Interestingly the schools themselves put out a lot of “averages” so it means something to the school (ACT averages, GPA, etc.).
Its not the college, its the type of students attending the college, so if there are a lot more students that get top scores on the MCAT/LSAT etc. who attend certain colleges then those colleges will obviously be overrepresented, and then when you add in the advantage of going to an undergraduate college with a top Med school/Law school and the fact that they give there own undergrads a leg up well you can see why certain schools do well.
There is a HUGE difference between talking about the average of any variable in a population, and talking about an “average individual” in a population.
I suspect that you have never met the “average American Family” which has 1.93 kids. Well, that is exactly the same as the "average UW student, and just as ridiculous to talk about.
Population averages tell you very little about any individual one happens to meet from that population. However, because people think that they do, it is possible to flimflam them with statistics. That is what is meant by “lies, damn lies, and statistics”.
Grades and LSATs are more important than what undergraduate school you attend. It cannot be much simpler than that. It’s more about what you do in those four years than the decision you make before beginning those four years. The discussion is not worth complicating unless you want to get into finances or alumni connections for post law school positions. Not everything about college though should be about getting into the “right” law school. Go to the place where you fit in best and where you believe will expand your knowledge base and tools and always consider your finances and whoever is helping you finance this.
Judge Sets $1 Million Bail for Chemistry Chair Charged With Lying About China Ties
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2020/1/31/lieber-million-bail/
This is what you are paying for at one of the most prestigious schools in the USA. Look at what he was being paid. I realize that this is just one example but my goodness, this college thing we have going on in the USA is kind of nuts…people paying to get in certain schools, professors on the take, kids losing their self worth because of the school they were or were not accepted to and students/parents taking out loans that will strap them forever for a piece of paper that in many cases could have been 1/2 (or less) the cost at another more affordable school.
“Bowler also prohibited Lieber from directly or indirectly contacting Wuhan University of Technology, Peking University, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Lieber received more than $1.5 million from Wuhan University of Technology in conjunction with the Thousand Talents Plan in addition to a $50,000 monthly salary, plus $150,000 in annual living expenses for “significant periods” from 2012 to 2017, per the criminal complaint in his case”
No one is talking about a single individual who is “average” at a University, that is absurd. I am talking about the average student as determined by objective measures, much in the same way an adcom looks at an admitted class. Don’t know how you could misinterpret that.
@CU123 So you are talking about comparing theoretical Wisconsin students to theoretical Chicago students? Or are they abstractions? Neither say anything at all about the actual individuals who attend either college.
Moreover, since you are talking about “objective measures”, there are Chicago admits whose SAT scores and GPAs are below the average of Wisconsin students. Since the SAT score range of Chicago was 1020-1600 and the ACT range was 20-36, I am pretty sure that there were any number of students who were accepted to Chicago with an SAT or ACT which was below the average SAT or ACT of Wisconsin. Since Chicago does not provide the range of UW GPA of their incoming classes, nor does UW, I cannot say for sure, but, based on the unreliable self-reported data on various sites, there also seem to be again, any number of students who were accepted to Chicago who have GPAs that are below the UW average.
We can also compared other “objective” criteria. The average family income of Chicago students is higher than that of Wisconsin, the percent of students from Wisconsin is higher at U Wisconsin than at U Chicago, Wisconsin has more Ag and Engineering students than does U Chicago, they eat more cheese at U Wisconsin than at Chicago, and they attend more football games.
What does all this mean? It means, is that talking about “average Wisconsin student” is nonsense, unless you are looking to sell cheese snacks to Wisconsin students to eat at football games and want to know how much they are likely to eat. the comparison will tell you whether you would make more money selling cheese snacks at foot ball games at U Wisconsin or at U Chicago.
@merc81 Exactly.
It all depends upon a person’s own values and value of $200K for them. Someone else would say what a waste to buy Tesla and travel abroad when you can buy a small condo, a second hand car, travel around your state and save 8 months emergency fund. While another person can buy one expensive car or a luxury watch and call it a day. Same way, someone else may prefer to buy an experience at the best college they can. Different folks different strokes.
Best college objective or subjective determination?
Best college as defined by the person shelling out the $$ 
College where they want to go, for any reason including but not limited to prestige, ranking, selectivity, peers, faculty, strong academics, strong athletics, accomplished alumni network, research opportunities, beautiful campus, whatever is important to them.
If money was the only thing that mattered, world would be devoid of luxuries.
Very well said. The actual quality and personal fit for an undergraduate education is an important factor often overlooked on CC no matter if go to graduate school or not.
Actually fit and quality are give too much important on cc, relative to how most applicants determine fit, which is affordability. That’s the the number one criteria for college selection, there’s probably not even a close second.
“If money was the only thing that mattered, world would be devoid of luxuries.”
Elite colleges are definitely a luxury good, no doubt about that.
Are you British perhaps? I have a British friend who also likes to write paragraphs in what could be said in a few sentences.
It is better to write at length and to be clear, than to be brief and be open to misunderstanding.
I agree with @theloniusmonk and others that financial “fit” is the most important factor in college selection, for most families as they’re budget constrained. They need to consider, first of all, whether a college can meet their financial needs: either the college meets “full need” (and verified by its NPC) or its full cost is within their budget.
After that comes academic fit, which includes strength in the major. Prestige does help in a few instances but it should, at best, be a tertiary consideration.
Georgetown is a private, Jesuit University
I would guess the numbers of actual students who end up working in consulting out of undergrad is near that who end up playing a professional sport. So for those who want to be a pro athlete the more prestigious school is the big flagship.
I’m half joking. But if you list all of your immediate friends and family members in consulting and investment banking - and then using this percentage of your world as the proxy for generalized decision making is simply a throw away line.
BUT, while I’m not British, I grew up mostly reading British books, which likely did result in a tendency to prefer style and clarity to conciseness. My wife, the engineer, alternatively enjoys and is annoyed by it.