<p>Let's say you have ten high school seniors accepted at Harvard, but all ten choose to go other colleges such as Colgate, Bates, Kenyon and Lehigh.</p>
<p>Assuming each of those students accomplished just as much at the colleges they chose as they would have if they attended Harvard, upon graduation from college (in other words, in the professional world), would they be:</p>
<p>(a) less successful professionally than they would have been if they had attended Harvard </p>
<p>or</p>
<p>(b) just as successful professionally as if they had attended Harvard?</p>
<p>There are a multitude of factors that go into this, but in general it's extremely safe to say option (b). Certainly there are less than a handful of professions in which the Harvard name would matter (ie I-banking, possibly trying to go to a t-14 law school with LSAT and GPA scores on the lower cusp of those schools...those are probably the only examples). </p>
<p>This even counts if you were to say most state-public flagship universities. Even in places like South Dakota the professional success is likely similar. However this is more geographically limited. The SDSU grad or the USD grad in NYC has little chance compared to the Harvard grad, but in Sioux Falls, Fargo, or even Minneapolis, probably not much difference.</p>
<p>There are also plenty of professions - nursing and teaching, for example - in which going to Harvard or another Ivy could even be a weakness in trying to secure a first job. The geographic constraints of these professions dictates the contacts and experience of being in a given location means more than where your education came from.</p>
<p>But of course this goes against CC doctrine, so expect plenty of people to come out and rail against what I've posted despite its truth.</p>
<p>
[quote]
b. Although one cant rule out going farther and faster thanks to a harvard alumni network connection
[/quote]
</p>
<p>So why did you choose B, when you clearly stated the advantage of going to an Ivy league institution. The quality of education is not the most important benefit to going to Harvard, but rather the people you meet and the connections you make. Knowing the right people can rapidly advance your career, as ilovebagels stated.</p>
<p>^^yes but the career progression could be totally diff...just b/c of the connections you could make at harvard, the active alumni, the schools perception in the business, law, medical field, job placement, tons of recruitment and guidance. Many things seperate schools like harvard from other schools besides quality of education ( which ppul may argue is comparable, which i dont but that doesnt matter)</p>
<p>View just a small example...using Wall Street...im going to assume everything is the same</p>
<p>Lehigh- 3.8 Econ major-----Lehman Bro- Ibanking
Kenyon- 3.8 Econ major----Citi Operations ( Ibanks dont recruit at Kenyon...so it will be very tough, almost impossible for a person coming from this school (despite its quality) to get a job
Harvard- 3.8 Econ major ---goldman Sachs---The Blackstone Group ----Superstar lol</p>
<p>Per the linked study, Ivy League acceptees who attended non-Ivy schools earned $2.8M over their careers vs. $2.9M for the Ivy attenders.</p>
<p>Seems like a lot of fuss over a 3% earnings differential. I wonder what would be the result of subtracting any additional tuition, fees, room & board, and travel expenses that may have been incurred to attend the Ivy. With many, it would result in an absolutely even career earnings potential or even a balance in favor of the non Ivy.</p>
<p>Which is all irrelevant because the course of study matters more than the name on the degree.</p>
<p>Which is further irrelevant unless your metric for success is solely earning potential. Professional success is more broad than that.</p>