Prada or a Tote, a Bag’s a Bag: College is College

There are a number of prestigious schools out there that if you graduate from, you’ll be seen as better than the rest. Well, that’s what you think. The other day Neil deGrasse Tyson was stopped by TMZ and the question they asked him escapes me, but his answer was basically about how unimportant where you go to college actually is. It’s what you accomplish afterwards that matters. He said if you introduce yourself to someone and have to lead with where you graduated from – you haven’t done much with your life.

That’s why I used the purse example in the title. I have a friend who wishes she would’ve went to a UC instead of a Cal State. In the grand scheme of things, the things you learn will be exactly the same. Math is math, no matter where you learn it from or by. The same is more or less the same for English, history so on. The major difference is the little tales professors will attach to each lesson; personal anecdotes you’ll either grow to love, or hate forever and always. In the end, a diploma is a diploma – so don’t get too hung up on the label attached at the top.

What you do with your degree is what really matters in the end. You don’t want to hit 50 and still have to say, “Hello, Harvard grad…” and then trail off. At that age, you should have more to show than where you spent four years of your life way back in the day. When being rushed to the hospital, no one cares where their doctor studied and got their degree. That’s the last thing on anyone’s mind when their life is on the line. It’s not just with doctors, but almost every occupation.

While my friend hates on going to a Cal State school, there are a ton of great people who came out of Cal State Northridge. The man who created Hopeless Records, the lead TV editor at The Hollywood Reporter, and so many others. It’s possible to be successful no matter where you went – it’s all up to you to make where you went work for you. So no matter where you go, make the most of your time there. Join a club, make sure you pick the right major, and definitely don’t be afraid to get out there in the real world and make connections in the field you want to work in when you’re still in school.

Some people think that where you go to college, having that prestigious alma mater is all that matters. Truth be told, it doesn’t. Yes, there are employers that will be impressed by a Yale grad, but if that grad has no experience other than graduating…they’re going to get looked over. The same can be said of a Prada bag over a regular old tote. It may look good, but is it as functional for everyday life?