Big Name or Small Wonder: Choosing the Best College For You

There are countless reasons to choose a college--reputation, location, majors, financial aid and sports to name a few. For many years students and parents have based their college decisions on rankings and reputation, instead of on criteria that were important to individual students based on their academic needs, career aspirations, talents and the way they learn.

Students have been made to feel that going to state schools, public universities, community colleges, small colleges and lower-tier schools was somehow undesirable. The truth is that Ivy League and top-tier schools are great schools that offer many advantages to students and graduates. Their reputations and resources afford students access to world-class professors, jobs with top employers, money for business and big-name social connections (a few presidents that's all). And while I just made that sound irresistable, there are reasons to resist the temptation.

First, a study by the Quarterly Journal of Economics found that students who are accepted to but do not attend Ivy League colleges earn as much money as those who graduate from Ivy League schools. Greatness won't be denied. Students who are intent on being successful, and who are clear about their criteria for selecting a college, should feel free to choose colleges that offer them what they want and need, regardless of rank or reputation.

Here are 10 reasons to choose non-Ivy, lower-ranked schools:
1. Smaller colleges offer smaller class sizes and lower student:teacher ratios
2. Smaller colleges offer specialized, unique majors
3. Community colleges allow students to pay less for lower level classes, then transfer to 4-year colleges
4. Do well in your first 1-2 years and you can transfer to an Ivy later (if you still want to)
5. Local or regional colleges may have deeper relationships with local businesses and enjoy a great reputation
6. Top-performers may be offered amazing financial aid packages to attend
7. More hands-on experience in preparation for work or graduate school
8. Classes taught by actual professors, not grad students
9. More well-rounded admissions criteria
10. Better chance of getting in

Check out these great books on college selection: