When deciding upon a university to attend for undergraduate education, is it wiser to pay attention to the overall quality/reputation of the university as a whole, or its rankings in the specific field you wish to study (in terms of reputation for grad school admission and employment)?
For example, say you are certain that you will study engineering. If given the choice, should you attend Harvard, with its outstanding overall reputation but weaker reputation in engineering, or a school like Georgia Tech, which is rated as one of the top few schools in many engineering disciplines?
I’m only wondering whether overall reputation or departmental reputation is more important, so ignore any other factors such as personal fit, cost, etc for the sake of this argument,
Given that many, if not most, students change their minds about their major, deciding soley on that metric sounds a bit risky. But it can make sense for the very focused student sure of her/his direction.
I have a family member who chose UC-Santa Barbara over higher-ranked schools, and ones he liked more in many ways. But he wanted physics, and UCSB is very, very strong in physics, with an intense, accelerated program for qualified undergrads that made him overlook UCSB’s beachy, partying vibe. That wasn’t his scene… but the program sure was.
In general the school’s reputation, alumni network as well as other factors trump program. In most fields of study there is very little difference between the quality of the program from school to school for undergrads. Grads schools probably.
For some preprofessional studies that are highly specific and technical and that require enormous investment its probably better to follow the program. Engineering and nursing are two good examples. Some very prestigious schools do very poorly getting their nursing students to pass their boards compared to “lesser” schools.
In general I’d go with the college rather than the department.BUT, there are some departments that are really really good – that rise way above the college’s overall reputation – and if you are certain you won’t be switching majors, it makes sense to pick them based on dept. Among these exceptions would be:
Pittsburgh & Toronto& Rutgers for philosophy
Syracuse & Missouri for journalism
Carnegie Mellon for computer science
Mich State for hospitality & supply chain
management
South Carolina for international business
NYU for performing arts
I have made hiring decisions several times in my career. I do look at your college, and would recognize a top college name, but ive never seen one come accross my desk. Mostly im looking at your job experience and perhaps your GPA.
I recomend you choose the program that fits you best. Go to the place you think you will thrive and feel confident completing the degree. Use your academic credentials to get into a good internship program, then use that to get your job.
I too have made hiring decisions. College is generally irrelevant. Experience and how you handle yourself in the interview are much more important. I agree with attending where you will thrive.
It kind of depends on what you mean by the reputation of the department. Research rankings probably don’t matter for most undergraduates. For example, a lot of students from liberal arts colleges go on to top Ph.D. programs even though the LACs aren’t known for research. However, if the school is known for its undergraduate program in your field, it might be worth considering.