<p>OSU, like virtually every flag ship state mega U, has had some highly notable stars in its crown … student-scholars, faculty, athletic acheivements. These all add to the lustre of an institution. Ohio State has had its share of those, particularly in the last generation since WW II, when these types of places have had literally hundreds of thousands of students, many of whom have been bright, motivated, and determined to succeed as 1st generation college students in pursuit of the American dream.</p>
<p>That said, many of these students succeeded because they were determined to do so. And having so many of these potential success stories who’ve gone to OSU for the very reason you are considering it … it’s relatively “cheap” … well, while OSU would like to and does claim their success as a function of their experience (and it may be to some degree) at OSU. </p>
<p>That said, I believe that as undergraduate student factories, the OSU’s of the world (put your own name on it … Penn State, Rutgers, Ok State, etc. etc. etc.), there is very little “prestige” value. When you start to look at graduate school programs, totally different story, and those need to be considered on a program by program assessment. The “prestige” that comes with being an OSU alum is more often associated with what goes on in Ohio Stadium than with what goes on in the undergraduate chem lab or accounting class.</p>
<p>On the other hand, “prestige” is a very nebulous, evasive concept that we’re very enamoured with and often has very limited market value over a lifetime.</p>