Boomers and Branding

They care more about the name than anything else…

Everyone always wants their kids to go to the best universities. Harvard, Oxford, Princeton, the top-tier ones that are known for their amazing names and networks. While I do agree, that going to a well-known college or university has its benefits, there is nothing wrong with the other universities either.

I recently got an offer from the University of Gibraltar to study for a Masters of Science in Marine Science and Climate Change. It’s an opportunity I’m extremely excited about, as I think it’ll help me grow intellectually, and it’ll challenge me. My bachelors was in the humanities, and so the option of going into science will allow me to learn so much more.

The first thing my parents told me was “I guess you have to go there because you have no other option.” I got rejected from their dream school, London School of Economics, twice. I say that it was their dream school because I couldn’t give two shits about the name of the school. My focus is on what I can learn from it, and frankly, I am 100% sure that LSE only offers me their name, and not quality education which will help me in the work force. For me, these are just universities that look good on paper and allow you to have a certain level of nepotism to help you get on with your life.

While my parents will be paying for my schooling, because as I said earlier, I have no other option, it sucks that they’ve made it seem so demeaning that I’m going to a school that’s not ranked in the Top 20 of the World. Education is no longer education, now all that seems to matter is the branding behind it. And honestly it sucks that all my time and effort being put into my education seems to only matter to others and how they perceive me.

It’s moments like these which push me to be more independent and frankly not give a shit about what others think. And it’s also the little things that people say, whether it be my parents or friends, which give me insights into their thought process and allow me to understand that they may not have my best interests in mind. What seems like a meaningless comment that they make influences their position and influence in my life.