Michelle Li on Leading Learners Blog

Feb 24, 2022

Does The University You Attend Really Matter?

The importance of the university that you attend really depends on what your goals are for attending.

For example, there are some programs that are only offered at specific universities (take engineering for example: aerospace engineering, biomedical engineering, systems engineering and engineering physics aren’t offered at the undergraduate level at all schools in the world).

At the same time, your program/major also doesn't necessarily define your career. I have met psychology majors who have become software engineers.

As long as you put in the work to develop the skills you need for a certain position, your possibilities can be limitless.

Additionally, most university rankings are based on publications at the graduate level.

So by attending a higher ranked university you could potentially gain access to getting to know some more prestigious researchers/profs which can benefit your career path if you are interested in pursuing a career in academia.

Additionally, some universities have a broader set of campus community clubs, teams, and activities. So by attending a university that offers more of these, you open yourself up to the possibilities. But overall it depends on how you make the most of your university time.