It’s Time to Tell Your Kids It Doesn’t Matter Where They Go To College

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it might help get a first or second job, but then what's more important is experience and which companies you worked for...

It takes longer for someone who didn't go to a great university to get to that place.

I went to a no name university. I don't necessarily think that top university students make for better workers (I've experienced this in the workplace), but it does make it easier to get your foot in the door, and if you are a good worker, to go up faster than if you went to a no name school.

But I do agree that it doesn't make you any happier. That comes from other things for most people.

That is your story, but there are plenty of anecdotes to counter yours.

Statistically, I bet my story is most stories. It's easier and faster to get in the door, and therefore, move up faster with a degree from a better university.

Like I said, I am doing well. Have been making six figures since I was 30, but if I had gone to a better university, it would've been easier to get here. I also had to go get a second degree to get where I am at, again from a no name university.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work in an industry where it doesn't matter at all (social work).

My husband works in finance. He does pretty well, makes around 750k with bonus. He went to a school ranked in the mid 30s by US News school with a big scholarship. Left with no loans. He could have gone to UChicago and would have left owing $80-100k. Assuming he entered the same industry, would he be making more money by now? I think yes, he'd be into the 7 figure range.

Barf.

[Anonymous]

Vast vast vast majority of jobs/careers it doesn't matter at all.

Places it matters getting into top consulting, finance, law firms most of the people who stay in those industries are giant douches

[Anonymous]

The author of the piece posted by OP is by a practicing counselor in Silver Spring, MD. I think it's an advertising plant by someone Stixrud knows or by Stixrud imself.

[Anonymous]

Pretty spot on to me. It doesn't matter for the vast, vast majority of fields. And in the ones it does...well, I wouldn't be thrilled if those were the fields my kids aspired to. Pretty much the antithesis of all our family's values.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:College is a halfway house for snowflake helicoptered kids to learn how to live without mom for a bit before they move back into moms basement.

Pls go back to FFX Underground.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Then again, I can think of classmates who went to UMBC instead of Maryland and make more money than me (I assume) as computer programmers

But ironically it cost more to attend UMBC than UMD

[Anonymous]

Good students Because want to be among their intellectual/academic peers. You want to be challenged, not just get that piece of paper.
Also, just take a look at the graduation rates at the better colleges and compare them to the mediocre ones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Let me try that again:

Good students want to be among their intellectual/academic peers. You want to be challenged, not just get that piece of paper.
Also, just take a look at the graduation rates at the better colleges and compare them to the mediocre ones.

[Anonymous]

I'm guessing it is written by some white man who ignores his white male privilege

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm guessing it is written by some white man who ignores his white male privilege

"White male privilege" is such a flattering mentality for white people. It's like winning the good genes prize.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I think those very elite schools can serve as a launching pad to the very elite circles of this country. But it can come at a very high cost in both dollars and personal happiness if you aren't really that competitive but instead feel like you have to go there because of the name or because parents want the cache.

I went to a big state school in the South, and that helped launch me in that state. Then once I had experience, that's all my employers cared about.

^^^

This.
Once you have experience in your field no one cares where you went to school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:College is a halfway house for snowflake helicoptered kids to learn how to live without mom for a bit before they move back into moms basement.

Says the loser who never graduated HS and STILL lives with his mom...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah

UVA likes to say it's higher ranked in US news than U.MD

U.MD likes to say it's higher ranked in all world rankings , has more Nobel , Emmy, academy award, Pulitzer, World impact alum and more national championships than UVA .

But they are both just colleges like any other.

And if you go to Maryland, and you work really, really hard, you can become one of the famous DCUM posters! Congrats dude! Now go add yourself to the UMD Wiki page.

[Anonymous]

I went to an elite school and it changed me. I hadn't been exposed to much outside my hometown. The kids from my high school who went to State U didn't seem change much from how we were in high school.

But the kids around here are more worldly and have seen more diversity than I did, so there's another factor for you as to whether it's worth the $$. My DC is more like me after I graduated college, so maybe she doesn't need to go to the >$70K/year school.