What's in a name? Does it matter which college you attend?

Villanova? USC? University of Michigan? LMU? Gonzaga?

These are some of the schools that top my daughter's list. She is a high school senior. Her friends' lists look similar. I'd add UCLA to that list but who are we kidding? It seems easier to get a free ticket to a Taylor Swift concert than to become a Bruin Freshman.

Nice schools, but does it really matter where your undergrad comes from?

Maybe.

The conventional thought is that it all depends on your career path. If you know that you want to become a medical doctor, then you know you will need to attend medical school. Ideally a good medical school. That means getting a bachelor's degree in something like biology. A good undergrad career majoring in bio from a good school increases your chances of getting into a good medical school.

Law and investment banking also come to mind here. If you know you want to work at an elite firm, then you know you need to get on that path that leads to the Harvards and Whartons of the world.

It feels like a club. It is a club. I was never a part of that world but I know people who are and it's not for me.

Thankfully it's not for my kid either.

Most teenagers (and loads of adults) don't know what they want to do for a living. It's not fair to ask a teen about their career path. And so, does it really matter where they get that undergrad degree from?

Probably not. I work with and for some brilliant people, and not once did I ask or care where they went to college. I work in technology sales. In my world, no one cares where you went to school. I would not think less of a colleague who earned their degree from a school that I'd never heard of. I might research it a little bit, but all that matters is that they can do their job well.

Very much a meritocracy; as it should be.

And so this has become more of a conversation in our home.

Sure, the idea of going to USC sounds fantastic. We took the tour and wow. Looks like a fun place to be a freshman. But unless you want to study business or film, does it matter that your degree came from SC?

Maybe it does.

We spent a lot of time whittling down the main criteria we are targeting for choosing a school. Here's what we came up with.

• Environment - We want a safe place to learn. And live, if she winds up moving away for college.

• Internships - We want real-world work experience. An undergrad is no longer a piece of paper that guarantees a job. Employers want to see that you've done real work applying what you are learning in class. We are looking at schools that partner with good companies that match my kid's interests.

• Study Abroad - Travel might just be the best education. We are looking for a school with a strong program for studying and living abroad for one year.

• Who Wants Us? - We want a school that is trying to attract our kid, and our family. Scholarship money is a good way to tell us they are interested.

I hope this has provoked some thought. And please share your thoughts on this topic. I still catch myself wondering what school she will attend next fall. Fingers crossed that it winds up being close to home.