7. Degree of Competitive Reputation/Prestige
I know that it may sound very elitist, but reputation can be something to consider, too. I have already discussed how a college’s overall reputation can influence how you select a major and how much freedom you have to explore your academic options while on campus.
A college’s reputation can also influence where you go to grad school and where you get a job. I’ll be honest: if you graduate from a prestigious college, people take you more seriously when you apply to graduate school and for jobs in general.
If you go to a less renowned college or university, then you have to worry more about your GPA because the assumption most people make, whether it is fair or not, is that graduating from a top college says more than a high GPA from a state school. I know how that sounds, but that has been my experience. Furthermore, if you go to a competitive college, you become part of a network of competitive, driven folks, and you never know when that will come in handy. (Also, I experienced—and so did many of my friends at top colleges throughout the US—far fewer “grade-greedy” students obsessed with a mark over what they learned. So if the whole “what’d ya get?” drama gets on your nerves, this is something to consider.)
