What really differentiates HYPSM from other elite schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course HYPSM gives great advantages throughout life. Instant credibility…that can be fumbled.

The notion undergraduate degrees from HYPSM are meaningless comes from insecurity and envy.

Yet one does not need HYPSM for a wonderful life.

Anonymous wrote:People seemed to have contradicted themselves. Sometimes they say attending hypsm doesn’t give one any advantage for their future and careers while other times they argue those who attend hypsm are wealth strivers, which implies elite colleges do bring extra wealth to you. I hope people were just coping because otherwise DCUM is even dumber than I thought.

I’m pretty sure in my case it comes from e going to a state school, making 7 figures and having multiple Ivy+ people (including one HYPSM) reporting to me. Can’t really find insecurity or envy anywhere in the equation.

But just imagine what your life would have been if you had taken your talents to a HYPSM...you might be making 8 figures...or might have moved past the yearly income to net assets? Imagine the possibilities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Worked with ChatGPT to arrive at some interesting insights about Harvard’s success in producing prominent business and legal alumni. Of course, all the caveats of Chat apply.

Prominent business leaders with a Harvard degree of some type:
80-90% have a Harvard MBA
10-15% have a Harvard law degree
0-5% have a Harvard undergraduate degree only
10-20% have both a Harvard undergraduate degree and an MBA.

Law:
30-50% of prominent attorneys with a Harvard law degree also attended Harvard for undergraduate school.

I went to Harvard as an undergrad and also attended HBS, and now work in finance. I would say the raw talent level of my undergrad cohort (I cant speak for the entire class) actually exceeded my HBS cohort. Part of this was a selection effect. My undergrad friends/peers who were total rock stars never really considered going back to business school because their talent level (and resulting comp) made the opportunity cost too severe. This was particularly the case for those that went to public equity buyside after completing banking analyst roles.

Basically, get a Harvard MBA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of threads in this forum that tout HYPSM and denigrate other elite schools as “Ivy rejects,” much to the protest of parents and students at other elite schools. What’s going on here?

First, it’s not about smarts. Every school among the Top 25 universities and Top 15 liberal arts colleges have a very similar academic profile.

It is about two other variables:

1) dispositional intensity - HYPSM are looking for hyper-driven, highly competitive people who believe that worldly success/legacy is existential. Other elite schools, particularly those outside the NE, are looking for more balanced students that value Midwestern Southern or non-tech/SV Western values of hospitality, humility, and enjoyment of life.

2) regional cultural differences - HYPSM
draws heavily from the Northeast, elite private high schools and global strivers. Amongst these groups, prestige awareness and achievement stacking is essential for external validation. For other elite schools that draw heavily from the South, Midwest, or non-tech West, ambition is more subtle, relational and not existential.

When the Ivy-or-bust group deride your kid’s choice as an “Ivy reject,” what they’re really saying is that you’re soft, not hardcore, like them. They want to be a Supreme Court justice; you want to be a local trust and estate lawyer. They want to create Facebook; you want to work at Facebook and get a stock grant.

While many would be tempted to applaud the world-changing desire of HYPSM, I’m not always impressed. First, much of what’s counted as an “advancement” is just incremental improvements on existing human habits. Second, much of this worldly success is privatized (think hedge funds and their ilk). Third, in the worst cases, crazy ambition leads to the breaking of social and institutional norms where society shoulders the consequences. In contrast, hometown doctors, lawyers, educators, and small business leaders almost always benefit their communities.

Only you and your kid can decide what’s right for them. Not all smart kids belong at or will thrive at HPYSM. And, that’s a good thing. If everyone in society acted like the most ambitious, we’d kill each other for scraps.

Cause it’s typical ribbing. Like buying from designer brands with status and legacy. Really not worth taking it so seriously. I went to a “lesser Ivy” - if you ask some - and there are billionaires and policy wonks and yoga teachers and baristas and all sorts from my class. As there are from all sorts of schools. And people have all sorts of outcomes and better fits. There’s status and branding value and networks and often a sense of auto credential of smart and capable on resume - but it’s not any sort of end all and be all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course HYPSM gives great advantages throughout life. Instant credibility…that can be fumbled.

The notion undergraduate degrees from HYPSM are meaningless comes from insecurity and envy.

