Where you go to college seems to be the hype of today, with pressure placed on students to get into high-tier schools. Prestige is more important than ever to students and their parents, since many seem to believe it is the name of the school that will steer you toward the utmost success.

No one can deny that both getting into a prestigious university and coming out the other end with a high GPA can foster success. But is this the only way? Who’s to say that it isn’t as productive getting a stellar GPA at a more “low-key” university? As a student, is what you do more important than where you are doing it?

Getting into a top university is harder than ever, with acceptance rates as low as 5% for highly ranked schools like Harvard and Stanford. While these schools become more competitive, the pressure on students only grows stronger. According to the American Psychological Association, teens of today exhibit unhealthy stress levels, topping the average levels of adults during the school year.

This doesn’t come as a surprise given the high expectations that come with being a student of today. Most have little time to breathe between studying for SATs and attending extracurriculars.

Even if accepted to a top-tier college, the reality is that many U.S. families cannot afford the astronomical cost of attendance. It was reported in 2021 by U.S. News & World Report that the average tuition of private colleges in the United States is approximately $35,000, with cost of attendance falling around $41,000. Economic barriers among these institutions prevent students from even considering them as options, whether admitted or not.

With this in mind, it has become a no-brainer for students to consider their public state universities. The average cost of tuition and fees at a ranked in-state public college is about 72% less than the average cost to attend a private college.

Even more, data reflects that students who attend four-year public institutions generally graduate with a relatively modest amount of debt. For this reason, many Americans now ponder the importance of prestige at the cost of their bank accounts.

Studies show that a school’s tier is not the path to happiness and success. Rather, taking full advantage of opportunities and building connections are greater predictors of success after graduation.

The proof lay not only in the research, but in the achievements of major CEOs like Doug McMillion of Walmart and Larry Merlo of CVS Health, who attended the University of Arkansas and the University of Pittsburgh, respectively.

The bottom line is that a subjective college ranking is not the end all, be all to success. It’s time we quit obsessing about status, and focus on the ultimate goal: college education.

Laura Charos is an applied psychology master’s degree student at Rutgers University.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)