U.S. News college rankings are out

[Rocco]

Guys, in all honesty, does it really friggin matter? You make of your career what YOU make of it. Your degree means very little at the end of the day outside of maybe a top Ivy League school.

 

[orangeinjersey]

Guys, in all honesty, does it really friggin matter? You make of your career what YOU make of it. Your degree means very little at the end of the day outside of maybe a top Ivy League school.

Unfortunately it does matter, perception is reality

 

[rrlbees]

Guys, in all honesty, does it really friggin matter? You make of your career what YOU make of it. Your degree means very little at the end of the day outside of maybe a top Ivy League school or Clarkson.

Fixed it.

 

[Rocco]

Unfortunately it does matter, perception is reality

Again, how does it matter? Honest question. In the grand scheme of your work career, your degree means little IMO.

 

[Rocco]

Guys, in all honesty, does it really friggin matter? You make of your career what YOU make of it. Your degree means very little at the end of the day outside of maybe a top Ivy League school or Siena.

Fixed it.

Fixed it.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Sorry, I'm competitive. Makes me puke seeing OSU, MD, UConn and St Penn ahead of my alma mater. No way to spin this. 61 sucks.

SU has always been a university with a few really excellent programs (Maxwell, Newhouse, and increasingly Whitman), and then the rest is a safety school for wealthy kids from Downstate.

 

[Millhouse]

Again, how does it matter? Honest question. In the grand scheme of your work career, your degree means little IMO.

i think su would move up ten spots if its graduates vowed to never again say perception is reality

 

[elkeed]

I'm in sales. It doesn't mean dick

 

[orangeinjersey]

Again, how does it matter? Honest question. In the grand scheme of your work career, your degree means little IMO.

For my actual career it means little to nothing, no impact today. It would simy be an ego/resume builder if SU was thought of more highly.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Again, how does it matter? Honest question. In the grand scheme of your work career, your degree means little IMO.

I think it's important for getting your first couple jobs. After that, it's up to you what you make of your career.

 

[Millhouse]

I think it's important for getting your first couple jobs. After that, it's up to you what you make of your career.

this thread is proof that college is all about signaling. whatever happens to a school after you're done doesn't affect what you learned. if college were about demonstrable skills acquisition, it wouldn't matter if a school stopped being good after you went there. but all the rankings focus proves that college's value is simply showing that you're smart enough to get in and disciplined enough to complete it.

i can see people being sad that their school no longer does as good a job as it once did. i feel bad that my high school has become a bit of a joke (grade inflation, lousy teachers) but that's because friends and family are still sending their kids there. people have a choice about going to SU so I wouldn't feel as bad if it slipped

 

[KaiserUEO]

this thread is proof that college is all about signaling. whatever happens to a school after you're done doesn't affect what you learned. if college were about demonstrable skills acquisition, it wouldn't matter if a school stopped being good after you went there. but all the rankings focus proves that college's value is simply showing that you're smart enough to get in and disciplined enough to complete it.

i can see people being sad that their school no longer does as good a job as it once did. i feel bad that my high school has become a bit of a joke (grade inflation, lousy teachers) but that's because friends and family are still sending their kids there. people have a choice about going to SU so I wouldn't feel as bad if it slipped

ego.

and people who are looking at schools for their kids go...millhouse went to the 61st ranked school?? hes not as smart as i thought and certainly he thinks he is?? no way im sending Jr there.

fwiw: in '87, pretty sure it was top 40 or just out like 41.

 

[OttoMets]

More importantly, Hamilton charged past Colgate this year to grab the 14th spot in the liberal arts world. FU Red Raiders, FU.

Boo.

Maybe our new president from DePauw University will reverse the slide and take back our rightful spot above the "other" Hamilton school.

 

[Millhouse]

ego.

and people who are looking at schools for their kids go...millhouse went to the 61st ranked school?? hes not as smart as i thought and certainly he thinks he is?? no way im sending Jr there.

fwiw: in '87, pretty sure it was top 40 or just out like 41.

the challenge for SU is convincing families not to be scared of that sticker price. if a kid has a brain in his head, they won't be paying that much.

my grad school just dropped their tuition 13% while reducing scholarships. they're betting on getting more candidates that way even though in the end, people will pay the same as they always did

 

[AZOrange]

Guys, in all honesty, does it really friggin matter? You make of your career what YOU make of it. Your degree means very little at the end of the day outside of maybe a top Ivy League school.