Yet one does not need HYPSM for a wonderful life.

Anonymous wrote:People seemed to have contradicted themselves. Sometimes they say attending hypsm doesn’t give one any advantage for their future and careers while other times they argue those who attend hypsm are wealth strivers, which implies elite colleges do bring extra wealth to you. I hope people were just coping because otherwise DCUM is even dumber than I thought.

I’m pretty sure in my case it comes from e going to a state school, making 7 figures and having multiple Ivy+ people (including one HYPSM) reporting to me. Can’t really find insecurity or envy anywhere in the equation.

But just imagine what your life would have been if you had taken your talents to a HYPSM...you might be making 8 figures...or might have moved past the yearly income to net assets? Imagine the possibilities.

I grew up in a rural area in a family where only one parent even graduated from high school, just going to college was a big accomplishment. Ironically I likely could have gone to Cornell (it was pretty local) but that would have required money that my family didn't have so it wasn't on the table and not being able to attend Cornell wasn't seen as a big deal at all because I was still going to college. Would going to a HYPM made a big difference? Maybe, but I could make the same statement about going to Rochester or even Syracuse. In fairness it take me longer to get started on the path to where I am relative to someone who came out of a top school but it wasn't hard to compete and rise above once I made it onto the field. I am typing this while sitting in a meeting a a very large well known company on the West Coast. The top dog on the call went to SUNY Bing, I'm next and I went to a different SUNY. A bit further down the chain is an exec from CMU/MIT....maybe more people should consider SUNY?

I mentioned income in my previous post but I could have used net assets which are well into the top 1% range as well. My kids would never have to work if that was a goal but as you might expect from my background learning to work and compete is the goal; the wealth was the result of success, not a goal in itself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course HYPSM gives great advantages throughout life. Instant credibility…that can be fumbled.

The notion undergraduate degrees from HYPSM are meaningless comes from insecurity and envy.

Yet one does not need HYPSM for a wonderful life.

Anonymous wrote:People seemed to have contradicted themselves. Sometimes they say attending hypsm doesn’t give one any advantage for their future and careers while other times they argue those who attend hypsm are wealth strivers, which implies elite colleges do bring extra wealth to you. I hope people were just coping because otherwise DCUM is even dumber than I thought.

I’m pretty sure in my case it comes from e going to a state school, making 7 figures and having multiple Ivy+ people (including one HYPSM) reporting to me. Can’t really find insecurity or envy anywhere in the equation.

But just imagine what your life would have been if you had taken your talents to a HYPSM...you might be making 8 figures...or might have moved past the yearly income to net assets? Imagine the possibilities.

Or they might be making six figures, like many HYPSM grads. There’s no reason to assume that a person who ended up very successful would have ended up even more successful coming out of HYPSM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course HYPSM gives great advantages throughout life. Instant credibility…that can be fumbled.

The notion undergraduate degrees from HYPSM are meaningless comes from insecurity and envy.

Yet one does not need HYPSM for a wonderful life.

Anonymous wrote:People seemed to have contradicted themselves. Sometimes they say attending hypsm doesn’t give one any advantage for their future and careers while other times they argue those who attend hypsm are wealth strivers, which implies elite colleges do bring extra wealth to you. I hope people were just coping because otherwise DCUM is even dumber than I thought.

I’m pretty sure in my case it comes from e going to a state school, making 7 figures and having multiple Ivy+ people (including one HYPSM) reporting to me. Can’t really find insecurity or envy anywhere in the equation.

And do you feel HYPSM is meaningless?

I don't get the obsession, especially by certain groups. For far too many kids (and families) it is really about bragging rights within their communities.

Undergraduate education is about baseline learning and having peer groups who push you to excel, it isn't about 8 schools in an athletic conference which has reached 'mythic' status in the eyes of some. These are great schools but they are all very different and none of them are absolute unicorns in any field.

Looking at student bodies they are among about 40 schools (universities and SLACs) with mostly indistinguishable student academic profiles, their students aren't all unicorns they are merely among a very very smart subset of students.

They don't do anything unique for these students either, schools mostly teach form the same books and it makes complete sense, they are teaching baseline knowledge.

