Is going to a good college really that important?

Parents Forum
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<p>I just finished my first year at an Ivy. I've always wanted to go to a top-notch college, and I'm thankful I have the opportunity to do so. But now I'm starting to wonder if it'll really make that much of a difference. Obviously I don't know what it's like to go to another school, but how do I know if I'm taking advantage of the $40 some thousand my parents are paying for me a year? Are the classes I'm taking that much harder or more intellectual than classes at lower-ranked schools? </p>

<p>I know that when I apply for jobs, employers will value most highly my work experience and skills. So if I go to a rigorous school and get worse grades even if I'm working really hard, will I still be at an advantage just for going to my school? </p>

<p>I've been thinking about this because I have a lot of friends going to good public schools that are so much cheaper, and I bet they're learning a lot too and growing in college. I don't feel a whole lot better off than them, but I know I worked a lot harder in HS to get into the schools I got into. So I hope it'll pay off. Otherwise I'll feel like I've wasted my parents' money and maybe my time too.</p>

<p>Any insight?</p>

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<p>It's not about the school -- it's about you. You can do well at an Ivy -- you can do well elsewhere. But it boils down to you doing well.</p>

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<p>...and it's even easier to do well at a community college, so why not go to one?</p>

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<p>Most people consider "doing well" more than just getting good grades, darvit.</p>

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<p>Nilved - it's a cost value equation and everyone's cost/value equation is different. You've made a decision and chosen a path. Many decisions will cause people to stop and wonder what if they have taken a different path. Unfortunately there is no right answer and there is no wrong answer. It is also a question that probably can't be answered today as you've just started down the path. That said, you've chosen the path so what you do along the way will go along way to determining if it was the right path for you. You'll make many choices down the road - what company or job to take, what person to marry, how many children to have, what house to buy...each decision will have an outcome that will be unpredictable at the point of decision.</p>

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<p>Estimating</a> the Payoff to Attending a More Selective College: An Application of Selection on Observables and Unobservables is one of the best-known papers on the topic. It found that students who were admitted to top-tier colleges earned about the same amount later in life whether they attended those schools or lower-ranked ones.</p>

<p>Of course, this doesn't account for whether these people enjoyed college or are happy later in life. I agree with the poster above me--you made a choice and you seem content with it--no point in worrying now if it was the right one.</p>