Ivy League Colleges: For what purpose?

[Mizango]

Really you can sum it up in one word: Networking.

Bingo.

Ill take my Univ. South Carolina education and debt free lifestyle any day of the week.

[Not not Mattaru]

There are other purposes besides getting a job (vs. education!), networking etc.

Ivy Leagues/T1 have a lot of resources, endowments, published faculty etc. In university it is really up to you to get the most you can out of what is available. Ivy Leagues and T1 are going to have more available, with less obstacles (via networks, resources etc.).

In general, I would say an undergrad from an Ivy is whatever - its a ticket to another school or a job. But if you are a very focused undergrad you will get more out of your degree at a T1/Ivy/or school with a very recognized program in what you are doing, along with more experience.

I know if I want to go on an academic path, I basically have to shoot for one these types of schools (recognized program included) for graduate school.

EDIT
For the record: I went to a state school, a decent one, and have no regrets (no debt etc.). It is nice coming out with no debt because I don't feel pressure to start a fast paced career in something I may not like and have been able to pursue other things...namely going to Asia for a couple years on a Princeton related program. I leave Thursday morning heyo.

[Restrat]

I think it's all the Ivies, or maybe just Harvard, but if your family makes less than $150k per year you go for free... so it'll be cheaper for most people.

[Demosthenes11]

I like to think of those schools as more of a post-grad opportunity than undergrad

[Julian]

After reading all these posts, I forgot exactly what I wanted to say. I kind of regret not trying to aim higher, as I only bothered to apply to 3 state schools. MIT is a really good school for my field, and I would have loved to go there. (Not to mention the cold weather, oh how nice it would be. ) I kind of regret never applying. :/

Anyway, going out of state is just too much money, like $30-40k in tuition per year or so? I really really doubt I would have been able to make that much in financial aid. Since I'm staying in state, my tuition is dirt cheap, and the government funds it all for me, and even gives me some spending money, as well, so it works out.

I would recommend looking up some MIT lectures on whatever material you may be covering. I know they have some really good videos for pretty much any math class, and probably a ton of computer stuff, too. Can find them I think on either google video or youtube, a google search should probably be able to find it. Those videos are usually really good, and hey, free education for free :D I've used them as test study materials a few times.

And now that I think about it, UF is a tier1 school, isn't it? >.> Yay, I guess

[Shiro]

As many people have said, networking at these universities is huge. I'm at Michigan myself, and while not an ivy league, it's pretty close faculty / tuition wise. Research opportunities are an amazing boon here. The big name universities are as well known as they are because of the instructors and researchers they have on campus. Being a student at one of those schools gives you the opportunity to work with them and jump right into the field pumping out papers and get some real experience while still keeping the training wheels on. Not to mention internship connections and any other programs they offer.

On basically a whim last year I talked to a professor about some work over the summer; long story short we ended up flying down to Chile to track orbital debris at one of the big ass professional telescopes, and while there met some people from Nasa that were interested in hiring me after I graduated.

At a local university you just don't get the same exposure to that sort of thing. You might be able to find something like that if you really worked at it or applied to REU programs like a motherfucker, but at one of the big names you're in an environment where its pretty much the standard. I feel like a lazy ass staying in town this summer working with one of the post-docs here when I've got friends working with the DoD, doing geological surveys on the west coast, and working at MIT. It's all about being in that environment that tests your limits mentally, gives you a shit ton of opportunities and then pushes you to take advantage of them.

If you pay to go to a "top tier" school only to get your degree and gtfo, you just bought the 3 course meal and only ate the bread.

[Zetanio]

Really you can sum it up in one word: Networking.

This. If you look at it logically. If you are surrounded by rich (or soon to be rich) and smart people. You will likely make more money.

http://www.princeton.edu/admission/f...who_qualifies/
http://www.admissions.college.harvar...aid/index.html

Those are the financial aid/grant deals from Princeton and Harvard. Basically, if your parents make less then X amount of money you don't pay shit. For Harvard if your parents make 180k a year (Combined I think) then you pay 18k and the costs decline from there. That's not too unreasonable.

I also have friends who have attended every one of the Ivys. The education level is VERY high. They hire the best and have (for the most part) the best facilities money can buy. It's a name brand but I'd say it is fucking worth. Their alumni networks are out-fucking-rageous. They get dibs on interviews, apartments and tons of other stuff.

[sephir]

Your friend is an idiot, Princeton is about 50k/year without any scholariships/aid. Assume another 10-20k for living expenses and whatnot, it's not going to add up to half a million unless you get the worst student loans in history.

Also, Tier 1/Ivy League schools get your foot in the door for jobs you can't get otherwise. You can bitch and moan about how it's just a "piece of paper", but the employment world doesn't see it that way.