Their real defining characteristics are that they are mostly located in the Northeast relatively close together and they mostly very old. The simple fact that Cornell gets the same level of attention as the others is "prima facie" evidence that there isn't something unique here; it is nothing like the others except for geography.

The fact that some people try to further define most of these schools with things like 'HYPSM' is further evidence that it is about nothing except a need for some to try and feel superior to others. The need for these things is driven by insecurity.

I also don't understand why someone would want an 'LV' bag either. It is a waste of money whose only purpose is virtue signaling.

+1 pretty accurate

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course HYPSM gives great advantages throughout life. Instant credibility…that can be fumbled.

The notion undergraduate degrees from HYPSM are meaningless comes from insecurity and envy.

Yet one does not need HYPSM for a wonderful life.

Anonymous wrote:People seemed to have contradicted themselves. Sometimes they say attending hypsm doesn’t give one any advantage for their future and careers while other times they argue those who attend hypsm are wealth strivers, which implies elite colleges do bring extra wealth to you. I hope people were just coping because otherwise DCUM is even dumber than I thought.

I’m pretty sure in my case it comes from e going to a state school, making 7 figures and having multiple Ivy+ people (including one HYPSM) reporting to me. Can’t really find insecurity or envy anywhere in the equation.

But just imagine what your life would have been if you had taken your talents to a HYPSM...you might be making 8 figures...or might have moved past the yearly income to net assets? Imagine the possibilities.

I grew up in a rural area in a family where only one parent even graduated from high school, just going to college was a big accomplishment. Ironically I likely could have gone to Cornell (it was pretty local) but that would have required money that my family didn't have so it wasn't on the table and not being able to attend Cornell wasn't seen as a big deal at all because I was still going to college. Would going to a HYPM made a big difference? Maybe, but I could make the same statement about going to Rochester or even Syracuse. In fairness it take me longer to get started on the path to where I am relative to someone who came out of a top school but it wasn't hard to compete and rise above once I made it onto the field. I am typing this while sitting in a meeting a a very large well known company on the West Coast. The top dog on the call went to SUNY Bing, I'm next and I went to a different SUNY. A bit further down the chain is an exec from CMU/MIT....maybe more people should consider SUNY?

I mentioned income in my previous post but I could have used net assets which are well into the top 1% range as well. My kids would never have to work if that was a goal but as you might expect from my background learning to work and compete is the goal; the wealth was the result of success, not a goal in itself.

You would not be revealing so much on an anonymous forum unless you were insecure. Love thyself!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course HYPSM gives great advantages throughout life. Instant credibility…that can be fumbled.

The notion undergraduate degrees from HYPSM are meaningless comes from insecurity and envy.

Yet one does not need HYPSM for a wonderful life.

Anonymous wrote:People seemed to have contradicted themselves. Sometimes they say attending hypsm doesn’t give one any advantage for their future and careers while other times they argue those who attend hypsm are wealth strivers, which implies elite colleges do bring extra wealth to you. I hope people were just coping because otherwise DCUM is even dumber than I thought.

I’m pretty sure in my case it comes from e going to a state school, making 7 figures and having multiple Ivy+ people (including one HYPSM) reporting to me. Can’t really find insecurity or envy anywhere in the equation.

But just imagine what your life would have been if you had taken your talents to a HYPSM...you might be making 8 figures...or might have moved past the yearly income to net assets? Imagine the possibilities.

I grew up in a rural area in a family where only one parent even graduated from high school, just going to college was a big accomplishment. Ironically I likely could have gone to Cornell (it was pretty local) but that would have required money that my family didn't have so it wasn't on the table and not being able to attend Cornell wasn't seen as a big deal at all because I was still going to college. Would going to a HYPM made a big difference? Maybe, but I could make the same statement about going to Rochester or even Syracuse. In fairness it take me longer to get started on the path to where I am relative to someone who came out of a top school but it wasn't hard to compete and rise above once I made it onto the field. I am typing this while sitting in a meeting a a very large well known company on the West Coast. The top dog on the call went to SUNY Bing, I'm next and I went to a different SUNY. A bit further down the chain is an exec from CMU/MIT....maybe more people should consider SUNY?

I mentioned income in my previous post but I could have used net assets which are well into the top 1% range as well. My kids would never have to work if that was a goal but as you might expect from my background learning to work and compete is the goal; the wealth was the result of success, not a goal in itself.

