A good experience full of great memories? A solid education? A path to a great career? Ask yourself what each college you’re examining would most help you to get. Take a close look at what you want most out of college.Ask yourself whether you need those offerings to help you once you’ve graduated, or if you can cope without, or with slightly lesser resources. Look at the alumni network, look at its career services, and look at the prestige of the university’s name. Take a close look at what the school will offer you for your career, once you’ve graduated.Ask yourself if you think you could happily fit in with that personality. Take a close look at your own personality, and compare it to that of the school and its student body.“Stop telling me why the choice is difficult and what the pros and cons may be, and just tell me what you think I should do.” Well, okay then, imaginary student voice in my head! Here’s what you should do when you’re considering schools: What’s more, there is the simple fact that you are going to college for an education, not just for your career prospects after you graduate, and the Ivy League schools are prestigious and acclaimed for a reason - the education they offer is top-notch. But then, you wouldn’t have some of those other strong advantages to give you a boost up, like the prestige of the university’s name. You might come out of your college education with the confidence and self-assurance you’d need to pursue the subjects that truly interest you. On the other hand, going to smaller university with a less prestigious name may mean that you feel better during your time there, and there might be other side benefits as well - such a university would likely cost less money to attend, for example. But then, if you’re going to spend four years being miserable, then those advantages may not be worth it. There are plenty of intangible advantages that you get from attending an Ivy League school, for example, that may be more important after you graduate than feeling particularly superb as compared to your classmates during your time at college. The advantages of a prestigious university’s name, alumni network, facilities, and so on should not be underestimated. There are other factors to consider, and purposely veering away from more prestigious universities or colleges so that you can be a big fish in a small pond may not actually be the right decision for you. The first thing to keep in mind is that Malcolm Gladwell makes a good point! But it’s not necessarily fact, as the Business Insider article points out.

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