We live in Canada, so going to college in the states is much more expensive. Not to mention when my friend did the calculation our dollar was at about 63 cents US. So yeah, it certainly is possible for it to be half a million (CAD) by the time she graduates.

[Julian]

This. If you look at it logically. If you are surrounded by rich (or soon to be rich) and smart people. You will likely make more money.

http://www.princeton.edu/admission/f...who_qualifies/
http://www.admissions.college.harvar...aid/index.html

Those are the financial aid/grant deals from Princeton and Harvard. Basically, if your parents make less then X amount of money you don't pay shit. For Harvard if your parents make 180k a year (Combined I think) then you pay 18k and the costs decline from there. That's not too unreasonable.

I also have friends who have attended every one of the Ivys. The education level is VERY high. They hire the best and have (for the most part) the best facilities money can buy. It's a name brand but I'd say it is fucking worth. Their alumni networks are out-fucking-rageous. They get dibs on interviews, apartments and tons of other stuff.

Fuuuuuuuck, now I feel really bad for not having even attempted to apply to MIT, especially if they would have covered it all 100% oh well, I like UF :D

[Andarvi]

As it has been said already, networking bar none is the most valuable asset the Ivy league schools offer. I went to undergrad at Tufts and was enrolled in a molecular bio grad program this past year at Harvard, and from my experience there I can tell you that grade inflation on the undergrad level totally exists, and that getting in as an undergrad is the hardest part. The same is often said for grad school: there is less of the weed em out mentality. Don't get me wrong, there are many, many brilliant people, but you can find them on any campus.

Also, MIT is on a level above the Ivy League as far as I am concerned. That place prepares you like a motherfucker and you know your shit, more so than the brilliant Ivy grads I have worked with in the past.

[Zoolander]

So much depends on what you are studying. Generally though, I never understood going to Ivy League/ridiculously expensive private schools for your undergraduate work if you plan to do grad school as well. Going into debt for undergrad when you have grad school to look forward to is just plain stupid.

Really depends on the degree, field, career, etc to determine the benefit. I'm international relations, so going to a high tier school for graduate work is definitely something that can be quite beneficial. This would be a field where name recognition and, more importantly, networking, are very important to your success.

Ivy League is a bit outdated though, it really has expanded beyond just those eight schools. This is especially true for pretty much all of them save Harvard, Princeton and Yale. Like UPenn doesn't have nearly the same name recognition as the above. Obviously still a great school, but cmon. Just depends on what you are studying, among other things.

Edit: Like I would be more impressed by someone who went to Georgetown for International Relations than I ever would for someone who went to any of these Ivy League schools for IR.

[Omnipotent]

Community college -> 4 year college of your choice.

(Incorrect info..deleted)

Edit: related though. Ivy league is for the prestige and networking like everyone is saying. If you work hard enough, and have enough drive, no matter what college you go to you will be successful.

[Heavencloud]

Community college -> 4 year college of your choice.

I am a junir @ UCONN, after going to my local community college, I will graduate when I am 22, and owe 15k. You ivy leagurs can pay your 200k+ debt, while I live happy with my 50k-75k a year salary, that goes into my pocket.

I'm just finishing up CC and going to 4 year but I don't think this is good in all cases. Grad schools sometimes like to see major prerequisites at a four year especially if the CC isn't that well know. I'm still happy with my decision though, I'm going to graduate from my state school with no debt and am on a good pace to get into med school, and I don't think going to a private school would give me any better shot, unless it was like Johns Hopkins or another major pre-med school lol.

[Omnipotent]

I'm just finishing up CC and going to 4 year but I don't think this is good in all cases. Grad schools sometimes like to see major prerequisites at a four year especially if the CC isn't that well know. I'm still happy with my decision though, I'm going to graduate from my state school with no debt and am on a good pace to get into med school, and I don't think going to a private school would give me any better shot, unless it was like Johns Hopkins or another major pre-med school lol.

It's funny how most people think going to a CC = Dumber classes and easier things etc. In all honesty, it ALL depends on the teacher. I am getting the exact same curriculum @ Uconn as I did @ my CC, it's only harder because I get less teacher attention and the teacher's style sucks.

With that in mind, the best thing to do is select 3 colleges you are interested in. Go to the CC and work towards what those 4 year colleges want, work with advisors and take the necessary steps into working your way into that college. Don't work for your associates, work for your steppings stones into getting that bachelors.

[Ruiner]

Community college -> 4 year college of your choice.

I am a junir @ UCONN, after going to my local community college, I will graduate when I am 22, and owe 15k. You ivy leagurs can pay your 200k+ debt, while I live happy with my 50k-75k a year salary, that goes into my pocket.

