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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I believe it is better to get an undergraduate degree without spending a fortune or going into debt. If that means going to a lower ranked school then so be it. Work hard, get experience in field you want to pursue then apply to high ranked grad or professional program.[/quote]

+1 and agree with the point that for most the regional college reputation matters more than some general ranking. The point of college is not making connections. It's learning - about the world, about yourself, and learning specific skills that can help you in your career. Maybe some colleges emphasize connections more but I certainly didn't find college mattered in career connections. My professional network grew most from my first post-college job. Which I got, not through some connections the college created, but from the learning opportunities it provided. I had to complete a project with a local business as part of my major, that project was directly related to the career I wanted to pursue, and it made a strong part of my resume and interview when I applied for exactly the type of job I wanted.

One of my kids goes to a little-generally-known college in the region. But it has a strong program for her major, one of the biggest programs at the school, and a big emphasis on building specific skills employers in that field want. Grads from the program have no trouble getting jobs. Not because specific connections hire them but because they have the skills employers are looking for. I do recognize that there are values to bigger brand names and have encouraged her to go to the flagship for grad school (vs staying on at her small school) because at that level she may benefit more from the larger network. But for undergrad she's benefited from the small school with strong faculty relationships and an excellent program in her major.

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