Quote Originally Posted by AWD OWNZ U
I disagree. You can certainly go to college and be a failure but that doesn't mean it's not added value to you. If you don't have drive you will not go anywhere in life regardless of education.

Big name schools do open doors. Every time I hear someone say they don't they are usually trying to justify where they went to school. Keep in mind that big name schools are usually good in certain areas. Like if you go to Harvard and get an engineering degree it's not going to help you that much. If know what you want to do pick a school that is good at your major and that will take you a long way. I went to the career fair here at GA Tech (where I'm getting my masters) and at least three recuiters said, "Oh you went to Michigan?" and proceed to tell me they only recuit from 3-5 schools two of them being Michigan and GA Tech. It may or may not pay off in salary but it will definitely help you get an interview.

JC
Some disadvantages of a large school are the enormous sized classes. It's likely you can have a class with 900 people. No matter what you say or how many questions you ask in class, the professor won't know your name. Many classes are taught by Teacher's Assistants, which means you are not getting as high a quality as you would like. At a large university you are just a number to some people, and you can get lost in the crowd. Finally, all professors think they are hot shots and care more about their own research than helping students.

Small universities on the other hand have smaller classes. These smaller classes may put more emphasis on learning and hands-on experience. they have more individualized majors. It is not a set curriculum that thousands of people follow every semester. With smaller classes students are able to get to know their professors better. This is great from when its time to find letters of recommendation. Try getting a letter from a teacher when you were just one of 900 students in the class.

Most employeers realize that a student is more likely to get a quality education and not just pass the test in a smaller school(ie smaller class) than in a Large school where he/her is read lectures by TA's.

btw: how much is GaTech per symester? like 10-20K?