Let’s say you get into Berkeley or Harvard but will be shuffled off to classes taught by graduate teaching assistants as the real professors focus on graduate students. Or you get into a smaller, but less prestigious college, perhaps undergrad programs only where real profs teach you. Which do you choose? Is it more important to attend the college with the reputation or find the school where you’ll get more personal attention? Does it matter? What makes for education, the teacher, the institution, or the student?
What’s more important, getting into a high ranked college or one that might give you a better education?
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by edwardboches: Gen Y: when u pick a college, what matters more, reputation of school or education? Are they the same? Pls weigh in. http://bit.ly/77iWbO...
I applied to a diverse mix of colleges: three liberal arts college and nine universities, three public schools and nine private schools. Most of them have a good reputation, but just because they have a good reputation does not mean their professors don't teach. All three liberal arts colleges I applied to are in the top 10 rankings for liberal arts colleges, but the quality of the teaching there doesn't deteriorate because of reputation-they don't even have graduate students! Personally, I choose schools for: 1) financial aid and 2) quality of teaching. And really, quality teaching and a good reputation are not mutually exclusive.
for me, it was the education. now that i am interviewing new graduates in the city i graduated in, i'm more and more aware of the fact that even though i didn't go to a super fancy school, i did get a great education. the portfolios coming out of my alma mater are FAR superior to any other school in the pittsburgh region, and the students are prepared. they're professional, they know how to design a resume, they know how to write a cover letter, and they come in prepared for the interview.
I chose the school I did because it was a small school in a big city. Because my school is small I get a 14:1(ish) student to professor ratio, I know faculty from all departments, and I feel much more connected to the school. Being in Boston lets me meet an endless number of awesome people, attend events (both academic and otherwise) and overall helps supplement the shortcomings of a small school. The name of the school on your diploma says little to nothing about the kind of person you are or will be.
When I was deciding about colleges, I applied to a variety of schools – public, private, Ivy League – and had a lot of things to consider. I weighed how important class sizes were, the opportunities that could come to me, and my ability to fit in. Ultimately, it was how well I'd fit in and the education I expected to get that pushed certain schools ahead. I'm very outgoing, so I didn't need small class sizes to make sure my professors knew my name. Every school can provide great opportunities, so in addition to “reputation” I looked at the Honors programs at the schools I applied to, as well as the extracurriculars. Overall, though, the education was most important. I chose to go to a school that offered a great education and that had a reputation as a tough school that permitted students to have fun too. When it came to schools, I needed a balance between reputation, education, and fun… which is what I'm looking for in jobs, as well.
I go to the same school as Matt (Emerson College). It's definitely well known for what it does, but it isn't necessarily the most prestigious or on the same level as Harvard or Cornell. For me, when I visited the school I knew that this was the place for me. It had the program I was looking for and the right type of atmosphere. At no point did I ever want to go to a school due to its name. My education is incredibly important to me, and in my opinion, you get out of your college education what you put into it. If you don't do your work or want to go to a school solely based on name, then forget about it.
For me, as a foreigner, that was a tough decision. I did want to go to a small school with a great Communication Studies/PR program. But I also wanted (and still want) to go back to Europe and a degree from a small and not very popular college would have been looked with suspicion and even disrespect. Eventually I decided that education was more important than the institution giving it. That is why I attend a small Jesuit school. I have everything I need: small classes taught by professors, attention from my professors (all of them know me by name, my full name, which definitely isn't easy to remember), well-rounded education, good financial aid package. I couldn't ask for more. It is sad that I have to explain where Marquette is and what kind of school it is, but I know that I have the right set of skills and a great experience to have a successful career.
I feel like such a bad guy for saying this, but reputation is more important. I think college is less about what you learn and more about who you meet. At a more prestigious school, you're bound to become friends with more prestigious professors who can refer you for better jobs. All the *real* learning will happen in internships anyway.
As for my own experience, I chose Emerson because I thought marketing might be cool but I wanted to be influenced in a creative direction. Emerson certainly has a reputation for being creative. Now here I am, friends with half of the theater department and working at an incredibly creative agency. Success!
I think that is a really important question, and I think the answer is different depending on what you want to get out of your college experience. There is something to be said for going to a highly ranked school. At the very least it's going to look good on your resume, and more likely you will have a leg up on many job applications solely because of the prestige of your school. Whether that is right or wrong is a different matter, but that's the way it is. However, if you are more interested in learning the most you can from actual professors, than a smaller school is probably better. You may be learning much more at a small school in New Hampshire, but don't be surprised when someone from Harvard gets hired over you. I chose my school because of its city location and its Communications program. I have had classes taught by grad students, and I enjoyed them no less than my other classes. Actually, one of my favorite classes was taught by a grad student.
Attend the college with the reputation. There's a cachet attached to having attended a high-ranking college. And your kid will have more confidence in himself if he gets into and attends a high-end school, which will pay dividends later on. It may cost more, it may not seem worth it at the time, but I am absolutely convinced that it is in the end. There are also better networking and connections at a high-reputation college.
Getting into a college where you'll have a better education matters much more than prestige, because they prestige of the college is only your when you take what you've learned and apply it to the real world. But first you'd have learn something, which puts education as the most important.
When I started looking at colleges I knew I wanted a New England school because it has a great reputation in education. Emerson fit the bill for me because it's a smaller, private college and offers awesome marketing and journalism programs. I'd say reputation and specialized attention are just as important.
