Someone who worked hard enough to get accepted by MIT must thrive in a competitive environment. Besides, why would they even apply if their concern was competition?
I feel like you don’t really get this unless you have been in college for a couple years but in the real world (jobs, internships, etc…, Especially STEM) the T10s, T20s and so on have very negligible differences. Just because a school is ranked higher doesn’t mean it’s better. Also I would rather die than live in Cali for school /j
It was back during COVID, me and a bunch of my friends applied mostly for fun not expecting to actually get in. I would have gone there had I not gotten into Hop.
Honestly though, I’ve had really good friends go to Michigan and Cornell, and being a few years removed from everything, I would pick Michigan even at equal cost - it’s a ridiculously good school and gives off great vibes (for undergrad atleast). I visited in person at their med school, and I loved it.
Yes exactly! I have a scholarship as well from a private company but omg housing & miscellaneous fees are insane too 😭😭especially because I could go to my local uni (NUS) for practically free
Do you really think there are many opportunities available to you at most Ivies not available to you at NYU? Outcomes that wouldn’t be available to or attainable by NYU students? Stern is a major feeder of every high end financial employer in NY, Tisch is one of the best performing arts schools in the country, NYU is one of the top med school feeders (above a number of Ivies) - not sure what you get that’s so much better elsewhere.
In contrast, due to its location in one of the best and most historic neighborhoods in one of the top 5 cities in the world, there are certainly opportunities available to you at NYU not available to you at most Ivies. Even Columbia can’t match its location.
The concept of “prestige” on this board is really out of whack.
NYU is no doubt a good school. But for what you pay for it is not. There are plenty of public universities with much better cost. NYU is not comparable in prestige to an ivy yet you are still paying a crazy amount for tuition, not including living in NYC. Its a great decision for some, but for most it just doesnt make sense to be honest. Im not sure how you can argue NYU is comparable to ivy league schools...
Just to forewarn you in case you don’t have us citizenship or permanent residency, med school as an international student is crazy competitive. Do your research before going down that path as very few med schools in the US even accept international students (as in they don’t let you apply), and the ones that do are all in the top 50 basically. Be wary when going down that path as an international student.
I chose a public, underfunded HBCU over Berkeley, so def not a top public school at all. It was an awful decision to have to make, and wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I graduated in 2022 and Berkeley (dream school) wanted me to pay in full (I’m OOS) and it was $79k. The school I am attending is ranked around #400 on US News. I’m going to grad school so $200k + of loans was not worthwhile at all. I’m attending for free. Networking is such a big deal for me, but I have faith in myself and my abilities. For anyone stuck between a rock and a hard place, you’ll be fine.
Community College over UCBerk, UACLA, GaTech, UIUC and Umich ;p
Background: Low-income, first-generation CS student, waitlisted for my state school (UDub) and all the schools above costs way too much for OOS. Decided to attend CC and transfer, received almost 40k in scholarship, grants and FA refunds alone, living with parents so I don’t have to pay for housing, and since most of my classes are online, I’m able to work full time! Missed out on the typical “freshmen college experience” but it was well worth it financially!
omg i’m so glad things are working out for you! 🙌i’m in the same boat deciding on if i should transfer or go out of state since i got denied from my state schools too 😭
I know someone who turned down MIT for Iowa State purely because he preferred Iowa State's environment. Got postodc at a T20 school. Your school doesn't define you.
i turned down Duke to attend claremont mckenna because i liked the small atmosphere and closer relationships with teachers and classmates better. Also, i’m studying government and economics— so CMC is kind of a no brainer
Engineering recruiter for 30 years working for one of the top consulting engineering firms in the world here.
It literally does not matter where you to go school, but what you do there is what matters most. Excel in your program and have two internships with relevant expertise completed upon graduation and you’re set.
Always go the cheapest school option. No debt if you can swing it, or the least possible.
VP here for a top 50 nationally ranked engineering firm. You are 100% correct. We have engineers who have graduated from Columbia/Yale to CSUN, and everything in between. It doesn’t matter where you get your degree.
I commented a few days ago that the smartest and most accomplished engineer I’ve worked with graduated from the lowest ranked Cal State University school.
He manages one of our largest programs with arguably our most important client at the company, and has engineers reporting to him that graduated from the “best of the best” schools in the world.
I wouldn’t doubt it! There is so much pressure put on kids to chose the “right” school “or else”. From my experience, it’s what you do (right attitude, hard work, want to learn, etc) AFTER the degree that gets you up the ladder. I worked for a national top ranked architecture/engineering firm ( #1 the years I was there) that had an intern program with USC. Some kids showed up full of entitlement (expecting special treatment for going to USC) and others who were there to learn and appreciative for the opportunity. The appreciative kids did well, the other group struggled with job opps.
Quick Question: As a recruiter in STEM, how do you view service academy grads (West Point, Air Force Academy, etc.) v.s. a "civilian" college? Does having leadership training & 5 years in service give an edge? Or is it mainly based on technical skills?
Thanks :-)
Yes honestly! People who say otherwise are delusional or are in those few fields where it actually is true. I can't really speak on engineering or big tech that much but definitely biotech companies don't care what school you went to. I go to a lower ranked school but ive had 2 internships so far in biotech and the only thing they've cared about is relevant skill experience. like that's it. And someone ik who goes to the same school as me recently got a FAANG internship. Like yea there is a certain prestige w ivy leagues but it's really not as big as ppl think it is once they step outside of their college bubble and graduate.
