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How much does college reputation matter?

Smilephantomhive

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Okay, so does college reputation matter? The college with the highest rank I've got accepted I to is 111. Should I just go to that one, or is it more multifaceted than that? Could me doing internships/undergrad research help with employment? I guess going to a more prestigious grad school can also help if I end up doing that.

Gosh for months I haven't been able to answer the question what makes a college good? And I'm just now finding that I think.
 

Smilephantomhive

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Asu seems to have the highest science ranuking out of the three (though I bet csu is better in environment and vet stuff, but I'm not interested in that), however some people say it's a horrible school, others say it's a great school and that the part bums drop out or take the bs majors...
 
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I would say it mainly depends on what you decide to major in and the amount of aid you'd be receiving. A really cheap state school may have one of the best majors for a particular field for instance, and a name brand school, while higher in ranking, may not have a good program under the same major. Plus, coming out with less debt is always great for anyone. I would also check and see if your major would be impacted because it could take a much longer time to graduate and more money spent in the long run if it is. Additionally, research the professors under your chosen major and look up reviews about what other students say. In all honesty though, I would say skill level and the experience you accumulate while at college matters most in the job market, otherwise rank is just pointless.
 

ceecee

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Okay, so does college reputation matter? The college with the highest rank I've got accepted I to is 111. Should I just go to that one, or is it more multifaceted than that? Could me doing internships/undergrad research help with employment? I guess going to a more prestigious grad school can also help if I end up doing that.

Gosh for months I haven't been able to answer the question what makes a college good? And I'm just now finding that I think.

For my major, I had to graduate from an accredited program at an accredited university. My degree would have been worthless otherwise. Even if you aren't going in with a major in mind, I think the legitimacy of the college/university matters. I don't mean you must go to a big school or an expensive school. I mean there are places that are diploma mills, no employer is going to take it seriously. So do your homework.
 

Smilephantomhive

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I would say it mainly depends on what you decide to major in and the amount of aid you'd be receiving. A really cheap state school may have one of the best majors for a particular field for instance, and a name brand school, while higher in ranking, may not have a good program under the same major. Plus, coming out with less debt is always great for anyone. I would also check and see if your major would be impacted because it could take a much longer time to graduate and more money spent in the long run if it is. Additionally, research the professors under your chosen major and look up reviews about what other students say. In all honesty though, I would say skill level and the experience you accumulate while at college matters most in the job market, otherwise rank is just pointless.

Yeah, I'm not worried about money tbh. But yeah ASU is higher ranked in some of the majors I'm interested in. So are you saying that internships matter the most?

But yeah the one with the highest ranking does really good in certain things I don't care much about. And can I look organize the professor reviews on ratemyprofessor under major/subject?
 

Smilephantomhive

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For my major, I had to graduate from an accredited program at an accredited university. My degree would have been worthless otherwise. Even if you aren't going in with a major in mind, I think the legitimacy of the college/university matters. I don't mean you must go to a big school or an expensive school. I mean there are places that are diploma mills, no employer is going to take it seriously. So do your homework.

How do you know if a place is a "diploma mill" and what do I go if I find out that all the colleges I've been accepted into are "diploma mills?"
 

Smilephantomhive

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So if a pick a major later on, and know of some colleges that are ranked higher in that major, would it be wise/realistic to transfer? I know I would have to make good enough grades to transfer to a better university.
 

Smilephantomhive

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Yeah, I'm not worried about money tbh. But yeah ASU is higher ranked in some of the majors I'm interested in. So are you saying that internships matter the most?

But yeah the one with the highest ranking does really good in certain things I don't care much about. And can I look organize the professor reviews on ratemyprofessor under major/subject?

If money isn't an issue and you are still undecided on your major, then I would look into the school with the higher ranking. However, it all comes down to research and process of elimination. Internships are important and I would definitely look into them when you get to university.

Yes, Rate My Professors has an option to look up reviews under each department.
 

Littleclaypot

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I honestly don't think it matters much as long as they have a good program for what you want to do. =)
 

kyuuei

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Very glad diploma mills were mentioned. As long as your school is state-ran or a well-known one like Harvard or something, you can be safe and assured it is not a crock of shit.

It really does depend on your major... but for me? Nursing, as long as it's through an accredited program, and I get my bachelor's of science in nursing + my NCLEX requirements met at the end of it, it's good enough. No one in nursing cares WHICH school it was. They more care about how you will mesh in and do the job.
 

Smilephantomhive

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Very glad diploma mills were mentioned. As long as your school is state-ran or a well-known one like Harvard or something, you can be safe and assured it is not a crock of shit.

