As high school seniors hear back from their dream schools with either a large acceptance envelope or a skinny rejection letter,  juniors begin to compile the lists of universities they plan to apply to.  A certain question resonates: does where we go to college really matter in terms of future success?

According to most studies, the simple answer is no. Michael Bernick of Time Magazine argues that in today’s society it matters more whether you go to college, and less where you go. Modern colleges all have great facilities and resources today, and most offer a similar quality of education. The variety is mostly in the name and reputation, not the quality of learning that students will receive. By the same token, Jeffrey J. Selingo of The Washington Post claims that “a college alone doesn’t make a successful graduate” and that someone who is skilled has the ability to be successful at a variety of different schools. This further proves that it matters less on the school chosen and more on the person applying; if they have a good skill-set and are studious, they should do well anywhere. In fact, Malcolm Gladwell comments in his book David and Goliath that being a skilled student at a less exclusive school actually may allow you to stand out more than if you attended a more exclusive school. Not to say that it would be necessarily easier, but rather that there would be less competition than at a larger state school or Ivy League school. There’s less pressure on this one decision, you can be assured that it will most likely turn out okay no matter what you do as long as you are a hard worker.

In terms of future success, you may be surprised to hear that according to Frank Bruni, author of Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be, job recruiters after college look more at the experience and skills of a particular job candidate and less at what university they attended. While your school of choice may be referenced on your resume as a conversation topic, that should be the extent of importance that the name will hold. Bruni believes that students are forced to feel too much unnecessary pressure when deciding where to attend because is not a choice that will make-or-break their future. He presents that out of “chief executives of the top 100 companies in the Fortune 500, just about 30 went to an Ivy League school or equally selective college” meaning that 70% of them did not go to an exclusive school such as those. While Derek Thompson of The Atlantic writes that “44.8 of billionaires attended elite schools,” this is not the realistic goal of most students today. They want a good education, decent job, home, and family. Sure, it would be nice to be a billionaire, but that is not something that is most people’s ultimate life goal. Becoming a billionaire is not the only way to define success, there are many attainable possibilities that will make you happy. In terms of getting a job someday that pays well and makes you happy, you’ll be glad to know that where you attend school will most likely not play a huge role in whether you’re hired or not (or salary); these things will be determined on your qualifications.

When the applications go out, and the letters come in, take a deep breath; while it is a big time in your life, where you go to college is not the only determinant of how your future will turn out.

Fate has a funny way of working in your favor.