Don't forget that there are schools within schools. As a parent it is easy to get wrapped up in the pedigree of a school and I think we all know successful people and idiots from top tier schools and people who have hit out of the park from lesser branded schools.
If have older kids who have gone through the college process with or without sports I think you really begin to see the ROI aspect of paying for a college education and in most cases in today's economy is it more about one's professional schooling.
There are obvious benefits of being able to tap into an established alumni network but hat is no guarantee of success.
One of the most talented guys I ever worked with was a Computer Science major from Maryland. He was one of the developers of Google Chrome and is very happy with the full academic ride he received and his multi million dollar net worth. There are a lot of ways to skin the proverbial cat.
Our son decided to go to state school with a good lacrosse program, and with the combination of merit and athletic money he is going to graduate will almost zero debt and with a very strong degree in which this school is very well respected.
On average, a graduate from a Patriot/Ivy has a distinct advantage over a grad from a state school. The Google Chrome designer is a 1 in a million kid.
Again, another poster with the "patriot / Ivy" as if they are one and the same or equal. Nothing against the patriot schools but Becknell is not Harvard, Lehigh is not Princeton, Boston University is not Yale, Lafayette is not Penn. Get it, they do not equate. For some reason some on this site want to promote the Patriot schools by referencing them along with the Ivy's as a far superior choice to a State School.
To say that a student graduating from a Patriot League School will have far more advantages than a student graduating from a State School is foolish.
Virginia, North Carolina, Michigan, Penn State and Maryland are all "State Schools". Remove Lacrosse from the picture and I am not sure that I would choose a patriot school over any of them.
After the Ivy's its Hopkins, Duke, Notre Dame, Georgetown.
As far as academics / lacrosse go I would say the top 5 conferences are:
1 - Ivy 2 - ACC 3 - Big Ten 4 - Big East 5 – Patriot
I will/have hire a Patriot league grad over a state school grad. The rankings you posted have no basis in real world reality and are frankly laughable.
