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Does the reputation of the school you attend really matter?
Are Ivy League schools really any better than state schools? Do employers have a preference?
#college #college-advice #career-advice #career-counseling
5 answers
Michelle (Guqian) Du
Michelle (Guqian)’s Answer
The short answer is Yes.
The longer answer:
- The reputation of the school does matter and for people who have no idea of school ranking in terms of the subject that you're studying, they will simply think it from the school reputation level.
- However, when you're looking for jobs, your interviewer could know some more details such as: 1) Well, it's a famous school, but I know that this field of study isn't something this school is good at; 2) I could see this candidate is from school B (the one that's not that famous) and this school ranks high in terms of XXXX.
- I ended up in a school that has good reputation overall, and I gradually realized that sometimes it's not just about subject-level ranking. What a school with good reputation really implies, is that it could have a higher chance offering you a better platform, meeting great people, having more impactful activities.
Jacob Schwarber, CPA
Jacob’s Answer
Hello!
While a degree from a prestigious college or university certainly helps, the incremental advantage it provides is probably not as significant as you would think. In my experience applying for jobs, employers are far more concerned with who you are as a person and the experiences you have had than the title of the school on your diploma. With that said, doing well in whatever program and whatever school you choose is extremely important. A significant portion of employers have minimum GPA requirements when considering applicants for a position.
My advice to you is to thoroughly research the schools you are interested in and pick whichever one is the best fit for your career aspirations and personality. Putting yourself in the best place where you will grow academically and as a person will make you a far more attractive employee than if you were to choose a school simply for its prestige. I thought I knew what my dream school was and couldn't wait to start there until my plans came grinding to a halt when I wasn't accepted. In fact, I didn't get in to my top three choices. As it turns out, that was the best thing that could have happened to me. The university I attended was the perfect fit for me and I had an incredible experience there. Don't get lost in how other people view the schools you're considering. Do what you think is right. After all, how much you enjoy your college experience and how much you get out of it are entirely up to you.
I hope this helps - good luck!
Vic Wong
Vic’s Answer
The answer to this question is: "it depends" (I totally get sucks to hear). There are different categories you could spend some time analyzing to make that decision. Factors that are in play here in each category include:
Values
- What do you value the most out of the college experience?
Education
- What degree you are pursuing? Major? Minor?
- Extracurriculars
- Study abroad?
- Honors programs?
Job Prospects
- Career aspiration? (Different fields recruit heavily from different schools - some jobs care about pedigree more so than others, undergraduate schooling may not play into the recruiting as much if you pursue a graduate degree)
- School/alumni network
Financial
- Are you planning on graduate school?
- Scholarships? FAFSA?
Campus Life
- Social groups/organizations? Greek Life?
- Housing requirements
- Sports
By analyzing your values the rest should come easier in terms of seeing what the pros and cons are. I personally was in the same position as you and decided on a state school by flipping a coin and realizing that I could get to where I wanted to go with alternative means without paying for a private school. I would say to your second question - narrow your scope of what type of career you are looking at and talk to people in that field to see what the environment is like. In consulting - pedigree is important to getting through the front door of recruiting in my experience.
Joshua Levine
Joshua’s Answer
Hello,
The most important aspect in terms of reputation of a school is how companies view them in the career field you would like to go in to. Although Ivy League schools look impressive, there are plenty of other colleges that are ranked higher than Ivy League schools in certain majors. My advice is to research school rankings in the major you are interested in. One criteria used in these rankings is usually job placement after college. As long as your perform well in college and go down the proper career path, the college you attend will not matter that much. Hope that helps.
Gloria Ortiz
Gloria’s Answer
I think that the reputation of your school only really matters if it is a school known for the major that you are studying. For example, Penn State is renowned for its business school, UNLV is a well respected Hospitality program, and so on. Otherwise, the bare minimum that you should worry about your school is whether or not it is accredited and where it is accredited. I knew someone who wanted to be an architect and went to a local college to look at the program. Through a discussion with the school, this person learned that the Architecture program was only accredited within the state where the school was located. That can limit future job prospects if that person wanted to move to another state and be an architect. They would have needed to go to school all over again.
I hope that this provides you some insights to help you in your college search.
Gloria