3 ms·

Going to a more prestigious and expensive institution isn't just about the diploma anyway. It's a 4 year long networking event where you build relationships wi

Going to a more prestigious and expensive institution isn't just about the diploma anyway. It's a 4 year long networking event where you build relationships with people that will help you for the rest of your life. That's something that can't be replaced by virtual classrooms and listening to course material on your ipod.

kylec 17y ago
Couldn't technology also replace, or at least substantially undercut, the networking as well? Granted, it's not the same as face-to-face interaction, but I would say that social networking through the internet can provide many of the same benefits that college does.
- Retric 17y ago
  I don't think getting drunk while chatting online is going to build the same sort's of bonds.
  - kylec 17y ago
    That's not quite what I meant. Maybe it's exclusive to programmers, but newsgroups, blogs, and sites like HN, GitHub, StackOverflow, and Twitter all serve to allow someone to distinguish themselves and be recognized by their peers. If networking simply means getting drunk and chatting, online or no, then I fail to see how that's helpful as a career-builder.
enra 17y ago
Universities don't have monopoly on networking. Yes it's easy to network while you're all students but it's also quite random. Probably only a handful people of those early networks will be any use for you since people tend to go different ways. It's actually more effective to find your own area and network there.
- IsaacL 17y ago
  It's not just the networking; it's the status you get from going to such an institution, especially if it's 'elite'. I guessing there are relatively few 18-year-olds who consider the networking potential of university, wheras lots probably go as it's the thing they're expected to do. I'm a student now, and a lot of my friends don't seem to have learning as their main priority, in fact I'm not sure what their priority is. Thus, even if this guy's ideas do provide a better learning experience, it's not like people will abandon uni for them.
donaldc 17y ago
Going to a more prestigious and expensive institution isn't just about the diploma anyway. It's a 4 year long networking event where you build relationships with people that will help you for the rest of your life. Has this effect been quantified? I've heard this repeated over and over again, but I am skeptical that it would be the deciding factor in the success of a very capable person. (It might well be the deciding factor for a less capable person.) None of the people I know who went to expensive private universities got their current job through a college-related connection, though I work in the tech industry, which may be biasing the results. But I think the bigger point is, once online classes are regarded as every bit as educational and valid as in-person classes, going to a more prestigious and expensive institution will no longer be about the (perceived better) education and the networking, but only about the networking. This may be a harder sell, both for prospective students, and for the image of the institution in the wider world.

Going to a more prestigious and expensive institution isn't just about the diploma anyway. It's a 4 year long networking event where you build relationships with people that will help you for the rest of your life. That's something that can't be replaced by virtual classrooms and listening to course material on your ipod.

kylec 17y ago

Couldn't technology also replace, or at least substantially undercut, the networking as well? Granted, it's not the same as face-to-face interaction, but I would say that social networking through the internet can provide many of the same benefits that college does.

Retric 17y ago
I don't think getting drunk while chatting online is going to build the same sort's of bonds.
- kylec 17y ago
  That's not quite what I meant. Maybe it's exclusive to programmers, but newsgroups, blogs, and sites like HN, GitHub, StackOverflow, and Twitter all serve to allow someone to distinguish themselves and be recognized by their peers. If networking simply means getting drunk and chatting, online or no, then I fail to see how that's helpful as a career-builder.

enra 17y ago

Universities don't have monopoly on networking. Yes it's easy to network while you're all students but it's also quite random. Probably only a handful people of those early networks will be any use for you since people tend to go different ways. It's actually more effective to find your own area and network there.

IsaacL 17y ago
It's not just the networking; it's the status you get from going to such an institution, especially if it's 'elite'. I guessing there are relatively few 18-year-olds who consider the networking potential of university, wheras lots probably go as it's the thing they're expected to do. I'm a student now, and a lot of my friends don't seem to have learning as their main priority, in fact I'm not sure what their priority is. Thus, even if this guy's ideas do provide a better learning experience, it's not like people will abandon uni for them.

donaldc 17y ago

Going to a more prestigious and expensive institution isn't just about the diploma anyway. It's a 4 year long networking event where you build relationships with people that will help you for the rest of your life. Has this effect been quantified? I've heard this repeated over and over again, but I am skeptical that it would be the deciding factor in the success of a very capable person. (It might well be the deciding factor for a less capable person.) None of the people I know who went to expensive private universities got their current job through a college-related connection, though I work in the tech industry, which may be biasing the results. But I think the bigger point is, once online classes are regarded as every bit as educational and valid as in-person classes, going to a more prestigious and expensive institution will no longer be about the (perceived better) education and the networking, but only about the networking. This may be a harder sell, both for prospective students, and for the image of the institution in the wider world.