<p>There’s no easy answer to the question of where to go to school to get the most advantage in the work world. I’ve been in financial services - where an Ivy or similar degree is gold - and everyone else is invisible. But I’ve also been in fortune 500 firms where execs tend to distrust grads from Ivies and would much rather hire the state U grad with good grades and activities. In both cases, GPA was pretty important - but not always a deal breaker.
I agree fully with what r2d2 has to say. We’re running our kids ragged with all the pressure to get into top schools.
The parents are such a big part of this. I hear from so many that they would never consider our big state u for their precious children. When I announce where my bright, high-achieving son goes to school (our big state U), some of these folks go very quiet. I guess their parents taught them the “if you don’t have anything nice to say” rule. Yikes…what snobs!
GPA can be impt, but it’s how you deal with people that really counts. The guy on the park bench or the executive in a boardroom. The neighbor who sent her child to big state U. Or the friend who’s kid got into Harvard (lots of reverse snobbery out there too). Respect everyone and their background and choices. Workers who come in with a sense of entitlement and superiority don’t go very far…even in the elitist workplaces that single out only Ivy grads. And jealousy for those who have more than you is also corrosive.<br>
So, yeah, state grads and grads from low profile schools DO need to work harder to get some opportunities. But hard work can build character… and humility. Good things to have in the workplace - along with a good GPA when you’re first starting out.</p>