How much should prestige be weighted?

[Anonymous]

My DH went to Dartmouth. I'd say the name recognition opened a few doors early in his career but by 10 years out, no longer mattered at all.

Agree with PP - follow his heart.

[Anonymous]

Pomona. He should follow his heart to a great school. He'll regret it if he doesn't.

[Anonymous]

In some cases, I think this would matter -- say, for example, Dartmouth vs. Pitzer. Or Pomona vs. ODU.

In this case, an Ivy vs. a top 5 SLAC doesn't represent much of a difference in prestige.

And Pomona beats Dartmouth, according to Forbes:
https://www.forbes.com/top-colleges/list/#tab:rank

[Anonymous]

Pomona is no less prestigious than Dartmouth except in the sense of name recognition among those who don't really know much about colleges. It also has more of an intellectual rep vs. Dartmouth's frat boy/date rape image, which affects the image your son will be presenting to others.

If your DS prefers Pomona, he should absolutely go there, and not be worried that he is going to a lesser school; he isn't.

[Anonymous]

I turned down Princeton to go to a less prestigious (in name) but equally or more rigorous school that suited me better. I definitely have a less "networked" life than folks I know who are Princeton grads, but I had the exact college experience that I wanted and made friends for life that I consider far more valuable.

[Anonymous]

In our professional and personal world, Pomona is considered more prestigious than Dartmouth. Harder to get into and, as someone mentioned earlier, not thought of as a school someone attended just because they wanted an "Ivy." Tell him to go with his heart ... and the sun!

[Anonymous]

Having gone to an ivy carries prestige. And there are quite a few women who chase men with ivy degrees. But it can also be a bit of an albatross. For the rest of your life, you will be perceived by average joes as "privileged" and feel a certain weight of expectations for success.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pomona is quite well known. And has a great reputation. Will be close to silicon for some great internships and opportunities!

I've never heard of Pomona. I think Dartmouth is better known on a national scale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DH went to Dartmouth. I'd say the name recognition opened a few doors early in his career but by 10 years out, no longer mattered at all.

Agree with PP - follow his heart.

But it matters socially. People almost always know where there social acquaintances went to college, and Dartmouth is going to impress a lot more people than Pomona only because more people are familiar with it. And please no lectures about how superficial it is to care about social impressions. Let's face it, that's why people drive luxury cars and live in houses way larger than what they need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DH went to Dartmouth. I'd say the name recognition opened a few doors early in his career but by 10 years out, no longer mattered at all.

Agree with PP - follow his heart.

But it matters socially. People almost always know where there social acquaintances went to college, and Dartmouth is going to impress a lot more people than Pomona only because more people are familiar with it. And please no lectures about how superficial it is to care about social impressions. Let's face it, that's why people drive luxury cars and live in houses way larger than what they need.

And yes I know I used the wrong spelling of there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DH went to Dartmouth. I'd say the name recognition opened a few doors early in his career but by 10 years out, no longer mattered at all.

Agree with PP - follow his heart.

But it matters socially. People almost always know where there social acquaintances went to college, and Dartmouth is going to impress a lot more people than Pomona only because more people are familiar with it. And please no lectures about how superficial it is to care about social impressions. Let's face it, that's why people drive luxury cars and live in houses way larger than what they need.

It sounds like people who are superficial should go to Dartmouth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DH went to Dartmouth. I'd say the name recognition opened a few doors early in his career but by 10 years out, no longer mattered at all.

Agree with PP - follow his heart.

But it matters socially. People almost always know where there social acquaintances went to college, and Dartmouth is going to impress a lot more people than Pomona only because more people are familiar with it. And please no lectures about how superficial it is to care about social impressions. Let's face it, that's why people drive luxury cars and live in houses way larger than what they need.

I am gobsmacked by this post, but then I realized: Well, if you are a superficial person, these things are important to you, and who am I to tell someone who cares about this stuff that it's not important?

So the correct answer I think is that if you are superficial yourself, and you hang around with superficial people who care about stuff like this, then yes, going to the most conventionally prestigious college matters.

If, however, you prefer to avoid such people like the plague they are, then choose Pomona with the knowledge that it will provide somewhat of an inoculation against this crowd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DH went to Dartmouth. I'd say the name recognition opened a few doors early in his career but by 10 years out, no longer mattered at all.

Agree with PP - follow his heart.

But it matters socially. People almost always know where there social acquaintances went to college, and Dartmouth is going to impress a lot more people than Pomona only because more people are familiar with it. And please no lectures about how superficial it is to care about social impressions. Let's face it, that's why people drive luxury cars and live in houses way larger than what they need.

I am gobsmacked by this post, but then I realized: Well, if you are a superficial person, these things are important to you, and who am I to tell someone who cares about this stuff that it's not important?

So the correct answer I think is that if you are superficial yourself, and you hang around with superficial people who care about stuff like this, then yes, going to the most conventionally prestigious college matters.

If, however, you prefer to avoid such people like the plague they are, then choose Pomona with the knowledge that it will provide somewhat of an inoculation against this crowd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DH went to Dartmouth. I'd say the name recognition opened a few doors early in his career but by 10 years out, no longer mattered at all.

Agree with PP - follow his heart.

But it matters socially. People almost always know where there social acquaintances went to college, and Dartmouth is going to impress a lot more people than Pomona only because more people are familiar with it. And please no lectures about how superficial it is to care about social impressions. Let's face it, that's why people drive luxury cars and live in houses way larger than what they need.

I am gobsmacked by this post, but then I realized: Well, if you are a superficial person, these things are important to you, and who am I to tell someone who cares about this stuff that it's not important?

So the correct answer I think is that if you are superficial yourself, and you hang around with superficial people who care about stuff like this, then yes, going to the most conventionally prestigious college matters.

If, however, you prefer to avoid such people like the plague they are, then choose Pomona with the knowledge that it will provide somewhat of an inoculation against this crowd.

+2. Wise words!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DH went to Dartmouth. I'd say the name recognition opened a few doors early in his career but by 10 years out, no longer mattered at all.

Agree with PP - follow his heart.

But it matters socially. People almost always know where there social acquaintances went to college, and Dartmouth is going to impress a lot more people than Pomona only because more people are familiar with it. And please no lectures about how superficial it is to care about social impressions. Let's face it,that's why people drive luxury cars and live in houses way larger than what they need.

If you want to use the luxury brand example, these colleges are both virtually equal in terms of selectivity and demand. They're both luxury brands and known in elite circles; Dartmouth is just more well-known to the general public.

Pomona 2017 selectivity: 8.2%
Pomona enrolled median SAT: 1440
Pomona enrolled median ACT: 32.5
Pomona % ranking in top 10% of HS class: 92%
Pomona cost: $64,957

Dartmouth 2017 selectivity: 10.4%
Dartmouth enrolled median SAT: 1460
Dartmouth enrolled median ACT: 32
Dartmouth % students ranking in top 10% of HS class: 93%
Dartmouth cost: $67,044