The quality of your education is primarily determined by you and not by the school, professors, or books. Prime examples…Buckminster Fuller, dropped out of Harvard and today is recognized as one of America’s top inventors / visionaries…and of course, Bill Gates, another well known college drop out…and don’t forget Abraham Lincoln, largely self-educated.

Key advantage of big name schools are similar to brand labels….recognition, and often well organized alumni associations which forms the foundation for graduates to network with prospective employers. But the majority of graduates are NOT guaranteed jobs due to the school name or the alumni connections. Most employers still want “good” workers (a sometimes rather subjective call).

So big school, small school…not much of a difference (in my book) though most folks might tend to open the door for the big name schools before a small one…BUT getting in the door for the interview still is no guarantee of a job.

Well, it goes without saying that an solid academic record is key to getting in to any school (undergraduate or graduate)…but there are other considerations besides grades. Academic institutions are well aware of “grade inflation” and with so many folks graduating with 4.0 GPAs…they still have to pick the “best of the 4.0s”….so strive for a balance in academics, practical application/use of your knowledge, ethics, social responsibility (via work, volunteerism, community involvement….all best done if they are closely allied to your major…for example, accounting majors can volunteer in community centers to help prepare tax returns, etc.)

I like to say it is better to network rather than not work…so rather than rely on others (e.g. alumni association, etc.) for networking, you take control of you life by developing networking skills and contacts. As a student, join relevant professional associations to gain insights to the field, job market, etc. Use websites such as www.salary.com to learn about career paths, salary ranges/benefits/and take home pay for any job in various cities/states to be aware of the financial aspects of your career.

Use the SCANS check lists (prepared by the US Dept of Labor) to inventory your personal knowledge and skills relative to those required by any particular job (get a copy of the list from http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/public/clubextra.html?nclubid=893282700&nid=268367529.

Check with relevant State employment websites about the potential job market for your field/profession. Also check the US government websites for the same type of info at http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm

Remember, in the US you have a very critical “freedoms” you have…

1) freedom of choice: for me, the most important choices involve the freedom to be pro-active vs passive. Either take the initiative and action on your own, or passively be pushed around by others.

2) This is also related to your responsibility for your freedom…and bear the consequences for your decisions and actions….that is, when you make a decision that doesn’t work out as you intended, take responsibility (don’t rationalize and blame others). Learn from your mistakes and go one to solve problems and overcome the challenges and make progress in your life. So never, give up.

Keep in mind the big cost for big school vs smaller school. Take any group of students and give them the “same” education at the same school…and you don’t get the same results in terms of student performance. But, from my experience, a good solid education combined with a good track record of proven performance (experience…either paid or unpaid as a volunteer) is better than just an education.

In the end, my experience shows it is better to better to have someone fully use 100% of a brain ½ full of knowledge than to have little use of a brain that is 100% full.

As an international student, I hope you are NOT limiting your contact to fellow country folk…the more exposure to have to Americans and native-English speakers, the faster your English will improve, as well as your understanding life and work in the US.

Best wishes and good luck in your studies and career goals.

The students from the big name universities are not always smarter/better/etc. than the ones from less known places. However, because these schools are very selective academically, their students are more likely to be very bright. On top of that, these schools have top professors (at least in terms of research) and top facilities, which give them some advantages in terms of how well they will educate students. These things matter a lot for graduate degrees, but still matter some for undergraduate degrees. While the particular places you named are known for being relatively easy from which to graduate once you’re accepted, some of the other top private schools, like Caltech, MIT, Chicago and Johns Hopkins are known for holding their students to much higher academic standards than the Ivy League schools or public universities, so their students really generally will know a lot more when they graduate. The Ivy League schools also have better alumni networks than most other schools, although the top large public universities like Michigan, Texas and Ohio State have very good alumni networks, too.

So, it’s not that you can’t succeed coming from a small public university. You certainly can and many many people do. It’s just that going to the big name schools does genuinely give people certain advantages that make success more likely.

I agree with “wooper”…it’s really NOT “what” you know, but “whom”…

Because these “Ivy League” universities have a stigma attached to them that says “I’m the best” people automatically assume you are of above intelligence just by the mere fact you were admitted to such a school….(and it’s a fact that the “rich” tend to push their children into these Ivy League schools over other education)…It really DOESN’T mean your education was better…but it will be PERCEIVED as such. And I can tell you, in the work world, perception is everything.

You may have to prove yourself a little more NOT coming from Yale, etc…but it’s up to you what kind of “name” you make not only for yourself, but for the education you received.

And by-the-way…your English was fine…much better than some others on here who speak it as a native tongue!

If your question (and the way it was worded) is ANY indication of who you really are…you’re going to do great!

Nope the school does not matter. They only get you to a certain point. The rest is entirely up to you. Sure entering a school with a good reputation may land you the job. But after 1 or 2 months, if you do not perform well, they will still fire you. What school you are from will no longer matter. So go ahead with what you are doing. Dont bother about the rest. As long as you put your heart and soul into what you are doing, next time you will be the boss of those from these school.

Everyone has already answered your question. I just want to point a few things that haven’t been mentioned.

Name recognition is over-emphasized in Asian cultures because name recognition is commonly practiced there. In Korea, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, there are only a few schools where most of the wealthy go to. So many Asians come to the US thinking that applies here as well.

That is definitely not the case and certainly depends on field of study. Name recognition is common in fields like medicine and science, but in most other jobs, any school will produce leaders in other fields. Name recognition at the undergraduate level is also completely useless. Most advanced fields now require higher degrees and often times don’t care at all what school you went to for undergrad work.

Work experience and results-orientation is very important in the US. Also personal networking is very important. In the business world, it helps A LOT to go to a school with a good college football team. College athletics is one of the biggest ice-breakers used in business.

You didn’t mention what field of study you’re in. If you’re in medicine and you go to a small public school, your 4.0 will not compete with a 4.0 GPA student who went to an Ivy League school. Schooling in the US really depends on your field of study.

You should study wealth in America. There are lot of books on this and one is The Millionaire Next Door. Most of the wealthy in the US did not go to Ivy League schools. The majority own real estate or own their own companies/businesses. The wealthy save a lot of their money and invest it wisely. Many don’t even drive nice cars or have fancy houses.

I would say that it’s not the name that is the number 1 factor. It’s the quality of the courses offered, and the way students are educated there. Although, for a university to offer good quality education (good lecturers etc.), money counts here.

If you were given courses equipped with skills relevant to the current job market, it should not impact your career. Taking extra certificates would enhance your position even more in your career path.

I think the key advantage to going to a school like you mentioned is the people you meet. Many times it’s not what you know but who you know. And when you look at the movers and shakers in this country, many graduated from these univeristies.

It’s merely a starting point. If I have a choice of hiring someone from Harvard or someone from Podunk Univ…. I’ll take the Harvard grad…. that doesn’t mean he/she is smarter or better qualified… but when the labor market is so competitive… you go with the name you recognize.

It’s all about the networking and the connections with the people you will meet there.

Plus Ivy league schools have better connections with great companies.

It’s as simple as that.

No they are not better. Name means nothing, if your a complete moron in your field you will go nowhere. There comes a time when name stops getting you places and what you can do can move you ahead.