Does it matter what school you attend?

[Sylvestre]

How many of you think it matters what undergraduate school you attend?
If possible, indicate if you are still in school or not.

[weedb0y]

Actually, it does somewhat. There is a difference between Windsor and UofT. I have attended both actually and know the difference. I have also had positive impact during interviews as well, when they hear about the Rotman School of Management etc etc.

But if you are doing Masters afterwards, then it doesn't really matter.

[sumfunny]

Like the above it depends if your program has a second degree to it, then no, pre-med, psych, poli-sci,etc no but if you expect a career after your first degree then yes, waterloo for engineering, wlu,uoft for accounting, ivey for ibanking.

[Headhunter]

It absolutely matters, in the sense that employers will value schools differently. Getting a B at U of T still looks a hell of a lot better than an A from DeVry...

It doesn't really matter, in terms of your ability after you graduate; if you don't have the discipline to learn independently and motivate yourself, the school won't be a factor in your future success (or lack thereof).

[me!]

yeah, especially if your degree is from some tiny south pacific island, or off the back of a matchbook.

[J1M]

It shouldn't but it does because HR is lazy and inept.

[gordholio]

IMHO, it doesn't matter what college or university you go to, it's what you do with your education once your out in the real world - and your attitude - that counts.
Your attitude, once you're in a job after you graduate is of utmost importance.
Being positive and willing to learn things on the job are keys that an employer likes. Also being a team player is important and getting along well with others.

[ttt]

How many of you think it matters what undergraduate school you attend?
If possible, indicate if you are still in school or not.

it matters.. many employers give preferences to applicants that go to good undergraduate schools..

[LiquidGoop]

Depends on how you look at it. Are we talking strictly about if the reputation of your Alma Mater alone will give you a leg up at an interview, or are we talking about the whole four year experience, the people you meet and network with and having no doubt about having chosen the right school. For the first question, I think it mostly matters where you go and if the interviewer is an alumnus of your school. The second makes it absolutley clear that it matter what school you attend. It also depends what kind of degree you're after. I think UofT is a horrible undergrad school but a fantastic graduate school.

There's much more to the school you pick than the piece of paper you come out with and show your employers.

[hugh_da_man]

I've actually noticed that I've gotten a better response from local employers than I do from employers in other provinces. I've been told by several HR people that they don't look at out of province resumes till they have gotten through the cream of the crop from their own province.

It's nice to have a degree from Waterloo but if you were doing engineering or some other standardized discipline then I don't think it matters that much. Most HR trust that the local schools turn out good students and they know what to expect from local grads.

Of course, 10 years down the road no one will care where you went or how you did.

[gq_fuzion]

if you were an employer... would you rather hire someone who graduated from Lakehead University or University of Waterloo???

Nippissing or UofT????

UOIT or Queen's????

it does matter

[firehawk12]

Undergrad, no, because it's all BS anyway.

[J1M]

Undergrad, no, because it's all BS anyway.

But you are an HR person that never attended University in the first place so you don't know that.

[xwar]

Not really if you are only doing an undergrad and going straight to work. Landing a the job is highly dependant your coverletter, resume, and interviewing skills ... and you can show you know your stuff, then the job is yours. Don't kid yourselves guys and gals, job connections and people skills are far more important than your marks at school. Most employers out there don't even ask about school, especially if you already have some sort of related job experience.

That's only my opinion. This is a really subjective thread.

[J1M]

I've been told flat-out by HR people that they just take a stack of 50 or however many resumes they get for an entry-level opening and start throwing them in the garbage until they are left with the top 5 or 10 best degrees to give to the manager. It makes them look "smart" to pick "smart" people and nobody can question their judgment if the hire goes bad. This is the reason not all applicants will be contacted. The only person with your contact info is Pablo the night janitor.