Originally Posted by
Redbird611
That right there. I was initially dead set on universities with the most impressive names. Then I did some math and realized in-state was insanely cheaper and better scholarships were attainable. Few people know the name of my school but it was a quality, well accredited program and I was debt free 2.5 years after graduation (on regional airline pay no less). The prices you pay for a brand name these days are insane.
Brand name is really only worth the money if...
1) You're going to compete at the pinnacle of your chosen field where the name-recognition gives you more horsepower and you may have better exposure to cutting-edge science. Ie a top-notch engineering Phd is better served by a degree from MIT than State U, and a high-end law firm needs ivy-league grads for credibility to justify high fees if nothing else.
2) You're going into a field where connections are important, ie B-school. Your Stanford classmates are collectively going faster and further than at lower-tier schools.
In aviation it doesn't matter as much (except DAL and maybe a few others give bonus points for high-end schools, but that's probably not worth a lot of debt unless you were going anyway).