<p>I recently discovered that my best friend's boyfriend chose his school based on prestige alone, thinking that this move will help him strategically career-wise in the future. I have done a lot of research concerning this (check my post count if it matters), and I have found nothing that substantiates this claim. It appears that so long as a person chooses a school that is strong in their area of concentration (their major), then they are considered to be at the same level, if not at a higher eschelon than someone who graduated from a "big name" school with a weaker program.</p>
<p>He was previously going to go to The University of Delaware, but got into George Washington University from the waitlist. If he chose to switch the school he will attend based solely on the name of the school and the connotation associated with it, does that make any sense at all? He validates his decision by saying that his interviewer told him that if he could get into Harvard to just go there simply because the name alone would open up doors, regardless of whether or not he wanted to go there.</p>
<p>Is this mentality able to be validated? Is the only reason his interviewer said this becasue people from the older generations in some cases still hold onto the belief that a school is defined by its notoriety?</p>
<p>The only conclusion I would jump to seeing that he was a George Washington grad rather than a U. of Delaware grad was that he came from a high income background. I don't see a status issue here, except around the pool at the country club.</p>
<p>All else being equal(if money is not an issue), going to GWU is a better choice than U of D, and it's not just for "around the pool at the country club." Not sure what kind of research you have done...</p>
<p>No research, and I do not know much about U of D, but I do know a lot of good firms recruit at GWU, and many GWU graduates go to top graduate schools.</p>
<p>By research I meant reading numerous articles and posts saying that the strength of the program far outweighs the effect of the name of the school. I was not implying a statistical data set, as I really am not sure there is one available...</p>
<p>Cut and Pasted from USNWR 2007 Rankings:
George Washington University vs. University of Delaware </p>
<p>Public/Private Private Public<br>
Founded 1821 1743<br>
Religious Affiliation N/A N/A<br>
Total Undergraduates 10,761 16,939<br>
City/State Washington, DC Newark, DE<br>
Setting urban suburban<br>
Academics<br>
Student-to-faculty ratio 14/1 13/1<br>
Full-time faculty 826 1,126<br>
Classes with under 20 students 54% 34%<br>
Classes with 50+ students 12% 17%<br>
Graduation rate* 78% 76%<br>
Cost<br>
Private tuition and fees $35,630 N/A<br>
Public in-state tuition and fees N/A $7,740<br>
Public out-of-state tuition and fees N/A $18,450<br>
Room/Board $11,100 $7,366<br>
Financial Aid*<br>
Students receiving:
Need-based grants 41% 28%<br>
Need-based self-help aid 35% 28%<br>
Percent of need that was met 91% 79%<br>
Average financial aid package $33,196 $11,100<br>
Average need-based grant $19,828 $6,300<br>
Average need-based loan $6,806 $4,900<br>
Admissions<br>
Selectivity more selective more selective<br>
Acceptance rate 37% 47%<br>
Number of applicants 19,406 21,617<br>
Average high school GPA N/A 3.6<br>
SAT/ACT (25/75 percentile) 1200-1390 1110-1300<br>
Student Satisfaction<br>
Freshman retention rate 92% 89%<br>
Alumni giving rate 11% 26%<br>
Student Body<br>
Diversity** yes no<br>
Fraternity members 16% 13%<br>
Sorority members 13% 13%<br>
Students living off campus 33% 53%</p>
<p>59% pay the total nut of about $47,000 without any need based aid. This is a wealthy student body. The largest point of contrast with the University of Delaware.
