When it’s time to go to college, figuring out where you will end up is one of the toughest decisions you make as a young adult.

Deciding whether to pursue the college of your dreams or to give into the demands of your parents is always tough.

Though most people these days pick their school based on affordability, many still go for big names and prestige.

Almost every day for the past few weeks, I have argued with a friend that goes to Michigan State University about how he is getting a better education than I am at his well-known, widely-popular school.

I am a firm believer that when it comes to getting a job, what’s on an applicant’s résumé is much more of a deciding factor than where the diploma came from.

Although the allure of one of the state’s top-ranking school sounds enticing, extracurricular activities, internships and pure school involvement are the keys to obtaining the American dream.

Employers want people that have experience. They do not care about the shiny name-brand $20,000-a-year party school that appears on your application. They want the people that actually went to school and learned.

Today’s job market and employers strive to find the best employees for their companies. As jobs become more scarce, it is up to the applicant to make themselves stand out above the rest.

It is hard to show improvement when you start out at a school with a notable reputation. As your degrees advance, so should the stature of your education. It makes no sense to put yourself forever in debt for the likes of a bachelor’s degree, especially when you have plans to get a doctorate.

Although there are a select few people that go to the elite schools that can walk away with a positive education, most of them go there to party — or to “sparty,” as my friend’s colleagues at MSU like to refer to it.

Oakland University, though much smaller than MSU, is known for its academia and non-party principles.

Compared to the hefty price tag of a year at MSU, which is approximately $11,948 without housing costs — which are required as a freshman at the school —  OU is about $2,000 cheaper for the same 32 credits.

Not to mention, OU is the only school that has no fees. Its students pay for tuition and tuition alone, save for the 5 percent of the student population that lives on campus.

While it may seem like going to a top school is a brilliant idea, students need to consider all of their options and weigh their alternatives.

You can pay $20,000 a year to be a number in a classroom or $10,000 a year to be recognized by name, face and personality.

Just because a school is smaller and cheaper than another school does not take away from its educational value and quality. The smaller environment makes it easier to have personal connections.

While my friend at MSU has to use his ID card to sign into a giant lecture hall, I have the luxury of having smaller classes where most professors make an effort to memorize names and even recognize you and say hello when you pass them on campus. There are even professors at OU that encourage you to add them on Facebook or to follow them on Twitter.

Despite our constant arguments, my friend has decided that he hates the cold-blooded atmosphere of MSU and is now planning on switching out at the end of the semester. Ironically, his parents are encouraging him to transfer to OU.

Your future is determined through the amount of experience you gain throughout the entire process of college.

It’s the individual, not his or her school, that ultimately matters most.