Is There Anything Inherently Wrong With Selecting A School Based On Name or Prestige?

College Search & Selection
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<p>Is it wrong? No. Is it wise? Unless you have a really specific reason for wanting to go to Prestigious U, no probably not.</p>

<p>The spouse and I both attended top-ten unis. The kid, who is smarter than the two of us combined, and who has awesome stats, did not apply to either school. The kid did apply to two Ivies, for very specific reasons, but most of the schools on the kid’s list are LACs without global name recognition. </p>

<p>Knowing what I do about my alma mater, I know that the kid will receive a better education and will be happier elsewhere. I also know that, should the kid struggle or run into trouble, my alma mater is a cold, unhelpful place. As a parent, I am concerned about the whole child. Getting the right job or getting into the best grad program is important, but first one must arrive at that stage of life unbroken. I saw too many people end up broken by the environment at my school.</p>

<p>After I graduated from college, I encountered people in my field who had attended top-tier LACs. They were far better prepared, more focused, more secure, happier, than people I knew, including myself, who had gone to HYP.</p>

<p>So I think you have to ask yourself, are you going to college to give your aunts and uncles something to crow about at their kids’ soccer games or over bingo or beers or whatever, or are you going to get the education you need to live the kind of life you want to have?</p>

<p>As for name recognition, well, I’ve seen people light up when I say the kid applied to Yale. Oh! They recognize that name. Now, the kid was admitted to Reed, and we know that that is an excellent college for an aspiring PhD. But, Reed, “I’ve never heard of it!” Then we say, oh, it’s where Steve Jobs went. Then the lightbulb goes on; Oh! Steve Jobs! Well, Reed must be a great school! People are funny that way. </p>

<p>In the end, ask yourself, do you want the education or the bumper sticker?</p>

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<p>There are no sanctions for doing so, of course, but if your search and/or decision was misguided by prestige, you may have overlooked a few important things: </p>

<ol>
<li>Are you in the bottom 1/4 of the applicants and hoping to do pre-med? You may have to give up that plan. Now, more prestigious schools are a better place to switch out of pre-med and pursue something else, but I think some people would have kept with it and made great doctors had they gone to easier schools. </li>
<li>When people tell you the prestigious school will be competitive, are you thinking, BRING IT? Or are you hoping that the “name” will pave your way :slight_smile: Maybe you heard that “employers like to hire xyz grads,” but are you EXCITED to fill out the other lines on your resume, or are you hoping one line will do? </li>
</ol>

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<p>I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. I didn’t choose UCLA based on prestige. But I think if I’d have gone to Berkeley, and chose it based on prestige, I could have equally enjoyed the experience. I would have worked just as hard and immersed myself in my studies at Berkeley too. And I think that could be said of many of the students and alumni on here. Whether fit will really make an impact on academic performance really depends on the individual student. </p>

44

<p>

I like this answer. It’s a pithier way of saying that it’s fine to consider prestige among a bunch of other factors.</p>

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<p>Right, prestige and name recognition are almost always correlated with real measures of quality but, before you make such a big decision, you should dig deeper.Of course, be sure the school offers your major. If you live in California, Michigan, or Virginia you should weigh the prestigious private name against the excellent quality of the specific programs you might find at your flagship public university. Be aware that some schools that might have name recognition may not have great students (maybe Bennington??) and that schools that do not have great name recognition might have excellent programs in specific subjects (like ChemE at U Delaware).</p>

46

<p>To all the posters–international/ tiger/ semi-tiger parents, siblings or friends…</p>

<p>The idea of prestige doesn’t have to be a fixed one, does it? </p>

<p>Especially during this time when college admissions is so competitive and when, out of statistical inevitability, clearly brilliant students are attending all sorts of colleges, why not spread the word inter- or intra-nationally about the plethora of quality or “prestigious” colleges? Change the conversation? Make it known that the old die-hards of prestige are just that–old? Get with the times? Enter the modern age?</p>

<p>From what I read here, it seems the same schools have been cast in gold in the eyes of certain countries for a long time now. How did this come about? How else can entrenched opinions change than by current or forthcoming students and graduates doing something to change them?</p>

