<p>It does not matter where you go for undergraduate!!! Unless you get into an ivy or school very close to that level, then you are pretty much on the same playing field as everyone else! I have never seen so many dumb smart kids in my life.</p>
<p>Hehe, they're not dumb. They're just inexperienced, naive and obsessive.</p>
<p>Where you go to college matters in that certain environments appeal to certain people. I could go to a big university, but I would hate every minute of it. I, along with many others here, I am sure, chose my colleges not because of hoping to gain an advantage through name recognition but because I want to spend the next four years of my life attending an institution I will actually ENJOY.</p>
<p>Nah....95% on this board go mostly for name recognition.</p>
<p>what your saying is only true omniscient if the person continues his education past undergrad and most dont.</p>
<p>one thing i personally like that you may find at a top 50 school that you wont get at a local university is the people. At top 50 places, maybe the level education you get isnt much better than any place else, but the company youll be surrounded by will be ppl with interest in education like yourself. youll be working alongside students of a similar caliber. I think this is really important for networking/influence/good discussions/overall experiance.</p>
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one thing i personally like that you may find at a top 50 school that you wont get at a local university is the people.
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Nah, that's where you are wrong. There are great people everywhere, whether it's a state school, community college or the ivy league.</p>
<p>If you plan to start working immediately after undergrad in these times, your college's prestige matters a lot. The elite schools have such strong alumni hiring networks that your odds of getting a job are substantially increased when you've attended those schools. For instance, an interviewer who went to Harvard may remember how unforgiving a certain econ class when a person explains that that's the reason for a GPA drop. Elite schools provide that really nice, cushy undergrad experience so that increases the likelihood that they will hire their alma mater's undergrads out of gratitude as well. The job market is very tight and perception matters a lot so the benefits of an elite school are greater than ever right now. Ivy grade inflation is also really helpful to getting into med and law school and once again, the perception that you went to said Ivy so you must be smarter wins despite their knowledge of grade inflation. </p>
<p>Otherwise, it may be helpful to go to an undergrad where you may be a bigger fish. You may win departmental honors easier, get more faculty access and have more opportunities for research. It's easier to distinguish yourself for grad school, medical school and law school when you're not competing with your classmates all of the time. It all depends on how hard you're willing to work and how much of a self-starter you are.</p>
<p>"what your saying is only true omniscient if the person continues his education past undergrad and most dont." </p>
<p>I agree to a point, but most high school kids go to college today. Now more than ever, advanced degrees are needed to distinguish yourself from the rest of the pack.</p>
<p>"If you plan to start working immediately after undergrad in these times, your college's prestige matters a lot."</p>
<p>I agree to a point as well, but remember that it is the grad school rankings that is more important. Undergrad is great, but again it is the grad degree that is most sought after. </p>
<p>Eventually one day, the college degree will be like the high school diploma, and the master degree will be the new college degree, and the doctorate will be the new masters. I hope that makes sense.</p>
<p>A good college, well known will not help u in the sense of name. It will give you a good education, not that u cant get it from anywhere else</p>
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Eventually one day, the college degree will be like the high school diploma, and the master degree will be the new college degree, and the doctorate will be the new masters. I hope that makes sense.
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</p>
<p>I know what you mean. High school diplomas mean so little now that you can even buy one (I know someone who did this, heh, then he went to get an AA).</p>
<p>does berkeley count as a school thats at the ivy level :-X</p>
<p>Colleges dont give you **** (bluntness intended). You put in what you get out of it for a large part. You can go to MIT and just go through the motions and get nothing out of it. You can go to a public school and do amazing things.</p>
<p>Furthermor, prestige (schoolwise) means nothing. When youre applying for graduate school they care about what you have accomplished. They are not jo-blow who is like "WOW you went to Harvard!" They care about what you do in college. You can go to a great school, and do absolutely nothing meaningful.</p>