College: Ivy leagues overrated?

Which would be better? Going to a "good" or only "so-so" college like Queens College, or a community college, BUT its free..OR paying full price to go to an Ivy League?





I mean, would it be a good strategy to just go to a community college for your undergrad and THEN going to an Ivy League like harvard or cornell for no or reduced price?





idk i heard the idea from one of my teachers.

College: Ivy leagues overrated?
The community colleges I know of do not offer 4-year degrees. If you want to go the community college route, you would get a 2-year (Associate's) degree there, and would need to transfer to a different school to finish your Bachelor's degree. While many schools *will* accept your 2-year degree, the credits may not transfer everywhere. You would need to do some research to find out if the 4-year schools of your choice will allow you to transfer there.





Assuming you are able to transfer to an Ivy League school, aside from the fact that you would be paying for two fewer years, I don't think you would be paying any less for them unless you had some sort of financial aid.





All schools offer financial aid, and there are a vast number of scholarships out there (some provided by the universities themselves, others not). If you are able to get a scholarship to an Ivy League school, then why muck about with community college in the first place?





What you seem to be overlooking is the vast variety of schools out there. Not every school that isn't Ivy League or a community college is "so-so." Think about it: the Ivy League is an athletic conference with only 8 schools in it. There are about 2,500 four-year schools in the US. Places like Duke, Stanford, MIT, and U. of Chicago are not Ivy League... but they were among the US News %26amp; World Report's Top 10 Colleges for 2008.





I think it would be better for you to consider what sort of program you want for your undergrad. Forget about the "name" for a minute--what do you want to study? What geographic area and setting are you looking for? Do you want a large university or a small liberal arts school? What sort of career do you want to have? What opportunities do you want during your undergrad (study abroad, internships, etc)? These are far more important questions for your college search. The best college is the college that's best for you.





Now, to address your original question: many people will do is get their undergraduate degree in one place, and go for a "big name school" for their Master's and/or Ph.D. There are many reasons for this: not being able to get in as an undergrad, needing a less-expensive school, their undergraduate institution does not offer graduate degrees, they change their mind about their area of study.





(And, not everyone goes to a "better" school for grad school--unless you can get a good scholarship or convince your company to pay for your education, a graduate degree can be every bit as expensive as a BA.)





As for whether the Ivy League schools are overrated... I think the brand name "Ivy League" is overrated, not the academic programs themselves (if that makes any sense).





EDIT: To answer your other question, I went to Dickinson College, a private, 4-year liberal arts college. I have a BA in theatre arts, and spent my junior year at a university in southeast England. I am considering going back for my Master's (Drexel University has an excellent Arts Administration program), but I don't know when that'll happen. My boyfriend just finished 2 graduate degrees from there (undergrad from Duke), and even though he's also one of their professors, his student loans are through the roof.
Reply:A lot of it depends on what exactly it is your want to study and do once you graduate. More specialized or higher level career fields are more likely to hire people from "better" colleges than someone who went to a community college.





That being said, experience also goes a long way when it comes time to get hired. Case in point, I come from a smaller junior/senior college near Houston. Our main campus looks down on us and does not like us. Yet we still have a lot of our students employed over other people from the main campus and the bigger schools such as A%26amp;M. Why? Because we have hands on experience in our fields, either through the schools research programs, or other jobs in the area.





The college name on your diploma says a lot, but your work resume says even more. Don't concern yourself so much with the name.
Reply:Most people who want to save money go to community college for two years and then transfer to a major college.





Going to a well established school is a much better idea though because there is a HUGE difference between an Ivy League and aso-so school.





The ivy-league schools have MUCH better professors who are known throughout the world for their research. You get a more in depth look at your major and get excellent connections. Plus, when you want to get a job it looks amazing if it says that you went to Yale.





Going to a "good" college is fine. Your professors are still researchers in their field but they are not as famous. A degree gives you more pay than a non-degree individual.





I honestly don't think an ivy league will accept you if you go to community college first. Think about it, these people are pick of the litter who had amazing grades in high school, great interviews, excellent essays, and loads of extra-curriculars. I don't know anybody who has gone from community college to Ivy league. If there are ppl who have done this then I am positive that they had amazing connections and excelled in all of their classes and had published works.





If you can get into an Ivy league I would go that route. There are plenty of scholarships, loans, and financial aid out there to pay for it.
Reply:I would recommend this plan





Go to a community college to get your "basics"/gen ed. These are your classes like English A %26amp; B, College Algebra, Philosophy, etc.





Transfer to a good college that isn't as expensive as the ivy league and get your Bachelor's there.





Next, get your master's at another good but less expensive school. That way, you will have yourself set up career and financially.





Then, work on your phd from an ivy league school, if you want. Most people with PHDs want to teach at a university and/or the flair that goes with it. Your phd with a ivy league name on it will help beat out others in jobs/career
Reply:Well, the thing is, Ivy Leagues generally won't accept people from community colleges, because of the difference in the course and work load. If you do go to a community college, your best option is to transfer into a good 4yr public university.





Ivy league schools are extremely good, but you can get a great education from even a 4yr public university. Some accredited ones include UMichigan, UWisconsin, Rutgers, Penn State, UMass, UConn, and USouthern California. Additionally, these schools are priced much lower.





If you're planning to go to grad school, your best bet would be to go to a 4yr public university, or a 2 yr community college and then transfer to public university, for undergrad. For a grad degree, you could go to an ivy league school. This way, you save a lot of money, but still get a good education. And it looks great to go to an ivy league grad school.