How does the importance of prestigious national colleges vary by region?

[socaldad2002]

@Data10

@socaldad2002

By the way, I read an article that was saying that Texas college grads were having a hard time finding good paying jobs. I wonder if the graduates from “prestigious” universities like HYPMS were having as tough a time?

A vague quote from an unlinked article is not a good reference. Was it quotes from a few cherry picked kids at an unnamed college who said they had trouble finding jobs? Or was it a good portion of students? I expect COVID-19 has negatively impacted new grad jobs in nearly all types of colleges, including “prestigious universities like HYPSM.”

Studies looking at new grad salaries have found that the salaries generally follow the student, rather than the college name. For example, studies that have controls for individual student characteristics usually find little or no financial value in attending more selective colleges. The classic example is the Dale and Krueger study, which found that average earnings were similar among students who applied to and were accepted to a similar set of colleges, regardless of whether the student chose to attend the relatively more or less selective college. In short, the individual students and their backgrounds were the driving force for their future earnings, rather than prestige of college name.

Here’s one:
https://www.reformaustin.org/coronavirus/2020-college-graduates-face-bleak-texas-job-market/

[itsgettingreal21]

@socaldad2002 I don’t think that article supports your argument. The Texas economy is sputtering. So it’s no surprise that students are having trouble getting jobs in Texas. It isn’t about college prestige. This is happening all over.

[ucbalumnus]

@circuitrider

In other words, there are many, many, many places (mainly outside of New York City) where the spectre of “You think you’re better than me?” is a real thing, where the question is indeed something of a third rail.

That presumes that social status is important enough that positioning must be determined early in an encounter for some people (while others find that offensive), and it is based on college attended

Perhaps that may be true in your social circles, but many other social circles do not require social positioning to be determined early in an encounter, and/or do not use college attended as a measure of social status.

Particularly when social status is not based on college attended, the question about college attended is neither something that one typically cares to ask early in an encounter, nor a third rail that would be considered offensive or something.

[circuitrider]

@ucbalumnus

@circuitrider

In other words, there are many, many, many places (mainly outside of New York City) where the spectre of “You think you’re better than me?” is a real thing, where the question is indeed something of a third rail.

That presumes that social status is important enough that positioning must be determined early in an encounter for some people (while others find that offensive), and it is based on college attended

Perhaps that may be true in your social circles, but many other social circles do not require social positioning to be determined early in an encounter, and/or do not use college attended as a measure of social status.

Particularly when social status is not based on college attended, the question about college attended is neither something that one typically cares to ask early in an encounter, nor a third rail that would be considered offensive or something.

I think there’s a word for people who are snobs about not being snobs. I think it’s snob.

[skieurope]

I think everybody who planned to express an opinion did so. Now there are just several side conversations that devolved into debates and ad hominems. Closing.

[NOVAGirl87]

I will say, as someone who grew up in the DC area, currently lives in the DC area and finds the lack of service academy mentions on this site to be interesting, service academy attendance is a big deal in this area.

Two of my high school classmates went to USNA and the valedictorian of the class ahead of me went to USAFA.

Then again, DC is a totally different animal.