Underestimating our own degrees?

I've been noticing that we have lots of threads here about either such degree or another is prestigious enough, or if someone should change school for another one with a better name, etc...

I'm guilty of that too, as I'm always thinking about getting a second bachelors, even though I'm finishing my MFA, and I created some threads about this subject (like the Harvard vs SUNY thread).

Normally this idea comes to my mind because my school, Academy of Art University is prestigious in the art industry but not academically (it has a very bad reputation in the Academy because is for-profit).

But this last week I've decided to do a experiment - I've decided to ask my friends and classmates from Academy of Art University about their undergrad alma mater.

And you know what I have found out?

I have among my friends and classmates here, graduates from Stanford, Columbia and UC Berkeley (a surprisingly high number of UC Berkeley alumni here in the Academy of Art)!

Not satisfied, I've decided to check at Linkedin and I realized that my class is not a exception - there is a good amount of students that have completed their undergrad in top schools and decided to come to AAU for their MFA.

It's pretty clear for me why they did that (the MFA's at AAU are way more hands on and practical than other MFAs in top institutions) but what is really interesting to me is that all those graduates from world class schools felt there was no problem in finishing a Master in a not Ivy or Top 10 school.

This is thought for food for everyone (me included) that is worrying too much about prestige or "downgrading" at the graduate level (going to a less well known school).

Sometimes we underestimate our own credentials and overestimate the effect of a prestigious name school.

 

.. and sometimes we forget that having a prestigious name school anywhere on our resume will have the intended effect regardless of it being our terminal degree or not.

.. and sometimes we destroy the validity of our own arguments by not being clear. Question: When getting the information from the students that stated they wanted to go to AAU because it was more practicum based; did you then ask if those students intended to go back into academia after completion or wanted to work in the industry?

Because in the second or third line you state that the school is prestigious within industry but not the academy... so if they want to go to work in industry, it's still a prestigious school, invalidating your basic argument..

Food for thought, though the basic premise of your idea I like very much as a matter of questioning the system.

 

Well, my original post was more random thoughts about my own situation that I wanted to share with people here than a real solid argument.

I wasn't trying to negate the value of a Stanford, Columbia or UC Berkeley degree, but to point out that the decisions of my friends go against a common fear and a common argument in this board.

The common fear is the "downgrading" or "step down" at the graduate level if you have a prestigious undergrad.

The common argument, very much present here, that says that when you have a graduate degree, not one cares about your undergrad anymore.

As you pointed out, it seems that's not the case - to the point that those students are confident enough that their top undergrad will balance any AAU negative effect.

About the prestige of AAU in the industry - yes, it is a prestigious school for being in San Francisco and having teachers that work in the top entertainment/art companies in the world (I had classes with Pixar, Lucasart, Zoetrope, etc... teacher. Not bad) but that works very differently in a practical field like art, where you have to show that you can do the job.

So, unlike the business world, in the art/media world no one really cares where you're degree is from - they look only at your portfolio and experience. It is like that for film, tv, 3d animation, etc...

The prestige of AAU is better used by students form other departments, not mine (like the Fashion students - the AAU is the only school in the USA that has its own show in the New York Fashion Week, etc...)