You would not be revealing so much on an anonymous forum unless you were insecure. Love thyself!

I see that you are practicing a bit of self-soothing by projection. If it helps you go for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course HYPSM gives great advantages throughout life. Instant credibility…that can be fumbled.

The notion undergraduate degrees from HYPSM are meaningless comes from insecurity and envy.

Yet one does not need HYPSM for a wonderful life.

Anonymous wrote:People seemed to have contradicted themselves. Sometimes they say attending hypsm doesn’t give one any advantage for their future and careers while other times they argue those who attend hypsm are wealth strivers, which implies elite colleges do bring extra wealth to you. I hope people were just coping because otherwise DCUM is even dumber than I thought.

I’m pretty sure in my case it comes from e going to a state school, making 7 figures and having multiple Ivy+ people (including one HYPSM) reporting to me. Can’t really find insecurity or envy anywhere in the equation.

But just imagine what your life would have been if you had taken your talents to a HYPSM...you might be making 8 figures...or might have moved past the yearly income to net assets? Imagine the possibilities.

I grew up in a rural area in a family where only one parent even graduated from high school, just going to college was a big accomplishment. Ironically I likely could have gone to Cornell (it was pretty local) but that would have required money that my family didn't have so it wasn't on the table and not being able to attend Cornell wasn't seen as a big deal at all because I was still going to college. Would going to a HYPM made a big difference? Maybe, but I could make the same statement about going to Rochester or even Syracuse. In fairness it take me longer to get started on the path to where I am relative to someone who came out of a top school but it wasn't hard to compete and rise above once I made it onto the field. I am typing this while sitting in a meeting a a very large well known company on the West Coast. The top dog on the call went to SUNY Bing, I'm next and I went to a different SUNY. A bit further down the chain is an exec from CMU/MIT....maybe more people should consider SUNY?

I mentioned income in my previous post but I could have used net assets which are well into the top 1% range as well. My kids would never have to work if that was a goal but as you might expect from my background learning to work and compete is the goal; the wealth was the result of success, not a goal in itself.

You would not be revealing so much on an anonymous forum unless you were insecure. Love thyself!

Np, I think its a great story and he hardly sounds insecure.

Meanwhile I ran into a woman yesterday who has multiple degrees from Stanford and Harvard and is living a normal life and in every two sentences I was made aware of where she went to school. I think going to top schools and not really distinguishing yoursef and having to keep telling people about where you went to school 30 years ago is insecurity. People succeed because of who they are not because where they went to school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WUSTL and Vanderbilt are still Ivy rejects though. It’s funny how these white wannabes try to cope.

I agree with WUSTL but not Vanderbilt. The acceptance rate is too low for it to be an ivy reject and the school has many desirable factors. To me, it’s the fun alternative to lower ranked ivies like Cornell/Dartmouth/Brown just like Duke is the fun alternative for middle ivies like Columbia/Penn. WUSTL and Emory are more on the same level, semi-selective schools with not enough desirable factors other than cheaper cost to choose it over an ivy.

+100!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WUSTL and Vanderbilt are still Ivy rejects though. It’s funny how these white wannabes try to cope.

I agree with WUSTL but not Vanderbilt. The acceptance rate is too low for it to be an ivy reject and the school has many desirable factors. To me, it’s the fun alternative to lower ranked ivies like Cornell/Dartmouth/Brown just like Duke is the fun alternative for middle ivies like Columbia/Penn. WUSTL and Emory are more on the same level, semi-selective schools with not enough desirable factors other than cheaper cost to choose it over an ivy.

Whats semi selective about Emory or WashU? Also Vandy looses peer admits to every ivy except Cornell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WUSTL and Vanderbilt are still Ivy rejects though. It’s funny how these white wannabes try to cope.

I agree with WUSTL but not Vanderbilt. The acceptance rate is too low for it to be an ivy reject and the school has many desirable factors. To me, it’s the fun alternative to lower ranked ivies like Cornell/Dartmouth/Brown just like Duke is the fun alternative for middle ivies like Columbia/Penn. WUSTL and Emory are more on the same level, semi-selective schools with not enough desirable factors other than cheaper cost to choose it over an ivy.

