<p>I completely disagree. There is no single college 'experience'. Yes, wherever one chooses to go to school they will be getting an experience and it will be at college. However, I don't see how anyone in their right mind might argue that the experience at a school like Arizona State would be in anyway comparable to that at a school like Yale. The atmosphere, size, intelligence, orientation, etc. will be totally different at these two schools. I'm not saying that it's impossible to get a good education at a large school; what I am saying is that the experiences will vary widely and it may be more difficult to find people who do want to do well at a school more known for partying.</p>
<p>I partly agree with you (original poster)...but I think people view you differently and judge you "better" if you came from a brand name college than another college...so I guess it's kind of an advantage in that way.</p>
<p>It's basically been said, but the comment about most state school students being even "relatively" dumb is pure fabrication. Sure, there are plenty of mediocre students at state schools--there are many at "elite" schools too, who got in for various reasons. But especially as college costs rise so that middle class families are often in the grey area between making little enough to get financial aid and enough to pay full-freight without much difficulty, state schools are an attractive option for plenty of smart kids.</p>
<p>As for the advantage--I can't comment on this, except to say like others have that it depends on a lot of things. I tend to discredit the advantages, mainly because of my experience with CCers and similarly-minded people who sometimes go crazy exaggerating the importance of an elite school, but I have no doubt that they do provide advantages.</p>
<p>Elite colleges are more about the intellectual atmosphere they promote, not so much their superior academics</p>
<p>college is basically what you make of it...you could go to some top college and do nothing really...or you can go to a community college/state college and get a great name/reputation for yourself, do tons of research etc. or vice vversa </p>
<p>personally, i want to go to "top colleges" mainly for their resources and funding. this is espcially true for graduate school. for most people, undless u plan to do rsearch or sojmething (like me) undergrad doesn't matter as much. Again, it's what you make of it. CSU's send people to the top colleges for graduate school .why? because they worked hard and took advantage of theoppurtunities presented to tthem, and created their own opporutunities</p>
<p>There's reason behing the prestige. I agree, in thirty years it won't matter much where you went to college, but what you did with what you got from it, but still, if I were an employer, I'd be more inclined to hire a Harvard graduate over a Hicksville Community College graduate. It definitely shows character, they are more motivated, work harder, and (what an employer would care most about) will give you the best for the money you pay them.</p>
<p>^^Well, some really smart people cannot afford the exorbitant prices for ivy education... There are as smart people at state schools as there are at ivy schools... Just because someone goes to an ivy doesn't mean that they are "motivated, work harder, and give you the best for the money you pay then"... Especially if a famous parent went to that school...</p>
<p>My mom interviews people for high tech jobs at a small sillicon valley company.One day I was looking at the potential candidates resumes. One graduated from Stanford Buisness, the other from Santa Clara U.
I asked her if she was going to hire the Stanford U girl and she was like 'no, that person was a looney tune (haha thats the word my mom used) nobody would want to work with her. The Santa Clara girl had a great personality & references.'
My mom also went to a prestigious buisness school (Haas) and my dad went to SCU. My dad works for a very prestigious computer company (HP) and my mom works at a small sillicon valley company.</p>
<p>(But, if your dream is to work at google, then go to Stanford because google 'only hires stanford')</p>
<p>if you work hard and have an agreeable personality, it really does not matter where you went to school.</p>
<p><a href="But,%20if%20your%20dream%20is%20to%20work%20at%20google,%20then%20go%20to%20Stanford%20because%20google" title="only hires stanford">quote</a>
[/quote]
I took a private Google tour yesterday and I have to say that it was fantastic. I also have to say that Google does not "only hire Stanford" or any of the other prestigious institutions mentioned. My tour guide graduated from SCU with a major in communications, and she is now part of the marketing division at Google.</p>
<p>I've also been wondering about the whole point of this college concept. I see kids starting to push themselves in middle school to attend a summer program like CTY, start up a new extracurricular like music or sports to somehow establish a "hook," or simply earn A pluses to prepare themselves. All for college. When these students reach high school, they continue intense summer activities, do some researching and interning here and there, and take community college classes to enhance their transcript. All for college. It's quite unfortunate that this high school generation has fallen into a hole of rivalry and struggle. I know there's passion, I know there's interest, but really, is there something else behind it all too?</p>
<p>A number of students says that "college doesn't eat up their lives" and yet they still sleep at three in the morning every day and can't make time available to go out and catch a movie with their friends. Pfft. Some people really need a reality check.</p>
<p>I do understand that students pursue colleges of "brand name" because they believe that it will help their future with that big plus on the r</p>
<p>Thank You Kchen!</p>
<p>I couldn't care less about Harvard... but guess what? I dont want a big community college where you are kicking and screaming to get the same stuff a small LAC you just have to ask for. Kids who wana go to the big ivy schools because thats where they think they need to go to succeed have an issue.</p>
<p>BUT the people who want to go to say.. Harvard or Bates or Yale or Stanford because they truely enjoy the college have a good reason to work hard. Sure, the paper doesn't matter, but if you arnt happy with the college you are going to, what's the point? you wont be learning anything of real value.</p>
<p>People find joy and value in different ways. EACH person is unique. Just because you don't see the point in going to an Ivy league school doesn't mean someone else doesn't. Who cares what people do as long as they are doing what is true to themselves?</p>
<p>Despite the fact I know this is just some kid trolling and an older discussion I cant help but say it disgusts me that people still cant get over that not EVERYONE agrees with them or thinks like them. And guess what?! Despite that no one has to be wrong!! It's just two views on the same issue. Neither is better than the other.</p>
<p>Learn to think before you speak.</p>
<p>Good Day,
~Matthew</p>
<p>haha really about google? It's been so racked into my brain that google=stanford, google=stanford that I really thought it was true.
I heard the google facilities are super nice. I would love to tour there</p>
<p>The Google co-founders did attend Stanford, but that doesn't mean that every Google employee is like that! The Google facilities are spectacular. I remember us being outside of a purple building, and when the tour guide's giving us a load of information, you can hear several bikes ride by, another couple of motor scooters zoom off (all of their Segways broke)... it was like a clean, less populated Disneyland. They have masseurs and cafes (they're themed too, so there's an Asian cafe, an organic cafe...) in every building. With 9,000 employees, they had to expand their grounds to nine or ten different buildings down the street. In the middle of the company grounds was a beach volleyball court, so you've got a team of employees playing. Then you've got another group of people typing on laptops and writing in notebooks - all on exercise balls (the fat ones for yoga). There are microkitchens (a place with a fridge, microwave, snacks, coffeemakers, etc) about every 100 feet or so in the buildings (so about 12-15 in each building), so I'd walk pass one and go through a walkway that overlooks the campus and bump into another microkitchen. The food's free, too. They have a gym (much like a YMCA) and two swimming pools. The pools can only occupy one man each because they're really small, but they are ten feet deep. The thing is that Mountain View city law requires a lifeguard to supervise any swimming pools that are five feet deep or more, so you've got a lifeguard overlooking two people. Quite funny. They also have a truck onsite for haircuts (most women don't go there to cut their hair though), as well as a dentist, doctor, and other health professionals (and a digitized grand piano, which is really random). Their current architectural project is building a T-Rex dinosaur in the middle of the grounds. Security is very tight... we couldn't enter the parking lot until security got an "okay" from the office. They don't offer public tours as of now, but maybe they will in the future. You'll have to find a connection if you want to visit soon.</p>
<p>Sorry for hijacking the thread. I just wanted to share a few things about Google. :)</p>