Is it crazy to choose a non-ivy over an ivy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Depends on which Ivy. In most circles except maybe among first-gen immigrants, there are at least 10 non-Ivy colleges more prestigious than Cornell and Dartmouth. East coast old money prefers Williams to almost all Ivies except HYP. West coast elites and Silicon Valley prefers Pomona, Harvey Mudd over at least 3-4 Ivies, and Stanford any day over all Ivies.

You're really wrong on this. It doesn't get more old money than Dartmouth. My child is there and there is a huge boarding school contingent. Old money. Billionaire level in some cases.

You don’t get it. There is plenty of old money at Dartmouth but that doesn’t mean Dartmouth is prestigious in the old money circle. Dartmouth is not their first choice. Those are kids who can’t get into HYP, Wharton, Stanford, Williams and instead were told by private counselors to play it safe to ED Dartmouth with a 3.5 GPA and legacy status. If you are in the boarding school contingent you were referring to, you would know.

Just b/c lots of families send their kids to Penn State or SUNY doesn’t mean those families think these schools are the most prestigious. Same thing applies to Dartmouth and old money just at a didn’t level.

You really have no idea what you're talking about and I wish you would just stop talking.
My child goes to Dartmouth and is friends with kids who were Cum Laude at Collegiate, Dalton, Spence, Roxbury Latin, Hotchkiss, Choate etc. They were all Cum Laude and most were also NMSF. The are old money and are worth many millions and in some cases, billions. And yes, they applied ED to Dartmouth. There are a lot of them. The definition of old money and they chose Dartmouth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Northwestern is ranked higher than several Ivies - Dartmouth, Columbia, Cornell. But push comes to shove, I think most students would choose the Ivy.

I understand Columbia over Northwestern but nobody is picking Cornell or Dartmouth over it - only the people desperate to say they go to “an Ivy.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Depends on which Ivy. In most circles except maybe among first-gen immigrants, there are at least 10 non-Ivy colleges more prestigious than Cornell and Dartmouth. East coast old money prefers Williams to almost all Ivies except HYP. West coast elites and Silicon Valley prefers Pomona, Harvey Mudd over at least 3-4 Ivies, and Stanford any day over all Ivies.

This is not true at all.

I don't think it's that off base.

- HYP grad

How is this relevant at all to the conversation? You just sound desperate to mention your alma mater.

- T10 grad

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Northwestern is ranked higher than several Ivies - Dartmouth, Columbia, Cornell. But push comes to shove, I think most students would choose the Ivy.

I understand Columbia over Northwestern but nobody is picking Cornell or Dartmouth over it - only the people desperate to say they go to “an Ivy.”

Nobody? hardly, I'd venture to say many would pick Cornell and Dartmouth over NU.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Northwestern is ranked higher than several Ivies - Dartmouth, Columbia, Cornell. But push comes to shove, I think most students would choose the Ivy.

I understand Columbia over Northwestern but nobody is picking Cornell or Dartmouth over it - only the people desperate to say they go to “an Ivy.”

Those who prefer to be in NYC, yes to Columbia. But Northwestern is the clear choice vs. Brown, Dartmouth and Cornell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Northwestern is ranked higher than several Ivies - Dartmouth, Columbia, Cornell. But push comes to shove, I think most students would choose the Ivy.

I understand Columbia over Northwestern but nobody is picking Cornell or Dartmouth over it - only the people desperate to say they go to “an Ivy.”

Those who prefer to be in NYC, yes to Columbia. But Northwestern is the clear choice vs. Brown, Dartmouth and Cornell.

Yes, maybe to those of you writing from your house in Loudoun County. But try to realize that there is an entire class of people out there that don't make admissions decisions based on the latest iteration of US News.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Northwestern is ranked higher than several Ivies - Dartmouth, Columbia, Cornell. But push comes to shove, I think most students would choose the Ivy.

I understand Columbia over Northwestern but nobody is picking Cornell or Dartmouth over it - only the people desperate to say they go to “an Ivy.”