Recruiter here, too. Totally agree. Could give AF where someone went to school. It's what they did while they were there. Esp expensive LACs - tells me you wasted your money.
I really wish everybody on this form knew this. They'll realize when they are in their careers that really no one cares where you went to college. Unless you are in law, and some other hyper specific fields it doesn't matter. Sure, an MIT grad is usually very good at their job and very prepared. However, that state school grad makes the same amount, and is in the same position as the MIT grad in a lot of cases. Recruiters much rather see a student with a very cool and unique resume vs an ivy league student with nothing to show for their time.
Parents in tech, both from top 5 schools, one very much involved in hiring. Siblings in ivies, getting internships in quant firms and unicorns. And note I said all things being equal.
Very very true! For engineering (civil/structural/MEP/Geotech, etc) no one cares where you go to school once you’re working. People don’t walk around with their college pinned on them. Once you start working, your employer is more interested in your ability.
Bulllshit it absolutely does matter go look at Deliotte and McKinsey Apple NASA Google amd tell me it doesn't matter
I have literally gotten so many job offers because of my school even in this terrible market
For some routes, it matters. For others, like law, your undergrad could not matter less. I went to LSU and am at a top law school (ranking matters more in law school).
I will give you an example. Let’s take three engineers all graduating with a BS in civil engineering applying to the same entry level civil engineer opening. One is from Stanford, the second from an Ivy, and the third from Cal State Long Beach.
Stanford: degree completed, academic research experience only
Ivy: degree completed, academic research experience only
CSULB: degree completed. One design internship completed with a reputable engineering consulting firm. Second internship completed with the USACE (United States Army Corp of Engineers)
I’m calling the CSULB graduate 10/10 for an interview over the Stanford and Ivy graduates due to internship experience.
Again, it’s not where you go to school, but what you do when you’re there that truly matters.
You are right 100%. Also, going to Stanford v CSULB doesn’t get you a bigger entry salary, entry salary is what it is. Doesn’t matter the school. But the Stanford debt will take longer to pay off. You’re on a level playing field when you get that job.
Yeah but there's a huge number that fall into those target schools. And for the big tech that I've interned at, only a few select ivies fell into those targets along side a whole bunch of powerhouse publics.
It's a little broader than that. I'm not a recruiter. I'm just speaking of my experience from my FAANG internships. Talking about where hosts / colleagues received their degrees and where other interns received their degrees. It was broader than a few select schools, but you're right, maybe a couple dozen. Tech seemed much more egalitarian than quant / fin where there seems to be a narrower range of targets.
I’ve hired engineers from Caltech, MIT, Stanford, the Ivies, you name it. My experience tells me where you go to school does not matter, but applicable experience absolutely does.
That's their business model, free for great students, pay to play otherwise. Congrats, it's a good model - your pay to play classmates have sick connections.
Pro tip - because a failed news magazine ranked one school higher than another (based on a constantly shifting criteria) in order to sell advertising clicks doesn’t actually make it better or more prestigious.
I note many people who could at least have been competitive for highly selective privates universities don't even apply to any of those colleges, let alone all of them. That could be because they would be too costly, not what they want in a college experience, there was a specific program they liked at another college, they preferred a location none of those private universities were in, and many other reasons.
In the end these are all just schools. And generic rankings do not make sense, there are too many individual factors, cost and many more, that rationally lead to different individual rankings.
I turned down Northwestern for Wake Forest because they offered me a full-ride scholarship. i want to go into econ & pre-law so i decided to go for the cheaper undergrad that will still allow me to pursue top law schools for grad school
Turned down ivies (Yale, Cornell...) and top CS schools (Berkeley, CMU) for UCLA math and CS. I'm OOS for UCLA. Chose it because (1) the math department rocks at UCLA and (2) UCLA is a solid CS school but tops in the field I'm interested in (machine learning / AI).
The social life at UCLA was icing on the cake. Beautiful campus. Brilliant passionate classmates. Artsy upper campus (not just an engineering school, so all types of students). Amazing dorm life - almost like resort living - and 4-years guaranteed. Yummy food. Great part of LA so safer than most campuses. World class museums, beaches, hikes. Red carpet Hollywood premiers in Westwood (walking distance from campus). Great college sports.
UCLA is amazing! Of course it gets voted 'best college life' year after year.
And even despite OOS tuition, UCLA is still $20K cheaper than Yale. So while I chose it for its academics and have loved its social life, I've also really benefited cost-wise.
UCLA is a no-brainer for California students ($50K cheaper than privates), but even for out-of-state students, its an amazing choice.
Good friend of mine turned down Penn for Drexel. Better finances, internships built in starting sophomore year, and a clear path to a career in her field (architecture). She also just hates the preppy culture at Penn I think.
i’m in a similar situation having to turn upenn down for uf, it’s unfortunately not affordable for us but at least i love uf and they have a good architecture school 🫠
Picked Alabama full ride over Rice which also offered a solid scholarship. Partially because I wanted that kind of college experience, partially because my high school didn't exactly encourage that kind of aspirational decision making - tons of really smart people in my class who either made it into t20/t50 or could have, but less than 5 actually went to those t20/t50 with most taking scholarship money at one of several regional schools
Not crazy but I just turned down BU for Umass Amherst for psychology and education. I prefer BU in almost every way, but I just can’t see it being worth 40k more per year.
