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Are Private college names more respected than public state or city schools when it comes to applying for jobs?
I'm asking this as someone who is deciding between an affordable CUNY college, and an expensive private college.
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4 answers
Updated
Afrad’s Answer
Hi Marimi -
While both public and private colleges can offer excellent education and prepare students well for their careers, the reputation of a specific school can play a role in job applications.
Something to consider:
1. No Guarantee: A degree from a prestigious private college doesn’t automatically guarantee a job. Your skills, experience, and how well you articulate your abilities matter significantly.
2. Network Effects: Some private colleges have strong alumni networks and connections to specific industries, which can be advantageous during job hunting.
3. Program Strength: Focus on the specific program or major you’re interested in. Some public universities have nationally recognized programs that rival or surpass those at private colleges.
4. Return on Investment: Consider the debt you might incur at a private college. A CUNY education, often more affordable, might offer a better return on investment, especially if you plan to pursue further education (like a Master’s degree).
Some suggestions:
1. Thoroughly research both options: Compare the programs, faculty, resources, and alumni networks of the specific CUNY and private colleges you’re considering.
2. Think long-term goals: What kind of career do you envision? Some industries might place more weight on a particular school’s name, while others prioritize skills and experience.
3. Don’t underestimate the value of internships and networking: These can be equally important, if not more so, than the name on your degree.
Hope this helps!
While both public and private colleges can offer excellent education and prepare students well for their careers, the reputation of a specific school can play a role in job applications.
Something to consider:
1. No Guarantee: A degree from a prestigious private college doesn’t automatically guarantee a job. Your skills, experience, and how well you articulate your abilities matter significantly.
2. Network Effects: Some private colleges have strong alumni networks and connections to specific industries, which can be advantageous during job hunting.
3. Program Strength: Focus on the specific program or major you’re interested in. Some public universities have nationally recognized programs that rival or surpass those at private colleges.
4. Return on Investment: Consider the debt you might incur at a private college. A CUNY education, often more affordable, might offer a better return on investment, especially if you plan to pursue further education (like a Master’s degree).
Some suggestions:
1. Thoroughly research both options: Compare the programs, faculty, resources, and alumni networks of the specific CUNY and private colleges you’re considering.
2. Think long-term goals: What kind of career do you envision? Some industries might place more weight on a particular school’s name, while others prioritize skills and experience.
3. Don’t underestimate the value of internships and networking: These can be equally important, if not more so, than the name on your degree.
Hope this helps!
Updated
April’s Answer
If you want a bachelor's degree from a pricey private college, you might have to take 51% of your classes there. But you can start at a cheaper junior college and take the same basic courses that freshmen and sophomores do, saving money on tuition. After two years at a junior college, you'll earn an associate's degree!
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Marimi !
If money is no object, then research the famous named colleges and see if they have the major program that would be best for you. They are quite expensive, but you could receive a wonderful education within a CUNY college. The colleges you can choose from are City College of New York, Hunter College, Brooklyn College, and Queens College and CUNY Baruch College. I would recommend Hunter depending on if they have your Major. These are all four year Universities at which you can obtain a Bachelors Degree and I am almost sure that all of them offer Masters Programs. Double check all of them.
You have a sort of advantage just being a student in New York City. The State and City system universities in NY are well liked by people in and outside of New York. I've seen employment notices that specifically require the applicants to have a degree from a New York college (mine's from California, though). So don't be bashful about attending any college in all of New York State, especially one in New York City.
You may want to consider choosing the college based on what you'd be majoring in, convenience/proximity to where you already live, and yes, tuition. This will take research, reading the websites of the colleges and taking notes, then deciding. Attending college in New York City is very stimulating and opens you up for lots of opportunity. There will be numerous possibilities for volunteer work, internships and professional networking.
So, this is all something to start exploring now. Hopefully those colleges will have your Major and after taking an Orientation of the campus, it will be that much easier for you to choose. Out of the CCNY colleges, I have only seen Brooklyn College in person and it seemed beautiful. My two suggested colleges to check out would be Hunter and Queens College, though.
I hope this helps and I wish you all the best !
If money is no object, then research the famous named colleges and see if they have the major program that would be best for you. They are quite expensive, but you could receive a wonderful education within a CUNY college. The colleges you can choose from are City College of New York, Hunter College, Brooklyn College, and Queens College and CUNY Baruch College. I would recommend Hunter depending on if they have your Major. These are all four year Universities at which you can obtain a Bachelors Degree and I am almost sure that all of them offer Masters Programs. Double check all of them.
You have a sort of advantage just being a student in New York City. The State and City system universities in NY are well liked by people in and outside of New York. I've seen employment notices that specifically require the applicants to have a degree from a New York college (mine's from California, though). So don't be bashful about attending any college in all of New York State, especially one in New York City.
