So many things peeve me. Humans—non-writers in particular—have a tendency to test my patience, which is non-existent as you can tell.
While my pet peeves are a never-ending list, my current one is as follows:
When people say one school (university, college, etc.) is more prestigious than another. I’m annoyed anytime anyone claims one school is better or more well-known based upon very biased opinions.
Editors and agents won’t care where I went for post-secondary. On the other hand, the industry does care if writers can write. By write, I mean write well. Like really well.
Everyone needs to stop telling me to go to a specific school solely because the institution has seemingly established a name for itself.
Rant over. Anger absolved…slightly.
Herminia Chow 
Well said, Herminia!
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Thank you John.
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Nicely said. My parents moved us 100 miles away from my first home when I was 7, and schooling was a reason for it. I now go to Peter Symonds College – it’s the third top college (UCAS points ranking wise, kind of like a score that you get – the more you have, the higher grade you achieved) in the UK, and 50+ a year go to Oxford/Cambridge, which is one of the highest too! I’m really happy I came here, and I’ve had so many opportunities that I might not have got if it wasn’t such a prestigious college. However, I see your argument too, and I felt the same – I was set on going to another college before my taster day at Symonds, and I felt like I would have been letting my dad down as he moved 200 miles away from his family to give me the best schooling opportunity possible! Before I chose Symonds, I didn’t care about the university opportunities or the fact people here get statistically higher grades. People need to stop seeing schools and colleges as grade-making factories and start seeing them as what they really are: places where people are made, or destroyed, depending on their personal experiences. I think those matter above all else.
(PS Sorry for the extraordinarily long comment!)
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Funny thing is I’ve never moved before and now I have the chance to. 😛 Nice! True, there’s a lot of pressure from everyone around you as well. Mhm, I wish people would stop doing that too. It frustrates me to no end. Exactly. Our education is what we make of it regardless of whether or not we go to the “best” school in the country.
Don’t be sorry. 🙂
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Well said 🙂
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Thanks!
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You’re right! Absolutely right. I’ve met and trained people from some “prestigious” universities, and some from colleges that never get any attention. It has absolutely no bearing on intelligence and talent. None! Some of my worst students came from the schools with the best reputations.
The measure of our success and talent comes from our own dedication to our education. Not just classroom learning, but service, experience, trial-and-error, and our feverish desires to succeed.
Go where you want to go. The place doesn’t matter, it’s what you make of your opportunities. I believe this is a justifiable peeve.
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Hearing everything you just said makes me feel a lot better. Thank you. I agree completely. We can’t measure somebody’s success and intelligence just because they go to a “prestigious” university. Ultimately, it comes down to the person, the student. So true.
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You’re correct: write really well! Also, be responsible, on time with assignments, and willing to take on things others despise! Attitude trumps name-dropping. I rather think you’ve got what it takes! And don’t get me going on the futility of piling up student debt just to get that name on your diploma!
Elouise
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Definitely. In the grand scheme of things, all these skills matter so much more. Aww thank you Elouise. I won’t seeing as I could talk for days about student debt.
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Excellent!
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I agree with this so much. “Name” means nothing for a college unless you want to be a Wall Street shark. Yes, bigger universities tend to offer broader opportunities (my best friend would not have been nearly as successful with an anthropology degree had she not gone to NYU, as she had access to lab research, well connected teachers, dig opportunities, etc). But I went to a little historic liberal arts school in my home town and I did just as fine. And I would argue that I had an easier time than my boyfriend, who went to a larger state school, because my class sizes were much smaller.
University is what you make of it. There will be opportunities present everywhere you go – it’s up to you to chase them. Bigger, more prestigious universities probably have more to go around, but students still have to be proactive and seek out those experiences. Determined students from no-name schools outperform lazy students from fancy schools every day.
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And Wall Street shark I don’t want to be. 😉 True, there may be more opportunities and different experiences, but it’s ultimately up to the student to make the most out of these. That’s good to hear. I think I’d be better off going to a smaller school where the class isn’t 500 students in one lecture hall.
So true. The university doesn’t define the student. Even then, prestigious universities are quite competitive. Mmhm my thoughts exactly. Why can’t more people have your logic? 😀
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