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

[Anonymous]

My husband is a 3rd generation Ivy grad (grandfather, both parents). He went to a state school for his PhD and would be equally happy if our kids choose his alma mater or UVA.

[Anonymous]

You keep posting this, let's see a cite.
http://www.nber.org/papers/w17159
http://wws.princeton.edu/faculty-research/research/item/estimating-return-college-selectivity-over-career-using

"When we adjust for unobserved student ability by controlling for the average SAT score of the colleges that students applied to, our estimates of the return to college selectivity fall substantially and are generally indistinguishable from zero."

I thought this was common knowledge, but I guess not.

I agree that for a student with 1550 SATs, going to Miami-Ohio or Penn State rather than Harvard may not matter. But, there is a dramatic difference in test scores and future earnings between the median student going to Harvard and the median student going to Miami-Ohio and Penn State. The data are clear that Harvard grads will make a lot more money, more likely to get into med/law school or PhD, and more likely to get into an elite graduate school. And the data show that there are very few students at Penn State or Miami-Ohio who could have gone to Harvard.

So congratulations to anyone whose kid gets into an elite college but chooses a less expensive and less selective one. You have a really awesome child that you can brag about. Maybe your child will be the big fish at the smaller pond and succeed even more in State College than in Cambridge. But, nearly all of the other students at Penn State would never have made it in to Harvard.

[Anonymous]

My direct, albeit unscientific, survey of Ivy League grads is that they are exceptionally well educated and, at the same time, have an astonishingly narrow world view.

[Anonymous]

In my experience, elite education types are notoriously below average in physical appearance. I'm all for ugly people having something to be proud of.

[Anonymous]

Harvard undergrad alum here.

It was absolutely not worth it in terms of an educational experience. The perception is totally right. TAs do most of the teaching, getting access to professors was difficult (because they were promoting themselves and their own research over teaching and advocating for students) and it was basically an assembly line to Wall St., elite grad programs, etc. I'm still paying for loans from undergrad and med school (sigh).

I actually think my DD who went to William and Mary and my other DD went to UVA got a better educational experience than I did.

In hindsight, I probably should have chosen a smaller school (there was definitely something I had strongly considered and was all set to attend a seven sisters school when the Harvard acceptance came in). My parents really pushed Harvard and I think people were like who wouldn't attend HARVARD. So, I went, but it was definitely a meh experience.

[Anonymous]

You still have a need to prove how smart you are on a private forum...they do not!

Anonymous wrote:I didn't go to an Ivy. I went to state school, and BU for law school. I'm a partner in a law firm. The partner in the office next to me went to Harvard and Duke. Yet we both wound up at the same place at the same age. Tell me again about how it matters?

[Anonymous]

Harvard is what you make of it. Totally worthwhile as an educational experience if that's what you want and where you put your energy. But if you're just getting your ticket punched so you can go to law, med, or business school, there are much cheaper, easier, and probably more fun ways/places to do that. That said, I think Harvard is also an invigorating place for ambitious, self-confident people who are interested in (some?) fields that are more network- than credential-oriented. Arts-oriented kids seemed as happy as the intellectually-oriented ones. So did the politico types.

I felt like a kid in a candy store there -- which is probably about as far as you can get from product on an assembly line.

[Anonymous]

Totally agree

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems the point of the OP was not that going to am elite school is a better path to success. Rather, that those who denigrate elite rarely have gone to one. I agree with the OP.

I agree with OP, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ah look, the anti-elites have shown up with their "$300K in debt" talking point. So stale.

Elites have the best financial aid and no loan policies. Please stop spewing your insecure ignorance.

What a weird comment. I got into Chicago and chose to go to Illinois. It was absolutely a purely financial decision and one I do not regret. I don't speak from a place of ignorance, but from one of having actually been there and done that. If you can afford it, go ahead and go to an elite. I could not.

So true. What is worse, I went to an Ivy and they reduced my financial aid substantially the second year, despite the fact my dad suffered an injury that year that meant he will never work again/is fully disabled. He is on Ssa disability now and has been since then. Hope you feel good about that, Harvard assholes. When you send me emails constantly about my "last chance" to donate to the HLS fund, Just know I enjoy median with your donation numbers. I will never give you a red cent.

This sounds awful. Why did they reduce your aid? Is that common?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my experience, elite education types are notoriously below average in physical appearance. I'm all for ugly people having something to be proud of.

LOL

[Anonymous]

You wish! I know Ivy people who are gorgeous, athletic and have it all. Sometimes the gene pools just work that way

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In my experience, elite education types are notoriously below average in physical appearance. I'm all for ugly people having something to be proud of.

LOL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my experience, elite education types are notoriously below average in physical appearance. I'm all for ugly people having something to be proud of.

The top 20 are full of upper middle to rich kids. Rich kids are smart, good genetics, perfect teeth, generally skinny, eat well, dress stylish, $200 haircuts, cosmopolitan.

Public U's have talent at the top quartile, but you're sharing campus with the a lot of dirt. Unsophisticated kids who've never been anywhere, dumb & dull.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In my experience, elite education types are notoriously below average in physical appearance. I'm all for ugly people having something to be proud of.

The top 20 are full of upper middle to rich kids. Rich kids are smart, good genetics, perfect teeth, generally skinny, eat well, dress stylish, $200 haircuts, cosmopolitan.

Public U's have talent at the top quartile, but you're sharing campus with the a lot of dirt. Unsophisticated kids who've never been anywhere, dumb & dull.

Nope. They are rich but ugly and have like zero sex appeal .. Flat asses, low muscle tone and skin problems. Too much studying over generations and low vitality and zero pheromones. But they are really good at school. Think Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg ... Serious bow wows.

[Anonymous]

It seems like Harvard grads go out of their way to say this. Maybe as a way to forstall what they think would be envy? Or pity if they haven't achieved big success? Idk, but I've heard it from more than a few. Sort of "meh, it's not all that it's cracked up to be" kind of descriptions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems like Harvard grads go out of their way to say this. Maybe as a way to forstall what they think would be envy? Or pity if they haven't achieved big success? Idk, but I've heard it from more than a few. Sort of "meh, it's not all that it's cracked up to be" kind of descriptions.

When you're handicapped in the looks area you need something to salvage your self esteem.