Comments on: Does It Matter Where You Go To College? Yes and No, Part I http://www.matthewktabor.com/2007/09/24/does-it-matter-where-you-go-to-college-yes-and-no-part-i/ In Education for the Aughts, Matthew K. Tabor discusses issues in K-12 and higher education. He examines: college, law school & medical school admissions; NCLB & testing; teaching; teacher certification; parent & community relations; school law; school boards; & national education trends. Matthew is an admissions consultant and private educator. He writes out of Cooperstown, New York. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:30:19 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Truthfulness http://www.matthewktabor.com/2007/09/24/does-it-matter-where-you-go-to-college-yes-and-no-part-i/comment-page-1/#comment-3455 Truthfulness Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:04:35 +0000 http://www.matthewktabor.com/2007/09/24/does-it-matter-where-you-go-to-college-yes-and-no-part-i/#comment-3455 It's fairly simple. People who don't get into top schools claim that people in top schools are not more talented or intelligent. The fact is. Intelligence is like athletic ability. Too many people deny this fact. There are people who are just more intelligent. People who play basketball for top colleges tend to have more athletic ability. There are some people from unknown colleges with great athletic ability, but the probability is lower. Also, not everyone who plays for the top colleges have top athletic ability, but more do. Some people with amazing athletic ability from top colleges don't succeed in the NBA for a variety reasons: bad luck, bad timing often times. Job success requires a lot of luck. You have a tougher time is you are a minority like African American, Latino, or Asian. You have a tougher time if you are handicapped. You have a tougher time if you don't have connections. It’s fairly simple. People who don’t get into top schools claim that people in top schools are not more talented or intelligent. The fact is. Intelligence is like athletic ability. Too many people deny this fact. There are people who are just more intelligent. People who play basketball for top colleges tend to have more athletic ability. There are some people from unknown colleges with great athletic ability, but the probability is lower. Also, not everyone who plays for the top colleges have top athletic ability, but more do. Some people with amazing athletic ability from top colleges don’t succeed in the NBA for a variety reasons: bad luck, bad timing often times. Job success requires a lot of luck. You have a tougher time is you are a minority like African American, Latino, or Asian. You have a tougher time if you are handicapped. You have a tougher time if you don’t have connections.

]]> By: Matthew K. Tabor http://www.matthewktabor.com/2007/09/24/does-it-matter-where-you-go-to-college-yes-and-no-part-i/comment-page-1/#comment-2589 Matthew K. Tabor Wed, 25 Jun 2008 23:51:18 +0000 http://www.matthewktabor.com/2007/09/24/does-it-matter-where-you-go-to-college-yes-and-no-part-i/#comment-2589 mjishernameo, Many thanks - I certainly hope my parents are proud. I owe just about everything to parents and family. There's no doubt that the professoriate leans to the left, and some tip over. But it seems like every time I think the situation is hopeless, students prove me wrong. Check out the comments on the Constantine post on the Columbia Bwog: http://www.bwog.net/articles/madonna_constantine_suspended_indefinitely_from_tc Columbia's got a reputation for leftist, elitist eccentricity, but these 50+ comments show that there's still some good sense in their ranks - even if it's coming from the students instead of the faculty. mjishernameo,

Many thanks – I certainly hope my parents are proud. I owe just about everything to parents and family.

There’s no doubt that the professoriate leans to the left, and some tip over. But it seems like every time I think the situation is hopeless, students prove me wrong. Check out the comments on the Constantine post on the Columbia Bwog:

http://www.bwog.net/articles/madonna_constantine_suspended_indefinitely_from_tc

Columbia’s got a reputation for leftist, elitist eccentricity, but these 50+ comments show that there’s still some good sense in their ranks – even if it’s coming from the students instead of the faculty.