How many U of Del. students' parents could pay $47,000 a year out of pocket? I'm guessing not 59%.</p>
<p>The prestige factor can't help you if you are miserable at a school--and yes, people do end up miserable even at Harvard!!!! My own mother, mostly because she had no school guidance and no experience (first person in entire extended family to go to college), chose the most prestigious school she got into (UPenn) without really thinking about. Well, she showed up and it really couldn't have been more wrong for her, and the fancy name and excellent education just couldn't make up for the fact that she was incredibly miserable there. She transfered after only one year there, and while you could laugh at the fact that she didn't exactly lose anything in the transfer (ended up at Princeton, way back when when you actually could transfer), the point is that she did lose a year of her college career at a school that was totally wrong for her. </p>
<p>Now, this is a relatively extreme (though not uncommon) case, but this is the risk that anyone runs if they choose to go to a school solely on the basis of greater prestige. If one could be reasonably happy at the most prestigious school, than perhaps it is wise to go there even if it isn't as good a fit as another school. But to pick blindly based on prestige (especially for GWU, which while a very strong school is not HYPMS) seems very, very risky to me.</p>
<p>The top 50 Natl U and LAC are basically the same for prestige in the real world(unlike CC world). The key is picking the right school for you. If you love your school/your classes/your friends then you are well on your way to the beginnings of a happy future. Nothing is sadder than a miserable freshman. And no amt of "prestige" can make up for that tragedy.</p>
<p>I don't think that the value added for prestige extends beyond perhaps the top ten universities + one or two LACs. Yes, in higher education positions, we pay attention when we get a resume from a HYP grad, and we tend to move that resume to the short list. That wouldn't hold true for GW grads, and it probably doesn't hold true for a number of other professions.</p>
<p>As i've said before, my mom went to an Ivy, my dad to a second rate state school (he couldnt afford to go to Penn)....Guess who's more successful? Not my mom...</p>
<p>Loslobos, my husband went to state U, I went to JHU. Guess who's more successful? Hint - not my spouse....
Point is, it depends on how you define success, and on the individuals and their circumstances. U DE has some amazing programs, so does GWU. That should be the deciding factor - the strength of the program within the school.</p>
<p>are you sure it was 100% for prestige? Because I have around 5 friends who are at/are going to GW and ADORE it...it's a great combination of intellect/chillness haha</p>
<p>yes, solely on pretige-- trust me, I would love to be able to think of him as someone who made a decision on more than just that, but that's simply not true-- he told me himself.</p>
<p>I would probably have picked GW for him since there are so many available opportunities since it's in DC. Also, the people seem more his style. However, as he did not consider any of these factors when making his decision and picked by the name alone, I really don't have too much respect for him (not that I had a ton in the first place).</p>
<p>I don't blame you for thinking the way you do, but some people just get really weird about college. I have one friend who seems to think that majoring in anything non-pre-professional (i.e. not business, or engineering or something like that) is just a waste of time--to the extent that he has not so jokingly informed me that no one will want to hire a Wellesley econ major...even though Wellesley a) is a very prestigious school in general and b) is known to have an excellent econ department that sends students to the top MBA programs and to big success in the business world. He's going to the Business school at UIUC, which is great--and he lets you know that he thinks it's great. </p>
<p>In my experience, my classmates have a lot more opinions than facts about college/the college admissions process, and I have to believe that for most people, aka the non-CC sect, this is the case. Annoying? Definitely. But rare? Not at all.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Loslobos, my husband went to state U, I went to JHU. Guess who's more successful? Hint - not my spouse....
Point is, it depends on how you define success, and on the individuals and their circumstances. U DE has some amazing programs, so does GWU. That should be the deciding factor - the strength of the program within the school.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I really dont appreciate you mocking me, but I wouldnt expect much less from a Jersey person. Regardless, JHU isnt an Ivy.</p>
<p>Whoever said the top 50 colleges are pretty much the same must be kidding - prestige usually correlates with Quality, which is why the prestige is there in the first place.</p>
<p>Top employers certainly do not think all schools are created equal - many of the top finance/consulting companies recruit exclusively at Ivy league schools (or same-caliber schools like Stanford, MIT, Duke, NU)</p>
<p>Getting a top job without a top pedigree degree is possible, but definetely harder if you aren't from a top 10-15 school.</p>