It's meaningless...if you work hard and have a brain and social skill you will do just as well as anyone else with this degree.

 

[cuseincincy]

It's meaningless...if you work hard and have a brain and social skill you will do just as well as anyone else with this degree.

Yup...its a box the HR rep checks when filtering resumes. The only time it might actually help is if the hiring manager went to the same school as you. Also for the most part gpa is irrelevant. Sorry smart folks but not once in almost 30 years have I ever been asked my college gpa when applying for a job. I've also never asked an applicant what their gpa was. I'm sure in some industries it might matter but for the most part not. Biggest moron I ever worked with graduated from Columbia with a 3.9 gpa. He's now in government work!

 

[#FRANchise]

Yup...its a box the HR rep checks when filtering resumes. The only time it might actually help is if the hiring manager went to the same school as you. Also for the most part gpa is irrelevant. Sorry smart folks but not once in almost 30 years have I ever been asked my college gpa when applying for a job. I've also never asked an applicant what their gpa was. I'm sure in some industries it might matter but for the most part not. Biggest moron I ever worked with graduated from Columbia with a 3.9 gpa. He's now in government work!

Exxon was on Clarkson's campus doing interviews this week. The Exxon rep looked at one of my classmate's 3.0 GPA and said right to his face, "based on your GPA, you do not have a career at Exxon." So I guess for some companies it matters.

 

[jimsonjunction]

I care about the ranking. Not because it will help me advance my career, but because I have pride in my school. I want to see them do well in these rankings, not slide backwards. Simple as that.

 

[orangeinjersey]

Exxon was on Clarkson's campus doing interviews this week. The Exxon rep looked at one of my classmate's 3.0 GPA and said right to his face, "based on your GPA, you do not have a career at Exxon." So I guess for some companies it matters.

So then he goes to work for a smaller driller/refiner for a couple of years to get his feet wet, then reapplies and gets the gig based on experience. Not the end of the world.

 

[HtownOrange]

Many companies will target certain schools for specific fields. This may be to limit corporate recruiting travel and numbers of resumes to cull through. It also is usually based on where the companies have had success from previous grads as well as schools that will tailor a degree program to what a company needs (often in engineering, law, medicine, etc.). Still, for the average kid, it will not matter unless they can make the grades as the big corporations can usually focus on the top ranked kids.

 

[Nicknack]

Exxon was on Clarkson's campus doing interviews this week. The Exxon rep looked at one of my classmate's 3.0 GPA and said right to his face, "based on your GPA, you do not have a career at Exxon." So I guess for some companies it matters.

That's probably because they have nothing else to really look at with a person in college with no job experience. That's why where you went to school (and possibly GPA) can matter when getting your first job; however, after that, very rare that would ever enter into the equation. If I applied to Exxon now (after graduating from Syracuse in '93) I HIGHLY doubt any talk about where I went to school or what my GPA was would ever be mentioned. Now days, it's all about what I've done AFTER school (i.e. Masters degree, job experience, achievements, certifications, etc.).

As for the list, the only reason I care is like what jimsonjunction stated... I have pride in Syracuse and want them to do well in these and any other rankings that exist (besides being the top party school).

 

[NJCuse97]

Yup...its a box the HR rep checks when filtering resumes. Biggest moron I ever worked with graduated from Columbia with a 3.9 gpa.

But he had the job. You worked with him. If he was the moron you say he is, how'd he get the job?

 

[NJCuse97]

SU has always been a university with a few really excellent programs (Maxwell, Newhouse, and increasingly Whitman), and then the rest is a safety school for wealthy kids from Downstate.

You are underestimating some. VPA is highly regarded, and Architecture is a perennial top 10 program. We lack the sciences and engineering. Syverud is looking to fix this.

 

[CuseCactus]

Fixed it.

I like what you did there.

 

[Hoo's That]

More importantly, Hamilton charged past Colgate this year to grab the 14th spot in the liberal arts world. FU Red Raiders, FU.

Boo.

Maybe our new president from DePauw University will reverse the slide and take back our rightful spot above the "other" Hamilton school.

I've always loved how Colgate is in Hamilton, but Hamilton is in Clinton. You Upstate guys really have a sense of humor.