Where You Go To College Doesn't Matter

College Search & Selection
21

<p>Post #9 has it 100% right. Reposting her quote because it shouldn't be missed:

[quote]
"But what's most important in the quality of your college experience is your willingness to engage in your education, commit to learning and actively take part in classes that challenge you."

[/quote]
</p>

22

<p>Yes, but if you do graduate, no one will know if you were the "bottom third" or the high flier, they will see only the school name on the resume - and trust me - it matters to a lot of people.</p>

23

<p>I disagree to an extent. If you go to a high quality school, then chances are there are going to be lots of other students with expertise in your area.</p>

<p>For example: I toured a mid to lower ranked school I had applied to last year and was talking to some political science honors level students. i refered to a campaign tactic a fairly well known US Senator when I was making political conversation with them. Neither one had any idea who I was talking about. The other students that are tehre can definitely make an impact.</p>

24

<p>I find it funny that the author of the article went to Dartmouth for undergrad and Harvard for grad school. I wonder if she is the same author that Stephen Colbert called out on his show, "so basically...you went to these famed schools, but now that you have done it, you are saying it's not something anyone else should seek."</p>

25

<p>while it is true that what you do matters more, you also need to find someplace where you are comfortable and will get a good foundation. oftentimes, what makes a school great is that foundation.( i think)</p>

26

<p>Wow thank you for posting this. I'm in the middle of the same situation. I've been so upset from my rejections and whitelists, but this made me feel alot better.</p>

27

<p>

Jessie has it exactly right. Of course where you go to college matters, and it matters in more ways than most people can imagine.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Many people opine that it doesn't matter where you go to college, because it's your graduate degree that matters most. This may be true, but in order to get into a top graduate program, you have to a) be in a position after undergrad where you can and want to apply to graduate programs, and b) be accepted by a top graduate program. These are not trivial feats, even for very bright students.</p>

<p>Undergraduate school selection should be done very carefully, because your undergraduate environment will shape the way you think. That doesn't mean the most "prestigious" school to which a student is accepted is automatically the best.</p>

28

<p>I have been accepted to well known and respected colleges...as well as colleges out in the no man's land wilderness that no one has heard of. I have no idea where I want to end up; I keep changing my mind. More than anything, I want to fit in well...even if that does mean jeopordizing my future career opportunities. I'm more scared than anything that I will make the wrong decision lol. I have a bad case of buyer's remorse as it is.</p>

29

<p>"no matter where you go, there you are."</p>

30

<p>the bottom line is that where you go to college matters AS MUCH as what you DO in college. You can't expect to succeed easily without both, and you can't succeed at all if you don't do both well.</p>

31

<p>HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. YES IT DOES. Do recruiters look at Harvard or Missouri Baptist first? There ARE some ppl who have clear goals and very few of them pursue their unique goals after graduation...but the majority will have the college name tag for the REST OF THEIR LIVES! So it does matter. This article is just to make ppl who got rejected from "top" schools feel better. Why don't you come to the 21st century like the rest of us and grab a hold of REALITY?</p>

32

<p>Quote:
In youth sports, the normal advice for best-fit team choice is to pick the best possible team on which the athlete will start, or at least get significant playing time. Riding the bench sucks, but that's where the bottom third of any team spends most of its time. It is better to be a starter on the JV than a bench warmer on Varsity, as this thinking goes. Sitting the bench increases the difference in skill level between those who start and those who do not, simply by virtue of increased opportunities to develop game-skills in game situations.</p>

<p>Let's take this over to college. </p>

<p>Would you rather a student attend Princeton, in the bottom third of the accepted class, or Northwestern/Wash U/Hopkins, in the top third? What if the bottom third student at Princeton gets no access to 1-1 with professors in a research setting, but a top third at NU does?</p>

<p>Would you rather a student attend Stanford, in the bottom third of the accepted class, or UCLA Honors/USC, in the top 20%? What if the bottom third student at Stanford gets no access to 1-1 with professors in the finance/econ area, no recommendations for summer internships, etc. (by virture of not being a standout), but a top 20% at UCLA/USD does get such opportunities? </p>

<p>In each case, where would the student be more likely to thrive?</p>

<p>Which would you choose is both cases?"</p>

<p>Dude. Really? Your comparing Princeton with Northwestern and stanford with USC? You DO realize these schools are all like top-top-top tier schools right? If you want to strengthen your point, do something like, "bottom20% at princeton vs. top 20% at Arizona state" even without 1 on 1 crap and research opportunities(which is not true, given that Princeton's avg class size is like a 10th of ASU's), one would be a FOOL not to choose Princeton. So by comparing top schools, you have just lost your point</p>

33

<p>hahaha please.....this thread proposes bitterness and ignorance</p>

34

<p>Nice article. :)</p>

35

<p>tsh's point about Princeton vs. ASU is very well taken. Sure, if you compare top-of-the-top schools to middle-of-the-top schools--it doesn't make a difference. The more valid test is comparing Arizona State with the top tier: student will have entirely different experience. </p>

<p>However, that is not to say that a graduate of ASU will not go on to success in life. Nor can one say that a degree from Princeton assures success. So much depends on one's major. Hmmmm.....poli sci from Princeton.....poli sci from ASU.....no brainer, right??!! El ed from Princeton vs el ed from state school---the differences prob don't pan out to much in the real world. </p>

<p>But the article, boo hoo I didn't get into Harvard, but I did go to Brown, is there a difference....give me a break.</p>

36

<p>Relating to this discussion, I am a sophomore at a relatively small (and unknown) liberal arts college. My GPA is 4.0 and I have been accepted as a transfer student to an Ivy League university. However, I will need to pay 30,000 more per year if I do transfer and I probably will have to graduate later. Is it worth it if I want to go to graduate school eventually?</p>

37

<p>In my opinion, Yannie, that depends entirely on where you are now, where you're thinking of transferring to, and what you're studying.</p>

<p>Many LACs produce more PhDs per graduating undergrad than the Ivies.</p>

38

<p>I know someone who graduated from undergrad from SDSU, UCLA law and went on to become a very successful lawyer and state judge. </p>

<p>Undergrad is really what you make of it, I think.</p>

39

<p>JHU's Applied Physics Lab hires more grads (engineers, mostly) from Penn State than any other school, including Johns Hopkins. I know that's just one example, but it kind of shows how this whole "names matter!" thing is kind of false and perpetuated by people who don't know ****. </p>

<p>Fit really is king, and don't let people tell you otherwise.</p>

40

<p>I'm at a small and very unknown LAC right now (I don't want to name names), and if I transfer I'll be going to Columbia. I'm majoring in Philosophy. To be fair, I get a lot of personal attention from tenured professors in my current college and I'm not sure if I will be able to get that in Columbia.</p>