Those who prefer to be in NYC, yes to Columbia. But Northwestern is the clear choice vs. Brown, Dartmouth and Cornell.

Yes, maybe to those of you writing from your house in Loudoun County. But try to realize that there is an entire class of people out there that don't make admissions decisions based on the latest iteration of US News.

I live in Manhattan, sent both my kids to “elite” prep schools, and would pick Chicago & Northwestern over Cornell, Dartmouth, and Chicago over Brown. This isn’t because of whatever list USNWR has created, and it’s weird you assume people from the suburbs default to USNWR while people in cities think Ivies reign supreme. Many of my kids’ friends picked USNWR T10s over Ivies; the Ivy label of the so-called “lower Ivies” doesn’t hold up against those schools in a head-to-head.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Northwestern is ranked higher than several Ivies - Dartmouth, Columbia, Cornell. But push comes to shove, I think most students would choose the Ivy.

I understand Columbia over Northwestern but nobody is picking Cornell or Dartmouth over it - only the people desperate to say they go to “an Ivy.”

Those who prefer to be in NYC, yes to Columbia. But Northwestern is the clear choice vs. Brown, Dartmouth and Cornell.

Yes, maybe to those of you writing from your house in Loudoun County. But try to realize that there is an entire class of people out there that don't make admissions decisions based on the latest iteration of US News.

I live in Manhattan, sent both my kids to “elite” prep schools, and would pick Chicago & Northwestern over Cornell, Dartmouth, and Chicago over Brown. This isn’t because of whatever list USNWR has created, and it’s weird you assume people from the suburbs default to USNWR while people in cities think Ivies reign supreme. Many of my kids’ friends picked USNWR T10s over Ivies; the Ivy label of the so-called “lower Ivies” doesn’t hold up against those schools in a head-to-head.

At our TT private school, Chicago is for kids who have a 3.8 or lower gpa. A top student rarely wants to go there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Northwestern is ranked higher than several Ivies - Dartmouth, Columbia, Cornell. But push comes to shove, I think most students would choose the Ivy.

I understand Columbia over Northwestern but nobody is picking Cornell or Dartmouth over it - only the people desperate to say they go to “an Ivy.”

Those who prefer to be in NYC, yes to Columbia. But Northwestern is the clear choice vs. Brown, Dartmouth and Cornell.

Yes, maybe to those of you writing from your house in Loudoun County. But try to realize that there is an entire class of people out there that don't make admissions decisions based on the latest iteration of US News.

I live in Manhattan, sent both my kids to “elite” prep schools, and would pick Chicago & Northwestern over Cornell, Dartmouth, and Chicago over Brown. This isn’t because of whatever list USNWR has created, and it’s weird you assume people from the suburbs default to USNWR while people in cities think Ivies reign supreme. Many of my kids’ friends picked USNWR T10s over Ivies; the Ivy label of the so-called “lower Ivies” doesn’t hold up against those schools in a head-to-head.

At our TT private school, Chicago is for kids who have a 3.8 or lower gpa. A top student rarely wants to go there.

Luckily I don’t judge an entire university based on what some random NYC prep school students think of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Northwestern is ranked higher than several Ivies - Dartmouth, Columbia, Cornell. But push comes to shove, I think most students would choose the Ivy.

I understand Columbia over Northwestern but nobody is picking Cornell or Dartmouth over it - only the people desperate to say they go to “an Ivy.”

Those who prefer to be in NYC, yes to Columbia. But Northwestern is the clear choice vs. Brown, Dartmouth and Cornell.

Yes, maybe to those of you writing from your house in Loudoun County. But try to realize that there is an entire class of people out there that don't make admissions decisions based on the latest iteration of US News.

