<p>I get that students want to get the greatest education possible but it bothers me when someone applies to 15+ schools just so they can get into a "prestigious" university. How important is prestige? Shouldn't students go to schools that are a "good fit"? Whatever happened to that. I know I am kind of ranting but I just want some people's opinion on this. More prestige doesn't necessarily mean better education. I've seen studies showing that equally bright/talented students who attend an ivy/prestigious universitiy or a state school still end up just as successful. They usually graduate at the same time & most employers don't care if you're degree came from an ivy league school or not (there's always exceptions). I'm sure if the top colleges today weren't as prestigious as they are, they all of a sudden wouldn't be such a "fit" that some students claim them to be. I'm not trying to sound bitter, I'm a pretty good student myself. I just want to know what you guys think. I can't possibly be alone on this. Thanks for you guys' opinions</p>
<p>Prestige is generally not important in the broader scope of life. However, the top “prestigious” universities create the sort of environment where you have a very high concentration of intelligent, motivated students in one place. This level of competition pushes you to be better and has definitely made me a better overall student. Most of my peers love a challenge and that’s why they went to a prestigious university. </p>
<p>Additionally, the network offered by prestigious universities sometimes is too alluring to turn down. For instance, specifically in finance/consulting jobs, top Wall Street firms recruit out of the top universities, with very lucrative offers. It used to be that to get a job, a graduating senior just needed to walk out the door with a copy of his/her resume, go to a career fair, and hand the resume to a recruiter.</p>
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<p>Some what agree.</p>
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<p>Really depends on the field. For some careers, prestige means less but for some careers, prestige can be important. Also GPA, work experience can be as important as the college attended.</p>
<p>Though most people won’t admit this to me prestige is a factor for applying to a school. If you graduate from a Big 3 school you’re job prospects are much better than other schools. Just in general. If you’re an employer do you hire a recent college graduate from Yale or some scrappy state school assuming they have similar experiences and skills.</p>
<p>This forum is for questions about the admissions process.</p>
<p>Please repost your thread on the College Search & Selection forum.</p>