<p>In the long run, does it matter whether you attended a big name college (Harvard, USC) as opposed to a great college with a smaller reputation (Case Western, Northwestern)?</p>
<p>This is a large decision factor for me.</p>
<p>Depends on employer. For example if you travel to Asia and try to get a job there the rep of ur college might be influential. For the most part in the US they will judge you based on your education, skills, and abilities, and many smaller reputation colleges do deliver.</p>
<p>
[quote="Northstarmom, post:13, topic:305585"]
I went to Harvard, and can say that most people don't give a darn where you went to college. What they care about is what kind of person you are (when it comes to looking for friends) and what experience and skills you offer (when it comes to consideration for jobs).</p>
<p>Probably the majority of people including many managers respect Flagship State U and even Nearby State U far more than they respect Ivies. </p>
<p>Many also think that Second Tier colleges are as good as Ivies.</p>
<p>While at a few high schools (not most!) there may be a frenzy at this time of year as students vie to get into top colleges, at most high schools students willl get some measure of respect by going to any college, even a community college.</p>
<p>In my large, well respected state, we have top government officials who started at community college. In my city, we have bank VPs who started at community college. No one cares. What people care about is what you have personally accomplished, and what kind of person you are, not whether you went to a private school or an Ivy.</p>
<p>Indeed, where I live, going to a private school may hurt you because the best networks are through personal connections forged at State Flagship and State Wannabe Flagship.
[/quote]
. .</p>
<p>Is this the same for someone who wants a job in a large metropolitan area? ie, NYC, LA, Chicago. Is SUNY really more desirable than Harvard or Columbia?</p>
<p>No, it's not. But what Northstar was getting at is that the education you get at a state school is not bad by any means. Your future won't be ruined just because you don't get into CHYMPS.</p>
<p>Northwestern has a better reputation than USC...</p>
<p>Go to where you'll get the best education, ideal social setting to make more friends, and where you'll be happy!</p>
<p>In general, most people who are the greatest successes in the world go to the top schools, because they like associating with people as elite and amazing as themselves. </p>
<p>The famous alumni lists for any Tier 2 school are pathetic in comparison to the famous alumni list of any top 15-20 school. It makes a BIG difference if all your college friends later go on to become Managers or if they all go off to become Senators and Governors, or sometimes if your lucky, you meet an International who later becomes the president (sometimes dictator, then its not so good) of their country.</p>
<p>In short, people who go to those top schools are pretty interesting</p>
<p>P.S. Northwestern does not have a 'smaller name'. Its equal to most ivies in terms of respect</p>
<p>Let's see Rudy Giuliani went to Manhattan College, Hillary went to Wellesley, Romney went to BYU, John Edwards went to NC State, a ton of famous movie stars went to NYU, and much much much more. I believe 4/5 Nobel laureates year were from LACs. I will bet a lot of money, you will meet more interesting people at Amherst and Swarthmore then at Harvard and Yale. The fact of the matter is you can be successful where ever you go, its your work ethic, personality, and social skills that'll get you far in life. It's true alumni lists at top schools may be better but only slightly. The way I see it, colleges are like shoes, pick the one that best suits you. Everyone is different, you know different strokes for different folks.</p>
<p>Oh and for you're undergraduate pick the school you'll do best in :P</p>
<p>
In general, most people who are the greatest successes in the world go to the top schools, because they like associating with people as elite and amazing as themselves.</p>
<p>The famous alumni lists for any Tier 2 school are pathetic in comparison to the famous alumni list of any top 15-20 school. It makes a BIG difference if all your college friends later go on to become Managers or if they all go off to become Senators and Governors, or sometimes if your lucky, you meet an International who later becomes the president (sometimes dictator, then its not so good) of their country.
Not true... Look at HyunwooP's post above... Also, Ronald Regan graduated from Eureka college</p>
<p>Clinton, Romney, and Edwards received their higher ed degrees from Yale, Harvard, and Chapel Hill, respectively. You will meet some very interesting people at Amherst though...probably more interesting people if you go a few miles South to a quirky little hippie school, though...;)</p>
<p>USC has way smaller name than Harvard. Also, Northwestern has better reputation than USC. A decade ago, it would be a joke to even compare the two. USC has improved a lot in recent years but still lags behind NU.</p>
<p>OP lives in San Diego. Goes to show how regional these things are...</p>
<p>Northwestern does not have a better rep than USC in San Diego.</p>
<p>Wow. USC having a better rep than Northwestern in SD? <em>speechless</em>
That's kind of odd, I must say... Never heard that one before. Certainly not the case in NorCal.</p>
<p>let's get some basic facts straight:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>The famous alumni lists for HYPMS-types ARE much longer than other schools', not just slightly.</p></li>
<li><p>You can get a good education anywhere, not just HYPMS.</p></li>
<li><p>The importance and type of prestige vary from place to place. It depends on where you wanna make it big, if you wanna make it big at all. If your ambition is statewide, any good in-state school is good for making connections. If you have nationwide or international ambitions, HYPMS are the place where potential national or even international elites gather. Either way, it ALL depends on what you do in college to make it work.</p></li>
<li><p>It's good to dream, but always be prepared for rejection. You'll get over it, and you'll survive.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Bill Gates dropped out of college.</p>
<p>he dropped out of college because he already knew what he wanted to do, and had the programming genius for it. it's not that he couldn't cope, or that dropping out is good.</p>
<p>Dropping out CAN be good.</p>
<p>Yes, I meant that people shouldn't start dropping out just for the sake of dropping out or to emulate Bill Gates. :P</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
I believe 4/5 Nobel laureates year were from LACs. I will bet a lot of money, you will meet more interesting people at Amherst and Swarthmore then at Harvard and Yale.
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<ol>
<li>Quite a few of the Nobel Laureates this year and of past years were educated out of the country, notably in Germany and the UK, and by far most of these did not go to LACs.</li>
<li>Since when were the AWS schools not big name schools?</li>
</ol>