<p>It takes a bit for a high school student to actually look deeper at a school and consider courses, what profs are researching (if applicable), and other such “academic” data. Many consider one school as good as another, so why not base their opinions on things like T shirts (or dorm rooms, or location, or their sports team, etc). The average teen just doesn’t have enough experience to go on to differentiate between schools.</p>
<p>For that matter, neither does the average parent. For them, pulling out the bells and whistles (red carpet) or finances tend to be the larger influence (though location also often counts a ton).</p>
<p>And for many, who solely need “a” degree rather than something specific, it really doesn’t matter. </p>
<p>Then there are those who wonder why they have “a” degree yet can’t find a job. Some (not all) of that can be attributed to where they went - NOT implying that the higher the ranking the better - rather - the “higher” the school for their major - and sometimes location - the better. How desirable/competitive the major is matters too.</p>
<p>But yeah, T shirts, dorm rooms, gym facilities, sports teams, special invites, fancy paperwork - they all “sell” a school - regardless of whether they should or not. It’s all part of the human psyche and lack of experience for what really should matter working together.</p>