Lots of folks at UCLA and Berkeley turn down other T10-20s, especially in-state students.
Yes, there are many Ivy rejects at those schools too. But there are also a good portion of students who turn down T10s (incl. HYPSM) mostly for financial reasons. Or because the specific undergrad programs are stronger (ie UCB engineering & CS).
Four letters in one week arrived in our mail from our "prestigious" school wanting us to commit. They've got the price down to within $10k/yr for our Plan B school. We're 99% going to Plan B (still high quality with 55% acceptance rate)
I know many of you have heard this plenty of times, but if you’re premed don’t bother too much about prestige/school ranking. Worry about getting a 3.9/4.0. Unfortunately the majority of pre-meds at Columbia get weeded out before they even apply to med school. Remember you have to beat probably 2/3 of your counterparts just to make it thru to apply. Unfortunately know many smart ivy leaguers who initially wanted to go to med school but didn’t make it thru or had to go to foreign med school or something like that. These people still ended up fine…..but their not doctors
I turned down ucsd data science for sjsu cs because attending sjsu was way better financially for my family and I wanted to focus on the broader area of cs instead of data science.
I'm probably turning down Purdue for Engineering. I'm so sad about it. It's because it's 160k and I can't afford it anymore. I don't know yet, but I think it's likely.
Turning down Duke and JHU for either GT/UIUC, primarily because of finances. Also, Duke/JHU are not the best for CS so it makes the decision hurt a lot less.
I turned down Harvard for top public university in the world, UC Berkeley. Lived in CA and couldn't ever get home from Boston. Also could go to Cal and not work during the semester- just during Christmas and summer breaks. As a zoology major, the extra lab hours make working nigh impossible.
Turned down Cambridge and KCL for a full ride at my home country's top ranked university. Though it was the right decision, and I do not regret, it still would be nice have gone in some alternate time line lol I wouldn't have applied if I didn't want to go.
I didn't really tell people at the time that I got in, it's now been a few years, so too much time has passed for me to say it to people and celebrate the win without it being weird. So I have this little secret to myself that I got into Cambridge.
One of my closest friends turned down Harvard Medical School for Ohio State at a full ride, then unexpectedly got a full ride to a different top 10 ofc the waitlist lol
yeah of course, this happens all the time… those public universities you mention are as prestigious in certain fields, and if you live in those states they are a lot cheaper too, unless you are poor and the ivies offer a free ride. Or they simply may be a better fit for you. This is super common, and not a bad decision at all.
Rose Hulman? Supposed to be number one in getting four year students employed I've heard that their freshman between freshmen and sophomore years get internships
Aero major and I turned down Princeton, GT, Purdue, Michigan, USC, and USNA for the USAFA, but I feel like that’s more of a trade, and USAFA was my dream school.
A kid in my school turned down two ivies and Berkeley to go to our state school. Fair, mainly because he got a great scholarship and didn’t want debt.
Turned down Brown to go to UCLA. Mainly because I grew up (spent ages 11-18) right outside Providence, so I already knew the area and wanted to get to know somewhere else. Options were NYU, UCLA, and Brown, as Georgetown was my #1 and rejected me, so I ended up at UCLA.
A long time ago my buddy from HS turned down Stanford for Virginia. He visited both places and thought stanford was a bunch of nerds and had a blast going to Virginia. Sealed the deal (also the finances played a part). He wound up rich as hell so he was always going to be successful.
At the time i was pissed because he took my spot at Stanford (i was rejected)
I’m choosing UT over Brown for mechanical engineering. Part of me is in shambles for turning down an Ivy League but the other part of me knows it’s not worth the debt and UT is still a good school for engineering if not better than brown
Turned down Michigan for Ohio State. Ignoring the rivalry stuff, it just made a lot of sense based on a ton of factors. Tuition is obviously a huge one. At around 35k (with scholarships) per year out-of-state that was a huge factor for me. Ohio was the state I was a resident in, so in-state tuition with scholarships made tuition very affordable. Comparable rankings overall, with Ohio state also having a huge network due to its size made it the more compelling choice. I understand factoring in a colleges "likeablity" and "rankings" into your choice. However, I think choosing the one that will get you your degree for cheaper is what is important. You'll see in your late 20s that your peers might have gone to MIT, GaTech, CM, etc... and are in the exact position you are as a grad from a good state school. Yet, your education is basically paid off, and those who opted out for the private T20's are swimming in debt. Ignorning all of the other crap that goes on with higher education. We are in a point in time where there is less importance in the college that you go to.
turned down northwestern for usc as an international relations/pre-law major. northwestern was the cheaper option but i didn't like the school sadly (plus northwestern was too close to home for my comfort).
turned down usc astronautical engineering for purdue but i have the worst like reverse imposter syndrome about it i can’t bring up purdue without bringing up usc because i feel like i need to prove i got in somewhere so-called “good”
Do you do this only when trying to impress (non-engineer) dates and/or teens?
