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To what extent does reputation actually matter?

I'm sure this has been discussed loads of times on TSR. However, I'd like to know what the current opinion is regarding this issue.

From my POV, reputation does have bearing on how much somebody earns post graduation. I've looked on unistats and seen that people earn more from higher ranked unis, particularly for arts/humanities/social science courses. For STEM, not so much, possibly due to more standardised and universal content and skills developed.

What do you think?

Reply 1

Pro Crastination

I don't think looking at those statistics is enough to assume there is a causality. It's an incredibly difficult thing to detach statistically, because whilst one could say that a certain alma mater bestows particular career advantages, it could just be the case that graduates of that particular university just generally are harder-working/more career-oriented, and hence on average receive a higher pay package.

As lots of people say on here, certain industries (high finance and law) may 'target' certain universities for graduate recruitment. Beyond that, I think this idea of the importance of 'reputation' is likely to be overstated on TSR.

Certainly, there is nothing stopping a graduate from a lower-tier university having a great career. I think there is a particularly corrosive prevalence on this site of those who think quite deterministically about it - i.e. if you don't have 'Oxon' next to your degree title, good luck even stacking shelves.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 2

username2130115

people studying arts/humanities degrees usually go into general graduate jobs that accept any degree with a good classification. most STEM students, especially those studying engineering and computer science, apply for jobs that require a degree in what they studied. the demand for general graduate jobs outstrips the supply, the inverse is true for engineering related jobs. thus, if you go to a lower ranked university and if you study a engineering subject, you have a greater chance of obtaining a graduate job than you would by studying an arts/humanities subject. this is what causes the salary discrepancy in university statistics.

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