<p>“My question is how can an institution of lower caliber students (in general, again, of course there are exceptions) and institutions of higher caliber students award the ‘same’ degree? They must have differing class rigor. Even if you compare varying degree requirements among schools, you can clearly see this. And how does the whole “whatever undergrad school you go to doesn’t matter, go to a good grad school” argument play into this?”</p>
<p>Well all high school diplomas are not the same, even ones that come from the same high school. The differences in the education that students receive at US schools varies tremendously, from preschool onward. And it matters a lot where you go to school, from preschool onward. Open enrollment colleges typically spend $6000/student/yr on direct educational costs. The 400, or so, selective schools spend $27,000/student/yr on direct educational costs. This is a significant difference in the level of investment, and it shows in the product, even when the students are the same.</p>
<p>I think what people believe that it is the school that grant the highest degree earned that matters most to your career. I suppose there is some truth to this. But where you go to school before you earn that highest degree, for many people, determines whether or not they get the chance to try for the higher degree. Partly just because of the expectation of your cohort and partly because of what you were able to show in school. For example I received financial support for graduate school based on the quality of my undergraduate education. I went to a small college that prepared its students for graduate work. It is possible that if I had been really motivated and I had attended a larger state school I would have excelled and gotten the same award. This is what people mean when they say the college does not matter. It doesn’t seem like the truth to me. I know don’t know that I would have been pushed as hard if I was driving my own education, and I don’t know that I would have questioned so much if I had not been at such a hard school.</p>