<p>I'd like to think it doesn't, but let's get real. It does matter. Saying that you graduated from Harvard instead of some other school will open certain doors, especially if you're looking at more global venues. Harvard is known internationally as one of THE top schools if not #1. I wish it weren't like this, but the realist in me keeps emphasizing the fact that it is. What do you think though?</p>
<p>It does matter, but I think only in a couple of cases. I obviously don’t have any personal experience, but for what it’s worth, my sister is an undergrad at H but she’s having a lot of difficulties finding a good summer internship despite a high GPA and being able to hail from arguably the most prestigious college in the United States.</p>
<p>I don’t think it matters as much as high school students and their parents think it matters. What you do in college is more important than what college you go to - and I know this concept has been regurgitated billions of times, but it is very true.</p>
<p>So, if you’re going to use what you DO in college, rather than the name of a college, to impress graduate schools, what SHOULD you do in college?</p>
<p>In other words, going to an unknown college and participating in one club and one event is certainly less impressive than going to harvard and doing nothing but study. </p>
<p>So, what activites and opportunties do you think should be done during college years to outweigh the prestige of a college name?</p>
<p>I think I was referencing more to achieving high marks and doing lots of research, taking advantage of opportunities, stuff like that. Not high school extra-curriculars like Spanish Club, obviously. It’s not about the “number of clubs” you’re in.</p>
<p>And to continue with the “being realistic,” don’t think that what you do during your college years is based on a completely personal and subjective level. Because there are definitely some activities or experiences that are more impressive than others. A summer teaching internship, for example, will outweigh participation in a community event- even if the person who participated in these two activies had no interest in the teaching internship and felt passionate about the community event.</p>
<p>^^I completely agree. And research is definitely something I am going to try to get into as early as this summer. </p>
<p>How do you impress schools with the fact that you’ve done research though? Is mentioning it by passing enough? Should you focus your essays on the research you’ve done? Is it really important to try to get your name published?</p>
<p>Well, I mean, pretty much all of the schools on the top of my list are very name-brandy, throughout the world. So it doesn’t really matter to me. [giveup]</p>
<p>the name definitely matters. with respect to top law school/med school/grad school admissions, you’ll find a large portion of harvard grads getting into to these top schools (ie. yale law has tons of yale/harvard kids).</p>
<p>even more important, though, deals with recruiting. business recruiters love harvard. harvard is probably comparable to (or better than) wharton in terms of brand-name/prestige in the eyes of recruiters. the big name finance/consulting firms may not even go to some “lower-ranked” schools. and if they do, they don’t intend on taking many, if any, hires from there. this is perhaps the biggest advantage - because even if you do very well at a non-top tier school, you’re at an inherent disadvantage with recruiting.</p>
<p>^</p>
<p>While going to a “name brand” undergrad may matter, it may not matter as much as the numbers suggest. After all, people who go to top schools like Yale and Harvard probably have the motivation and intelligence to do well on the LSAT/have higher GPAs etc and thus more from these schools will be accepted. </p>
<p>Then again, I’m simply speculating.</p>
<p>Well yeah. But I’m saying if you do the same exact things and accomplish the same exact things at school A and school B. and school B is more famous, you’re going to get more doors opened. Specifically I’m referring to Princeton and Harvard. They are both amazing schools, but on an international level, Harvard’s name is still worth more. So, should I go to Harvard or Princeton? I THINK both offer the same opportunities (PLEASE correct me if one is better than another), so it’s just really the difference in name.</p>
<p>If you’re comparing Princeton and Harvard, they arguably both have top notch academics, and most of the people in the US are aware of that. However, if you’re interested in working abroad, Harvard may have better “name recognition” as you mentioned. </p>
<p>
If you’re trying the exact same amount at both schools, Harvard is going to be slightly easier - I hear Princeton has a reputation for grade deflation. Perhaps it’s something you may want to factor into your decision if you’ve been accepted to both and are not simply hypothesizing.</p>
<p>
Natim, are you going to be able to visit both places? Harvard + Princeton are VERY different, and the big differences have very little to do with the name.</p>
<p>I really think that when it comes to deciding super top tier places like HYPSM you should forget about which school is going to give you a minuscule edge in grad school admissions/job hunt/etc, and instead focus on which campus you think you’ll be happiest at for four years.</p>
<p>If you love the idea of eating clubs, hate big cities, love pastel polos, hate the color crimson, I’m sure you’ll be more successful in life if you go to Princeton, because you’ll be happier there than at Harvard! (But if you hate eating clubs, love urban living, detest preppy style, love crimson…)</p>
<p>No, I’m not hypothesizing, trust me, I am not nearly cocky enough to do that; I have been accepted to both. I am planning on attending both schools’ admit weekends (back to back). I want to like Princeton more, but when comparing the environments, I just like Harvard more. But I’m wondering whether or not I will enjoy Princeton’s social scene more (I hear it’s a bit more active than Harvard;s), and I am trying to convince myself that the suburban setting of Princeton can be offset by the fact that NYC is 1 hour away (even though the likelyhood of me going to NYC often is very slim).</p>
<p>Harvard is much better than Princeton.</p>
<p>Alright, even more confused now that I’ve visited both. Tell me what to do!</p>
<p>@natim1 - Write up a post describing your prefrosh weekend experiences. Writing things out helps organize thoughts and make decisions (and even if it doesn’t solve your problem, you’ll be creating some useful information for the people in your shoes next year).</p>
<p>There’s no wrong choice, so flip a coin if need be.</p>
<p>^^Pick an even number of people and have them vote to decide which one you go to. Make sure that Harvard and Princeton are paying some of them. It’ll be like Congress.</p>