<p>ok so heres a dilemma, say you got into a less prestigious school that you absolutely loved- like you loved the students and knew they had good profs and liked the campus and the surrounding city is ok and the food is really great and the atmosphere is totally laid back and cool and then...you ALSO get into a school that is much more prestigious with really pretty archetecture and a good surrounding city with big party frat kids but also much more competition and and lots of preppy stuck up kids and has a really high potential of being high school all over again but that your chances of getting into whatever grad school area you may want to go to are much higher here. Say you think you'd be happy at both places, but you love the atmosphere of the less prestigious and you're drawn to the prestige (as wells as the other aspects above) of the more prestigious because you really want to go to grad school. Which would you choose?</p>
<p>I'd go to the prestigious one, not only because I'm a prestige whore and realize that I'll be getting better job prospects from the prestigious institution, but because I'd probably find a group of people that aren't stuck up and hang out with them. But that's just me. lol</p>
<p>go the place where you know you'll be happy. its silly to pick a school based on its name.</p>
<p>You never really know where you'll be happy till you plunge in. you might be happy at the prestigious school. maybe you are stereotyping it and assuming its too snobby or you will be unhappy there. If you hate it you can transfer to the less prestigious school . you may not be able to tansfer from the less prestige to the more prestige if things don't work out. i guess this is basically this shhhhbanananans advice</p>
<p>the school you love because once you're there, you'll develop something else that can "take place" of prestige, and that is Pride. and that pride will be the thing that makes you feel confident that you picked the right choice and you'll be proud to say you're an alumni from that "lesser prestigious" school. </p>
<p>of course, i'm assuming you'll develop pride in that school only because you seem to care about school environment. </p>
<p>but anyway, your undergrad experience is once in a lifetime. you should choose the school that you're a better fit for and the one you would enjoy more. if you're looking for prestige, you can always get a graduate degree. if you aren't thinking about graduate degree, then no worries; success is largely based on the individual and not the school that he/she attended. </p>
<p>i attend a pretty good school, but not necessarily as prestigious as some of the US News top 20. whenever i meet students who passed up "better" and "more prestigious" schools to attend their current one, all of them say in retrospect they were glad that they made the choice that they made. (yes, this list of passed up schools includes harvard, stanford, duke, etc.)</p>
<p>Good god, pick based on love. Life is too short to be miserable, even for just four years - there are no do-overs where you get to go back and redo parts of your life to be happy. Having a "better" name on your diploma does NOT make you happier, despite what many CCers believe (and hope). In fact, if you work hard and are successful in school (which you are more likely to do in a happy environment), the name will mean even less. Forget these idiots who tell you to pick based on name, in four years I promise you will be the better person.</p>
<p>And contrary to popular belief there is no empirical evidence that attendance at more prestigious schools equals greater job prospects or grad school admissions.</p>
<p>I'd chose a college that I love over another "more prestigious" college. Although you may not lose sleep over your decision, you might always have a feeling of regret for not going to that one college you truly loved.</p>
<p>Sorry but all I could think of while reading the OP was "why is this even a question?"</p>
<p>depends on the schools though, and what you want for yourself</p>
<p>i had a similar issue, between my local university which I grew up around and other schools like Ivies; remember, just because you are currently comfortable with one college doesn't mean you can't grow to like another</p>
<p>kfc4u writes "your undergrad experience is once in a lifetime. you should choose the school that you're a better fit for and the one you would enjoy more." and that is 100% correct. If you pick a place because of the name on the diploma but don't like it, every day you're going to wake up in a place that's wrong for you. </p>
<p>Not only that, but the effect the prestigious place has is pretty debatable. There are academic studies (by Krueger of Princeton) that you can look up that say attending a less prestigious college IF you were also accepted into one more highly regarded has no effect on lifetime earnings. You can find the study with google. Why does this make sense? Because the students who are good enough to get into the top schools have an inner drive and intelligence that the top schools recognize by accepting them, but this drive and intelligence does not disappear if you enroll elsewhere. Talk to any adult, and anyone pass the age of 25 who mentions where they went to college early on in a conversation or always brings it up is a joke. To get promoted at work they look at what you're doing on the job, not what college you graduated from.</p>
<p>There is one area where a better college gives a hand up, but even here its not absolute. Some firms prefer recruiting at more prestigious schools. Fine. If you're an average grad from Somewhere U the kid from the Ivy might get chosen. But the solution lies in your hands. don't be the average grad!! Get involved. Take part in campus life, get some leadership positions. Get an internship or two, the surest way to have a college resume that stands out from the crowd. And work hard once you're out of college. If you really have potential and are a hard worker, it WILL be recognized and you will advance. Its the kids on this board who think that if they just get into Prestige U at 18 the rest of their life is smooth sailing who are kidding themselves.</p>
<p>LOVE of course. Four years is a huge chunk out of the "prime of your life"</p>
<p>Well gee gosh of course I'd pick the preppy stuck up school!!!! As if there is one unless in the mind of the totally insecure!</p>
<p>I don't know, I'd pick the snobby one with prestige. Want to know why? I'm open to new things, and new people, even if they are mean, or not. I like bringing light into the dark. Sometimes in life you don't get to pick things (albeit this is one). If you have an idea that the school is snobby, then the whole time you're there, you're going to have that negative impression. If you just let yourself go, you might enjoy it!</p>
<p>It depends; how much less prestigious is the first school? If its University of Chicago versus Harvard in terms of prestige, go for the one with the better atmosphere, but if it's a state school (and not one of the good ones) like Northeastern Corner of Kentucky State University or something versus Harvard, go for the one with more prestige.</p>
<p>I'd pick the college that I loved more on a basis of campus life, environment, scenery, and the better students. Of course the school would still have to be strong in the area I have passion for most, but I think I can pick a school with a nice environment and can still give me an equally good education....like Duke or JHU :). I wouldn't pick a random ivy just because it's "more prestigious". I wouldn't want to lead a miserable life as the above said. I want to have the full college experience because I haven't exactly had the full highschool experience..school spirit..games etc. I want to be happy:), have fun, and study hard! What really prestigious schools have really snobby people..doesn't Vanderbilt..., but it's not that prestigious anyways. If you don't like the environment..most likely you'll end up being a hermit..or not doing well to begin with. Environment always matters the most..I know so..on account of a certain teacher and his teaching style. When I'm in an environment I love, such as my latin or biology classroom..I do well. On the contrary..when I'm in a pessimistic enviroment..somewhere I enjoy far less..I do horrible.</p>
<p>i really hate when people talk about snobby people at schools. there are snobby people at every school!!!! there isnt one school out there where the majority of people are snobby or uptight and its so annoying when people say that. thats an awful reason not to like a school and it makes no sense.</p>
<p>Doesn't colleges try to get a variety of people anyways? I'm sure if it's a really prestigious school they pick people that express passion in their essays, so I don't think their is going to be that many snobby people at one school. Of course frat/sorority life is going to be bigger at certain schools than another..like SMU. But still I think environment matters over a label.</p>
<p>
[quote]
And contrary to popular belief there is no empirical evidence that attendance at more prestigious schools equals greater job prospects or grad school admissions.
[/quote]
Grad school admissions directors have often been quoted in articles that the quality of the undergraduate institution plays a role. As for job prospects, you're probably referring to the often-quoted study that found no tangible benefits to attending a more prestigious school. Subsequent research studies with more careful methodologies have refuted those findings.</p>
<p>Not when the grads are compared with equally talented grads from non-prestigious schools.</p>