<p>So, let's say that I'm gonna major in computer engineering (or any other engineering major). What does Harvard or Yale (insert ivy) give me over Georgia Tech or Michigan (insert good school) besides prestige?</p>
<p>Absolutely nothing as far as I’m concerned.</p>
<p>bragging rights?</p>
<p>The name/prestige. That’s about it. I would also consider Yale and Harvard to have much better locations than GA Tech or Michigan. But that’s just personal preference.</p>
<p>As others have said, just the name/prestige do carry weight for the Ivy League schools. Georgia Tech and UMich are both fantastic schools and companies will recognize that when you start searching for jobs. It just depends on how well you do in school, you can be top of your class at Georgia Tech and find a job at Microsoft while someone who didn’t do too well at Harvard or Yale could be stuck without a job even though they went to an Ivy.</p>
<p>Prestige counts…even if it’s just perceived. If both Community College at Westbumblefluck and Columbia were both offering the same exact education, and they both accepted you, where will you enroll?</p>
<p>Yes prestige counts Fasinro, but we’re not talking about community colleges. Georgia Tech and Michigan (examples the OP gave) are excellent schools.</p>
<p>Making connections.</p>
<p>^ Same thing. Lets say St. Johns University and Yale were both offering the exact same fabulous education. Would you go to St. Johns. I think ‘prestige’ is what an Ivy gives you that a good school can’t.</p>
<p>Or maybe ‘elite’ status is the more appropriate word.</p>
<p>Oh, absolutely nothing. That’s obviously why you would definitely turn down an Ivy for a “good” school.</p>
<p>Really, now? 
That’s almost as bad as asking if Olympic gymnastics coaches prep you to be any better of an athlete than, say, a REALLY, really good friend of your Dad’s. Almost. Not quite, though lol</p>
<p>Good insight randomazn14 :D</p>
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<p>That’s not what I meant. Obviously you’d take the Ivy. My thought was if all of this stressing and work is really worth it when most of us could sleepwalk our way into a “good” school and get a very similar education.</p>
<p>Hell if I know. And I attend an ivy college.</p>
<p>But seriously, at my former internship, the company’s job was to get interview candidates for large Forbes-list Wall Street companies.
Now my actual job was to just do programming for the company but everyone once in awhile, I got nosey and looked at what the hiring companies, like J.P. Morgan were looking for in a candidate.</p>
<p>A large number of them, I noticed, specifically asked for ivy league graduates. And sometimes the recruiters in the office would get really excited if an ivy league grad was an interviewing candidate.</p>
<p>So I guess that’s an example. I personally wouldn’t want to work for a company who only sought ivy grads though. I think it says a lot about the type of the company and the people working there - and that’s not a company I want to work for.</p>
<p>So for me, it still doesn’t matter.</p>
<p>Reputation.</p>
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<p>Well you can, but it’s always nice to have the name of an Ivy league school in your diploma. UChicago, Stanford, Northwestern, Duke, Berkeley, MIT, etc, etc are not Ivy League but yet offer the same if not better education in certain areas than the Ivies.</p>
<p>Better professors (in terms of academic repute) and IMO a better campus than most other schools in the nation.</p>
<p>Also, Ivy Leagues have several excellent fields versus another school where one program is significantly better than another.</p>
<p>Prestige is also a very big factor. Give an employer two schools: Berkeley and Columbia. Both are excellent schools and Berkeley but Columbia will usually gain more favor because it’s Columbia.</p>
<p>I’ll be honest, the Ivies/Stanford, Duke, MIT are considered Tier 1. Georgia Tech & Michigan are both very good but not on the same level Ivy caliber schools are.</p>
<p>Ploser: Actually, for you, it does matter.</p>
<p>For the fact that the company is looking for ‘Ivy-league graduates’ shows that you have the option of working there or going to another firm that isn’t looking for Ivy League graduates but still gets excited at the sight of an Ivy league graduate. </p>
<p>For someone who went to a good school, if he gets the opportunity to get hired at said corporation, he/she will jump at it snatch the opportunity and EAT it. lol</p>
<p>Berkeley Engineering > Columbia Engineering though.</p>
<p>Also, when one goes to a ‘good’ school, the person runs the risk of getting paid lesser than an Ivy-League graduate. (fact)</p>
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<p>or columbia</p>