Does it seem like all anti-elite college folks never actually attended an elite?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have never known a person who attended an elite college who was anti-elite either. I didn't go to an elite college but I would like my kids to go if they can.

Is it the Dunning Kruger effect where people don't have any idea or concept of what they're talking about, yet talk freely about it anyways?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect

I went to a good public college and then transferred into an elite and was blown away. It wasn't possible to imagine what it was like without real exposure. Yet people that didn't attend, no kids attending, not even a sibling or spouse who attended will go on and on about how overrated prestigious colleges are.

+1 We didn't expect our son to go to an ivy, but it was his choice to do so. My DH and I both went to a small LAC, We are blown away by the sheer magnitude of opportunties and money to support the kids at my son's school. Everything he wants to do is available to him. Starting his freshman year he has had paid fellowships, paid research opportunties, and introductions to the leading people in his field. The facilities are truly world class. He has access to every type of lab machinery and supplies imaginable and if he needs something the school doesn't have, they gives him a grant to travel to use it. He is now a rising senior and already has several job offers and "referrals" for graduate or professional school. It is truly mind blowing. I believe that a student can get a good education at many many colleges and universities, but don't underestimate the opportunties offered by the very top schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's a river of power that flows through this country. ... And that river flows from the Ivy League." -Joe Biden

A whopping 18% of US senators went to Ivy League schools for undergrad. Wow, impressive. Not.

Joe himself didn't go to an Ivy League college - he attended University of Delaware for his undergrad, Syracuse for law school.

[Anonymous]

I went to Georgetown and think our state school is amazing. I want my kids to go there and not to a school like Georgetown. Way too expensive. Our state school has one of the top engineering schools in the country. Why would I pay an arm and a leg for a so called elite school when my kid will end up with the same job and earning capacity getting a degree from our state school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those that don't care about your child getting into an elite, how do you motive your kids to get As, study for SAT, be really involved?

"Dad why do I need to do any of that when slacking off and plane ole Bs will get me into any Tailgate State?"

Most big football schools are difficult to get into these days. Not as difficult as the ivies, obviously, but you still need close to a 4.0 to get into the majority of the P5 football colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those that don't care about your child getting into an elite, how do you motive your kids to get As, study for SAT, be really involved?

"Dad why do I need to do any of that when slacking off and plane ole Bs will get me into any Tailgate State?"

That's ridiculous on its face. Some people, I suspect the majority of high achieving high school students, have intrinsic motivation. Land the helicopter.

Your son ain't getting into Maryland with B's dude. You are obviously behind the times when it comes to understanding how the college process currently works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dh and I both went to elite schools and I would pay extra to send my kids if they are admitted. In my field-- law, some firms and judges (for clerkship) won't even interview if you haven't gone to an elite school.

Yes, you can do very well coming from a state school, but there is much less margin of error with respect to grades/test scores for both grad schools and jobs.

Really? I work in law and we couldn't give two shits about where you went to undergrad. It literally does not matter. Law school, and law school only.

My Ivy League law,school had only a handful of kids from state schools, the elite colleges were overrepresented .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dh and I both went to elite schools and I would pay extra to send my kids if they are admitted. In my field-- law, some firms and judges (for clerkship) won't even interview if you haven't gone to an elite school.

Yes, you can do very well coming from a state school, but there is much less margin of error with respect to grades/test scores for both grad schools and jobs.

Really? I work in law and we couldn't give two shits about where you went to undergrad. It literally does not matter. Law school, and law school only.

My Ivy League law,school had only a handful of kids from state schools, the elite colleges were overrepresented .

HLS had 188 undergraduate schools represented by 562 1Ls. So, your statement is just BS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dh and I both went to elite schools and I would pay extra to send my kids if they are admitted. In my field-- law, some firms and judges (for clerkship) won't even interview if you haven't gone to an elite school.

Yes, you can do very well coming from a state school, but there is much less margin of error with respect to grades/test scores for both grad schools and jobs.