Whats semi selective about Emory or WashU? Also Vandy looses peer admits to every ivy except Cornell.

If you're getting this from parchment, there is not enough info to make that determination.

The problem with parchment is that too many of the kids that got into Cornell and Vanderbilt determination actually went to Columbia or something like that so their opinion is not expressed.
The typical Cornell student is not going to be particularly interested in Vanderbilt and vice versa.
Cornell, rural northeastern college
Vanderbilt, southern college in Nashville

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WUSTL and Vanderbilt are still Ivy rejects though. It’s funny how these white wannabes try to cope.

I agree with WUSTL but not Vanderbilt. The acceptance rate is too low for it to be an ivy reject and the school has many desirable factors. To me, it’s the fun alternative to lower ranked ivies like Cornell/Dartmouth/Brown just like Duke is the fun alternative for middle ivies like Columbia/Penn. WUSTL and Emory are more on the same level, semi-selective schools with not enough desirable factors other than cheaper cost to choose it over an ivy.

Whats semi selective about Emory or WashU? Also Vandy looses peer admits to every ivy except Cornell.

If you're getting this from parchment, there is not enough info to make that determination.

The problem with parchment is that too many of the kids that got into Cornell and Vanderbilt determination actually went to Columbia or something like that so their opinion is not expressed.
The typical Cornell student is not going to be particularly interested in Vanderbilt and vice versa.
Cornell, rural northeastern college
Vanderbilt, southern college in Nashville

It'd the best available info, also that doesn't answer the question how Emory and Washu schools with 10 and 12% acceptance rate and 1510/1530 sat scores respectively are semi selective? Where did you, your spouse, and child go to college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course HYPSM gives great advantages throughout life. Instant credibility…that can be fumbled.

The notion undergraduate degrees from HYPSM are meaningless comes from insecurity and envy.

Yet one does not need HYPSM for a wonderful life.

Anonymous wrote:People seemed to have contradicted themselves. Sometimes they say attending hypsm doesn’t give one any advantage for their future and careers while other times they argue those who attend hypsm are wealth strivers, which implies elite colleges do bring extra wealth to you. I hope people were just coping because otherwise DCUM is even dumber than I thought.

I’m pretty sure in my case it comes from e going to a state school, making 7 figures and having multiple Ivy+ people (including one HYPSM) reporting to me. Can’t really find insecurity or envy anywhere in the equation.

But just imagine what your life would have been if you had taken your talents to a HYPSM...you might be making 8 figures...or might have moved past the yearly income to net assets? Imagine the possibilities.

I grew up in a rural area in a family where only one parent even graduated from high school, just going to college was a big accomplishment. Ironically I likely could have gone to Cornell (it was pretty local) but that would have required money that my family didn't have so it wasn't on the table and not being able to attend Cornell wasn't seen as a big deal at all because I was still going to college. Would going to a HYPM made a big difference? Maybe, but I could make the same statement about going to Rochester or even Syracuse. In fairness it take me longer to get started on the path to where I am relative to someone who came out of a top school but it wasn't hard to compete and rise above once I made it onto the field. I am typing this while sitting in a meeting a a very large well known company on the West Coast. The top dog on the call went to SUNY Bing, I'm next and I went to a different SUNY. A bit further down the chain is an exec from CMU/MIT....maybe more people should consider SUNY?

I mentioned income in my previous post but I could have used net assets which are well into the top 1% range as well. My kids would never have to work if that was a goal but as you might expect from my background learning to work and compete is the goal; the wealth was the result of success, not a goal in itself.

You would not be revealing so much on an anonymous forum unless you were insecure. Love thyself!

Np, I think its a great story and he hardly sounds insecure.

Meanwhile I ran into a woman yesterday who has multiple degrees from Stanford and Harvard and is living a normal life and in every two sentences I was made aware of where she went to school. I think going to top schools and not really distinguishing yoursef and having to keep telling people about where you went to school 30 years ago is insecurity. People succeed because of who they are not because where they went to school.

she like many people here sound i sufferable. i never mention where i go to school openly

[Anonymous]

People often make the mistake of comparing person A with person B. The real question is for the same you, would you rather have a HYPSM on your resume or a regular uni? I think the answer is obvious.