Perspective on the Madness

[Anonymous]

How many of us parents who attended selective colleges have been hired/mentored/supervised by colleagues who went to less selective undergrad and professional schools? That small group of selective schools doesn’t have a monopoly on talent and workplace readiness. Just some food for thought. Signed, WASP and T-14 law grad with hand raised high.

[Anonymous]

It's only "madness" if you buy into the hype that the only good schools are the ones that reject most of their applicants.

Most people don't buy into the hype and don't need "perspective."

[Anonymous]

Most people outside DCUM don’t buy into the hype. The “Disappointment” thread is already 19 pages long….

[Anonymous]

In my field, all top spots are filled by Ivy grads. It’s going to greatly depend on what field you are in. Most it doesn’t matter, a few select fields it really matters. Stem it doesn’t matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my field, all top spots are filled by Ivy grads. It’s going to greatly depend on what field you are in. Most it doesn’t matter, a few select fields it really matters. Stem it doesn’t matter.

+1 we paid for the Ivy because my kid is in one of those fields. Rising college sophomore and the internship and Fall sophomore study abroad at prestigious European university all are part of it and connections, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How many of us parents who attended selective colleges have been hired/mentored/supervised by colleagues who went to less selective undergrad and professional schools? That small group of selective schools doesn’t have a monopoly on talent and workplace readiness. Just some food for thought. Signed, WASP and T-14 law grad with hand raised high.

Same here - double Ivy with a law degree. Several of my mentors went to colleges or law schools that weren't especially selective. But they succeeeded due to their drive and smarts, whereas I was more of an introvert and a stickler for getting things "just right." Honestly, it's a win-win to recognize that people have different backgrounds and skills, unless the folks who went to less selective schools have a giant chip on their shoulder or those who attended highly selective schools are total snobs. That's even more so the case now, knowing that some of the most selective schools embrace a "holistic" approach to admissions and turn down plenty of kids who are every bit as academically qualified as those admitted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How many of us parents who attended selective colleges have been hired/mentored/supervised by colleagues who went to less selective undergrad and professional schools? That small group of selective schools doesn’t have a monopoly on talent and workplace readiness. Just some food for thought. Signed, WASP and T-14 law grad with hand raised high.

Sigh. Nobody thinks that selective schools have a monopoly on talent. But they have a disproportionate impact in the business, political, legal world than their size would predicate. If there were 100 bananas and 100 schools, 3 selective, 97 not, the 3 schools don't get all 100 bananas, they get 15. Just some real food for thought. Signed, 6th Grader with an understanding of bananas.

Signed, 6th Grader with t

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In my field, all top spots are filled by Ivy grads. It’s going to greatly depend on what field you are in. Most it doesn’t matter, a few select fields it really matters. Stem it doesn’t matter.

+1 we paid for the Ivy because my kid is in one of those fields. Rising college sophomore and the internship and Fall sophomore study abroad at prestigious European university all are part of it and connections, etc.

Genuinely curious as to the fields where this is still a big thing. Comp lit? 16th Century Renaissance history?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my field, all top spots are filled by Ivy grads. It’s going to greatly depend on what field you are in. Most it doesn’t matter, a few select fields it really matters. Stem it doesn’t matter.

I work in one of these fields and I suspect this part is an overstatement. Especially for undergrad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In my field, all top spots are filled by Ivy grads. It’s going to greatly depend on what field you are in. Most it doesn’t matter, a few select fields it really matters. Stem it doesn’t matter.

+1 we paid for the Ivy because my kid is in one of those fields. Rising college sophomore and the internship and Fall sophomore study abroad at prestigious European university all are part of it and connections, etc.

Genuinely curious as to the fields where this is still a big thing. Comp lit? 16th Century Renaissance history?

Academia, investment banking, journalism (although you'd better have an Ivy degree AND a trust fund for the latter).

[Anonymous]

We're in the midwest- at my DS's private HS there are kids with 1530-1600 SAT scores, grades, etc. (I know this because it's a small school, kids talk, parents talk, etc). If the parents don't have money, the kids go in-state, honors or out of state on schools that offer a lot of merit and financial aid.
A lot of talent doesn't go to the Ivy League or T20- it's too expensive for most families, especially if there are multiple bright siblings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many of us parents who attended selective colleges have been hired/mentored/supervised by colleagues who went to less selective undergrad and professional schools? That small group of selective schools doesn’t have a monopoly on talent and workplace readiness. Just some food for thought. Signed, WASP and T-14 law grad with hand raised high.

Sigh. Nobody thinks that selective schools have a monopoly on talent. But they have a disproportionate impact in the business, political, legal world than their size would predicate. If there were 100 bananas and 100 schools, 3 selective, 97 not, the 3 schools don't get all 100 bananas, they get 15. Just some real food for thought. Signed, 6th Grader with an understanding of bananas.

Signed, 6th Grader with t

I’m pretty sure there are a lot of people who think this.

Not OP, but the 85 bananas are kind of the point.

[Anonymous]

Not in terms of jobs but in terms of money Musk (UPenn), Bezos (Princeton), Larry Ellison (dropout UIUC), zuck & gates (dropout Harvard), Page (UMich), Brin (UMaryland), Dell (dropout UTA), Ballmer (Harvard), Bloomberg (JHU) have all the bananas.

[Anonymous]

T-14 lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In my field, all top spots are filled by Ivy grads. It’s going to greatly depend on what field you are in. Most it doesn’t matter, a few select fields it really matters. Stem it doesn’t matter.

+1 we paid for the Ivy because my kid is in one of those fields. Rising college sophomore and the internship and Fall sophomore study abroad at prestigious European university all are part of it and connections, etc.

Genuinely curious as to the fields where this is still a big thing. Comp lit? 16th Century Renaissance history?

Academia, investment banking, journalism (although you'd better have an Ivy degree AND a trust fund for the latter).

international relations/policy/public affairs/state dept (and add gtwon/gw)