Your reply strikes at the heart of many of the issues and concerns about which we're thinking.
When I went to college, I chose the school to which I was accepted that had the best reputation in my major field, not the school with the best all-around reputation. I dropped out of that major field before completing grad school, and am now in a completely different field.
I always thought that, given my career path, it would have been more helpful to have graduated from the school with the somewhat more recognized and prestigious “brand name.”
As well, I made no life-long business connections in college. Just wasn't that sort of student body. That's Harvard's “Rolodex advantage.”
But Maryland is a better school for engineering, and the university has made it very, very attractive for him to go there. As well, they have added something to his scholarship package that at least partially makes up for Harvard's “Rolodex advantage.”
You've really nailed some crucial questions. Now I wish we could get the crucial answers! LOL.
sitetest
“Rolodex advantage.”
Is your son quiet or social? After a few years, that database is valuable.