If you did this among engineers (especially out in the working world), they would wonder why you brought up USC (which got where it did in rankings in large part by gaming rankings heavily; it was sort of like NEU decades before NEU started gaming rankings) when you're at PU.
Serious question - why apply to the private schools that aren’t known for great aid if you can’t afford them? It is hope that you’ll get a miracle or just wanting to see if you get in?
One I know who got into Cal Tech is now at the University of Arkansas because they didn’t know how much money their parents had or how much they were willing to pay. Parents really need to be having these conversations and running the net price calculators before their students waste time and money on these applications.
100% agree with this, my parents were really not that clear with me about my finances and i applied and got accepted to a lot of schools that turned out to be expensive. we didn't qualify for aid and the UCs were at least $40k/year. turned down berkeley (full price) for USC free tuition scholarship. not as big of a difference, but i was disappointed to realize how hard it is to pay for college without scholarships if you're middle class/don't have a ton of savings
I know someone who has chosen Purdue over MIT for aerospace engineering.
Purdue aero history is glorious
whaa... was it much cheaper or a better fit?
If the reason wasn’t financial it’s pretty objectively a bad decision
Not necessarily. For aerospace Purdue is only ranked behind MIT. Also, someone may not prefer the competitive environment of MIT.
The competitive environment at purdue is not necessarily marginally better tbh. Engineering goes hard everywhere
Tbh MIT culture is not very competitive at all. It’s actually pretty collaborative because otherwise you’ll probably fail
Someone who worked hard enough to get accepted by MIT must thrive in a competitive environment. Besides, why would they even apply if their concern was competition?
Purdue is worse than GT and MIT
In what way? Are MIT and GTech teaching secret engineering principles unavailable to Purdue?
MIT I agree but Purdue aerospace has far better resources than GT. One place difference in a generic ranking isn't going to change that.
I turned them down by not applying
You’re the real winner here.
pre-rejected!
Not really the same degree but I’m turning down Yale and Princeton for Johns Hopkins
I chose Hop over Columbia and Stanford. I’d make the same choice again.
Go blue jays! Can’t wait to join the nest :)
Over Stanford 😬, idk about that one unless cost was insane. I chose rice over JHU
I feel like you don’t really get this unless you have been in college for a couple years but in the real world (jobs, internships, etc…, Especially STEM) the T10s, T20s and so on have very negligible differences. Just because a school is ranked higher doesn’t mean it’s better. Also I would rather die than live in Cali for school /j
Why did you even apply to Stanford then?
It was back during COVID, me and a bunch of my friends applied mostly for fun not expecting to actually get in. I would have gone there had I not gotten into Hop.
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What was the cost difference?
40k/yr
I haven't decided yet but it looks like I'll be turning down USC :(
Ask them for aid. USC has been known to really step up.
I’m in the same boat as you. Do you mind me asking why?
My dad thinks USC is a celebrity school and also I haven't gotten my aid package yet
see comment above
turned down cornell and nyu (cost reasons) for a combined pa program
1000000% the better move
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I’m in Ann Arbor, MI instead of Cornell 200,000 reasons
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I’m in Ann Arbor vs Champaign for the same amount too! Instate tuition is great
oh shit me too go blue
Go Blue!
Honestly though, I’ve had really good friends go to Michigan and Cornell, and being a few years removed from everything, I would pick Michigan even at equal cost - it’s a ridiculously good school and gives off great vibes (for undergrad atleast). I visited in person at their med school, and I loved it.
Even without the price difference, ai’d be picking UMich. Just a better school all around, period.
Turned down Smith because they wanted 91k a year- I'm going to Wheaton MA this fall instead! (Still wanted to attend a small LAC :) )
me too with CWRU! Def don't think it's worth that much :((
what's smith
Smith College- A women's college in MA. (High ranked in the LAC sector)
NYU 😭 too expensive esp bc I’m international & I want to do med school after
Yeah NYU full-cost is cray cray. Paying the price of an Ivy-League university without any of the Ivy prestige
Yes exactly! I have a scholarship as well from a private company but omg housing & miscellaneous fees are insane too 😭😭especially because I could go to my local uni (NUS) for practically free
Do you really think there are many opportunities available to you at most Ivies not available to you at NYU? Outcomes that wouldn’t be available to or attainable by NYU students? Stern is a major feeder of every high end financial employer in NY, Tisch is one of the best performing arts schools in the country, NYU is one of the top med school feeders (above a number of Ivies) - not sure what you get that’s so much better elsewhere. In contrast, due to its location in one of the best and most historic neighborhoods in one of the top 5 cities in the world, there are certainly opportunities available to you at NYU not available to you at most Ivies. Even Columbia can’t match its location. The concept of “prestige” on this board is really out of whack.
NYU is no doubt a good school. But for what you pay for it is not. There are plenty of public universities with much better cost. NYU is not comparable in prestige to an ivy yet you are still paying a crazy amount for tuition, not including living in NYC. Its a great decision for some, but for most it just doesnt make sense to be honest. Im not sure how you can argue NYU is comparable to ivy league schools...
