<p>TheGrabler is right, prestige is a semi-important factor in a college. Why do you think Harvard grads get so many good jobs compared to someone at a random non prestigious school? Are they all magically smarter and better at everything than the students at the non prestigious school? Maybe. But the bigger reason is the network of alumni and the amount of focus recruiters from top companies put on schools like Harvard… schools with prestige. It’s a fact, deal with it.</p>
<p>I considered prestige when deciding where to go, and I chose Rice. </p>
<p>The average joe may not know about Rice, but recruiters and grad schools sure do. You can bet on that - Rice has outstanding recruiting and placement -both in jobs and grad schools. Who cares if your fat cousin named Tony in New Jersey knows about Rice? What you really care about is whether that admissions officer from Wharton, Stanford, MIT, or Princeton knows about Rice. And trust me, they will. Same goes for that recruiter from Chase, BP, ExxonMobil, Teach for America, Bank of America, or whatever other company you want to work for. They know about Rice, and Rice has prestige where it MATTERS.</p>