The school you go to matters a lot?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>First, I'd like to divide this question into three components:
1) prestige/name of school (undergrad)
2) "alumni network"
3) making connections by joining fraternity/sorority</p>

<p>How much do you think the name of your school matters when getting employed? What do they mean by having a strong "alumni network".... I never understood why anyone would want to hire someone else just because they graduated from the same college, even if they never met each other. Also, wouldn't people start to notice if someone were hiring mainly people from the same university?</p>

<p>How about fraternities? I've heard that these can really "open doors" later in life, but I'm not sure how that really works. </p>

<p>School name, alumni network, and fraternities...
How significant are each in getting a decent work-ethic person to the top? Do these help early on, later in life, or both? How crucial are they?</p>

<p>Here's my personal example:
I want to major in statistics so that I can go into an engineering-related field, or business-related field when I graduate. I'm not exactly sure which one I want to enter as of now, but I'm sure I'll get a sharper picture during my college studies.</p>

<p>I think that engineering-wise, the name of the school does not matter as much, whether it be undergrad or grad. But in business (financial analysis, investment banking, actuarial science, etc...), I'm guessing that even the prestige of the undergrad school matters a lot. Please correct me if you think I have somewhat of a misconception lol (which I probably do).</p>

<p>Next year, I'll be applying to some state schools (UCLA, UCSD, UCSF, UMich, U of Washington, UT Austin, UC Davis, etc) and some private schools (Duke, Cornell, UPenn, Case Western, Northwestern, Stanford, NYU, Vanderbilt, etc). So I was wondering, what would be the best path considering my dilemma?</p>

<p>Thanks for spending the time to read such a long post!
:)</p>

2

<p>For a business related field, if you don’t intend to go to graduate school then going to the flagship state university of the state you plan to live in may be the best door opener. </p>

<p>For engineering, if you don’t intend to go to graduate school then going to the school (likely a large public university) with one of the best engineering program in your field may be the best door opener.</p>

<p>For both business and engineering, masters degrees are common enough that you would likely be at a distinct disadvantage if you didn’t get one. If you intend to go to graduate school, then the undergraduate school doesn’t matter nearly as much as adequate preparation in math and science classes, high GRE scores, excellent professor recommendations, and some relevant experience.</p>

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<p>From what I can tell by alumni/frat connections, it’s more the familial relations you get from being a member of either the college or the Greek organization. Like I may not know every single person who is going or went to Vanderbilt, but at some point, they did, and had similar experiences to mine, so we have more common ground to relate on. Also, both schools and fraternities attract a certain type of person, so someone who is in management would be more willing to hire someone who has similar work habits/interests/etc to themselves, if that makes any sense.</p>

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<p>@dntw8up: lol so you’re saying that either way, it’s a safe bet to go to the more prestigious university if i don’t have plans for graduate school. (which is tentative at the moment)</p>

<p>@karabee: regardless of the prestige of the university, you mean that people will generally have a proclivity towards hiring from whom they find similar habits/interests/etc? so would a person from UCLA prefer (subconsciously) another person from UCLA rather than big-names such as Harvard, MIT, Princeton, etc?</p>

<p>I also wanted to mention that financial engineering is another path that I would really love to pursue. lol. thanks for the responses so far.</p>

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<p>From my personal opinion, yeah. Like, I’m a cheerleader, and so I’d be willing to accept an interviewee that’s another cheerleader, because we: 1) have at least one major thing in common and 2) must have a similar work ethic. I know how hard cheerleaders have to work. This isn’t disregarding other sports–I’m sure football, basketball, volleyball, whatever work hard, too–but I know for a fact that cheerleaders work hard, whereas I’d just have to assume that other athletes do too. (I hope that analogy made sense.)</p>

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<p>Student - The peer group at college exerts a huge influence on students, so as a Wake Forest alum I’d have some sense of what I think another alum may have experienced and what their abilities and qualifications may be. That sense may turn out to be wrong, but hiring decisions are often made on scant information. In general, I’d advise applicants to seek out the strongest peer groups (most selective schools) they can since their goals and aspirations will largely be shaped by those relationships. You can make connections by being deeply involved in anything - Greeks, athletics, marching band, departmental organizations, etc.</p>

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<p>aha… i see that even friendships in general are determined by common values/aspirations. right now im deemed kind of “nerdy” but cool in a way at my school.</p>

<p>i was also wondering if i would be able to fit in socially at schools that seem to contain many more “nerds” in proportion…</p>

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<p>I agree with Gadad’s advice, but endorse it primarily because it is likely to enhance your educational experience–not because it gives you a significant leg up in employment. High schools students (and sometimes their parents) tend to over estimate the importance of “prestige” in employment decisions. True, years ago, it was common for snooty employers to restrict their hiring to prestigious brand name schools. And, in some parts of the country, less snooty employers frequently gave preference to graduates of the regional or local schools where they graduated from. While this still exists to some extent—times have changed and believe me, it is not a major factor at very many employers. Evidence of personal drive and ambition, intelligence, and a winning personality are far more important in getting hired than simply graduating from a prestigious school.</p>

<p>Go to the best school you can because it will likely be a better educational experience–not because you think it will guarantee a job. It won’t.</p>

9

<p>bonanza couldn’t have said it better. High schoolers tend to believe that where you go to school will have a profound impact on the rest of your life. College is college; whether it’s at Ball State or Yale, it’s four years of your life and you should be where you are for the experience. </p>

<p>At an elite school, it’s usually true that the professors will be more well-known and the students will for the most part be more intellectually-driven, but this shouldn’t disqualify the experience and education that you’d receive at a lesser known state university. As bonanza said, go to a prestigious school for the educational/social experience, not for the promise of high-paying employment. A bachelor’s degree is a bachelor’s degree, no matter where it’s earned.</p>

<p>A prestigious name on the diploma will earn some "ooh"s and "aah"s, but all in all your alma mater has very little if not nothing to do with employment opportunities. So if you’re fortunate enough to attend to a top university, wonderful. Just don’t expect landing a job to be easy because of the name on your diploma.</p>

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<p>I’m 49, and I have received job offers because of my school (Baylor), but usually the school is not that important. When it does matter it’s a tie-breaker and unfortunately it’s also a sign of a weak company. The best jobs I’ve had did not care so much about the school.</p>

11

<p>In business, school matters a lot for getting you first job. It’s perfectly acceptable to keep hiring from your school if it’s a top school. In fact, you will get points for doing so–alum often are instrumental in reeling in top hires. The alumni network of top schools will be important for those who know how to work it throughout their careers.</p>

12

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<p>No, I said that either way state flagship universities would be your best bet, regardless of their perceived prestige or lack thereof, and they are usually less expensive than privates, which will be important should you eventually realize you need to go to grad school.</p>

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<p>Bonanza, great post.</p>

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<p>hmom5… so how are those connections made? thanks.</p>

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<p>btw hmom, does the name stand for “Harvard mom”?</p>