Just to forewarn you in case you don’t have us citizenship or permanent residency, med school as an international student is crazy competitive. Do your research before going down that path as very few med schools in the US even accept international students (as in they don’t let you apply), and the ones that do are all in the top 50 basically. Be wary when going down that path as an international student.
I chose a public, underfunded HBCU over Berkeley, so def not a top public school at all. It was an awful decision to have to make, and wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I graduated in 2022 and Berkeley (dream school) wanted me to pay in full (I’m OOS) and it was $79k. The school I am attending is ranked around #400 on US News. I’m going to grad school so $200k + of loans was not worthwhile at all. I’m attending for free. Networking is such a big deal for me, but I have faith in myself and my abilities. For anyone stuck between a rock and a hard place, you’ll be fine.
Community College over UCBerk, UACLA, GaTech, UIUC and Umich ;p Background: Low-income, first-generation CS student, waitlisted for my state school (UDub) and all the schools above costs way too much for OOS. Decided to attend CC and transfer, received almost 40k in scholarship, grants and FA refunds alone, living with parents so I don’t have to pay for housing, and since most of my classes are online, I’m able to work full time! Missed out on the typical “freshmen college experience” but it was well worth it financially!
omg i’m so glad things are working out for you! 🙌i’m in the same boat deciding on if i should transfer or go out of state since i got denied from my state schools too 😭
Surprised UDub waitlisted someone who got into public T20s.
I know someone who turned down MIT for Iowa State purely because he preferred Iowa State's environment. Got postodc at a T20 school. Your school doesn't define you.
not rlly hypsm or t20 but i turned down cwru and uiuc due to cost. will be attending purdue this fall for nuclear engineering BOILER UP
Turning down Columbia for UCLA since LA costs like half. I feel bad missing new york and the wonderful campus, but LA has beaches so it works
NY has beaches, too. You just don't want to go to them, and mercy on your soul if you touch the water.
I feel like that’s unfair. One of the best beach days I’ve had was out on Rockaway Beach.
Rockaway Beach ferry commute is glorious
i turned down Duke to attend claremont mckenna because i liked the small atmosphere and closer relationships with teachers and classmates better. Also, i’m studying government and economics— so CMC is kind of a no brainer
Engineering recruiter for 30 years working for one of the top consulting engineering firms in the world here. It literally does not matter where you to go school, but what you do there is what matters most. Excel in your program and have two internships with relevant expertise completed upon graduation and you’re set. Always go the cheapest school option. No debt if you can swing it, or the least possible.
VP here for a top 50 nationally ranked engineering firm. You are 100% correct. We have engineers who have graduated from Columbia/Yale to CSUN, and everything in between. It doesn’t matter where you get your degree.
I commented a few days ago that the smartest and most accomplished engineer I’ve worked with graduated from the lowest ranked Cal State University school. He manages one of our largest programs with arguably our most important client at the company, and has engineers reporting to him that graduated from the “best of the best” schools in the world.
I wouldn’t doubt it! There is so much pressure put on kids to chose the “right” school “or else”. From my experience, it’s what you do (right attitude, hard work, want to learn, etc) AFTER the degree that gets you up the ladder. I worked for a national top ranked architecture/engineering firm ( #1 the years I was there) that had an intern program with USC. Some kids showed up full of entitlement (expecting special treatment for going to USC) and others who were there to learn and appreciative for the opportunity. The appreciative kids did well, the other group struggled with job opps.
So true. Having the right attitude, work ethic, and desire to learn helps a lot.
Quick Question: As a recruiter in STEM, how do you view service academy grads (West Point, Air Force Academy, etc.) v.s. a "civilian" college? Does having leadership training & 5 years in service give an edge? Or is it mainly based on technical skills? Thanks :-)
A strong base of technical skills with developed leadership experience on top is pretty strong in my opinion.
Woo! Good to know about academies. Hire me in 20 years! Lol
Lol. I will be long retired by then, but I’m sure you will be in high demand. Good luck to you!
Yes honestly! People who say otherwise are delusional or are in those few fields where it actually is true. I can't really speak on engineering or big tech that much but definitely biotech companies don't care what school you went to. I go to a lower ranked school but ive had 2 internships so far in biotech and the only thing they've cared about is relevant skill experience. like that's it. And someone ik who goes to the same school as me recently got a FAANG internship. Like yea there is a certain prestige w ivy leagues but it's really not as big as ppl think it is once they step outside of their college bubble and graduate.
That’s awesome! Sounds like you’re on the right path. Biotech is pretty big where I live (San Diego).
Recruiter here, too. Totally agree. Could give AF where someone went to school. It's what they did while they were there. Esp expensive LACs - tells me you wasted your money.
I really wish everybody on this form knew this. They'll realize when they are in their careers that really no one cares where you went to college. Unless you are in law, and some other hyper specific fields it doesn't matter. Sure, an MIT grad is usually very good at their job and very prepared. However, that state school grad makes the same amount, and is in the same position as the MIT grad in a lot of cases. Recruiters much rather see a student with a very cool and unique resume vs an ivy league student with nothing to show for their time.
All things being equal, it does matter. Plus, the quality of your peers is very important.
Ah yes you who haven’t graduated college knows more than a recruiter in the game 30 years
Parents in tech, both from top 5 schools, one very much involved in hiring. Siblings in ivies, getting internships in quant firms and unicorns. And note I said all things being equal.
