<p>^^timed out</p>
<p>Your most recent question, I see from post 26, was
</p>
<p>This caused me to reflect on my 3 kids’ processes. My two older ones wanted to get a solid Liberal Arts Education. They wanted to learn to think critically, write effectively, and continue their love of learning. They looked at schools where there was a clear statement of priority in the teaching of undergraduates. It was irrelevant to them, as classroom students, whether or not they or their professors conducted research. They only looked at middle-to-top tier Liberal Arts Colleges and one also looked at Ivy universities.</p>
<p>They assessed prestige by looking at faculty credentials in the course catalogues to determine where the professors had attended college and graduate schools. When they saw many Ivies and top-tier LAC’s degrees (thinking USNWR) after many faculty names, they felt they were in the land of prestige. So it’s self-perpetuating, isn’t it.</p>
<p>My youngest has an entirely different path in mind. He feels he knows what he wants to do for a living, in which industry (screenwriting for film or tv).
He located himself as close as possible to where many jobs occur in that industry (sought colleges near NYC and LosAngeles, ended up near LosAngeles). He chose the best department for technical training in his major, and it mattered less to him about the prestige of the university that houses the major. He discovered that the university was good enough so that whenever he takes courses outside of his major, they too are interesting and well-taught. On that, he asks around to find out who teaches well. He cares not at all where professors outside his major attended college or university, but he wants the material taught well. </p>
<p>His major (declared before admission) is the driving force here. I think this could be compared to some students who choose a powerful department or technical focus in a humdrum university. In his major, he analyzed every professor according to which
films they participated in, whether or not they had written books used by other college faculty in courses around the country, what is written about them in the professional industry.</p>
<p>He wanted to know if his professors were respected academically and working actively in film. He’ll depend upon them for internships, contacts and connections. Department, not university prestige mattered most to him, unlike his older 2 siblings.</p>
<p>The more I read CC and reflect on the diversity of experiences, the less willing I am to speak of anyone outside my own family. By that, I mean I can only know my lived experience. Based on who I have met in my lifetime, knowing where they went to college and the kinds of conversations we can have, I feel that some went to schools that are underrated and should be better known. Others went to high prestige places and conduct brittle lives. Others went high prestige and conduct fascinating lives.</p>