<p>I came across College Confidential about a week ago, and am astonished with the number of students and parents who are so obsessed with the "elite" colleges. I've noticed that some of you have been posting about these colleges for YEARS. Please don't be offended by this, but....I just don't get it!!! </p>
<p>Help me out......why so obsessed with these schools??????????</p>
<p>Better schools lend more prestige and help you get a good job after graduation. You generally get a better education at elite schools because your peers and professors are of higher quality.</p>
<p>Better schools = better education & networking opportunities = higher potential of getting a good job. However, this is not to say that not going to a top school will lead to a "bad" job.</p>
<p>If you want a higher income and better opportunities, play a sport. I think a study would confirm that being a star varsity athlete has greater benefits than attending a top college.</p>
<p>because if you get into an elite college, you will always be successful and rich. Ask any Harvard/Yale/Princeton grad. You don't see them flippin' burgers at McDonald's.</p>
<p>^Neither do you see graduates of state schools flipping burgers.</p>
<p>I see graduates of a wide variety of institutions, not flipping burgers, but preparing lattes and other such products at Starbucks.</p>
<p>Why wouldn't you want to get a good education/undergrad experience? There is a high correlation between lower ranked schools and crappy experiences/administrations (even though higher ranked schools dont neccesarily have consistently superior administation.) </p>
<p>Besides, most Harvard graduates earn incomes 100x greater than people who graduate from pieces of crap like the University of Alaska at Fairbanks. Plus you're more likely to have a better experience both educationally and sociolly at a place like Cornell rather than somewhere like CUNY. Pfft</p>
<p>VIVA LA PRESTIGIOUS UNIVERSITIES</p>
<p>lol. no comment on the above, but college is often the most important 4 years of anybody's life. The importance of it extends way beyond those 4 years. Perhaps that is one reason why so many scour these boards for years.</p>
<p>I'm not sure if the above post is sarcasm or not. I hope it is. The social life at Harvard is terrible. And H grads don't make 100x more than people from less selective universities. They probably don't even make 2x more. Maybe..1.5?</p>
<p>Really, big state U has a better undergrad experience for the most part.</p>
<p>
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^Neither do you see graduates of state schools flipping burgers.
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That comment was not to be taken too literally</p>
<p>Bah, I'd argue that LACs can have a superior undergrad education for a sizable group of people.</p>
<p>^^^ I think a good social life can also refer to successful networking, so places like Harvard are definitely ideal and not "terrible."</p>
<p>I'd argue that competitive public universities with Division I sports and school spirit to spare offer a superior undergraduate experience.</p>
<p>I'd argue that LACs with their intimate interaction with professors, close knit community, NON-emphasis on Division 1 sports (because there are lots of people who do not care for sports), and equally strong school spirit, and good preparation for grad school or the working place through a liberal yet focused education can offer the superior undergrad experience. I don't think you have any credibility in stating that all students want the Big state U kind of undergrad life.</p>
<p>I don't remember stating that "all students" wanted anything.</p>
<p>I know that not everyone wants intimate interaction with professors or liberal education; and some would prefer school spirit and bigtime sports to a close-knit and possibly claustrophobic community. </p>
<p>Some like LACs, some like universities. </p>
<p>Differ strokes for different folks.</p>
<p>I'll give you the claustrophobic tendency. But as I've said, many LACs have substantial school spirit that does not have to be expressed in a bigtime sports way. Having said that, one of my goals while in college is to visit a big time sports game. The atmosphere, I've heard, is indescribable.</p>
<p>Because employers are!</p>
<p>Why not strive to get the most advanced education possible? That's not to say State U would not provide a valuable and challenging education and an honorable degree, but many students, Harvard as the example, want to expose themselves to the most academic environment possible. Surrounding yourself with the best students in the country is not necessarily a bad thing. (Except the extreme competition....eh...)</p>
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That's not to say State U would not provide a valuable and challenging education and an honorable degree, but many students, Harvard as the example, want to expose themselves to the most academic environment possible.
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</p>
<p>You can get this at publics, too -- Berkeley, UCLA, Michigan, UVA, UNC, UCSD, etc. Berkeley in particular is known for its hardcore academic environment.</p>