<p>@slurryseal, really well said. anyone choosing between colleges should consider the components listed above as a reference guide.</p>
<p>one side note, though. too many young students and their parents get caught up at the ‘academic competitiveness’ of a college, grad school, whatever. while attending a high-ranked school is a plus, what really matters in the end is the individual talent.</p>
<p>one of my friends from high school attended University of Illinois. not the most prestigious college there is. he went there because he got full ride at that school and because many of his close friends were attending. He triple majored in math, physics & stats, got near 4.0 gpa at graduation (the guy was borderline genius), and now works at a top hedge fund as a trader. last time I heard, he was pulling down 700k+ a year as a 25 year old. He’s by FAR the most successful person I’ve ever met in my age group.</p>
<p>on the other hand, I know many guys who graduated from different Ivies now enjoying their wonderful careers as full time bartenders at x,y,z club, barista at Starbucks, or babysitters / nannies in nyc. I almost felt bad for this girl I met at the NYC cornell alumni event recently, when she braggingly said ‘actually you know… baby sitters / nannies are like 4th or 5th largest professional group in nyc, and there is a ton of financial upside in the profession’</p>