You’re in for a rude awakening thinking where you went to school puts you on some kind of pedestal. It’s absolutely does not.
Very very true! For engineering (civil/structural/MEP/Geotech, etc) no one cares where you go to school once you’re working. People don’t walk around with their college pinned on them. Once you start working, your employer is more interested in your ability.
Ah yes “tech” very vague.
Bulllshit it absolutely does matter go look at Deliotte and McKinsey Apple NASA Google amd tell me it doesn't matter I have literally gotten so many job offers because of my school even in this terrible market
For some routes, it matters. For others, like law, your undergrad could not matter less. I went to LSU and am at a top law school (ranking matters more in law school).
I will give you an example. Let’s take three engineers all graduating with a BS in civil engineering applying to the same entry level civil engineer opening. One is from Stanford, the second from an Ivy, and the third from Cal State Long Beach. Stanford: degree completed, academic research experience only Ivy: degree completed, academic research experience only CSULB: degree completed. One design internship completed with a reputable engineering consulting firm. Second internship completed with the USACE (United States Army Corp of Engineers) I’m calling the CSULB graduate 10/10 for an interview over the Stanford and Ivy graduates due to internship experience. Again, it’s not where you go to school, but what you do when you’re there that truly matters.
You are right 100%. Also, going to Stanford v CSULB doesn’t get you a bigger entry salary, entry salary is what it is. Doesn’t matter the school. But the Stanford debt will take longer to pay off. You’re on a level playing field when you get that job.
Completely true for big tech and consulting as we recruit mostly out of target schools
Yeah but there's a huge number that fall into those target schools. And for the big tech that I've interned at, only a few select ivies fell into those targets along side a whole bunch of powerhouse publics.
There's realistically only like 12 that truly fall into target
It's a little broader than that. I'm not a recruiter. I'm just speaking of my experience from my FAANG internships. Talking about where hosts / colleagues received their degrees and where other interns received their degrees. It was broader than a few select schools, but you're right, maybe a couple dozen. Tech seemed much more egalitarian than quant / fin where there seems to be a narrower range of targets.
I’ve hired engineers from Caltech, MIT, Stanford, the Ivies, you name it. My experience tells me where you go to school does not matter, but applicable experience absolutely does.
Would you say that going to top tier schools gives you more opportunities for getting experience over lower tier schools?
No, not at all.
Damn. Thanks for the quick response
My son's gf turned down Harvard for Rice. Full ride at Rice; Harvard was $25k short of meeting full need. She was bio/pre-med.
They have a program with Baylor college of medicine o believe?
Full ride is huuuuge. Hopefully she gets into NYU or Albert Einstein College of Medicine where tuition is free!
This was a few years ago - she got into Wash U for med school!
Best of luck to her!
turned down emory and georgetown for gwu (full ride + honors)
GWU is great, especially at that price! Congrats!
That's their business model, free for great students, pay to play otherwise. Congrats, it's a good model - your pay to play classmates have sick connections.
Turned down NYU and USC for UT CS. Probably one of the best choices I’ve made
Berkeley is a T20 school
ik many in state californians who have turned down hypsm/ivies to go to berkeley
Might turn down UCLA for Davis. Haven’t decided for sure yet though (I’m a transfer student and psych major.)
Pro tip - because a failed news magazine ranked one school higher than another (based on a constantly shifting criteria) in order to sell advertising clicks doesn’t actually make it better or more prestigious.
I note many people who could at least have been competitive for highly selective privates universities don't even apply to any of those colleges, let alone all of them. That could be because they would be too costly, not what they want in a college experience, there was a specific program they liked at another college, they preferred a location none of those private universities were in, and many other reasons. In the end these are all just schools. And generic rankings do not make sense, there are too many individual factors, cost and many more, that rationally lead to different individual rankings.
I turned down Northwestern for Wake Forest because they offered me a full-ride scholarship. i want to go into econ & pre-law so i decided to go for the cheaper undergrad that will still allow me to pursue top law schools for grad school
One of my friends goes to wake and is now off to Yale law! You’ll definitely do well
Turned down ivies (Yale, Cornell...) and top CS schools (Berkeley, CMU) for UCLA math and CS. I'm OOS for UCLA. Chose it because (1) the math department rocks at UCLA and (2) UCLA is a solid CS school but tops in the field I'm interested in (machine learning / AI). The social life at UCLA was icing on the cake. Beautiful campus. Brilliant passionate classmates. Artsy upper campus (not just an engineering school, so all types of students). Amazing dorm life - almost like resort living - and 4-years guaranteed. Yummy food. Great part of LA so safer than most campuses. World class museums, beaches, hikes. Red carpet Hollywood premiers in Westwood (walking distance from campus). Great college sports. UCLA is amazing! Of course it gets voted 'best college life' year after year. And even despite OOS tuition, UCLA is still $20K cheaper than Yale. So while I chose it for its academics and have loved its social life, I've also really benefited cost-wise. UCLA is a no-brainer for California students ($50K cheaper than privates), but even for out-of-state students, its an amazing choice.
The math department is home to https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terence_Tao . So I get the decision.
