Need Some Life Advice, Thanks for Any Replies

College Confidential Community
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<p>I have a question about my future, basically what I should do with my life. I apologize if this sounds whiny, or like a sob-story, or as if I am looking for sympathy. I am just trying to get some unbiased advice. Basically, I went to Wright State University which is apparently a 4th tier state university and want to know if this is going to negatively affect by career aspirations in life.</p>

<p>I will give you some background so you know where I am coming from. I grew up in a fairly economically depressed area, below 50% of seniors at my high school go college. The guidance counselors always stressed that going to college was the most important thing and they never (that I can remember) said that WHERE you go was just as important. Adults in my area stressed that it didn’t matter where you went to college; all that matters is what you know and how good of an employee you are. Searching the internet about college prestige generally yielded similar results—websites/blogs/forums stated prestige didn’t matter, and it is better to not go into debt paying for an expensive school. I therefore assumed that any schools other than the Ivy League (and like schools, such as MIT and Stanford) were basically the same, or at least regarded as the same, in employment circles. I thought that the private and expensive universities were only for people who wanted to flaunt their class—like buying an expensive pair of pants when a pair from JC Penny is pretty much the same or buying a BMW when a used Ford will get you there just as easy.</p>

<p>My father worked at the Wright State and that meant a free ride to college so I went there as it made sense with my world view—my degree would be just as good as one from Ohio State or Wittenberg, but free. I got a BA in History and enrolled in two graduate programs at WSU (MA in History, MA in International Studies) as well as a graduate certificate program in management because these programs gave me full funding (I could not afford it otherwise). The professors and career services folks told me that these were great programs and I should have no problem with my future. I wanted to get a PhD and either teach or work somewhere like the State Department. The heads of both programs told me how great their programs were and that I would have no trouble. My grades are solid (3.96) and I am a member of several honor societies. </p>

<p>I am in the process of finishing the thesis for my International Relations MA (the History one is complete) but I’ve started to think I made some really bad choices about where I went to school—that in life it is not what you know, but where you went that matters. I’ve worked as an intern all through grad school (past 3 years) and some people I work with never seem to miss a chance to belittle me because I went to Wright State—specifically two employees, one went to Miami (Ohio) and was in my History MA program, the other went to the University of Dayton (private school) and Georgia Tech for grad school (PhD ABD). For instance (these are just a few examples), when we are discussing something the Miami grad tells me that my opinion doesn’t matter (she very condescendingly says “what do you know, you went to Wright State). The Dayton/Georgia Tech grad told me that applying to PhD programs is useless as I won’t get accepted because of my undergrad, and if I do get accepted the school will not fund me. He told me that it would be in my interest to just drop out of school because my degrees are not worth the time. </p>

<p>Because of the vitriol toward my school, and how going there apparently makes me a fool, I decided to talk with my advisors and professors—asking specifically about the quality of the education I was receiving and how it would be greeted in the job market. The (new) chair of the history department told me point-blank that my degrees from Wright State don’t mean much; while the political science department told me that I should be able to get a job. Again, a mixed message—the positive response was from a professor in a program in which I am still enrolled. I am wondering in people tell me that I should stay in their program or at their school only because their paycheck depends on my tuition.
Over the last year I have paid more attention to articles stressing the academic rankings of programs and ignored the stuff about “prestige doesn’t matter.” I am starting to think I made a terrible decision and that I should limit my aspirations in life because going to Wright State has actually closed more doors than it will open. I worked hard all through college, at least I thought I worked hard, but being told that I attended a “diploma mill” makes me wonder how smart or qualified I really am. I thought I was doing everything right but at 27, I am starting to think I have thrown out any chances of ever being middle-class because of my alma mater. </p>

<p>Basically my question is this, does that fact that my degrees are from Wright State hinder my chances of being successful? Will it close doors? Will I be able to get into a decent PhD program or get a job in international relations? Should I quit and get a job at Wal-mart? Thank you for taking the time to read this long rant. I really am not looking for any sympathy, just honest advice from people without a vested interest.</p>

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<p>Unless you have a time machine and can change the fact that you have gone to Wright State, quit worrying about it. And quit giving people the reaction they want when they belittle your school.</p>

<p>Instead, start thinking about how to make sure you get the absolute best education Wright State can offer you – and that includes using their library to study other things than are being covered in your courses – and how to show off your assets. Your school can define the ceiling of your achievements, or it can define the floor, and you appear to have chosen to allow it to define the ceiling. <em>That</em>, far more than the nature of the school itself, is going to be what raises red flags about you.</p>

<p>Have you approached your professors for extra reading lists on topics that interest you? Have you asked them to read and comment on essays that aren’t assigned for your classes, but that address issues raised in those classes? Have you submitted anything to a journal? If there are any conferences in your area (so that the cost of attendance isn’t insurmountable), have you submitted any proposals? Have you even sent in letters to the editor of newspapers in response to stories about things that interest you? At your internships, are you doing everything possible to learn as much as you can, develop as many skills as you can, obtain as many experiences as you can, and get to know as many interesting people as you can? If you are going to want to work as a TA, what have you done to prepare yourself to be the best teacher you can be?</p>

<p>And quit imagining that your two options are “success” and WalMart. Have you ever encountered the aphorism “the best is the enemy of the good”? You face all kinds of choices and opportunities every day; stop thinking so much about where you want to end up and start thinking about making the most of every choice and opportunity to move even a little bit in the direction that you want to go.</p>

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<p>Grow some.</p>

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<p>You are graduating completely debt free with at least a B.A. and an M.A. That is nothing to sneer at.</p>

<p>Now you need to think carefully about where you want to work, and the steps needed to get that particular kind of job. Stop listening to the whiners you work with. If they truly knew their stuff, they wouldn’t be saying things like “What do you know, you graduated from X university.” Your grades are excellent. There is no reason why you can’t pursue a Ph.D. program at a university that offers you a better future.</p>

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<p>Good grades and a good GRE should speak louder than where you went to school. You do have to be careful about going for a PhD though, in my opinion at least. If I were in your shoes I’d still apply but if you don’t get into a good school or get funded you might want to consider doing something else. Lib arts degrees just aren’t very marketable, so if you were to graduate from a mediocre school with debt you may indeed regret having gone… </p>

<p>"I am starting to think I have thrown out any chances of ever being middle-class because of my alma mater. " </p>

<p>Do yourself a favor and read Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki. His rich dad dropped out of school in 8th grade and his poor dad had a PhD from a prestigious university.</p>

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<p>Carlos Pena went to Wright State and he is very successful.</p>

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<p>My son has solid advice: “Get a job where you don’t work with d***** bags. Problem solved.”</p>