Does it Matter Where you get your Degree regarding your financial success and personal satisfaction? To some degree the answer is yes, but for some this is not a high priority. Students have different needs and goals in life. The degree of financial success depends on the goals and needs of the person.
However in my case going to a top ranked university in the Philippines(
UP) for my bachelor degree in Chemistry and my Master's and Ph.D
degrees from the University of Illinois here in the US gave me personal satisfaction I will always cherish as long as I live.
Last
September my youngest grand daughter( Carenna Katague Thompson) went to
college at one of the highly prestigious but expensive university in
the US(GWU-ESIA). She had several options where to apply and was
accepted in another university less prestigious and cheaper than ESIA,
GWU. But she choose GWU where she will be pursuing her bachelor's degree
in International Affairs and National Security in the next 4 years. I
also know of a few relatives going to less ranked and prestigious school
compared to ESIA. So I was curious if it really matters where you go to
college. I did some search and the site at the bottom of the page
answered my question. However, there are other articles that disagree.
In a recent study (2020) of working recent college graduates, the authors found that recent grads from higher-ranked universities outperformed their peers from lower ranked universities to a limited degree. This research is useful for hiring managers who need to carefully consider the worth of the increase in performance for the firm. For some companies, the difference between a hypothetical graduate from an “average” vs. “top” university may be well worth the extra pay that these candidates typically receive. Yet, for others the added cost may not result in a positive return on investment and, thus, may not be justified. All in all, the authors find that hiring graduates from higher-ranked universities would lead to a nominal improvement in performance, but that employers can get a much better deal by hiring the “right” students from lower-ranked institutions, than “anyone” from better-ranked institutions.https://hbr.org/2020/09/graduates-of-elite-universities-get-paid-more-do-they-perform-better
Does it really pay to go to an elite university, financially speaking? Researchers have been investigating this issue since at least the 1980s. And their findings tend to show that when it comes to future earnings, where you go to college counts.https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/05/does-it-matter-where-you-go-to-college/257227/
But
not all students are guaranteed success attending a top rank school. A
school that fits the student needs is recommended as explained in the
following article.
Why is a university that fits your needs better than a top ranked one?
Because university tops are so popular there’s a tendency – particularly in the USA – for students (and parents!) to assume that going for a Bachelor’s at a top ranking university is the best choice they can make. However, the new Stanford study has found otherwise.
The study reveals that high school graduates care more about their learning, well-being and future job satisfaction (professionally and financially). And rankings often don’t give any guarantee that you will achieve this by going to a reputed university.
Denise Pope, a senior lecturer at Stanford’s Education School, explained, "Research tells us that the most successful students, both in college and beyond, are the ones who engage in the undergraduate experience regardless of how selective a school may be. This is almost always the case whether a student attends the top-ranked or 200th-ranked college."
Also, a few Gallup surveys say that what students like you value more is nor reputation, but rather having professors who cared about them and who made them more interested in what they were studying.
The Stanford report’s advice is that there’s no one-size fits-all when it comes to searching and choosing the right college. Ranking criteria are only working for a minority of students, but misdirect most others.
The report adds that “rather than choosing a school based primarily on a flawed scoring system, students should ask whether they will be engaged at the college in ways that will allow them to form strong relationships with professors and mentors, apply their learning via internships and long-term projects, and find a sense of community.”
Here's a list of the top 100 university in the US.
Here's GWU national ranking (#63)and higher rankings based on degree specialty
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/george-washington-university-1444/overall-rankings
GWU is in the top 10% of the country for international relations. More specifically it was ranked #22 out of 291 schools by College Factual. It is also ranked #2 in District of Columbia.
During the 2019-2020 academic year, George Washington University handed out 538 bachelor's degrees in international relations and national security. Due to this, the school was ranked #1 in popularity out of all colleges and universities that offer this degree. This is a decrease of 17% over the previous year when 647 degrees were handed out.
In 2020, 334 students received their master’s degree in international relations from GWU. This makes it the #3 most popular school for international relations master’s degree candidates in the country.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving to All!