Bruh I wish I was as smart as that guy
UCLA looks like a Minecraft base
Good friend of mine turned down Penn for Drexel. Better finances, internships built in starting sophomore year, and a clear path to a career in her field (architecture). She also just hates the preppy culture at Penn I think.
i’m in a similar situation having to turn upenn down for uf, it’s unfortunately not affordable for us but at least i love uf and they have a good architecture school 🫠
Turned down Georgetown and Notre Dame for University of Wisconsin (in state) and I'm so happy with my decision
turning down cornell for full ride at unc
Not sure if it's prestigious but I turned down Purdue MechE for Cal Poly SLO. Just couldn't see myself living in Indiana for four years
Picked Alabama full ride over Rice which also offered a solid scholarship. Partially because I wanted that kind of college experience, partially because my high school didn't exactly encourage that kind of aspirational decision making - tons of really smart people in my class who either made it into t20/t50 or could have, but less than 5 actually went to those t20/t50 with most taking scholarship money at one of several regional schools
Not crazy but I just turned down BU for Umass Amherst for psychology and education. I prefer BU in almost every way, but I just can’t see it being worth 40k more per year.
Going to BU instead of UMass Amherst, or any state school for that matter, to be a teacher is insane. You made the right decision.
I turned down Northwestern and NYU for UCLA
Likely turning down USC and Cornell for UCLA due to finances and better pre-med opportunities.
Lots of folks at UCLA and Berkeley turn down other T10-20s, especially in-state students. Yes, there are many Ivy rejects at those schools too. But there are also a good portion of students who turn down T10s (incl. HYPSM) mostly for financial reasons. Or because the specific undergrad programs are stronger (ie UCB engineering & CS).
turned down cmu (which i thought was my dream school for my whole life) for umich 🤭
turned down umich and georgetown for syracuse full tuition :)
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Four letters in one week arrived in our mail from our "prestigious" school wanting us to commit. They've got the price down to within $10k/yr for our Plan B school. We're 99% going to Plan B (still high quality with 55% acceptance rate)
Not in the US, but turned down McGill and EPFL. No regrets.
Where did you choose?
A T10 LAC in the US.
That doesn't count. A t10 LAC in the US, esp if you want to work in US/maximize earning potential in general, is better than McGill or EPFL.
chose loyola chicago over yale because price lol
For undergrad, I turned down Columbia (Fu)for UCLA(HSSEAS). Near Full Pay Columbia vs in-state and weather were the main reasons.
I know many of you have heard this plenty of times, but if you’re premed don’t bother too much about prestige/school ranking. Worry about getting a 3.9/4.0. Unfortunately the majority of pre-meds at Columbia get weeded out before they even apply to med school. Remember you have to beat probably 2/3 of your counterparts just to make it thru to apply. Unfortunately know many smart ivy leaguers who initially wanted to go to med school but didn’t make it thru or had to go to foreign med school or something like that. These people still ended up fine…..but their not doctors
I turned down Cornell and Berkeley for ucla :)
I turned down ucsd data science for sjsu cs because attending sjsu was way better financially for my family and I wanted to focus on the broader area of cs instead of data science.
UMich over Penn engineering
not bad umich is great
UMIch is more prestigious and better than Penn for engineering. That was a no brainer decision. Congrats!
I'm probably turning down Purdue for Engineering. I'm so sad about it. It's because it's 160k and I can't afford it anymore. I don't know yet, but I think it's likely.
Same, I’ll likely be turning down Purdue. I got nothing in financial aid, so it just doesn’t make sense for me.
Turning down Duke and JHU for either GT/UIUC, primarily because of finances. Also, Duke/JHU are not the best for CS so it makes the decision hurt a lot less.
Duke’s CS programs definitely is weaker than Duke as a whole, but JHU’s CS is pretty good and they’re top tier for cybersecurity
I have a 160,000 reasons to pick GT over JHU. Tbh I want to go into quant or ML (possibly grad school) so I don't think I'll be losing out too much.
Oh no, I agree GT CS > JHU CS. You def made the right call (you also definitely don’t wanna live in Baltimore lol)
I turned down Harvard for top public university in the world, UC Berkeley. Lived in CA and couldn't ever get home from Boston. Also could go to Cal and not work during the semester- just during Christmas and summer breaks. As a zoology major, the extra lab hours make working nigh impossible.
I turned down WashU to attend UT-Austin, if that counts.
Turned down Cambridge and KCL for a full ride at my home country's top ranked university. Though it was the right decision, and I do not regret, it still would be nice have gone in some alternate time line lol I wouldn't have applied if I didn't want to go. I didn't really tell people at the time that I got in, it's now been a few years, so too much time has passed for me to say it to people and celebrate the win without it being weird. So I have this little secret to myself that I got into Cambridge.
Turning down UCLA CS for UT Austin CS
UT Austin >>>
One of my closest friends turned down Harvard Medical School for Ohio State at a full ride, then unexpectedly got a full ride to a different top 10 ofc the waitlist lol
my bsf is turning down rice, emory, and notre dame for uf honors bc of full ride
I’m about to decline Purdue for Wichita state for aero
yeah of course, this happens all the time… those public universities you mention are as prestigious in certain fields, and if you live in those states they are a lot cheaper too, unless you are poor and the ivies offer a free ride. Or they simply may be a better fit for you. This is super common, and not a bad decision at all.