]]> By: mjishernameo http://www.matthewktabor.com/2007/09/24/does-it-matter-where-you-go-to-college-yes-and-no-part-i/comment-page-1/#comment-2583 mjishernameo Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:51:28 +0000 http://www.matthewktabor.com/2007/09/24/does-it-matter-where-you-go-to-college-yes-and-no-part-i/#comment-2583 My son was accepted at Princeton, Carnegie Melon, NA Annapolis and Lehigh. We're leaning towards lehigh...less elite. I'm more and more turned off by these universities when I hear of the radical inoctrination and super liberal values shoved down the throats of the students and the questionable qualifications of instructors... My son is a future scientist, he really doesn't want to listen to the whiny rhetoric of some of the Professors at the elites. He just wants to be a scientist and help the world...is that too much to ask? Matthew, your mom must be proud. Great web site, very smart young man. Keep it up. My son was accepted at Princeton, Carnegie Melon, NA Annapolis and Lehigh. We’re leaning towards lehigh…less elite. I’m more and more turned off by these universities when I hear of the radical inoctrination and super liberal values shoved down the throats of the students and the questionable qualifications of instructors… My son is a future scientist, he really doesn’t want to listen to the whiny rhetoric of some of the Professors at the elites. He just wants to be a scientist and help the world…is that too much to ask?
Matthew, your mom must be proud. Great web site, very smart young man. Keep it up.

]]> By: David http://www.matthewktabor.com/2007/09/24/does-it-matter-where-you-go-to-college-yes-and-no-part-i/comment-page-1/#comment-1867 David Thu, 20 Dec 2007 21:41:44 +0000 http://www.matthewktabor.com/2007/09/24/does-it-matter-where-you-go-to-college-yes-and-no-part-i/#comment-1867 This article does prove a lot about college. Even though lets see some kids into college because their parents bought them in, or sports, or alumni, or some other crazy way other than tests and gpas. Basically undergrad is undergrad no matter where you go. Honestly, you get more out of a community college then most "elite" universities. As well as some very intelligent kids do not make the grades in high school. Just because you can work hard in high school with your parents by your side and get straight A's does not mean your gonna do the same thing in college. This also implies to if you do bad, you may turn the tables in college. College simply is a necessity in this day and age, as well as a joke of how exactly admissions work. Who is anyone to say you are not good enough to get into their college? Big whoop they have a 3.0 and 1100 sat. Whats that say? NOTHING. You do not know how hard their teachers are or if they are prepared for a SAT or a bad test taker. I know kids that have a 2.0 and got a perfect score on the sat and vice versa. Simply the admissions process overall is a 50/50 chance regardless of how your grades are. UC schools accept tons of kids with 2.0s and 800-1000 sat scores, but an out-of-state student needs a 3.4 to even apply? This paper represents college very well. This article does prove a lot about college. Even though lets see some kids into college because their parents bought them in, or sports, or alumni, or some other crazy way other than tests and gpas. Basically undergrad is undergrad no matter where you go. Honestly, you get more out of a community college then most “elite” universities. As well as some very intelligent kids do not make the grades in high school. Just because you can work hard in high school with your parents by your side and get straight A’s does not mean your gonna do the same thing in college. This also implies to if you do bad, you may turn the tables in college. College simply is a necessity in this day and age, as well as a joke of how exactly admissions work. Who is anyone to say you are not good enough to get into their college? Big whoop they have a 3.0 and 1100 sat. Whats that say? NOTHING. You do not know how hard their teachers are or if they are prepared for a SAT or a bad test taker. I know kids that have a 2.0 and got a perfect score on the sat and vice versa. Simply the admissions process overall is a 50/50 chance regardless of how your grades are. UC schools accept tons of kids with 2.0s and 800-1000 sat scores, but an out-of-state student needs a 3.4 to even apply? This paper represents college very well.

]]> By: College matters, and college choices matter http://www.matthewktabor.com/2007/09/24/does-it-matter-where-you-go-to-college-yes-and-no-part-i/comment-page-1/#comment-1439 College matters, and college choices matter Sat, 29 Sep 2007 20:55:23 +0000 http://www.matthewktabor.com/2007/09/24/does-it-matter-where-you-go-to-college-yes-and-no-part-i/#comment-1439 [...] K. Tabor on whether the college you attend really matters.  His answer:  yes and [...] [...] K. Tabor on whether the college you attend really matters.  His answer:  yes and [...]

]]> By: Education question that needs an answer « Secondhand Thoughts http://www.matthewktabor.com/2007/09/24/does-it-matter-where-you-go-to-college-yes-and-no-part-i/comment-page-1/#comment-1400 Education question that needs an answer « Secondhand Thoughts Wed, 26 Sep 2007 03:26:55 +0000 http://www.matthewktabor.com/2007/09/24/does-it-matter-where-you-go-to-college-yes-and-no-part-i/#comment-1400 [...] Does It Matter Where You Go To College?  Yes and No, Part I [...] [...] Does It Matter Where You Go To College?  Yes and No, Part I [...]

