Post by Hulkamaniac on Jun 30, 2008 7:05:13 GMT -5
I wasn't going to respond to this, but you did make me think. It's a generally accepted fact amongst experts on the subject that you don't get a better quality education at an ivy league school over any other school. You're paying for the name on the diploma. It's a brand name if you will, nothing more and nothing less. You don't get better quality instruction overall and you don't end up with a better education. These are givens.
That being said I was curious if having an ivy league degree meant you would earn more money over your lifetime. It's a fact that a college degree means more earnings, but does the ivy league graduate earn more money than the graduate from any other college? So, I did some quick research on the web.
I found several articles that stated that at best the answer is inconclusive. At worst, the answer is it makes no difference. While an ivy league degree can open the door in some fields and you do get a network there the original poster is looking for a graphics art degree, not a finance degree.
The articles also seemed to clearly state that what matters most to employers is what your degree is in, not where it's from (which I stated earlier). On top of all this, you get the same degree whether you go to community college for two years and then transfer or if you spend four years at the state college.
The original poster was looking for a way to save money on college as he thought he was going to have a very difficult time affording it. If he had the money to go to a state school for four years I'd say do it. He doesn't.
Two years of community college and then two years of state college is a nice plan that will leave him with the same degree as if he'd spent 4 years at the state school and virtually the same knowledge just without the extra cost. Plus, he's going in to graphics design so the name on his degree is not going to be an issue that will open doors for him or close them.
On top of this he sounds like a bright guy who's on top of things. So many people just wander through life never thinking of the future and he doesn't strike me as one of them. I'd go as far as to say that even if he doesn't go to college that he can put together a solid work history and a great portfolio and still make a killing in graphics design. Again, employers are looking for what you can do (especially in the graphics field) not necessarily what training you have. Now I'm done with this topic.
Three of the links I referred to:
www.bellaonline.com/articles/art53649.asp
www.toad.net/~andrews/ivy.htm
jobs.aol.com/article/_a/what-does-an-ivy-league-degree-get-you/20050808184609990039
The statements i've bolded are so truly ignorant it's astounding. These professors at Ivy league school get paid a lot more than a community college professor, why? 2 reasons:
1) Research - The professors at Ivy League school make ground breaking and world changing discovers. Even if you don't understand the impact of theoretical physics, for example, it is a world changing topic and this major research is done at Ivy League and "four year" schools, not community colleges. At community colleges, are professors even required to do research? I don't know, which is why i'm asking.
2) - Instruction, including being a research assistant. Think about it, being a research assistant at a community college with hardly any "high standards" technology, like particle accelerators for physics, or perfect acoustic rooms for musicians, etc, these discoveries wouldn't be able to happen. Having your name at the end of a paper or article published in a research journal will open many more doors for you than a community college will. The research you do is often the biggest part of what job you get. I am going to be doing psychological research involving the psychology of criminals at Attica prison in NY, and working on a report to be published in a journal alongside a professor. Now, don't you think I'll get better job offers than someone who doesn't even do research at a community college and is simply a psychology major...yeah, I'm miles ahead in that case.
I'm not saying you have to go Ivy League, i dont attend Ivy league and probably wouldn't, but Community is a mistake, At least go to a 4 years school like a state university where the professors do something that matters...
You get what you pay for in this world....
You are entitled to your belief, but you are incorrect. If you bothered reading any of the articles I linked to or tried doing some googling yourself you would find that the experts pretty much agree that you don't get a better quality education. Ivy league professors do more research because they have more time to do research. They don't teach as many classes. They have more time. Their jobs are cushier so to speak.
Second of all, no one in this entire thread told the original poster to spend his whole college career at a community college. The advice was to go to a community college for two years, then go to a 4 year school. When you get there you get access to all the bells and whistles a 4 year school offers, you get the same degree as the guy who's been at that school for four years but it costs you a lot less and your education you get is virtually the same. Try reading posts before you respond and try doing a little research on your own.
