[Student Reporters] Does Name Matter When It Comed to Choosing Colleges?

Eugene Kim / <12th, Whitney HS>

Harvard Stanford and Yale: these are names that students have probably learned even before their ABC's. High school students have shown the tendency to become influenced more by the school's name rather than by what it has to offer.

"I think going to a school with a good name is super important because it sort of defines the type of person you are" commented Meliza Panganiban.

"My parents want me to go to a school with a good name because it'll provide me with a more stable occupation" stated Samir Shah.

Forbes 2009 list of America's best colleges has revealed that West Point has topped its list while Harvard College has dropped to number five behind schools including Williams College. The Forbes list has been based largely on the student's perspective which includes the cost and the experience.

Williams College a liberal arts school in Massachusetts has remained largely unknown to many students. With a freshmen class of 540 students who feel more comfortable in a closely-knit school should definitely consider it. The school offers an array of majors but distribution of majors from 2004-2008 has revealed Economics English Psychology Political Science Art and Biology to be the most popular.

It is impossible to claim that name is not important at all. When looking at schools that made the top fifteen Princeton Harvard Caltech Amherst Yale Stanford MIT and Columbia are included which signifies that well-known schools are popular for a reason.

However also included are schools such as Wellesley College in Massachusetts Swarthmore in Pennsylvania Centre College in Kentucky and Haverford College in Pennsylvania. The pressure from parents to obtain the ultimate dream of attending an Ivy League school is common but often it is not in our best interest to limit the schools to consider.

"My parents have been engraving those Ivy League schools in my head since I was in elementary" stated Elizabeth Ko exemplifying that many Korean parents feel that attending an Ivy League is important.

Almost all students desire to attend well-known colleges but this is usually due to the prestige that comes with it. Most teenagers are attracted by the name because they feel that it increases their chances of attaining a job. Not to mention a famous school brings pride to themselves and their families but it is important not to be discouraged from applying to or attending a school that is not currently well-known because it may offer more to fit individual needs.