Updates on the whole college admissions business

[Rudey]

I'm going to have to argue with you on this point Certain places don't even hire at schools outside their target school list. Kids at my school are obsessed with incredibly competitive business positions. Outside of the top 10 schools it becomes incredibly difficult to obtain these jobs. And outside of the top 25 schools, it becomes close to impossible to get the jobs at all. These are jobs in investment banking, management consulting, etc. Even though my school is top 10, I was told by two firms that they don't even look outside of the top 3 schools in the country and I had no shot whatsoever. And it should also be noted that it's widely known within the business world that graduates from top mba programs move much faster up the corporate ladder than those with other mba's. This is to add and say it's not just medicine and law where your schooling matters.

-Rudey

Originally posted by DeltAlum
Just one final thought -- maybe.

The real reason to go to college is to prepare yourself to make a living in the "real world" (with appologies to MTV).

I've been a hiring manager for over twenty years, and during that time have hired only two people from my alma mater -- which is considered to be one of the very best broadcasting schools in the world.

Here's why...

I think in reality, where you go to school only really counts in "the professions" like medicine and law. What is really important is to get your first job and some experience. After that, it's only the fact that you have a degree from somewhere that counts. Experience is far more important.

And, I echo what some have said above that if you plan on grad school, that's the degree that really counts -- if only for the fact that it's the last one people read on your resume -- the bottom line, so to speak.

So, Newbie, if your heart is set on USC, and you can deal with the cost and loans at other stuff -- I wish you the very best. But, if you end up somewhere else, things will work out in the long run. Getting a degree is the most important part of the equation.