And does Stanford really make a difference over a state school over the long term? Motivation and talent are more more important than a particular school.
Yes, it does. While at the end everything depends on the student, Stanford offers better connections with companies, a brand name that helps get interviews, and really, just better education. I've watched plenty of Stanford lectures and every professor I watch there is way better than most of mine.
All of this makes a big difference when getting your first couple of jobs. After that, it doesn't matter as much.
"The famous paper Estimating the Return to College Selectivity Over the Career Using Administrative Earning Data (2011) by Dale and Krueger raises the possibility that on average, attending a more selective college doesn’t raise earnings at all. They found that as a group, there was no statistically significant difference in income later in life between students who went to more selective colleges and students who went to less selective colleges. Their finding is somewhat robust: it’s based on a large (~10k) sample size, it’s true both of the class of 1976 and the class of 1989, it’s true of the class of 1976 from age 25 through age 50 and it’s true both of men and of women."
Looking at the earnings of graduates, it doesn't appear that Stanford graduates earn much more than other graduates. It seems like the degree mix the institution awards and the cost of living of the area have the greatest impact on post college earnings. We also need to remember that computer science students comprise just a small portion of the overall student body. http://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report-2014/full-list...
In regards to the online content, keep in mind that this content has been developed and published with the knowledge that tens of thousands of people will watch it, so it is important to ensure it is of high quality.
What the student gains from college is up to the student themselves. But if a student tries just as hard at Standford for example, compared to some other, smaller school, then the rate at which they succeed or find top notch jobs/internships is much higher than the other student. Basically, the name branding gained through a school like Stanford is a catalyst towards success. It is achievable everywhere, but the rate at which it is gained is different and the name of your university does make a difference there.
> Motivation and talent are more more important than a particular school.
That is probably true, but there are undeniable benefits from the networking that happens at schools like Stanford. So if you have motivation and talent, you may derive even more benefit from going to an Ivy or similar school.
