Study after study shows that a college's reputation has much less to do with graduates' success than many people believe. (A recent example is http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1629013/posts). Someone looking at colleges would be better advised to pick a place that he or she can afford, rewards its faculty for teaching and not just research, and is in a place they can bear to live for four years.

In general, state colleges will be superior to private institutions. The reason is simple: the high cost of private institutions pushes undergraduates into career-oriented majors where graduates can expect to make money, thereby destroying the balance of the institution, and turning the private school into the equivalent of a vo-tech, concerned with outcomes rather than education as a process. In just about every other country in the world except the U.S. and Britain, going to a private institution is usually a last resort for students who can't get into a public, state-supported school. Paying excessive tuition for a school is the sociological equivalent of bribing it into lending you its prestige. The reality is that, in today's world, nobody cares that you went to UPenn. Why should they?

Pff, the reputation is one of the least things you should be concerned with when considering a college. All colleges are pretty much the same thing. Colleges like to sell you this whole reputation thing; its a load of bs. I see many people go to colleges they can't afford and end up going in 10-15k of loans. I graduated with all my college payed off by the time I left, and I only received a cal grant and Fafsa. What you should really be looking for is if the school is accredited or not, such as ABET accreditation. If you don't believe me then just go look at job postings. Seeing this is very common: Education: BS degree from accredited institution. All in all, go to a school you can afford. Going into debt over school repuation is a waste of money! ps: I did the transfer thing (cc to 4 year) and it worked out great, my intern employer ended up hiring me full time in my inteded field of study.

The reputation of the school is one factor in landing a good job, but not the most important.

This is the most important part of selecting any school or program. The reputation determines job opprotunities after graduation.

You all are just jealous because you got rejected.

"Reputation" can be dangerouslyu misleading, since a good college for the needs of student A might be a dreadful choice for student B.

An individual program can be ranked with its peers, but rating universities is like rating galaxies -- they're too complex and distinct for meaningful rankings.

None of the "rankings" (such as in US News magazine) can measure the ephemeral characteristics of a school that will determine its value for a specific and unique individual student.

Of course this matters, duh.

Reputation- whatever we may believe are its merits- is probably the most important factor in making the connection between a college degree and a good job. It may not necessarily be the way it 'should' be, but the question here is not 'what should be' but 'what is'. Employers hire based upon several criteria, but when they look at a resume and are forced to compare when everything else is pretty much equal (e.g. skills, experience) they look at the name of the college. Employers have no way of realistically determining much of anything else about where you attended college and what you accomplished there (unless you specifically make note of some outstanding accomplishment- like a 4.0+ GPA). It's what game theorists call a 'signal'. The signal may not necessarily be true, but given the fact that there is so much noise (noise, for example, being a lot of similar looking resumes), one must choose based upon something, and rather than picking at random, one chooses the institution with a better reputation. After all, it makes sense: an Ivy institution is not only harded to get into, it is also harder to STAY in. Plus, the curriculum is harder to begin with, so the signal of a degree from a college with a good reputation includes information about things such as the curriculum and the innate intelligence of the graduating student/job prospect. Along the way there is, again, the possibility of other forms of noise and error: a rich kid getting in because of the fame, money, or power of a parent, rather than merit. But one assumes this is part of the error involved in any signal and does not completely interfere with the signal. All else equal, institutions with prestige generally graduate students that have a greater potential for good on the job performance. Does this mean an Ivy graduate will perform better that a State school graduate? Of course not. But when forced to choose, an employer wants to have as much information at his/her disposal as possible.

Usually irrelevant. A college may be excellent in one area of study, and totally bomb in another. It all depends on what you yourself choose to study.

If you go to a school that is ranked lower than other colleges, it does not really matter. You get out of your education what you want to get out of it. The main point is that you find a college that will prepare you to be a thoughtful and creative thinker. Yale and Harvard have in the past produced some big time idiots. But nonetheless, the reputation of the college does matter. Usually, colleges with a higher reputation will have excellent job placement programs. A lot of doors are opened up if you have a degree from the Ivy League; the first place most top 100 corporations and law firms go to hire college grads is in those universities. So, at the end of the day, the reputation of the college does matter.

Most employers don't give a hoot what school you went to, as long as it's not obviously a fly-by-night or a tech school or something. Snooty employers do care about academic reputation, but if you want a high-tier job, you have to cultivate some high-tier social connections. Don't place too much importance on reputation alone. It's what you do while you're at school that is more important. Especially to graduate schools.

this hardly matters, because when all is said and done...your college accomplishments don't mean a thing. all you're left with is a job in the so-called "REAL WORLD." high school is more preporatory for post-collegiate life, than any 4 year high ranked university.

This may be a big factor in getting you the job but it can in no way replace talent, ability, intelligence and a good plan. Those little necessities are crucial to success and are things you can’t buy or sell. While I believe that attending a well-ranked college has its merits, unless you exhibit some of the above attributes in the long run your school’s ranking won’t mean squat. In addition, there have been tons of situations in which people who did have the above but not the means to buy a hot school name or even go to college at all who have made it financially and made it very well indeed. Just last night I heard of a case involving an enterprising young guy – 17 years of age – who started his own computer business two years ago (rebuilds, sets them up, does web stuff, etc.) who is fairly certain he will be grossing over $1 million this year. Now, I admit that this guy – especially when you consider his age - is an amazing exception. But, my point is it CAN be done and it has been, still is and will continue to be done.

This is what's going to get you a job - not just when you graduate - but 10, 15, 20 years from when you graduate. All the other items on this list are just noise compared to the importance of a school's reputation / ranking.

Ranking could be important, but it ends up overlooking some great colleges out there that aren't incredibly famous. One should look at other factors first.