What makes a degree 'prestigious'?

That is totally false. That is how you hope the system would work but it doesn't in any shape or form. In reality all major corporations, employ people based on 1) the prestige of the university they have attended 2) the classification of their degree ie 1st, 2:1, 2:2 etc 3) performance at interview. If what is written on "the silly piece of paper" didn't matter then there would be no purpose of differentiating people by grade at GCSE, a-level and degree level. Basic common sense tells us the higher qualified one is, and the better institution they attended, the greater probability they have of accessing higher paid jobs.

I assume you are still at school. If you go to a "prestigious" university, you will be repeatedly told you need to get suitable experience and you need to develop your soft skills, because those students that don't and cling to the prestige of their university don't get very far. In the adult world you are judged largely on your individual merit, not on the reputation of your university.

No, they don't.

I assume you are still at school. If you go to a "prestigious" university, you will be repeatedly told you need to get suitable experience and you need to develop your soft skills, because those students that don't and cling to the prestige of their university don't get very far. In the adult world you are judged largely on your individual merit, not on the reputation of your university.

No, they don't.

There is a reason why a surprisingly large proportion of people in the top echelon in our society are graduated from prestigious universities such as Harvard ,MIT, Oxford, Cambridge, Stanford etc., it's because they are ambitious and intelligent people who want to succeed and employers do know that.

Of course experience is also vital. However, no major, high-paying corporation, employs people simply by experience. Whilst personality, and experience, are evidently important, do not underestimate how important degree and the university attended is. From personal experience, as I stated on another thread, I know a few banks and insurance companies that will not consider anyone from Oxford, Cambridge, LSE or bristol at this moment in time.

lol, the naiveté.

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There are two articles that those of you who are still clinging to the archaic idea of 'prestige' need to read - and you need to think carefully about the content of both.

The first is a Press Release from Deloitte about their recent change in recruitment practice : http://www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/pages...cruitment.html

The second is an article about this issue within the American college system : http://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/051915/university-prestige-really-important.asp
Although written about a different University system, the essence of the argument very clearly does still apply to the UK :

“For too many parents and their children, getting into a highly selective school isn’t just another challenge, just another goal,” Bruni wrote. “A yes or no from Amherst or Dartmouth or Duke or Northwestern is seen as the conclusive measure of a young person’s worth, a binding verdict on the life that he or she has led up until that point, an uncontestable harbinger of the successes or disappointments to come.”

"When American adults were asked how important they thought a job candidate’s alma mater is to hiring managers, fully 80% said it was either very or somewhat important. But when Gallup put the same question to business leaders – the people who are actually in a position to offer graduates jobs – the results were strikingly different. A majority of them, 54%, said it was not very important or not important at all."

Much of the opinion and attitude of parents, teachers etc is based on assumptions or prejudice, and this is as much about their own insecurities as parents or teachers as providing objective information to 18 year olds.

Just out of pure interest, what do you study and where at? And what A-Level results did you attain (honestly) ?

Apologies I meant "will not consider anyone NOT from Oxford, Cambridge, LSE and Bristol"

So they consider guys from Bristol but not Warwick or Imperial, yet Warwick and Imperial grads dominate top rules in prestigious firms along with oxbridge and lse grads.

The prestige of a uni and degree gives you a head start, however it doesn't help you cross the finish line. Experience is invaluable. Anyone can get a degree nowadays, experience is something only a few can get.

So they consider guys from Bristol but not Warwick or Imperial, yet Warwick and Imperial grads dominate top rules in prestigious firms along with oxbridge and lse grads.