Does it really matter where you attend College?

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With ongoing SATs and ACTs, high school juniors and seniors are researching colleges and universities they wish to attend. Students are focusing more on the reputation and popularity of the place, neglecting the fact that college is college, no matter where you end up. 

Whether it be an Ivy League university, private institution, or community college…does where you go to college really matter?

Revolutionary entrepreneur and late chairman of Apple, Steve Jobs, introduced modern technology to the world. His products aided in shaping today’s world with iPhones, Macbooks, and iPods. What’s shocking is that Jobs actually dropped out of school after attending his first semester at Reed College. According to the Times, “After high school, Jobs enrolled at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Lacking direction, he dropped out of college after six months.” Reed College is a private institution, but not an Ivy League college. This illustrates that the place you attend college does not impact how successful you will be. 

After Steve Jobs dropped out of Reed College, he explored things that interested him. Jobs realized that he enjoyed calligraphy, a visual art relating to writing, which eventually led him to design the first Macintosh. Years later, he is still known as one of the wealthiest college dropouts. 

Dina Labozetta, a junior attending BHS, voices her opinion on whether the status of a  college holds any significance: “It only matters if you’re getting a proper education. Nothing else really matters.” She is currently considering going to Stony Brook University, but believes the education there wouldn’t be any different than attending Nassau Community College. 

When I asked Ms.Whalen, an English teacher at BHS, if the college a student attends is important or not, she replied, “No, not necessarily. It’s about the challenges the college gives a student and how they confront it.” 

Library/Media specialist, Mrs. Bertrand-Loesch, argues that “as long as they [college students] put in 100 percent of themselves, it doesn’t matter where they go.” She 

further explains this using Malcolm Gladwell, a man well known for his unique perspective on controversies, as an example. 

“Say you’re an A student. Now, you get accepted to Harvard and you’re struggling with all A students. Your average is like a 90, but now that drops you where everyone else is higher. Your whole perception of your performance has changed. If you take that same student and put them in another kind of school, they’re in the top percent of their class.” 

 The place WHERE you attend your further studies should hold very little significance. At the end of the day, the new skills and values you acquire should matter.