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I had a friend just recently tell me that she believes it doesn't matter what college you go to, but what you do with that education,is what matters.
Although, I do agree, we need to be responsible for how we use our education, I also believe that it does matter where we went to college.
Unfortunately, depending on the career path you choose, I believe that employers do look at where you were educated.
Just wondering what others opinions are about this?
It can. Obviously if someone goes to an Ivy League School & drops out or becomes a drug addict their education isn't going to do much. But overall a graduate with say a Harvard degree compared to someone starting out with a state school degree is probably going to have a leg up when it comes to entry level job opportunities.
Eh, it depends.... I went to a party school for my undergrad but now Im in a noteable grad school for my masters. Most people smirk when I tell them where I went to school for my bachelors but I get the raised eyebrow and head nod of approval when I tell them where I'm getting my masters. It depends on the field, I think. The particular school I attend now has a really great mental health counseling program. Some of the PhD's that I've worked with (or whose agencies I've volunteered at) have gone there. Yet, If I chose this school for, say, an Mba- it probably wouldnt mean as much in that circle.
I think it matters. Whether you want to believe it or not, there are huge differences in quality of education between different levels of colleges. That might not necessarily be due to the teaching staff (some very prominent people teach at mediocre schools) but because certain schools tend to attract certain types of people.
I learn best by classroom discussion. Would I learn as much if I went to my state's flagship university? Certainly not. So I go to a small, private college in New England well known for being a back-up for the Ivies and I flourish in the small, 8 person discussion courses. Not to mention, I worked for it! I worked my BUTT off in high school and got a 30K scholarship just from the school, not to mention outside scholarships. It might not matter to anyone else where I go to college, but it certainly matters to ME because I know the difference in work ethic I had to get to where I am versus someone who barely got into UGA or GA State.
Rankings specifically don't matter so much. If one school is ranked 23 and another is ranked 27, chances are there's not a huge difference. But from a school ranked 23 to a school ranked 100, or even 75, there is a noticeable difference on the whole (that doesn't mean individual programs or students don't stand out). Within a tier of schools, it's more important to your education to find a school that suits your personality and goals rather than a school that is 2 or 3 points ahead on some rankings chart.
I do not think it matters. When you get to that level, YOU are in charge of your education and YOU make the decision as to how much you get out of it. Sure, people might be impressed if you go to Harvard but I also might wonder if you are anything more than a boring bookworm.
I think who you are as a person, how you interview, etc. will matter more as you try to get a job.
I think that unless you are going to a top 10 school, or perhaps the extremely dominant school in your state/region, then you should go to the school that offers you the best value. I absolutely believe that you should try to limit your student loan debt to below 25,000 for undergrad.
Keep your UG debt low and your grades high, and concentrate on getting into a great graduate or professional school (because I do think it matters then).
Of course this doesn't apply if you're not footing the bill.
It depends. Some professions value where you went to school a lot more than others. Others, don't care as long as you have good experience. That being said, they still may choose someone from Harvard over no name university.
I believe that there is a certain level of respect that comes to you when you have attended and graduated from a highly respected university. I believe that when someone says I graduated from harvard, it represents a certain high standard. If it didn't really make a difference in the real world, I don't think that the cost to attend these reknown universities would be as high. There is a certain mystique about them.
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