Edit: related though. Ivy league is for the prestige and networking like everyone is saying. If you work hard enough, and have enough drive, no matter what college you go to you will be successful.

So much misinformation and ignorance in this post. Ivy League schools are drowning in money. If you need it they'll throw it at you. The only people Ivy Leagues are expensive for are those who can pay. The 200k+ and half-a-million debts I'm seeing people cite in this thread are simply myths. It just doesn't work that way.

As for your second point, while it is true that you can go to any college and, if you work hard enough, be successful, it is also true that if you work exactly as hard at <insert miscellaneous state school here> and Princeton, you will be much more successful with that Princeton education. College is what you make of it, but there is a lot more to "make" with these prestigious schools.

The networking power of the Ivy League (especially the upper tier; Cornell, Brown, and Penn are a little bit more removed from this) is pretty damn remarkable. It is very hard not to be successful with an Ivy League education under your belt.

[Heavencloud]

It's funny how most people think going to a CC = Dumber classes and easier things etc. In all honesty, it ALL depends on the teacher. I am getting the exact same curriculum @ Uconn as I did @ my CC, it's only harder because I get less teacher attention and the teacher's style sucks.

With that in mind, the best thing to do is select 3 colleges you are interested in. Go to the CC and work towards what those 4 year colleges want, work with advisors and take the necessary steps into working your way into that college. Don't work for your associates, work for your steppings stones into getting that bachelors.

Yeah that's definitely true. I'm getting an associates because at my 4 year it cancels out a ton of stupid general ed stuff, but I did the general education major requirements (biol, chem) and I'm happy with what I learned. It really does just vary by the teacher though, I just know that it wouldn't look good to do all of my grad school prereqs at a junior college simply because they want to that you can do well both settings. Organic Chem at a CC wouldn't be looked at as favorable (although sadly, I might learn more because of smaller class size... go figure)

[Zetanio]

It's funny how most people think going to a CC = Dumber classes and easier things etc. In all honesty, it ALL depends on the teacher. I am getting the exact same curriculum @ Uconn as I did @ my CC, it's only harder because I get less teacher attention and the teacher's style sucks.

With that in mind, the best thing to do is select 3 colleges you are interested in. Go to the CC and work towards what those 4 year colleges want, work with advisors and take the necessary steps into working your way into that college. Don't work for your associates, work for your steppings stones into getting that bachelors.

I think we're getting away from the original topic. OP wanted to know why the Ivy's are held in such high regard.

I think what you said it actually one of the smartest ways to get a good college education and to do so on a tight budget. This runs contrary to the arguments for Ivy League schools. I agree also with the idea that there are schools that rank very similarly to the Ivy's (Georgetown comes to mind), in fact I'd think most people would lump in Georgetown, MIT and few others to the list of Ivy's and Ivy-esque schools.

I've already made my argument as to why I think people prefer the Ivy League experience but to reiterate.

Networking
The Name
Post-grad oppurtunities

I disagree with the cost argument as I've looked at most of the websites for these schools and they all have programs to offset the cost of tuition. Most of them end up (I did pricing assuming 120k-180k combined family income) being between 14-18k per year. That's tuition and room/board. Those prices aren't extreme. They just charge really rich people out the ass to go to school there to make up the difference. That and their endowment is just insanely large.

[Andarvi]

Yeah that's definitely true. I'm getting an associates because at my 4 year it cancels out a ton of stupid general ed stuff, but I did the general education major requirements (biol, chem) and I'm happy with what I learned. It really does just vary by the teacher though, I just know that it wouldn't look good to do all of my grad school prereqs at a junior college simply because they want to that you can do well both settings. Organic Chem at a CC wouldn't be looked at as favorable (although sadly, I might learn more because of smaller class size... go figure)

If Orgo was even offered at a CC it wouldn't be applicable to many grad program as a requirement fulfillment. Every one that I have encountered explicitly says non-CC. If you are talking about nursing, PA, PT, something along those lines then perhaps (though I am not sure you need orgo for any of those), but for pre-health stuff it won't work, sadly.

[Viq]

So much misinformation and ignorance in this post. Ivy League schools are drowning in money. If you need it they'll throw it at you. The only people Ivy Leagues are expensive for are those who can pay. The 200k+ and half-a-million debts I'm seeing people cite in this thread are simply myths. It just doesn't work that way.

I just want to second this. Both my sister and her husband graduated from Cornell. There's not a cent of student debt between them.

[Andarvi]

Anecdotes aside the same thing applies to all college, being it is what you make of it, its just the ceiling of potential is higher at an Ivy level, regardless of $$.