<p>Like, if someone wants to become a senator, famous mathematician, stock broker, etc., but he goes to a community college, will he be at a significant disadvantage compared to someone who went to harvard for undergrad?</p>
<p>Well, yes, he will be at a disadvantage, but it doesn’t mean it’ll destroy his goals.</p>
<p>Naw, I really don’t think it will kill ya.</p>
<p>Where you go to get your undergrad degree is over-hyped.</p>
<p>What matters more is the college you attend to get your Masters/PhD.</p>
<p>But even then, it might not matter too much.</p>
<p>Getting a good education (anywhere) is the key.</p>
<p>Community college and Harvard are very different places you know. And plus, it is not the school that makes the person but the individual that makes himself/herself. Top college people tend to succeed because they have the ability to succeed on their own. Reading your question… its kinda dumb. Even for the usual fare of dumb CC questions…</p>
<p>but people are so obsessed about getting into the prestigious colleges.</p>
<p>so it’;s not true that if you go to Harvard for undergrad, you will have any sort of advantage later on in life versus going to a community college for undergrad?</p>
<p>The biggest advantage Harvard grads have in life is that by the time they get to Harvard, most have learned the secret of differentiating themselves from the crowd. They have learned to work hard and succeed and will in all probability continue to do so.</p>
<p>Can others catch up? Sure. Will the Harvard guy always have a plus for having Harvard on his resume? In many circles, yes.</p>
<p>I think much of it is just the fact that you’ll enjoy your four years more (if you’re intellectually-minded, that is) going to Harvard than to a CC.</p>
<p>I go to a really competitive high school, and sometimes I feel that I’ll actually feel happier going to a school where people aren’t so focused on grades.</p>
<p>A lot of the time I enjoy spending time with my friends who have less than stellar scores and grades at less competitive schools because they don’t act as snobby or talk about test scores and ivies and that sort of junk like my other friends do.</p>
<p>They seem to really enjoy life, or at least a lot of them do…</p>
<p>I mean, sometimes I dream about just going to a college where I could breeze through and truly relax, ya know?</p>
<p>undergrad = networking. Better undergrad = better networking for the most part.</p>
<p>what do you mean by “better networking?”</p>
<p>If you go to Harvard for example chances are you are surrounded by many very bright people who will go on to start businesses, get high job positions, etc. If you know those people you have a better chance of landing a big time job. Obviously not always the case and you’ll definetly meet innovative people at any school but you get that advantage.</p>
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<p>You are so either/or. The idea that either going to a less prestigious school will destroy your life OR Harvard clearly provides no advantage over a community college whatsoever, is ridiculous. It’s like claiming that either one has 20/20 vision or is blind. Or like claiming that the only colors are red and violet (opposite ends of the color spectrum). Or that people are either geniuses or mentally ■■■■■■■■. These things aren’t binary, and they aren’t that extreme.</p>
<p>Yes, going to Harvard will give you an advantage in life (whether you capitalize on that advantage is up to you).</p>
<p>No, it is not the only way to get an advantage in life (or the only school that will give you a similar advantage).</p>
<p>No, going to a community college or lower-ranked school will not “basically destroy [your] goals”.</p>
<p>There is nearly always more than one path to your desired destination in life.</p>
<p>how will it give you an advantage exactly?</p>
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<p>Other people have gone into this. Better networking, and on a national (or even international) scale. Sometimes, more advanced classes. Stronger peers. Having the experience of being kicked off your pedestal and not being the smartest one around (trust me, this is a useful experience). Being challenged. Brand name recognition. And so on.</p>
<p>jman, do you really think that those just chilling through life will end up happy when the realities of adult life hit them?</p>
<p>"Better networking, and on a national (or even international) scale. "</p>
<p>Well, what if you wannt to be a teacher or something like that like I do and don’t care about competing in the stressful, boring, hyper-competitive business world?
“Sometimes, more advanced classes. Stronger peers. Having the experience of being kicked off your pedestal and not being the smartest one around (trust me, this is a useful experience). Being challenged.”</p>
<p>Couldn’t you get all of these things if you went to somewhere lreally competitive ike Rice instead of Harvard?</p>
<p>“Brand name recognition”</p>
<p>how much does that really matter except for bragging rights?</p>
<p>Why do you ask?</p>
<p>Not really. There are plenty of people in this world who are very successful even though they did not go to top tier undergrad.</p>
<p>Ex. Andrew Grove was the CEO and the President of Intel. He went to City College in NY.</p>
<p>“Other people have gone into this. Better networking, and on a national (or even international) scale.”</p>
<p>What if I don’t want to enter the boring, ultra-competitive, superstressful, nonsatisfying business world? What if I want to do something meaningful like be a teacher?</p>
<p>“, more advanced classes. Stronger peers. Having the experience of being kicked off your pedestal and not being the smartest one around (trust me, this is a useful experience). Being challenged.”</p>
<p>But couldn’t you get all of this at a school like Rice? The difference in academic prowess between Rice students and Harvard students is almost nonexistent.</p>
<p>“Brand name recognition.”</p>
<p>does that really do much except give you bragging right?
Only an idiot would hire someone just because he went to Harvard for undergrad.</p>
<p>There are exceptions, though the truth still holds;</p>
<p>Networking is the key to a materially-succesful life. Skills and degrees are nice but are means to achieve this. </p>
<p>Generally, as a big generalization, there are certain colleges in the US that provide more networking with powerful people than others. This is NOT CORRELATED WITH USNEWS RANK. For example, though somewhere like American University is ranked almost 50 spots lower than University of Rochester, American University offers much better networking and post-college success than URochester. Thus, if you are looking for success in politics or a field and not to educational value, go to American rather than Rochester for that reason. </p>
<p>HYP are the tops for networking and will help much more, (though depending on what position) than the local Community College, unless HYP is 500 miles away and you’re eyeing a future city council seat - then stay local for that reason.</p>
<p>Though once again, as a huge generality, certain colleges provide strong networking, that is almost impossible, or very hard to get elsewhere. And remember, this is not correlated with USNEWS rank. You need to research each one individually.</p>