Stanford more prestigious? I don't think so.

beard_tax
Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:59:32 +0000

These discussions of prestige are myopic. Ask yourself first what you want to do and then compare schools. It’s perfectly fine not to have an idea of what career to pursue, in that case choose the school that maximizes career opportunities, academic enrichment, and social engagement.

However, these discussions of prestige help perpetuate the current system of elite higher education, one in which educational quality is subordinated to the selection mechanism of reputation. Stanford has one of the best CS departments in the world and Columbia has one of the best Synthetic Chemistry departments. Which university is better?

A system in which prestige is the main determinant of school ranking perpetuates itself indefinitely. Students will continue to choose schools that are the “best”, leading to self-reinforcing cycle that’s difficult for the schools to control. Think about the factors that have driven the reputation of Stanford and Columbia in the past decades: the decline of the American city and the rise of computing. Prestige and reputation are more epehermal than your intellect and ability.

Build a life, not a resume.