<p>I've got a really honest question (and I'm going to get flamed the hell on CC for this) but what will college prestige do for you? I do plan to go to grad school (undergrad - Computer Science)...but what perks would I get from going to, say, Purdue/UIUC for computer science compared to a school like Stony Brook for computer science?</p>
<p>Sorry - maybe I should have asked about “strength in intended major” instead of “prestige”, so answer the question with:</p>
<p>What can I get out of a school that ranks #5 in Computer Science vs. one that ranks #50?</p>
<p>When it comes to Computer Science, attending a school ranked #5 is exceedingly desirable.</p>
<p>More top firms will be recruiting at that school, and the top firms will strongly prefer graduates of that school.</p>
<p>Speaking generally, having a good pedigree allows you opportunities to make connections with high ups and make friends who will become high ups in the future. There is a peculiar logical peculiar way of thinking that reasons that graduates of the best colleges are intelligent and well-educated. Not true, but by attending such a college, one gives most people that impression.</p>
<p>Stanford’s president has a Ph.D. in computer science from Stony Brook.</p>
<p>Your results may vary.</p>
<p>yea but that doesn’t happen all the time though~</p>
<p>Okay - so basically I’m just looking at better job prospects. I see a lot of graduates from my school that have mainly gone to schools in CT, MA, RI, NY, NH, VT, PA and wondered why, but if you are a smart kid then you should try for these good schools (whereas if you have 1000 SATs [M/CR] and a 3.0, it doesn’t really matter where you go?)</p>