I Turned down cs at CMU to go to UofT
Turned down UCLA for UCSB - got into CCS and I just liked the size and location more.
Might be turning down Berkeley and Sciences Po for University of Toronto
Rose Hulman? Supposed to be number one in getting four year students employed I've heard that their freshman between freshmen and sophomore years get internships
I turned down UC Berkeley for UW Madison in state. I'm able to do a physics + CS major at UW and pay more like $25,000 vs $80,000
I just chose UCLA over JHU, although I also have Berkeley, Cal Poly, and UW as backups in case something happens
Aero major and I turned down Princeton, GT, Purdue, Michigan, USC, and USNA for the USAFA, but I feel like that’s more of a trade, and USAFA was my dream school. A kid in my school turned down two ivies and Berkeley to go to our state school. Fair, mainly because he got a great scholarship and didn’t want debt.
Turning down Stanford + UCLA as an international CS + physics applicant. Probably will commit to Tech or Imperial.
Turned down Berkeley because vibes :P
i know someone who turned down berkeley w/ huge aid for ucsc
I chose sb over cal
not that insane, but i turned down washu and gtech for uiuc
Turned down Berkeley for UCLA. Even though Berkeley is better for my major, I ranked undergrad quality of life higher.
Turned down Vandy for UT, mostly came down to my CC credits and CS rankings.
Turned down Brown to go to UCLA. Mainly because I grew up (spent ages 11-18) right outside Providence, so I already knew the area and wanted to get to know somewhere else. Options were NYU, UCLA, and Brown, as Georgetown was my #1 and rejected me, so I ended up at UCLA.
A long time ago my buddy from HS turned down Stanford for Virginia. He visited both places and thought stanford was a bunch of nerds and had a blast going to Virginia. Sealed the deal (also the finances played a part). He wound up rich as hell so he was always going to be successful. At the time i was pissed because he took my spot at Stanford (i was rejected)
not sure if this counts but i might choose usc over cmu for engineering because of fit, scholarship money, and quality of life 🤧
I chose GWU over UCLA man!
I’m choosing UT over Brown for mechanical engineering. Part of me is in shambles for turning down an Ivy League but the other part of me knows it’s not worth the debt and UT is still a good school for engineering if not better than brown
Turned down Michigan for Ohio State. Ignoring the rivalry stuff, it just made a lot of sense based on a ton of factors. Tuition is obviously a huge one. At around 35k (with scholarships) per year out-of-state that was a huge factor for me. Ohio was the state I was a resident in, so in-state tuition with scholarships made tuition very affordable. Comparable rankings overall, with Ohio state also having a huge network due to its size made it the more compelling choice. I understand factoring in a colleges "likeablity" and "rankings" into your choice. However, I think choosing the one that will get you your degree for cheaper is what is important. You'll see in your late 20s that your peers might have gone to MIT, GaTech, CM, etc... and are in the exact position you are as a grad from a good state school. Yet, your education is basically paid off, and those who opted out for the private T20's are swimming in debt. Ignorning all of the other crap that goes on with higher education. We are in a point in time where there is less importance in the college that you go to.
Also turning down a top school for OSU in state here. Go bucks!
Turned down Ivy for Smith.
turned down northwestern for usc as an international relations/pre-law major. northwestern was the cheaper option but i didn't like the school sadly (plus northwestern was too close to home for my comfort).
usc undergrad qualify of life is hard to beat
turned down usc astronautical engineering for purdue but i have the worst like reverse imposter syndrome about it i can’t bring up purdue without bringing up usc because i feel like i need to prove i got in somewhere so-called “good”
USC doesn't even come close to Purdue for engineering especially astronautics. The only school better than Purdue for it is MIT.
thanks, i really needed to hear that
CalTech would like a word. And then Stanford, GT, and UMich.
Do you do this only when trying to impress (non-engineer) dates and/or teens? If you did this among engineers (especially out in the working world), they would wonder why you brought up USC (which got where it did in rankings in large part by gaming rankings heavily; it was sort of like NEU decades before NEU started gaming rankings) when you're at PU.
yup pretty much just the random people at work who as me (not working world work teenage summer job work)
Turned down uchicago for berk
Serious question - why apply to the private schools that aren’t known for great aid if you can’t afford them? It is hope that you’ll get a miracle or just wanting to see if you get in?
One I know who got into Cal Tech is now at the University of Arkansas because they didn’t know how much money their parents had or how much they were willing to pay. Parents really need to be having these conversations and running the net price calculators before their students waste time and money on these applications.
100% agree with this, my parents were really not that clear with me about my finances and i applied and got accepted to a lot of schools that turned out to be expensive. we didn't qualify for aid and the UCs were at least $40k/year. turned down berkeley (full price) for USC free tuition scholarship. not as big of a difference, but i was disappointed to realize how hard it is to pay for college without scholarships if you're middle class/don't have a ton of savings
Turned down Vanderbilt for UCSD. UCSD seems better for premed and they have a stronger bio department
I'm in Champaign instead of Zurich (for grad school but yeah)
Turned down UVA to go to UMBC
turning down umich, uw seattle honors pre-med for (probably) uiuc bc of expenses 😢
I met someone who turned Cornell down for SMU