]]> By: Thoughts on admission: Contest mobility and its prospects « Union Street http://www.matthewktabor.com/2007/09/24/does-it-matter-where-you-go-to-college-yes-and-no-part-i/comment-page-1/#comment-1388 Thoughts on admission: Contest mobility and its prospects « Union Street Tue, 25 Sep 2007 12:28:09 +0000 http://www.matthewktabor.com/2007/09/24/does-it-matter-where-you-go-to-college-yes-and-no-part-i/#comment-1388 [...] 25th, 2007 by Andrew Note: this post was prompted in part by a post by Matthew Tabor on a similar topic. While my own concerns are pointed in a somewhat different direction and reflect [...] [...] 25th, 2007 by Andrew Note: this post was prompted in part by a post by Matthew Tabor on a similar topic. While my own concerns are pointed in a somewhat different direction and reflect [...]

]]> By: Andrew http://www.matthewktabor.com/2007/09/24/does-it-matter-where-you-go-to-college-yes-and-no-part-i/comment-page-1/#comment-1386 Andrew Tue, 25 Sep 2007 03:24:48 +0000 http://www.matthewktabor.com/2007/09/24/does-it-matter-where-you-go-to-college-yes-and-no-part-i/#comment-1386 Interesting, as always. I'm going to wait until the second part is posted before offering a full reaction, but I'm going to speculate that we're going to see a second wave of research and general public concern over 'credentialism' and related phenomena in the coming years. The race for reputation and prestige is intensifying - and careening off in directions not entirely clear -to the point where even firmly middle and upper-middle class families have to question the viability of until now seemingly 'reliable' educational strategies and plans for their children. Interesting, as always. I’m going to wait until the second part is posted before offering a full reaction, but I’m going to speculate that we’re going to see a second wave of research and general public concern over ‘credentialism’ and related phenomena in the coming years. The race for reputation and prestige is intensifying – and careening off in directions not entirely clear -to the point where even firmly middle and upper-middle class families have to question the viability of until now seemingly ‘reliable’ educational strategies and plans for their children.

]]> By: Matthew http://www.matthewktabor.com/2007/09/24/does-it-matter-where-you-go-to-college-yes-and-no-part-i/comment-page-1/#comment-1385 Matthew Tue, 25 Sep 2007 00:03:29 +0000 http://www.matthewktabor.com/2007/09/24/does-it-matter-where-you-go-to-college-yes-and-no-part-i/#comment-1385 Thanks for the encouragement - and I agree, this is a hugely important topic right now. Higher education is changing a great deal - flattening in some ways, not in others, and it seems that few recognize these changes. The second half of Graham's essay [what I'll go over in part ii] actually gets to the "how" point - it's also where I start to diverge more from his theory. I wish I could've finished it and put it up today, but this post alone was 900 words/quote and 1500 words from me - I suspect that a 5,000-word blog post is too much in one sitting. Thanks for the encouragement – and I agree, this is a hugely important topic right now. Higher education is changing a great deal – flattening in some ways, not in others, and it seems that few recognize these changes.

The second half of Graham’s essay [what I'll go over in part ii] actually gets to the “how” point – it’s also where I start to diverge more from his theory.

I wish I could’ve finished it and put it up today, but this post alone was 900 words/quote and 1500 words from me – I suspect that a 5,000-word blog post is too much in one sitting.

]]> By: Liz Ditz http://www.matthewktabor.com/2007/09/24/does-it-matter-where-you-go-to-college-yes-and-no-part-i/comment-page-1/#comment-1384 Liz Ditz Mon, 24 Sep 2007 23:57:11 +0000 http://www.matthewktabor.com/2007/09/24/does-it-matter-where-you-go-to-college-yes-and-no-part-i/#comment-1384 Matthew, this is a really important topic, especially in the context of today's parenting ("if it isn't an Ivy, it is 5th rate -- forget whether it is a good match for my child or not" or [in tones of dripping condescension] "oh, he's going to Lewis & Clark? Was that his first choice?). Keep up the good work. Matthew, this is a really important topic, especially in the context of today’s parenting (”if it isn’t an Ivy, it is 5th rate — forget whether it is a good match for my child or not” or [in tones of dripping condescension] “oh, he’s going to Lewis & Clark? Was that his first choice?).

Keep up the good work.

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