Ask most college students what they like best about their schools, and most of them will tell you "The people."
The people are the friends college kids stay up late talking and laughing with. When they cram for a biology final, take a road trip, or paint their faces for the big game, those friends are there. They nurse college kids back from break-ups, invite them to Thanksgiving dinner with their families and go with them to check out the meeting of that club that looks interesting. While you're learning, growing and discovering what you're really good at, those friends help define your college experience.
Their influence never goes away. Ask most college grads what they enjoyed most about their college days, whether they've been out of school for 2 years or 20 years, and they're likely to tell you, "The people." It's the people who were there when you met the love of your life and then came back to toast you at your wedding. They were there when you found the internship that turned into a post-college career, or encouraged you when you were sure you'd never get accepted to medical school after organic chemistry got the best of you, or moved with you to a new city to start life after graduation. When you move on from college, their influence and legacy move on with you.
Later this morning, I'm announcing a new partnership (the link will be live at 8 a.m. PST) at Collegewise. And while I didn't meet the people behind it while I was in college, I would never have found my calling, started this company, and had the chance to do what I'm doing with them today were it not for the experiences I had in college and the people I met along the way.
When you start your college search for the right place to spend the next four years, remember that no matter where you go, whether or not your school is famous or has ever been mentioned on the US News college rankings, those future friends are going to be there waiting to help shape your experience with you. Today, you can't measure the influence of the people you'll meet along the way. But you will someday.