Why Should You Attend a Top – Ranked College? How About – Instant Access to a Prestigious Social and Professional Network.
Does it really matter to a junior or senior high school student where his/her degree comes from? According to many of them, it does not. College years are the best years of their life and meant to be savored and enjoyed. The degree is what matters–not which college one gets it from. So they are not willing to try and get a higher GPA so that they can gain entrance into an elite school.
Later on, of course, they do come to realize that the school, or rather college, also makes a difference! This is when they are job-hunting. Ask any prospective employers whom would they choose, and a majority of them will answer that they would like to go for those who have graduated from top class schools and colleges. Lesser known colleges or even unknown colleges come second on their lists. These graduates are also given higher salaries over their counterparts. Articles in newspapers may state that if you get an MBA degree, you might make anything up to $100,000 a year. What they forget to mention is that those who do so have to be graduates from the Universities of Pennsylvania or Harvard or Northwestern. Thus, a little pain is definitely worth it, if one wants to gain!
There are different sources with different ranking systems. It is they that decide which college stands first, which second, and so on. The rankings do not remain the same every year–they keep changing for various reasons. Sometimes, the college does not have enough funding resources; sometimes, they are unable to offer all the academic programs that students desire; and sometimes, the teaching faculty cannot cope with the complications of each course. At times, an institution loses its top ranking simply because it was not compatible with a particular system of ranking. However, each source does offer an explanation for the way they have ranked colleges. The college goer should peruse each explanation thoroughly and bear in mind why and how changes could take place. Only after that, a particular school or college should be opted for the purpose of further studies.
Many students ask whether it’s better to go to a top ranked college that’s higher in overall ratings or that’s higher in the particular subject area that they wish to study. For example, Yale might have the highest cumulative rating out of all schools in a given year, but MIT might have the highest rating for engineering programs. If you’re fairly certain that you want to be an engineer, then by all means, you should go to the top ranked college in that discipline. But if you think there’s a chance you might change your major halfway through your sophomore year, then going to a school that scores well in cumulative ratings would be the better choice.
The next question would be, “where can you see the list of topmost colleges in the country”? Apart from the national magazine which contributes an entire issue to overall rankings of colleges, there are other places to search–books, the Internet, and annual school guides.
Yes, diligence is required during the high school years for admission into a high-ranked college. But if one has an eye on a bright future, then the effort will be well worth it.
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