Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Sure. But I don't think that many (any?) professors, graduate students, or undergraduates would choose UMD over Harvard.
Prestige is very sticky, and Harvard resources flow even to its weak spots.
Sergei Brin did. He had free tuition as the child of a UMD employee and went to UMD because of that, clearly it worked out for him. And Brendan Iribe. Don’t be obtuse.
For faculty kids, going to your parent's place of employment is usually FREE. Plus, you get lots and lots of attention, inside information, and advance notice of resources. The calculus is different. I don't think you can argue that Brin would have been anywhere near the median student anywhere he went.
Most undergraduate students select a university, and (primarily) a department or major. People from more prestigious universities have better access to networks. There's a reason Brin did his PhD at Stanford rather than stay at UMD. Harvard undergrad would put a student who hopes to be an entrepreneur in a much better position to raise VC and network with potential clients and partners.
For undergraduates the Harvard ecosystem beats our #16 UMD by a mile. More research-focused PhD students and faculty might start putting locational preference/ proximity to NSA research partners etc into the decision. Those don't factory for undergrads (except those with a strong preference to stay home for college).