<p>Should be an easy conversational affectation to practice. You mention the wonderful but not super well-known LAC you attend. You raise your eyebrows and flare your nostrils ever so slightly at the blank looks and shaking heads of those with whom you’re speaking. You say something to the effect of, “Really. You’ve never heard of…? Oh. Well, no offense, but anybody who knows anything about colleges these days would say…” </p>

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<p>@ridethewave: " In the end, ask yourself, do you want the education or the bumper sticker? "
I really like this line. Very thought provoking and an excellent point. When I first posed this question, I did not think of it in a personal context but upon reading that line, I think perhaps 2 of the schools I applied to might fall into the later category.</p>

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<p>@gondalineNJ, you have a good idea, but changing popular opinion is a challenge, especially when dealing with institutions with such widespread name recognition. People are dumbfounded when I say, were I able to do it all over again, I would not go to HYP. “That’s crazy!” they say, “it’s HYP!” But it’s true. Those schools just are not good fits for everyone, and they by no means are the only schools offering quality educations or attracting top students, today more than ever.</p>

<p>The kid already gets reactions like “I thought you were really smart! Why aren’t you going to HYP? High-achieving Student X is applying to HYP!” The kid remains unfazed by such comments, although I admit they irritate me just a bit. But neither of us feels compelled to select a school that will impress our friends and neighbors, for they are not paying the tution bills. And we know that the kid does not lose IQ points by enrolling in a non-Ivy. ;-)</p>

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<p>All I can say from personal experience is that YOU HAVE TO VISIT THE COLLEGE TO KNOW IF YOU LOVE IT. I’d always think Harvard was filled with stuck-up people in a depressing campus, but during my Boston college visits, I found Harvard to be… My new dream… It’s so beautiful, and the stereotypes Harvard supposedly carries is only true for a tiny percentage of the student body. Also, I ALSO LOVE MIT NOW. I never would have cared to apply to MIT until my college trip. I thought Boston College and Boston University would be awesome, but… They’re not as great as they’d thought I’d be. Of course, other people will have different opinions, but again, you can only know if a “brand name” school will make you happy if you’ve been there. Remember, you’re going to be living and learning there for 4 years; do it more for the name. </p>

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<p>By the way, I’m a sophomore, so if that makes me less credible or anything, you don’t have to take my advice wholeheartedly, haha.</p>

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<p>“Why else” would people apply to select colleges; “education vs bumper sticker”. Really? There are plenty of reasons to go to prestigious schools and people who do are not just getting a bumper sticker. There is a reason for the reputation. That does not mean there aren’t other good even great schools, but recognizing that simply does not necessitate believing that the selective schools are nothing but brand named chopped liver.</p>

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<p>

In fairness, the answer to this might be similar to the typical answer to the question of whether it’s better to get a B in an AP course or an A in a regular course.</p>

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<p>The reason for the reputation is not necessarily based on quality of undergraduate education. And the category of “selective schools” is surprisingly large and diverse, and extends well beyond HYPSM.</p>

<p>Harvard’s actually pretty open about the fact that undergraduate education is not high on its list of priorities.</p>

<p>OP needs to consider what his/her priorities are – as others have said, status symbols are important to some people. If OP is one of those people, s/he needs to accept that that is who they are and go chase the brand-name school. If OP is like my kid and really does not care about impressing people with the stickers on the car window, then there are better educations to be had. There is abundant academic rigor at HYP, but good teaching is harder to find at those places. </p>

<p>The names of the big-name schools do carry weight, no doubt. But if one is, say, planning to pursue a PhD, admissions committees at graduate programs will know and respect schools like Harvey Mudd, Swarthmore and Reed. And a diploma from an Ivy comes with no guarantees; as someone already noted, an applicant who is qualified to be admitted to HYP probably will do just fine at any school. One’s drive, motivation, and luck are essential ingredients to success, however we may define success.</p>

