For those who attended non-Ivies, do you regret not trying harder to get into an Ivy?

[Anonymous]

Dear God, no!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was accepted into an Ivy and I chose to attend UVA. My parents did not want to pay the Ivy tuition; they could pay cash for UVA. No regrets.

Jia Tolentino, is that you?

[Anonymous]

No. I attended the University of the Pacific in Stocketon, California. I doubt too many people have heard of it. I went on to complete a PhD at a top 20 ranked University in my field and have a great career. I have decided I don't want a job that requires more then 40 hours a week so I don't make as much as I could if I took some of the jobs I have been offered. I make more than enough to live comfortably, save for retirement, save for college, take nice vacations, and have a solid nest egg.

I attended a school that let me grow and gave me academic confidence that allowed me to progress straight to a doctoral program, something no one in my family or educational past would have predicted. It was a great fit for me.

There is so much more to life then attending the prestigious program/school/whatever that is out there. To be fair, I would not have been accepted to an Ivy or a top 50 school, my grades were strong, but I had non-honors math and science classes while taking AP/Honors English, History, Government type classes. My SAT was good but not impressive, 1340. The Ivies were never on my mind. I lvoed Pacific and what it provided me. It was a great fit and a great launching pad.

[Anonymous]

1. I am not sure regret is a useful way to spend your time.
2. I received an excellent education. It is a lot more about what you put in than where you go.

[Anonymous]

It's easy to see why so few of you ended up at an Ivy. You either didn't understand the question OP asked or are ignoring it.

Clearly it's directed at folks who in retrospect had an actual, realistic chance at admission to an Ivy but didn't push it. Many of you don't qualify to respond -- by a long shot -- and those of you who got in a turned it down don't qualify either.

[Anonymous]

My mom turned down Brown to go to Michigan. I wouldn’t exist if she hadn't made that choice, so I'm pretty happy with it.

[Anonymous]

No because getting into an Ivy (for me at least) would have required family support and I didn't have that. I'm glad I didn't get hung up on it was okay going to a state flagship on scholarship and graduated from undergrad without loans.

My biggest regret was that I didn't take advantage of that to major in what I really wanted (English) and instead did a more practical major and went to law school. I wish I knew now what I didn't know then -- that you are the one who actually has to live your life, so you might as well do something you enjoy with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's easy to see why so few of you ended up at an Ivy. You either didn't understand the question OP asked or are ignoring it.

Clearly it's directed at folks who in retrospect had an actual, realistic chance at admission to an Ivy but didn't push it. Many of you don't qualify to respond -- by a long shot -- and those of you who got in a turned it down don't qualify either.

Nice.

Where did you go to college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's easy to see why so few of you ended up at an Ivy. You either didn't understand the question OP asked or are ignoring it.

Clearly it's directed at folks who in retrospect had an actual, realistic chance at admission to an Ivy but didn't push it. Many of you don't qualify to respond -- by a long shot -- and those of you who got in a turned it down don't qualify either.

You are making a lot of assumptions. What you said is not what the question says.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1. I am not sure regret is a useful way to spend your time.
2. I received an excellent education. It is a lot more about what you put in than where you go.

This.

No one in my office went to an ivy. Top tier gov affair firm.

And we laugh sometimes in front of 40 year olds who mention they went to Harvard. I tilt my head and say “awww you were smart at 18 to get in why is that relevant now.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No because getting into an Ivy (for me at least) would have required family support and I didn't have that. I'm glad I didn't get hung up on it was okay going to a state flagship on scholarship and graduated from undergrad without loans.

My biggest regret was that I didn't take advantage of that to major in what I really wanted (English) and instead did a more practical major and went to law school. I wish I knew now what I didn't know then -- that you are the one who actually has to live your life, so you might as well do something you enjoy with it.

I grew up in a state that had basically free in state tuition and the practical reality was that the cost of an Ivy league education (which was half what it is now back then) simply didn't make financial sense. Not for middle class families. I'm very happy with my career and trajectory.

[Anonymous]

I wish I had applied to some. I hate wondering “what if” and I feel like I sold myself short. My school as “ranked” around 25 when I went. I think I could have gone somewhere more highly ranked, but at the time I applied I was convinced that that was the best I could possibly do. (My Highschool was no help and my parents didn’t know better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was accepted into an Ivy and I chose to attend UVA. My parents did not want to pay the Ivy tuition; they could pay cash for UVA. No regrets.

Just based on college culture alone I would have taken out loans to go to Harvard or Brown than a state school in a southern state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1. I am not sure regret is a useful way to spend your time.
2. I received an excellent education. It is a lot more about what you put in than where you go.

This.

No one in my office went to an ivy. Top tier gov affair firm.

And we laugh sometimes in front of 40 year olds who mention they went to Harvard. I tilt my head and say “awww you were smart at 18 to get in why is that relevant now.”

So at 40 you’ll be telling the 23 year old Harvard graduates that you went to the Flagship state school, not just any old state school.

[Anonymous]

I went to an Ivy on a crap-ton of financial aid. One thing you learn very quickly in the working world is that there are whip-smart people graduating from many colleges and universities.

Partly, this is because Ivy holistic admissions back in the day rewarded well-roundedness, while many jobs reward particular skills. My Ivy degree has come in handy, because I am a techie with good writing skills, while many of my state university colleagues are tech geniuses who struggle with writing. Working together, we get the job done and communicate our results. The world is a big place, and it takes all of us to make it work. Arguably, though, a just world would put plumbers at the top of the heap.