Is Attending an Elite University Worth It?

A debate that I increasingly hear more about since the downturn in the economy is whether or not its worth the money to attend an elite university (versus an average state school, or community college for two years first).

Prospective college students need to realize that these two options have their benefits in drawbacks. Obviously, community college and/or a state school will be cheaper than an Ivy League, but it has its drawbacks at the same time.

To begin, the quality of the education you will receive will be the same in some ways, and different in others. If you are a science or engineering major, the material you will learn as an undergraduate will essentially be the same, whether you attend an elite or average school. However, your chances of participating in cutting-edge research will be more likely at an elite school, as will the chance be of having a “brilliant” professor (perhaps a Nobel Peace Prize winner) who may be willing to write you a dazzling letter of recommendation.

One other benefit of an elite school is the connections you can potentially make there. At such schools, you will often rub shoulders with children from wealthy/powerful families (more than you will at a more “average” school). Such connections could potentially land you a great job someday, for example. Additionally, schools like this will more often have distinguished professors and speakers (i.e. CEO’s of major companies, etc.), and well-known companies often clamor to recruit students from such colleges.

On the other hand, by attending a state school (or community college for two years first), you will save tens of thousands of dollars (maybe even over a hundred thousand) on your college education. The question you must figure out is what you want to get out of college. If having those connections and extra opportunities is important to you, definitely consider an elite school. If in the end all you are looking for is a quality education and a finding a good job after college, you will be just fine attending any four-year college/university.