It really does depend on your major... but for me? Nursing, as long as it's through an accredited program, and I get my bachelor's of science in nursing + my NCLEX requirements met at the end of it, it's good enough. No one in nursing cares WHICH school it was. They more care about how you will mesh in and do the job.

Wait ate state run schools like x state university?

But yeah I have some ideas for what I would like to major in, so I'll choose my college based on what I want know, and can maybe transfer if the major I want is more accreditation at another university.
 

Abendrot

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Matter for what? If you're talking about salary expectations, in the US at least, the answer is yes.

Salary (Starting and Mid Career) by College:
Payscale.com - College Rankings by Salary Potential

The starting salary and the competitiveness of the college are moderately correlated. Of course, it's hard to tell how much of this is due to reputation and how much is due to the quality of the students.
 

Smilephantomhive

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Matter for what? If you're talking about salary expectations, in the US at least, the answer is yes.

Salary (Starting and Mid Career) by College:
Payscale.com - College Rankings by Salary Potential

The starting salary and the competitiveness of the college are moderately correlated. Of course, it's hard to tell how much of this is due to reputation and how much is due to the quality of the students.

Yeah I heard that someone questioned whether Ivy Leagues were really good schools or that students who managed to get accepted there were smart and hardworking enough that they could succeed anywhere. But I was wondering if there were certain employers that would look down on certain schools.

I think a good question is do employers tend to view you in a well rounded way, do they look at what programs you did at the school and how successful those programs were? Idk I know some schools have a higher over all ranking, but aren't as good at some specific programs as the all around low ranking ones.
 

Poki

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Didnt matter for me, i dont even have a bachelors. Got an associates in xommunity college, foot in door, worked ass off, moved up. Years give me equivalent of degree to employers. Everyone on my team has bachelors and i am team lead/technical lead.
 

kyuuei

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Wait ate state run schools like x state university?

But yeah I have some ideas for what I would like to major in, so I'll choose my college based on what I want know, and can maybe transfer if the major I want is more accreditation at another university.

Careful with transfers as some schools only accept so many credits, or only from certain things.. really, look at the field you want to be in. Many, I'd say most, fields it doesn't matter at all where you go to.. but, for example, MIT is SUPER well known and a big deal for certain highly paid IT fields.. if you're looking to be a big shot in innovative technology, that might be a good choice for you. Or, if you're very poor and want a full ride scholarship, Harvard might actually be an option for you..

Find what you want to do, and see if it even matters. Ask people actively working in that field. For a lot of film school people and stuff, starting out interning is much better for most than going to school itself at all.. Some, like my field, requires school but NONE fucks are given about which schools or how long you were there as long as you have that NCLEX pass.. Acting has particular schools, so does music..

But, I'd say for the average person, either a community college certification (like EMS, welding/pipe fitting, etc. etc.) is enough to break into the industry, and if you want a bachelor's degree for something (like teaching, secondary language, etc. etc.) most state universities are more than enough. When I say state university, I mean the state actually sponsors the college. In my area of Texas, it was Lone Star Community College, UT (University of Texas) and UoH (University of Houston). Every state has their own CC's and Uni's. They'll be the cheapest education you can get in your corner of the world more often than not.

What I did: Decided to be a nurse, decided to go to UT, looked up what transfer credits they accepted and what was needed for my degree, got the maximum amount of credits I could possibly get that would transfer to the nursing program I wanted, got VERY good grades in community college, and used that to have a decent GPA to get accepted into the program.

Fwiw, I really love community college and think it's a wonderful experience. I hated university.
 

DiscoBiscuit

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It matters if you went somewhere with a name everyone has heard of. Besides that its a wash. Everyone goes to college and no one cares that you went.
 

Magic Poriferan

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As far as I've seen, people will notice if you graduated from an Ivy, and otherwise they basically don't care.
 

Tomb1

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I think a good question is do employers tend to view you in a well rounded way, do they look at what programs you did at the school and how successful those programs were?

I don’t. When I hire an expert, for example, I look at what they have done after college. Typically CVs list degrees, licenses, certifications and actual real world practice including contributions to one’s field, articles published and in which journal, books written, lectures given, invitations to teach at a university, and any chairs the person holds.

I'm not looking for whose more accomplished and impressive, but the best fit. They might have written a pullitzer prize winning article, but have they written anything that deals in the knowledge I am gonna retain them to conduct an analysis on. If the work is simple, price dominates. For example, I hired a forensic document examiner last year. The work was uncomplicated so I went with the best price after making sure she had done her required 2 year apprenticeship.

I don’t make a final decision until the interview. I might have a favorite in mind based on their CV. But I won’t think twice about axing an Ivy league grad if I don’t like the way they interview. I disqualified a Harvard grad recently. I was ready to hire her until the interview where she came across too wishy-washy.
 
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