** up. Good luck in your quest to get everyone to admit that ivy leaguers are better, smarter, and more hardworking than them. If they're as eager to kiss ass as you are it should be easy. In the meantime I'll be praying every night that a medical research student from ASU steals your dream job from right under your pretentious nose.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>touche.</p>

<p>with an attitude like that, i doubt you'll get a job at all.</p>

<p>...what is that supposed to mean?! Just because I'm not infatuated with the Ivy league I'm not good enough (by your standards, of course) to get a job?</p>

<p>ahh sorry I didn't see the quote the first time! =////
sorry for assuming you were directing that at meee....</p>

<p>Because my first post on this thread was sort of a flop (sorta meant to be that way) I thought I'd contribute something at least partially germane to this thread:</p>

<p>The</a> American Scholar - The Disadvantages of an Elite Education - By William Deresiewicz </p>

<p>I don't agree with everything he says, but I think the author does raise some valid points that deserve analysis.</p>

<p>Look, just do the BEST with what YOU'VE got & don't worry about other people.<br>
Or look down or judge that they're snobby because YOU are feeling/thinking they are looking at you weird. If someone has more than you or goes to a fancy school than so be it. If they have more than you don't get all defensive. Perhaps you can accept it or even get motivated to beat them.</p>

<p>In no way am I saying that they have any more than I do. Nor am I saying that I'm arrogant. Don't assume that I'm unintelligent and unmotivated because I don't worship the Ivy leagues. I'd love to go to one, but I know that plenty of qualified students are rejected and I'm just saying that it bothers me when other people think that everything else is mediocre in comparison.
And I don't want to BEAT other people. I've had enough of that. Life really needs not be such of a competition but hey, what can I do about it?</p>

<p>I can't stand arguing with people on CC. A lot of posters here don't have good line-to-line argumentation skills. Instead, they resort to Straw Man arguments: they distort the point an opposing person is making so that the logic of the argument becomes easier to attack. So, an argument that the Ivies open up more doors than most other schools somehow becomes a claim that no student from a lesser school is qualified to get a good job.</p>

<p>Let's break this down into simpler terms for those of us here who couldn't crack 600 on the SAT CR:
1. Ivies have smarter student bodies OVERALL than those of lesser schools because of high admissions standards.
so
2. Employers will give an Ivy League applicant the initial boost over the low-ranked state school grad before they read through rest of resumes, do interviews, conduct reference checks, etc.
however
3. The student with the less prestigious degree can still easily get the job if he has a stellar GPA, good work experience, strong leadership skills, etc. over the Ivy Leaguer who hasn't performed well relatively speaking.
but also
4. Keep in mind that the Ivy League student had a tougher curriculum and smarter kids to deal with overall therefore the employer will cut him some slack that he wouldn't for the other kid.
but
5. After the initial job hiring, the Ivy League kid and the state school kid are on the same level if they become coworkers and want to move to the next level in the company, so that will depend on the hard work that both candidates put in from there on out, unless the Ivy Leaguer switches industry in which case his Ivy name will still have the same initial appeal.
6. So, a person who goes to a less prestigious school can still achieve the same or a higher level of success than an Ivy Leaguer; he just has more to prove initially.
hence
7. Someone who was qualified to attend an Ivy but chose to go to a lesser school for finances/fit would NOT be affected in the long run success-wise.</p>

<p>I don't know how much more politically correct I can be than this.</p>

<p>Yeah I think that's a pretty fair analysis.</p>

<p>I'll have to agree with EAD on this one.</p>

<p>OP here, thanks for all the posts - they were really insightful and I gained so much information in one sitting.</p>

<p>Yet I feel as if my question wasn't fully answered... what I meant was that if A went to Harvard for undergrad and B went to a lesser-known school, but A and B both went to the same business grad school (or med school, etc.) it wouldn't really matter where they went to undergrad right?</p>

<p>Yep, fair enough.</p>

<p>cafesimone -- that is generally the case. MBA school trumps undergrad, assuming the MBA school is well known.</p>

<p>cafesimone- </p>

<p>Example from my work (my boss raised his eyebrows when I asked...):</p>

<p>The head guy has an undergrad degree from University Puget Sound and his MBA from U.Chicago. </p>

<p>Co-worker: Undergrad Dartmouth, MBA U.Chicago.</p>

<p>In my world of work, one wouldn’t trump the other. In a hiring situation no one would care that one went to Dartmouth and the other did not.</p>

<p>I'm sorry that this thread took such a wrong turn. It really is very simple. Go to the school where you will succeed and thrive. Do amazing work. Live a great, decent life. Talk to the people who take out the trash and be a big tipper. Small things mean a lot.</p>

<p>Wow, I sound almost maudlin.</p>