Does "brand" name matter when choosing a college or university?

SFC A.M. Drake — Tue, 29 Apr 2014 19:30:12 -0400

Just curious as to this concept in getting jobs and/ or leaving the military

Response by 1SG Michael Farrell made Apr 29 at 2014 10:15 PM

1SG Michael Farrell — Tue, 29 Apr 2014 22:15:06 -0400

If the school is accredited, the Army doesn't care. Employers want accreditation as a minimum. Despite the commercials, Phoenix and other online schools aren't beloved by employers. I'd recommend a state school with a distance learning program. There are some excellent one.

Response by SGM Matthew Quick made Apr 29 at 2014 10:18 PM

SGM Matthew Quick — Tue, 29 Apr 2014 22:18:27 -0400

I'd recommend choosing a college based on regionally accreditation (not nationally accreditation) and a degree path in line with my post-military goals.

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 30 at 2014 12:43 AM

1LT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 00:43:15 -0400

SFC Drake, This is a lot like buying a used car. You don't have to attend a school with no track record . . . or a poor track record. You can check out history of the school for financial aid, how they treat veterans, the quality of education, and the ability of their graduates to move forward in their career.

Like MSG Quick, I would recommend choosing a college based on regionally accreditation (or national accreditation - where we disagree) and degree path in line with my post-military goals. I would check out how long it actually takes to graduate (some state colleges and universities may take more than four years). I would think very carefully about what I want to do with my degree.

Warmest Regards, Sandy

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 30 at 2014 6:34 AM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 06:34:54 -0400

I've attended a variety of colleges and found that some of the top colleges are actually the easiest. I did my PhD at Rice University and found the classes there easier than at the community college I attended for the first 2 years of my bachelors. With that said, it's a fact in academia that names matter. Having an ivy league school on your diploma will open doors for you, regardless of what you actually learned there.

Response by COL Vincent Stoneking made Apr 30 at 2014 9:12 AM

COL Vincent Stoneking — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 09:12:53 -0400

My 2 cents.
POSITIVE Brand matters for the first job or two after getting the degree. When I am looking at hiring you, I am trying to distinguish relative worth of applicants. If the work experience in the field is thin, I'll look at the the college. If work experience is solid, "Meh, he's got a degree."

NEGATIVE Brand matters forever. If your degree is from Bill-Bob's University and Pizzaria, it will never help to have that on your resume.

Accreditation. The school should be accredited by a body that is recognized by the Department of Education. For most degrees, if I don't recognize the school, and want to know if it's a diploma-mill, I am going to look it up on line, find out who accredits it, and see if the Dpt of Ed recognizes them. If so, it's baseline acceptable and that's as far as *I* am going to go. I couldn't care less about "national" vs. "regional" accreditation.

Depending on the degree or industry, there may be "authoritative" accreditation bodies - I know there is a national one for business schools as well as several other specialties. If you are going for an advanced or niche degree, it may be worthwhile to do research int that.

All that said, the most important thing is fit. Does the school offer the degree program you want, with the rigor you want/need? Does it have degree options that meet your timeline and preferred instructional modalities. Do it feel "right?"

Response by LCDR Doug Nordman made May 1 at 2014 10:16 PM

LCDR Doug Nordman — Thu, 01 May 2014 22:16:27 -0400

I think it's more important to get to know the faculty and the programs and the internships-- and maybe even tour the campus.

A good fit with your personality and goals is far more important than the brand name.

Response by CPT Chris Loomis made Dec 20 at 2014 12:08 PM

CPT Chris Loomis — Sat, 20 Dec 2014 12:08:49 -0500

I agree with LTC Vincent Stoneking. Relative worth is what I look for.

I also look at the larger picture. If the person has something to offer and bring to the table, yet they're a bit older, and have a "no-name" college on their resume then I'll ask some questions. "How long did it take you to complete your degree?" Or "Why did you choose that university?" Maybe life happened and that person had to adjust fire. They got side tracked for a bit but still completed there degree some time later. That says a lot about a person in my book....

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 20 at 2014 12:12 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 20 Dec 2014 12:12:37 -0500

Yes. A college with a good rep (brand name) will have all the necessary accreditations and will have recognition within the civilian workforce. Especially if its known in the field you're wanting to go into.

Examples:
Computer Science - MIT, Carnegie Melon
Law - Harvard, Duke, Stanford, Yale
Business - Duke, Harvard

so on and so forth.

Another thing that really helps is doing co-ops/internships during your last few years as well. That helps you get a sense of the corporate environment at several different companies and allows them to get a good look at you and what you can/can't do in civilian real world applications; not just in the academic setting. At the company I work for, this usually ends up in job offers to the best performing interns/co-ops.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 20 at 2014 12:18 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 20 Dec 2014 12:18:03 -0500

No. A degree, unless in a professionally regulated field, such as medicine, counseling, law, or education, serves only one purpose. It is a tangible indicator to a prospective employer that you possess the ability to set a goal, make a plan, and see it through. Those regulated fields will require specific degrees, but it still won't matter where it came from.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 20 at 2014 1:04 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 20 Dec 2014 13:04:35 -0500

For military purposes, accreditation is the most important thing. No preference is given to school or method of learning.

After the military, reputation of the school does a little bit of a role in interviewing for a job. If all things are held equal between two individuals, the guy who went to Stanford will win the job over the guy who went to the University of Phoenix. But that's just a marginal issue.

The most important thing is to study what it is you're looking for in the job market, get the diploma, and sell your wealth of experience in the vetting process. If the school gives you what you need, and positions you for success in your field, that's what truly matters.

Response by SFC Dr. Joseph Finck, BS, MA, DSS made Dec 20 at 2014 1:15 PM

SFC Dr. Joseph Finck, BS, MA, DSS — Sat, 20 Dec 2014 13:15:34 -0500

No, as long as it is an accredited school, preferably Regionally as SGM Matthew Quick related, then I do not believe "brand" name matters. If I were attending school with the intent of being a career politician, Medical Doctor, Attorney, or similar, then "brand name" might matter.

Response by Cpl Jerry Millar made Feb 9 at 2015 2:42 PM

Cpl Jerry Millar — Mon, 09 Feb 2015 14:42:24 -0500

It depends on a few things: why you are attending college; what industry your want to work in; what area of the Country you want to work in; ect.

Certain industries put a lot of weight into where you went to school so going to a reputable college is desired. Geographically speaking, there are a lot of great local colleges in most states that may not have the same reputation/recognition in another part of the country and would not hold the same weight as it would in your home town.