And that's why I hate lawyers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a river of power that flows through this country. ... And that river flows from the Ivy League." -Joe Biden

A whopping 18% of US senators went to Ivy League schools for undergrad. Wow, impressive. Not.

Joe himself didn't go to an Ivy League college - he attended University of Delaware for his undergrad, Syracuse for law school.

...and he sent all of his kids to Penn! Obama sent his daughter to Harvard. Clintons sent Chelsea to Stanford.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a river of power that flows through this country. ... And that river flows from the Ivy League." -Joe Biden

A whopping 18% of US senators went to Ivy League schools for undergrad. Wow, impressive. Not.

Joe himself didn't go to an Ivy League college - he attended University of Delaware for his undergrad, Syracuse for law school.

...and he sent all of his kids to Penn! Obama sent his daughter to Harvard. Clintons sent Chelsea to Stanford.

He "sent"? Do tell how that works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dh and I both went to elite schools and I would pay extra to send my kids if they are admitted. In my field-- law, some firms and judges (for clerkship) won't even interview if you haven't gone to an elite school.

Yes, you can do very well coming from a state school, but there is much less margin of error with respect to grades/test scores for both grad schools and jobs.

And that's why I hate lawyers.

If you want the best competitive grinders as clerks you take the proven commodities who've been challenged by the brightest peers and faculty. People are sorted pretty efficiently overall; college, career, geography and on and on..

[Anonymous]

I did not go to one and I don't think they are over rated. I think some kids deserve credit for getting in and some got in because they are just privileged/legacy etc

But as someone who has managed to have a very successful career despite lacking that elite school pedigree, I think all sorts of kids can do just fine in life , regardless of the school they attended. I would never go on about how these schools are overrated, if my kid got into one I would be proud of the accomplishment; if he didn't get in I would also be fine as long as he was committed to working hard and finding his path.

Finally I think that coming out of a no name school can create some fire in the belly. And I find it odd for anyone more than five years old of college to be judging people on where they went.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dh and I both went to elite schools and I would pay extra to send my kids if they are admitted. In my field-- law, some firms and judges (for clerkship) won't even interview if you haven't gone to an elite school.

Yes, you can do very well coming from a state school, but there is much less margin of error with respect to grades/test scores for both grad schools and jobs.

Really? I work in law and we couldn't give two shits about where you went to undergrad. It literally does not matter. Law school, and law school only.

My Ivy League law,school had only a handful of kids from state schools, the elite colleges were overrepresented .

HLS had 188 undergraduate schools represented by 562 1Ls. So, your statement is just BS.

I went to a much smaller elite law school. Look, send your kids to second or third tier schools, it doesn't bother me any. If it makes you happy, go for it.

[Anonymous]

I don't know if these schools are overrated:'I suspect some are and some aren't.
But OP what is your point in insisting they are not: do you want a society in which only the select few can have any chance of getting ahead? Do you not want late bloomers to have any opportunities? Do you want the wage gap to grow even wider so that the only people who prosper are the select few who for whatever reason attended an elite school? Do you think everyone peaks in high school? What is your point?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dh and I both went to elite schools and I would pay extra to send my kids if they are admitted. In my field-- law, some firms and judges (for clerkship) won't even interview if you haven't gone to an elite school.

Yes, you can do very well coming from a state school, but there is much less margin of error with respect to grades/test scores for both grad schools and jobs.

Really? I work in law and we couldn't give two shits about where you went to undergrad. It literally does not matter. Law school, and law school only.

My Ivy League law,school had only a handful of kids from state schools, the elite colleges were overrepresented .

HLS had 188 undergraduate schools represented by 562 1Ls. So, your statement is just BS.

I went to a much smaller elite law school. Look, send your kids to second or third tier schools, it doesn't bother me any. If it makes you happy, go for it.

Well, clearly it bothers you a little more than any, because, well...you're here.