You may want to consider choosing the college based on what you'd be majoring in, convenience/proximity to where you already live, and yes, tuition. This will take research, reading the websites of the colleges and taking notes, then deciding. Attending college in New York City is very stimulating and opens you up for lots of opportunity. There will be numerous possibilities for volunteer work, internships and professional networking.
So, this is all something to start exploring now. Hopefully those colleges will have your Major and after taking an Orientation of the campus, it will be that much easier for you to choose. Out of the CCNY colleges, I have only seen Brooklyn College in person and it seemed beautiful. My two suggested colleges to check out would be Hunter and Queens College, though.
I hope this helps and I wish you all the best !
Gloria Petron
User Experience for enterprise & employee-facing applications
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Answer
Updated
Gloria’s Answer
When it comes to deciding between private colleges vs public/state schools, some factors to consider are A) who is paying your tuition, B) how's your self-discipline, and C) is a private name college important to you - or to someone else?
I'll share my own example: I was out of state (TX) and did not come from wealth, and my parents had no money saved for my college. After HS graduation I worked and applied for Pell grants; this was enough to pay for tuition at San Antonio Community College (SAC), where I took basics and computer animation at night. While at SAC, I applied to Pratt Institute, an expensive private art school in Brooklyn. When I was accepted, I transferred, and finished the rest of my undergrad career as a FT student on the Brooklyn campus, working on-campus and off-campus jobs to supplement income. I earned my Bachelor's in Computer Graphics, and started working right away because having Pratt on my resume opened a lot of doors in NYC. Fast forward a couple decades, and I can safely say this has been a happy case of a private name college being worth it, because it's taken me pretty far in my career.
But a pursuing a private college can backfire if you're not in the right place for it, not just financially, but mentally. For example, right around the start of my second year of community college, I saw several wealthy students who had been freshman at expensive schools have to leave those schools to attend SAC because they were on academic probation. Some couldn't handle the pressure, some where homesick, and some had simply spent the year getting drunk at frat parties.
Or going the other way: in his book, "David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants", Malcolm Gladwell shares an example of a student who fights hard to get into an Ivy league school to pursue science only to end up getting burned out and disgusted by the brutal levels of competition she encounters, so much so that she ends up abandoning her passion altogether. Link to the book: https://a.co/d/dABk4mE
There's a also a great Harvard Business Review article & podcast that talks about how great CEOs possess fancy college pedigrees way less than we think they do. It's one of my favorites, you can listen to it here: https://hbr.org/podcast/2023/12/best-of-ideacast-behaviors-of-successful-ceos.
The online article behind a pay wall: https://hbr.org/2017/05/what-sets-successful-ceos-apart
That's is why it's important to weigh all factors. Is it your money you're spending, or your parents'? What's your discipline level when it comes to social events, alcohol, and studying? Is there a family expectation involved?
Where you start and where you finish may end up being two different things, but I can personally attest that starting at a community college and finishing at a private college worked out pretty well for me. Wishing you the best of luck in your decision.
I'll share my own example: I was out of state (TX) and did not come from wealth, and my parents had no money saved for my college. After HS graduation I worked and applied for Pell grants; this was enough to pay for tuition at San Antonio Community College (SAC), where I took basics and computer animation at night. While at SAC, I applied to Pratt Institute, an expensive private art school in Brooklyn. When I was accepted, I transferred, and finished the rest of my undergrad career as a FT student on the Brooklyn campus, working on-campus and off-campus jobs to supplement income. I earned my Bachelor's in Computer Graphics, and started working right away because having Pratt on my resume opened a lot of doors in NYC. Fast forward a couple decades, and I can safely say this has been a happy case of a private name college being worth it, because it's taken me pretty far in my career.
But a pursuing a private college can backfire if you're not in the right place for it, not just financially, but mentally. For example, right around the start of my second year of community college, I saw several wealthy students who had been freshman at expensive schools have to leave those schools to attend SAC because they were on academic probation. Some couldn't handle the pressure, some where homesick, and some had simply spent the year getting drunk at frat parties.
Or going the other way: in his book, "David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants", Malcolm Gladwell shares an example of a student who fights hard to get into an Ivy league school to pursue science only to end up getting burned out and disgusted by the brutal levels of competition she encounters, so much so that she ends up abandoning her passion altogether. Link to the book: https://a.co/d/dABk4mE
There's a also a great Harvard Business Review article & podcast that talks about how great CEOs possess fancy college pedigrees way less than we think they do. It's one of my favorites, you can listen to it here: https://hbr.org/podcast/2023/12/best-of-ideacast-behaviors-of-successful-ceos.
The online article behind a pay wall: https://hbr.org/2017/05/what-sets-successful-ceos-apart
That's is why it's important to weigh all factors. Is it your money you're spending, or your parents'? What's your discipline level when it comes to social events, alcohol, and studying? Is there a family expectation involved?
Where you start and where you finish may end up being two different things, but I can personally attest that starting at a community college and finishing at a private college worked out pretty well for me. Wishing you the best of luck in your decision.