<p>As a parent, and as an Ivy graduate, I urge my children and other young people I meet to consider the bigger picture: long-term goals, quality of life, quality of education, location, availability of resources and opportunities. E.g., I have seen a number of discussions of how those thousands of Ivy-focused pre-meds would be better served in the long run by going to a less intense undergraduate school with better access to research opportunities. But people still think they need to be pre-med at HYP and then go to Harvard Med to be a doctor, which just is not true.</p>

<p>To the young person above who thinks Harvard is “a dream,” I would say, well, if that’s your dream, go for it – but be careful what you wish for. College and HYP and life are complex and multifaceted, perfection is extremely difficult to find, and one would be wise to weigh all of the pros and cons, to dig deep when considering a school, to look at the big picture, and to look at yourself and consider who you are and who you want to be. I know a number of people who went to HYP and think those were the best four years of their lives, but I also know many who were miserable.</p>

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<p>Back in my day, most of us, and I include myself, did not set foot on our college campus until we arrived suitcase in hand for school. We did all of our research from afar and from written description , what people we knew had to say and from, yes name and prestige. International students tend to do this alot. Its just become the practice (and an industry) that college search has become what it has these days, with visits, and checking out the “feel” and things like that. Few students in my class applied to more than a few colleges and very few applied to colleges using ratings, name and prestige. You went to the local and sate schools, and though, yes there was a pecking order among them, you didn’t go out of that area, with few exceptions when some students with info on other schools, and with stats that made the top schools possible would apply to them. Name and prestige was a driving factor. </p>

<p>It’s great the way things have opened up so that excellent schools like Davidson, Colorado College, and other gems that were only regionally known became possibilities for students all over. It really widened the range of consideration and also enriched these schools in that they became more diverse. But it’s also complicate the college search process considerably.</p>

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<p>“Harvard’s actually pretty open about the fact that undergraduate education is not high on its list of priorities.”</p>

<p>What’s your source for this “openness” about other priorities? It’s not my experience at all, having been an undergrad and grad student there.</p>

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<p>I was not saying that HYP are the only selective schools. I too went to an Ivy and Stanford and agree that there are many good schools. Even if Harvard says that undergrad teaching isn’t a high priority (which I doubt), but even if they say that it does not mean that the teaching is not good. Sign me Tired of Ivy Bashing.</p>

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<p>@ridethewave, I appreciate your unique perspective, but feel that you’ve been a bit down on HYP. I am not familiar with H and Y, but am very involved with P. I’m glad you made the point that some people think those were the best four years of their lives…count me in that number! (Well, I have children, and their young years were also right up there…but you get my drift!). </p>

<p>I don’t think the choice is just education vs. bumper sticker (I think that’s what you said). True, these schools may not be good fits for everyone, but there are a whole lot of students who go there and thrive. It’s more than a bumper sticker. It’s also a great education! Both my husband and I are Ivy, but our children did not quite get the full scope of what that meant until they were in the process of applying to colleges. Where we lived in the Mid-West, Big State U was all the rage. However, I took my high-schoolers to a Princeton class reunion with me, and the 2nd one had quietly, on her own, decided that’s where she wanted to go. She falls in love easily, though, and also fell in love with Georgetown. </p>

<p>These were the two schools that were at the top of her list. She applied to Princeton EA, and got into both Princeton and Georgetown. It was at that point, when she told me she was ready to Accept that I realized where her heart was. She said that once she got into the process, Princeton was always her first choice, but she didn’t want to share that with me because she didn’t want to be overly disappointed if she didn’t get in. </p>

<p>FYI, Princeton is the only Ivy that she applied to. She also applied to, and got in, Big State U as her safety school. Once she got these three acceptances under her belt, and after having also applied to, and gotten into, George Washington University, she decided that she would end it all there. The process was stressful, and she was then free to enjoy the remainder of her senior year. She is now a sophomore at Princeton, and will be studying abroad in France during her junior year.</p>

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<p>Harvard sez:

I went to Yale undergrad, so I can’t vouch for whether they are telling the truth about this or not.</p>

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<p>Post deleted. Moving on.</p>

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<p>never mind. Moving on from this conversation.</p>