system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Is there really a big difference between the quality of education of a top 100 university and your average state school that let's anyone with a pulse in?
gpt
The material you learn will be pretty similar, at least in STEM subjects. The most important differences are having a strong peer group to push you, and the opportunity to work with professors who are leaders in their field. This may not make much difference in the classroom (the best researchers are incentivized to be just okay teachers) but being able to intern in a top lab is a pretty big deal. Or if theory is more your thing, you can do an independent study of some advanced material with a leading mind. It's not that no one has experiences like this at state schools, but you may have to get in line because the number of hotshot professors may be small. At Ivy-level universities, these opportunities are there for pretty much any motivated student who wants them.