by Ben Rosenburg
Sports Editor
    On average, Ivy League Schools have a 12.3 percent acceptance rate. As society views, attending one of these schools will likely boost one’s résumé in future years. Thus, students are more likely to decide that a prestigious school is the right college for them. But isn’t there more to college than just prestige? Shouldn’t students pick a college based on the job they want or the campus environment that it provides? The El Gato staff believes that, while attending a reputable college may be a nice bonus, students should select a school based on other priorities. There are many more aspects of a school to consider, and students may find that they choose a school that, although prestigious, is not any better for them than a lesser-known one.

    There is no doubt that many schools have unique campuses and student bodies. Some are small and isolated, others have tens of thousands of students, and some do not even have a specific campus at all. The University of California at Berkeley is a well-respected school, but if a student likes small classes, they most likely will be unhappy there, since they currently have upwards of 26,000 students enrolled, which is similar to UCs across California. 

    You might not think that class size is a very important factor, but many people come to find that it ends up playing a huge role in their education. Students at larger schools most often have very little personal contact with their professors, and instead of in-depth instruction, the class is more liable to be based around lecturing. Most smaller schools, however, can provide a classroom environment with about the same number of students as a high school class, allowing much more one-on-one contact between student and professor. Also, some schools, like Harvard, place more emphasis on graduate school students than those working to attain a Bachelor’s Degree, so these schools may be better alternatives in future years.

        In addition, students can find themselves in unfavorable locations. At schools like Columbia and Yale, temperatures often drop below zero degrees in the winter, and there are several other excellent schools in more desirable locations. Though some may not be as prestigious, that does not mean they will provide a lesser education.

    Location and campus life are only a few of the factors that come into play. For instance, a prestigious school may end up being too difficult for some people. If a student is accepted into an Ivy League school as a reach, they might still decide to go elsewhere, to lower the stress levels or even just to attain passing grades. Some of the more prestigious colleges feature stressed-out, panicking students. The Princeton Review ranks only one Ivy League school, Brown University, in the top ten colleges with the happiest students. Of the remaining schools on their list, Stanford was the only other college famous for its “superior education.”

    When all is said and done, we at El Gato believe that a person should not allow prestige to be a deciding factor in college choice. It can be a nice bonus in future years, but most students will be happier if they choose a school based on other priorities, like location, size, focus on specific majors, and campus activity.

    There are countless reasons for a person to pick a college, and there are several phenomenal schools that are not well-known. We urge students to go to a college that suits them personally, rather than singling out the ones that society recognizes as superior. Although the name may not jump off the page, a student can easily attain a comparable education at less-prestigious alternatives. In many cases, a prestigious college is the right choice for a student, but it should play little to no part in their judgment when deciding.