I live in Manhattan, sent both my kids to “elite” prep schools, and would pick Chicago & Northwestern over Cornell, Dartmouth, and Chicago over Brown. This isn’t because of whatever list USNWR has created, and it’s weird you assume people from the suburbs default to USNWR while people in cities think Ivies reign supreme. Many of my kids’ friends picked USNWR T10s over Ivies; the Ivy label of the so-called “lower Ivies” doesn’t hold up against those schools in a head-to-head.

I don't believe you for a minute. And nobody is picking Chicago from a top private. You can be totally middle of the pack and still get in there. Which you would know if you were who you say you are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Northwestern is ranked higher than several Ivies - Dartmouth, Columbia, Cornell. But push comes to shove, I think most students would choose the Ivy.

I understand Columbia over Northwestern but nobody is picking Cornell or Dartmouth over it - only the people desperate to say they go to “an Ivy.”

Those who prefer to be in NYC, yes to Columbia. But Northwestern is the clear choice vs. Brown, Dartmouth and Cornell.

Yes, maybe to those of you writing from your house in Loudoun County. But try to realize that there is an entire class of people out there that don't make admissions decisions based on the latest iteration of US News.

I live in Manhattan, sent both my kids to “elite” prep schools, and would pick Chicago & Northwestern over Cornell, Dartmouth, and Chicago over Brown. This isn’t because of whatever list USNWR has created, and it’s weird you assume people from the suburbs default to USNWR while people in cities think Ivies reign supreme. Many of my kids’ friends picked USNWR T10s over Ivies; the Ivy label of the so-called “lower Ivies” doesn’t hold up against those schools in a head-to-head.

I don't believe you for a minute. And nobody is picking Chicago from a top private. You can be totally middle of the pack and still get in there. Which you would know if you were who you say you are.

PP. I am well aware that Chicago goes deeper into the class at some elite prep schools. That doesn’t mean it’s inferior to Cornell, Dartmouth, or Brown, because I don’t see universities solely through their admissions tactics. I also have concrete evidence of Cornell, Dartmouth, and Northwestern admitting kids with 3.4 and 3.5 gpas. Clearly, you can be “totally middle of the pack” and get in there as well. And you claiming that “nobody is picking Chicago from a top private” leads me to believe that you are external to the elite prep schools circles. I think you’re probably a striver mom with sour grapes after your DC was shut out of the T20 a few days ago. Boohoo!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Northwestern is ranked higher than several Ivies - Dartmouth, Columbia, Cornell. But push comes to shove, I think most students would choose the Ivy.

I understand Columbia over Northwestern but nobody is picking Cornell or Dartmouth over it - only the people desperate to say they go to “an Ivy.”

Those who prefer to be in NYC, yes to Columbia. But Northwestern is the clear choice vs. Brown, Dartmouth and Cornell.

Yes, maybe to those of you writing from your house in Loudoun County. But try to realize that there is an entire class of people out there that don't make admissions decisions based on the latest iteration of US News.

I live in Manhattan, sent both my kids to “elite” prep schools, and would pick Chicago & Northwestern over Cornell, Dartmouth, and Chicago over Brown. This isn’t because of whatever list USNWR has created, and it’s weird you assume people from the suburbs default to USNWR while people in cities think Ivies reign supreme. Many of my kids’ friends picked USNWR T10s over Ivies; the Ivy label of the so-called “lower Ivies” doesn’t hold up against those schools in a head-to-head.

100%. Also not from Loudoun County, but echo the above. “Lower Ivies” pale in comparison to JHU, Northwestern. UChicago etc. Perhaps getting out of DC would offer some perspective?

[Anonymous]

It's not middle of the pack, but bottom tier. Chicago takes 3.2 kids from Harvard Westlake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not middle of the pack, but bottom tier. Chicago takes 3.2 kids from Harvard Westlake.

Any time Chicago is mentioned, rest assured Chicago basher mom is there, ready to mention the 1 (yes, one) kid who got in with a 3.2.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not middle of the pack, but bottom tier. Chicago takes 3.2 kids from Harvard Westlake.

Jealous because your 3.2 kids ended up at JMU and Christopher Newport?