<p>So the wait is over for most of us. It appears that everybody believes that a better school offers more opportunities/connections, etc. I’d be interested to know from all those parents out there whether you felt that your Alma Mater REALLY impacted these for you positively or negatively in terms of your life course…</p>
<p>I’m not a parent, but I’m an alum. I will say that yes, so far, my alma mater has impacted my life course positively.</p>
<p>It would be helpful if you could say where you went. My mother graduated from Princeton and does not think that her undergraduate school had any major impact upon her subsequent life. My father went to BU and made many professional connections that have helped him. This is the opposite of common beliefs (i.e. that Ivy’s give you a huge leg up and the lesser schools don’t). Interestingly though, my father still is sort of defensive about his school (even though it was 6 year med) and my mother, obviously, isn’t.</p>
<p>hpg,
At first I was going to suggest that you post in the Parents Forum. However, there have been other threads in PF that somewhat address this question. They tended to meander through long discussions about the theoreticals, not always the practicals (what you’re asking), & got into other technicalities as well. Bottom line: You ask a very important question, & hopefully well-timed for students making decisions. I have been advantaged by attending my outstanding public flagship (significant reach these days, even for in-staters). Here’s why: although the name is recognized, it is not the name per se that opened doors. What happened was: my education enabled me to make intellectual connections that directly influenced my performance on jobs, plural, as well as insights which have furthered my ability to figure out & tackle new fields beyond graduation. It also allowed me, given the enormous opportunity to write descriptively & accurately, to express myself both on the job & in other situations (legal, personal, & more) – expression which impacted events in my life. In my case, the reputation of the school happened to equate with the actual substance achieved there. So the point is, look for quality, not name. There are parents on cc who swear by their LAC (not Ivy, not recognized flagship public) as providing an education about which they have no regrets. For these reasons I am grateful to my Alma Mater and give back every year in the form of service to aspiring applicants.</p>
<p>PM me if you would like more info.</p>
<p>My alma mater definitely provided me more opportunities. I got one internship through an upperclassmen who had previously worked there. He got his internship with that company through another school connection. I have been able to get internship opportunities for some students at my school with the company as well, so it’s just a loooong chain of connections.</p>
<p>I got a second internship through the VP of the company I mentioned above because the VP was also an alum of my college and he had friends at the new company I was going to. I was switching fields, so he didn’t mind me leaving, and was quite helpful in finding me new opportunities.</p>
<p>And now recently, I got a full-time job through a different alum who’s a VP at the company.</p>
<p>At both my graduate and undergrad school, some professors have industry connections who are looking for people to hire, and they pass their info to students. I know quite a few people who benefited from this.</p>
<p>My alma mater connections have definitely helped me TREMENDOUSLY.</p>
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<p>MIT.</p>
<p>The ways in which it has helped range from the effects on my personality and work ethic, to the connections I made, to the name impressing potential employers and others (I got a really sweet research internship overseas one summer in which the big name helped me, which helped me in my job-hunt later), to particular classes that have been useful to me.</p>