It's been 10 years since our oldest graduated from high school. The most successful are

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to an ivy and have an unimpressive career. I'm still glad I went to an ivy. I'm not sure what the takeaway is supposed to be.

I guess the takeaway is that it does not matter where you go to college, what matters is what you did while you are in college, or how motivated you are after that. An ivy is not a magic wand, people who are bright and motivated will do well from a wide variety of colleges. I too attended an Ivy but I see the most successful people are those who love what they do, are hardworking, constantly learning and also lucky.

That's only if you consider career the only important thing in life. The knowledge, intellectual habits, and above all friends I accumulated in those four years will be cherished by me if by no one else for the rest of my days.

+1, though it is not just ivies that will lead to the same. The T15 and T3 LACs are all similarish as far as peer set and intellectual habits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to an ivy and have an unimpressive career. I'm still glad I went to an ivy. I'm not sure what the takeaway is supposed to be.

I guess the takeaway is that it does not matter where you go to college, what matters is what you did while you are in college, or how motivated you are after that. An ivy is not a magic wand, people who are bright and motivated will do well from a wide variety of colleges. I too attended an Ivy but I see the most successful people are those who love what they do, are hardworking, constantly learning and also lucky.

That's only if you consider career the only important thing in life. The knowledge, intellectual habits, and above all friends I accumulated in those four years will be cherished by me if by no one else for the rest of my days.

Career outcomes and peer influence is what people are looking at when people talk about top schools. It is you who mentioned your mediocre career and then you decided to mention other benefits. Given a choice of a great career and an average school versus 4 years at a top school and an average career, I think most would pick the former. Also, given all the various institutional priorities these days, intellectual peers can be found at many schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You also didn't know why a career stalled out. I've known people detailed by health, mental health, addiction, or family issues that were mostly invisible to the rest of the world. Seems harsh and shrewish to judge when you really don't know.

Hyper ambitious kids plow through health issues. Short of death, it doesn’t slow them down. The half wits and the tiger mom cubs regressing to their mean will make every excuse in the book.

[Anonymous]

Stupid post. Sounds likely e your kid went to GMU OP and you still have a chip on your shoulder.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stupid post. Sounds likely e your kid went to GMU OP and you still have a chip on your shoulder.

Why would anyone whose kid went to GMU have a chip on their shoulder? It's very capable of educating well even the strongest students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stupid post. Sounds likely e your kid went to GMU OP and you still have a chip on your shoulder.

Why would anyone whose kid went to GMU have a chip on their shoulder? It's very capable of educating well even the strongest students.

+1. The reality is that the employees we hire out of GMU (working in CS/ECE, in our specific case) do very good work and have great career advancement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You also didn't know why a career stalled out. I've known people detailed by health, mental health, addiction, or family issues that were mostly invisible to the rest of the world. Seems harsh and shrewish to judge when you really don't know.

Hyper ambitious kids plow through health issues. Short of death, it doesn’t slow them down. The half wits and the tiger mom cubs regressing to their mean will make every excuse in the book.

You sound like a peach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to an ivy and have an unimpressive career. I'm still glad I went to an ivy. I'm not sure what the takeaway is supposed to be.

I guess the takeaway is that it does not matter where you go to college, what matters is what you did while you are in college, or how motivated you are after that. An ivy is not a magic wand, people who are bright and motivated will do well from a wide variety of colleges. I too attended an Ivy but I see the most successful people are those who love what they do, are hardworking, constantly learning and also lucky.

That's only if you consider career the only important thing in life. The knowledge, intellectual habits, and above all friends I accumulated in those four years will be cherished by me if by no one else for the rest of my days.

Career outcomes and peer influence is what people are looking at when people talk about top schools. It is you who mentioned your mediocre career and then you decided to mention other benefits. Given a choice of a great career and an average school versus 4 years at a top school and an average career, I think most would pick the former. Also, given all the various institutional priorities these days, intellectual peers can be found at many schools.

I don't see why the average school would lead to a great career in this situation when the top school wouldn't? It seems just as likely PP would have done as mediocre or worse if they'd gone to Dickinson or something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to an ivy and have an unimpressive career. I'm still glad I went to an ivy. I'm not sure what the takeaway is supposed to be.

