College choice, average colleges or top colleges? Does it really matter?

1 Personally, I think people make too much out of a college's prestige. There are plenty of state schools and lesser-known schools that have excellent programs, and that's what you need to be looking for. A better question to ask yourself is whether you can afford the price tag that comes along with a "quality name".

If you end up having to take student loans out to pay for $30,000/year tuition, I rather doubt that any potential benefit from graduating from a big-name school is going to be enough to cover your $1400 monthly loan payments. Rather than worrying about whether a school is considered a "top college," look at colleges that are in your price range and then pick the one that offers the best program in your major. When you're out applying for jobs, the professionals in your field are going to be familiar with these schools even if they're not well known by the general public.

2 Midwest has some good advice. I can testify that there is a difference. I went to an average state university.

Then I had the opportunity to attend a well known graduate school. The difference was amazing. The staff was much more competent and knowledgeable.

I was shocked at how little I had learned as an undergraduate. Check the rankings of the schools that rank well in the field you are interested in. What you know is going to get you further than the name of your school.My little podunk school had a terrible rating in Business, but it outranked Georgia Tech in Engineering.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.