Well in case you're wondering, does anyone actually choose some small regional college over an ivy school — my best friend from high school did. I can't speak to why (I thought it was a stupid choice, tbh). Of course it's easy for me to judge when I had 3 somewhat equally prestigious schools to choose between. My decision was based on money, location and my misconceptions that one liberal arts school had a more diverse and less misanthropic student body than another. But honestly, when I thought about transferring out of there, ultimately I stayed because I thought my only options would be less prestigious schools.
Both reputation and personal attention matter, but if I had to choose I would go with the one taught be real professors with personal attention. These schools allow you to learn on a deeper level and the connections made with the professors will be long lasting. Professors that know you personally will be able to write more meaningful recommendations for that you may need to obtain that first job.
As many of the other commenters have said, a school's reputation is generally based upon its quality of education.
But in the professional world it's all about connections, and your university's brand is a major way your resume will get read—or skipped. It won't get you the job, but it will at least get you the interview.
Wherever you go, you have to show up determined to squeeze every ounce of value out of your tuition. And that means not thinking of college as a simple means to an end: yes, you'll want to get a job; but don't you also want to be exposed to great ideas and big thinkers—including in subjects outside your own? Do you want high quality classmates? How will your college experience shape you as a person?
The answer could depend on the field of study. As a photographer I show a portfolio of my work and my small experimental college (that was a great learning environment) rarely ever comes up. If I had to worry more about showing a resume to land a job, the name could be more important.
Even with that I would search for a faculty that had a specific expertise in my field of interest.
Reputation is important, but then, in the future, if you get a job based on your school's reputation and can't perform, that's a problem.
I didn't apply to any Ivy League schools because…well, I didn't. I didn't really want to go to them, so what would have been the point? I was, however, totally set on going to NYU because I wanted to be in the city, so I suppose I was basing my choice on a reputation of sorts. Then, I was accepted to both there and BU (my eventual choice) and ended up going to accepted student open houses at both of them, NYU on a Friday, BU on Saturday. Having that side-by-side comparison really showed me that BU had the better options for journalism — a separate college, rather than just a major within an arts and sciences program — and I wised up pretty fast after that.
I'm not going to lie, though, I applied to Northwestern, and had I gotten in TO THE RIGHT SCHOOL (it's a loooooong story…), I would have probably gone there because of Medill's reputation.
I have to agree with the people who are saying that having a good reputation doesn't necessarily mean a school doesn't give you a good education.
For one thing, and especially true for the Ivies, these schools have a lot of resources that give you an overall good education. Not only do they attract top-notch professors (who actually DO teach classes, provided you take the more advanced courses from them rather than the 100-level, giant lecture classes that are supplemented with section time with grad student TAs), but they offer a ton of other benefits that stem from their success. The Ivy League schools are some of the wealthiest schools in the country, and that translates into increased opportunities for a better education for students. More funding is available for independent research projects, student groups (as extracurricular life is DEFINITELY a significant part of the college education), and career counseling. Not to mention the networks of alumni that students are given access to in order to help with networking for jobs after school is over.
So while it might not be more important to get into a high-ranked college, it is still a big plus, and doesn't have to mean the education will be sub-par.
My wife and I are in the process of going through this with my daughter whose a junior. To put some of the colleges and campus size in perspective for her, we recently toured Oneonta, Binghamton and Cornell, which are all SUNY schools. She seemed to gravitate to Binghamton in terms of its size and environment, with Cornell right there as well. We used these three as benchmarks due to each one being slightly different in terms of size, environment and student body. If she had to choose any college it would be the University of Michigan. When we asked why, she really couldn’t give a definitive answer. Whether she will admit it or not, I do think there’s a strong classmate influence and perception. There’s definitely a bit of the “hey, look where I'm going.” My biggest question, is the monetary difference of paying 10-25K a year for a sweatshirt really that much better than say three of the top state schools? Yes, you get to interact with a bigger cross section of the country then the state schools, but what else?
Unless you’re so focused on what you want to do, then the Harvard, Wharton, or RIT options make sense. I use this story as an example: a family member had attended Oswego, received her bachelors degree, and entered into the world of advertising. A year into it, she decided that it wasn't for her and decided to go back to school to become a child psychologist. She received her masters from St. Johns, and then her doctorate from Yeshiva University. The point is, she originally went to a decent college, not a big name. It was when she really found her calling, that the particular school became important in terms of academics, career path and degree.
The other point here, which has become an even greater factor is financing today’s education. The past years events have changed the landscape with many families looking to both state and community colleges. Making these schools that were back-ups, now first choices.
As I tell my daughter, who presently is interested in pediatrics. Get into a good school, focus and clarify what you want to do. When you know for sure, that’s when you prioritize your next move to the right graduate program.
During my college search, for me reputation was a heuristic for quality. If it was a good school that meant serious students, and thus an atmosphere where learning and attending class was valued. I wanted to surround myself with people who enjoyed talking about class room topics outside of class. It turns out that was a false pretense as good reputation doesn't always mean strong academics or scholarly students. I ended up choosing my school based entirely on money and I'm very happy with how it worked out. Now grad school, that's a whole different thing… I have no idea what I'm looking for.
I applied and got into 7 schools. None of them were ivy league schools. Most of them were state schools, and a few were private.
I have absolutely no regrets with my decision. I chose my school not based on how much it would cost. I chose the school that I liked the most from my visits, and knew was the best place for me.
My school has given me more than just an education and a path to a degree. I've grown a lot as a person and I have had so many opportunities I would not have gotten elsewhere.
Also it's tough to say a school with a “reputation”. In different industries, one school might have a completely different reputation. If you look for a school with a great Electronic Game Design/Programming/Art and Animation program, you will probably hear of my school and it's Emergent Media Center, which create a lot of games.