Does the college where you get your degree really matter?

Question

I live in Michigan. My father believes I could go to a "good" school. I am really only looking at Oakland U and Baker College of Port Huron. He has previously made remarks about Baker to the effect of it being "not as good." My question is, if I get a degree from Baker as opposed to a degree from say, Albion, will I really get less consideration during job hunts? Is a degree a degree as I'm hoping?

Answer 1

In some ways, a college degree is a gamble--a bet that the time and money you invest will more than pay you back with the additional money you earn. you might consider: what job field are you expecting to enter? (Some employers in some fields are more particular than others--e.g., lawyers are nortorious for being snobbish) Are you expecting to living in Port Huron? Some schools have local or regional appeal to portential employers, others are recognized nationwide. What kind of grades would you get--would you be in the top 10 percent? And, let's be practical--do you already know people in the field you want to work in who might be willing to give you that first job opportunity? Ask both schools--what percent of their grads are employed 6 months after graducation, and what is their median income?

Answer 2

All degrees are not created equal, as you'll find depending on what career you want to pursue (a Wharton or Harvard MBA still will beat out a State U MBA for a prestigious Wall Street job). However, what you can do is check with the major department at each university (Oakland and Baker, in your case) and ask about their job placement rates. Some smaller institutions have excellent placement rates (almost 100%), and some larger campuses have low rates, because finding a job is considered the student's responsibility rather than something the department assists in. If the department can't tell you anything about their job placement rates, I'd be suspicious and look elsewhere.

Answer 3

As you can see from the other answers a) this is partly a matter of opinion -- some people put more stress on this factor than others and b) it is a bit of a "yes and no".
If you have a degree from one of the great universities of the world (Harvard, Oxford) or which leads in some field (engineering at MIT, physics at Stanford, music at McGill) then that wins you some respect right off the bat. But otherwise, so long at the institution is legitimate, i.e. accredited, then the school's reputation will only be one factor, and likely not the most important, among many that will be considered when hiring you and should only be one factor among many, and likely not the most important, that you and your father should consider in making an application.
Good luck.

Answer 4

It does and it doesn't. once you first get your degree, a achieveable company will ask about your GPA in an interview because it truly is between the few alerts of what variety of worker you likely will be. except you also are a member of MENSA and different brainiac agencies, that first company might want to no longer placed a lot inventory into this "i'm sensible, yet college become this style of drag" habitual (so that you would opt for to truly excell at some straight forward courses to pump up that GPA!). when you've been out contained in the real international slightly and bypass on to different positions, GPA's are virtually area of the previous. Then the spotlight will be on your references, your sensible solutions to interview questions, your artwork achievements (promotions, etc.), etc.

Answer 5

Your school and how you did there does make a difference for your first job, but after that they don't really pay attention to it as much.
But what are you looking into studying? Some schools that could be considered "not as good" have really great programs for some degrees and are better respected in that field than degrees from better schools with worse programs in that field. If that makes sense. Maybe you should look into what you want to study and the stats (ranking, number of grads employed in the field) for each school and show it to your dad.

Answer 6

To a degree, name recognition does matter. If you want to be a teacher, going to a college known for creating good teachers may give you an edge. However, most people do not look just at the name, they look at your grades, the classes you took, clubs you joined, projects you participated in, and any honors you achieved.
Go to the college you are most comfortable at and which seems to have the most potential for YOU, not just your resume.

Answer 7

Yes it does, depending on where you went to college will probably affect your pay in your career. The more popular the college is, the more chances of you getting a better paying job, promotions and advances.

Answer 8

I really think that the most important thing is that you HAVE a degree, not where it came from. In the real world, very few people really care what school you went to, as long as you went.

Answer 9

I can't tell where to go to college but it does matter
where you go by the quality of their curiculum.Pick what will best suit your job needs for the future.Keep your options open for the best.

Answer 10

is anyone able to tell what is the correct answer for this question?