dilemma about university choosing decision

[nietsni3]

which do you guys think to be wiser at this time:
i am a college student who should be transfering to 4 year uni next year, is it better to:

-get into a top university to be an average student
or
-get into a average uni. to be a outstanding student

what is the advantage/disadvntge of each? and which one is better when getting job/career (in term of number of jobs, chance to be accepted by the employer and salary). also which one is more benefit in the long run? i should also mention my situation that if i get into a top uni, i would probably have to borrow alot of student loan.

i know i shall receive suggestion that why not trying to be a outstanding student in a top university, but i just try to be realistic.

 

[gotsmack]

go to the top school, because you'll get lazy and get average grades, while if you went to the lower ranked school, you'll get lazy and get the same average grades.

but if the higher ranked school is one of those schools where it is super competitive and people kill themselves every other semester (like Columbia) then go to the lower ranked school.

so to sum it up, only go to the higher ranked school if they practice grade inflation and only give out Bs as the lowest grade.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Are you thinking about graduate studies or just undegrad? A top school will offer better preparation ofr grad school.

For just getting a BA/BS and entering the job market, the cheap average school makes some sense.

 

[Orsorum]

Well, I've heard that those who graduate from college (regardless of what college) as top students, having done some research or done some writing, maybe a thesis, etc., generally are looked at as desireable people to have in an organization. The people who take the time to do extraordinarily well, get involved, etc., are most likely to be the best employees, regardless of what school. The people who slack and accept the mean tend to put in the same amount of effort at their job.

 

[gotsmack]

yea, but some companies ONLY recruit from top tier schools.

 

[badmouse]

One reason the "top" schools are "top" is that they provide great networking for their students/alumni. You make contacts there that can help you later in life.

You can also make friends and contacts at a lesser-known place, of course.

 

[Childs]

You can get the same education at a library, so the school doesn't matter as much as what you put into it. But I would foolish to suggest that the name of the school didn't matter to a lot of people. If you can afford a top tier school, go there.

 

[Imdmn04]

Top tier school most definately, the quality is debatable. However the prestige is not.
Many companies will just hire you because you graduated from a top-tier school, why? because of prestige.

The build quality between Lexus and Mercedes is debatable, but one thing for sure, Mercedes are more prestigious.

This may sound shallow to many people, but honestly, this is how the real world works.

 

[Siddhartha]

Originally posted by: nietsni3
which do you guys think to be wiser at this time:
i am a college student who should be transfering to 4 year uni next year, is it better to:

-get into a top university to be an average student
or
-get into a average uni. to be a outstanding student

what is the advantage/disadvntge of each? and which one is better when getting job/career (in term of number of jobs, chance to be accepted by the employer and salary). also which one is more benefit in the long run? i should also mention my situation that if i get into a top uni, i would probably have to borrow alot of student loan.

i know i shall receive suggestion that why not trying to be a outstanding student in a top university, but i just try to be realistic.

I would go to a school that had a strong departement in the area of my interest. Get the course catalogues from the schools that you are inerested in attending and see what is offered. I went to a state school that had great Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, and Physiology departments. I doubt that Harvard could have offered a better education in what I wanted to study.

 

[Excelsior]

Top school.

 

[nietsni3]

but talking about disadvantages of the choices, is it "normal" for students from top school get stuck with student loan after getting out of the school becasue they cant get jobs or the jobs just pay them the same with students from lower grade school??

or does students from lower school tend to get beaten up when they confront head on with those from higher school when applying for job? i mean which of the two do the employers tend to pick: a straight A student from a city-level school and a straight B from a state school?

 

[darkshadow1]

while there is no blanket answer that applies to all, i don't see how it's good to expect to be an average student...that just sets oneself up for mediocrity. i'd say go for the better school and strive to get the best education you can while trying your best. there's no rule that says that you can't be an outstanding student at a top university.

also, as people have mentioned before, a big factor is what you'll be majoring in and also what your planned career path is. if it's business / financial services related, it helps a LOT to come from a top-tier school.

 

[silverpig]

Originally posted by: badmouse
One reason the "top" schools are "top" is that they provide great networking for their students/alumni. You make contacts there that can help you later in life.

You can also make friends and contacts at a lesser-known place, of course.

Pretty much it right here. You should really be picking a professor. If the medium school has an amazing prof in whatever you're into who's well known, then go to that school, get in good with him and then you can get a great reference letter for grad school.

If you're not into grad school, then go to the top school. Afterall, it doesn't say your average on your degree. A BSc/BA is a BSc/Ba whether it's with a C- average or an A+ average.

 

[Rapidskies]

It's all in the name of the school and what it is known for. A top school is going to be better when job hunting than a lesser known one (of course this is just one factor in getting a job).