High school students often have difficulty understanding why getting into a top university is important for their future. College is, in many cases, a practical next step in achieving dreams. Furthermore, getting into an elite university is many students’ ideal path to excelling or fulfilling their potential. If you happen to be on this path but want a better idea of why exactly you should get into a top university, then we have you covered in this article!
First and foremost, what makes a university elite? The first factor is their people. A great university has a great faculty, researchers, professors, and students. One way universities become well-funded and prestigious—or “elite”—is by breaking new ground in research. Universities will compete for the best researchers, professors, and faculty across the globe by offering to fund their research. Furthermore, elite universities are usually extremely selective about the students they admit in order to foster intellectually rich academic communities. The more accomplished or promising the people are at a university, the more society highly regards that university.
The second factor that makes a university elite is their funding. Universities are able to recruit top researchers because they offer competitive salaries. Universities are funded through various means, but the more funding they receive, the more money universities have to spend on their professors, researchers, campus resources, and students. The relationship between a university’s funding and their researchers creates a positive feedback loop: universities are able to create a rich academic community of people because they are well-funded, and in return the people from these communities help the university generate even more money and prestige. The more students fulfill their potential and the more the faculties become respected in their fields, the more prestige the university gains.
But how does this affect you? There are two ways a rich academic community and well-funded university can benefit you as a student. Firstly, you’ll receive a strong education. Top universities have lecturers and researchers who are actively shaping the field they are interested in; getting into these universities means students can directly learn from or work with experts in their fields. Not only do great universities offer great instructors and researchers, they also offer a great environment for learning. Top universities often select students because they believe they will have valuable contributions to the community. If you are admitted into a top university, the knowledge you synthesize will come from the motivated minds of your peers and the experienced minds of your professors. Your community’s wisdom will inform your growth in your future profession, and the more well-regarded the university, the more wisdom its people have to offer.
Interacting with elite faculty and high-performing students leads to a well-developed network that yields high-quality opportunities. The more connections you make with people who are well-established in their fields or promising students, the more you maximize your chances of obtaining internships, research opportunities, and job offers both during and after college. Remember that the faculty you interact with will most likely have connections to other experts in their fields. Standing out to your instructors or head researchers increases your chances of gaining opportunities you wouldn’t be able to obtain anywhere else. Not only will more opportunities come to you as a result of these connections, you will have a competitive edge when seizing opportunities due to your universities’ prestige. Attending or graduating from a top university looks good on a resumé, which overall increases your employment and advancement potential.
About the Author:
Allan Han, MA is a writer and educator with over six years of teaching experience in teaching K-12 students fundamental English, fundamental Math, SAT writing, and high school literature. He received his Master's Degree in English Instruction at NYU and formerly taught in LaGuardia High School in the city of New York.