I guess the takeaway is that it does not matter where you go to college, what matters is what you did while you are in college, or how motivated you are after that. An ivy is not a magic wand, people who are bright and motivated will do well from a wide variety of colleges. I too attended an Ivy but I see the most successful people are those who love what they do, are hardworking, constantly learning and also lucky.

That's only if you consider career the only important thing in life. The knowledge, intellectual habits, and above all friends I accumulated in those four years will be cherished by me if by no one else for the rest of my days.

And these things can only be found at an Ivy? I cherish the same things from my days at college and I went to a school you all laugh at.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You also didn't know why a career stalled out. I've known people detailed by health, mental health, addiction, or family issues that were mostly invisible to the rest of the world. Seems harsh and shrewish to judge when you really don't know.

Hyper ambitious kids plow through health issues. Short of death, it doesn’t slow them down. The half wits and the tiger mom cubs regressing to their mean will make every excuse in the book.

This is a nice myth. You're probably thinking high blood pressure or something easily treatable aren't you? Everybody hits reality sometime.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You also didn't know why a career stalled out. I've known people detailed by health, mental health, addiction, or family issues that were mostly invisible to the rest of the world. Seems harsh and shrewish to judge when you really don't know.

Hyper ambitious kids plow through health issues. Short of death, it doesn’t slow them down. The half wits and the tiger mom cubs regressing to their mean will make every excuse in the book.

This is a nice myth. You're probably thinking high blood pressure or something easily treatable aren't you? Everybody hits reality sometime.

Oh and if they don't, it's very sad. Seeing those people in hospital beds surrounded by their work (I've really seen this more times than I care to.) Because they are VERY important people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You also didn't know why a career stalled out. I've known people detailed by health, mental health, addiction, or family issues that were mostly invisible to the rest of the world. Seems harsh and shrewish to judge when you really don't know.

Hyper ambitious kids plow through health issues. Short of death, it doesn’t slow them down. The half wits and the tiger mom cubs regressing to their mean will make every excuse in the book.

This is a nice myth. You're probably thinking high blood pressure or something easily treatable aren't you? Everybody hits reality sometime.

Actually, I work at a university. These hyper ambitious kids battle cancer or acute depression or death of parents and still ace all of their courses. Somewhat famously, RBG’s husband had cancer during law school, so she transferred to be closer to him and his treatment, and both still graduated top of their classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You also didn't know why a career stalled out. I've known people detailed by health, mental health, addiction, or family issues that were mostly invisible to the rest of the world. Seems harsh and shrewish to judge when you really don't know.

Hyper ambitious kids plow through health issues. Short of death, it doesn’t slow them down. The half wits and the tiger mom cubs regressing to their mean will make every excuse in the book.

You sound like a peach.

It’s true that average dime a dozen “smart” kids make every excuse about everything. Ambition and intelligence is preserving and a relentless motor no matter the obstacles. That’s why the genuinely smart and ambitious kids succeed anywhere - they rise to the top wherever you put them. They’d find success in Gary, Indiana.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The most successful young adults who are now 27 or 28 years old were the top students in their high school class, no matter where they went to undergrad. From Ivies to tiny liberal arts college to fairly regional public universities, they all zoomed through undergrad, sometimes in three years, many went to grad or professional school, and they all have great careers. It seems all of them are married.

The handful of middle of the pack students and student-athletes who surprised everyone when they got into elite T20s regressed to their mean and have totally normal careers, at best.

It seems smart ambitious highly-motivated teens become smart ambitious highly-motivated adults. And if your teen is not those things, Tiger Mom'ing them into an elite college probably isn't going to change anything about their life and professional trajectory.

In other words cream rises to the top. Truly groundbreaking insights.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You also didn't know why a career stalled out. I've known people detailed by health, mental health, addiction, or family issues that were mostly invisible to the rest of the world. Seems harsh and shrewish to judge when you really don't know.

Hyper ambitious kids plow through health issues. Short of death, it doesn’t slow them down. The half wits and the tiger mom cubs regressing to their mean will make every excuse in the book.

This is a nice myth. You're probably thinking high blood pressure or something easily treatable aren't you? Everybody hits reality sometime.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg‘s husband finished law school on time while battling cancer. This is why RBG transferred law schools, to be closer to his treatment.