Does your college name matter?

When it comes to school names, I have to admit thinking one person is smarter than the other based on which college he/she goes to is very superficial and stupid. Yes, as stupid as it sounds, but a lot of people are still willing to pay the unbelievably high tuition. Those who are able to pay their own tuition are lucky, because many others have to take out loans or borrow money from relatives to go to "elite" schools.

So why do students do that? Do school names really matter that much?

Before answering this question, I cannot help but mention Asian students. Asians view school ranking more than anything else. If you have the college diploma from one of the top schools, you are not only more likely to find a job upon graduation but also more likely to get paid better. Isn't this pathetic? But it is true in Asia. It is your school, or the ranking of the school, to determine how suitable you are for the job, not your ability.

Of course the new generation in Asia does not value school ranking as highly as decades ago, but which school a person goes to is still one of the most important things for employers to look at before hiring.

Although big-name schools do not guarantee future success, it is believed that knowing people who are more likely be successful helps you to be successful too. Americans believe so too. It's called the power of networking.

I still remembered when I went to "Your Job and Your Money," a seminar hosted by a Purdue business fraternity, I asked the speaker the same question: Do school names matter? The speaker gave me a very honest answer. "The school you go to does not represent you as a person, but you get more recognition when you first hand in your resume," he said.

It is very true. It might sound superficial and biased because everyone knows graduating from Harvard University does not mean you are a smart person. However, this is how people categorize others, and without categorizing and stereotyping, human will have to spend significantly more time to make sense of the world.

However, many people do not believe in the power of big-name schools. The New York Times opinionators David Brooks and Gail Collins wrote that Americans are obsessed with well-known schools. Collins said students shouldn't choose a school just to make their resumes look impressive. "Kids, you do not need to go to a school with a name that impresses your friends. Go to a school you can afford," she wrote. David Brooks also pointed out that he wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a student from the No.1 school and a student who goes to a No. 100 college. "There are a lot of smart kids everywhere," they concluded.

So, should people continue their obsession with big-name schools or not? I say it depends on individuals. There are definitely benefits of going to a well-known college than a school that nobody has heard of, but it is the students' job to see if the benefits outweigh the costs. If Ivy League schools happen to be the schools that fit your interest the most, and you are able to afford it, I say you should go for it. But if not, I suggest you go to schools that you can afford.