I have my college options narrowed down to two very different options, the first being University of Wisconsin–Madison and the second being the College of St Benedict/St. John’s University in St. Joseph, Minnesota. Both are very good schools, but obviously super different.
I am conflicted because while overall I think I prefer St. Ben’s, it is a source of discomfort to me that the school is not at all well known outside of Minnesota, whereas Wisconsin carries a strong national reputation. How will this affect my chances at jobs/living outside of MN eventually? How much does a school’s reputation really matter out in the “real world”, when it comes to getting jobs or going to grad school out of state?
I lived for 30 years in the Twin Cities, so know St. Bens & UW pretty well. UW definitely has a broader national reputation if you want to work nationally. It is also a stronger school when it comes to grad school admissions. But the two experiences certainly are different. I assume you have visited both. Can you go back to accepted student days before making up your mind? St. Ben’s is perfectly fine if you plan to stay in the MN/WI/Iowa/Dakotas area long term, or if you are going into a field where the undergrad degree college doesn’t matter a lot. What are your future plans?
Huge class sizes, or small? Div I sports or Div III? Catholic institution or not? Madison or St. Joseph’s?
Quite frankly, if you get good grades and do well on Grad School admissions tests, you can go anywhere from anywhere. But you need to be happy to do your best academically, so where are you going to fit in?
I have friend’s kids at both schools, and all doing well, but I cannot fathom you could swap schools for any of them and have the same outcomes–they are diametrically different types of education institutions.
I agree that perhaps an overnight might help you decide where you are going to be able to excel.
Both of your choices are classified as “more selective” by USNWR. St. Benedict is a national liberal arts college. I’ve heard of UW as well as Bennies and Johnnies. Good luck.
You can certainly work anywhere in the country with a degree from St. Benedict’s/St. John’s - and especially after your first job or two, where you went to college matters less than where you’ve worked and what you’ve done there.
I’ve never heard of St. Benedict’s. Obviously, I’ve heard of Madison.
You should pick the school that you feel will be the best fit for you. Madison is likely to have more options for majors and give a broader spectrum of internship/research opportunities, but if you don’t prioritize that, then the school that you feel will suit you best is the better option.
What do you like about St Benedict?
What about applying to some colleges similar to St Benedict but a bit more well-known (like St Olaf, for instance? Perhaps also if you want a smaller-than-flagship, Catholic university: St Thomas, Creighton, Loyola-Chicago, Marquette, DePaul?)
Ultimately though, what matters isn’t the name of your college but what you do there. Check out the career center thoroughly - internships, externships, guest speakers, workshops, research experience opportunities, etc., will matter, as will your initiative and willingness to take advantage of them.