NYT: "Peak College Admissions Insanity"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My Senior is in a major where the school matters—sigh. So we are forking over the $86k/yr over in-state. My sophomore is in my major where it really doesn’t matter- just a solid state school is fine.

The cost of higher education is ridiculous. Everyone should be angry at the industry that escalated prices so high—Fed govt loan industry.

Could you kindly expand on this? For what majors do you think the school doesn't matter?

+1. Not true. Unfortunately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought it was good and covered all bases, except one, that I continue to rant about.

Part of the reason there is so much competition for the top schools is because so-called elite employers only recruit from them. We need companies to see that there are tons of bright students everywhere. Just look at the girl profiled in the article who is clearly smart and likely has a ton of grit. She's going to Hunter College where no investment bank or MBB would ever look to hire from. Until that mindset is broken, things will not change.

I feel your post is misguided and idealistic. Maybe you have never been on the recruiting side for a major corporation. There are only so many colleges that a recruiting team can visit. When they go to the school, they want to see dozens, maybe hundreds of potential applicants who are the combination of highly intelligent, socially adept, analytical, communicative and sustained high-performance. They don't want to see just 1 or 2 bc that would be a waste of time and money. Hunter College may have a handful of these kids, but Cornell and NYU have hundreds. Half of Williams' entering class is this profile. The recruitment engine is what it is for elite roles and it won't change for at least another generation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the so-called elite employers think they're doing well recruiting from a certain set of schools, what incentive do they have to spend more time/money looking elsewhere for (in their mind) marginal value?

None which is why the insanity will continue. The name of the school does not matter for some degrees, and I think most people understand it, but the name on the degree is the only thing that matters for certain professions as much as people insist otherwise. For all of the Barista jokes, who has a better shot at a hedge fund job- a lax player with an english degree from Princeton or someone with a 4.0 in business from Towson?

Exactly. And this is why my senior kid is going to a “lesser Ivy“ instead of a Flagship

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the so-called elite employers think they're doing well recruiting from a certain set of schools, what incentive do they have to spend more time/money looking elsewhere for (in their mind) marginal value?

None which is why the insanity will continue. The name of the school does not matter for some degrees, and I think most people understand it, but the name on the degree is the only thing that matters for certain professions as much as people insist otherwise. For all of the Barista jokes, who has a better shot at a hedge fund job- a lax player with an english degree from Princeton or someone with a 4.0 in business from Towson?

Trick question. They both have low odds. Hedge funds are hiring the lax player's classmate majoring in something more suitable for the job.

They have the people skills. In an increasingly automated world dominated by artificial intelligence, the people skills will always win.

NESAC schools are heavily recruited by wall street, what relevant majors do they offer?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My Senior is in a major where the school matters—sigh. So we are forking over the $86k/yr over in-state. My sophomore is in my major where it really doesn’t matter- just a solid state school is fine.

The cost of higher education is ridiculous. Everyone should be angry at the industry that escalated prices so high—Fed govt loan industry.

Could you kindly expand on this? For what majors do you think the school doesn't matter?

+1. Not true. Unfortunately.

Education and nursing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the so-called elite employers think they're doing well recruiting from a certain set of schools, what incentive do they have to spend more time/money looking elsewhere for (in their mind) marginal value?

None which is why the insanity will continue. The name of the school does not matter for some degrees, and I think most people understand it, but the name on the degree is the only thing that matters for certain professions as much as people insist otherwise. For all of the Barista jokes, who has a better shot at a hedge fund job- a lax player with an english degree from Princeton or someone with a 4.0 in business from Towson?

Trick question. They both have low odds. Hedge funds are hiring the lax player's classmate majoring in something more suitable for the job.

My English major investment banker college-roommate disagrees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My Senior is in a major where the school matters—sigh. So we are forking over the $86k/yr over in-state. My sophomore is in my major where it really doesn’t matter- just a solid state school is fine.

The cost of higher education is ridiculous. Everyone should be angry at the industry that escalated prices so high—Fed govt loan industry.

Could you kindly expand on this? For what majors do you think the school doesn't matter?

+1. Not true. Unfortunately.

Education and nursing

Maybe?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The quant will be getting paid way more.

Being a quant is hard. You're competing with a lot of very smart math/physics/CS majors from very good schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the so-called elite employers think they're doing well recruiting from a certain set of schools, what incentive do they have to spend more time/money looking elsewhere for (in their mind) marginal value?

None which is why the insanity will continue. The name of the school does not matter for some degrees, and I think most people understand it, but the name on the degree is the only thing that matters for certain professions as much as people insist otherwise. For all of the Barista jokes, who has a better shot at a hedge fund job- a lax player with an english degree from Princeton or someone with a 4.0 in business from Towson?

Trick question. They both have low odds. Hedge funds are hiring the lax player's classmate majoring in something more suitable for the job.

My English major investment banker college-roommate disagrees.

There are 2 sides: the social status deal making sales side, and the quant side. The quant side hires anyone from anywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My Senior is in a major where the school matters—sigh. So we are forking over the $86k/yr over in-state. My sophomore is in my major where it really doesn’t matter- just a solid state school is fine.

The cost of higher education is ridiculous. Everyone should be angry at the industry that escalated prices so high—Fed govt loan industry.

Could you kindly expand on this? For what majors do you think the school doesn't matter?

+1. Not true. Unfortunately.

Education and nursing

Maybe?

Both are in demand fields where anyone capable of getting a license will be able to get a job. Both of them also have constricted pay bands that mean you will make up the pay difference between an in state school and a private school, especially if you account for the time value of money. The only ways that an education degree from an elite college makes sense are if you have no intention of teaching, your family is rich, you have a full ride, or you care more about getting an Mrs. than an M.Ed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought it was good and covered all bases, except one, that I continue to rant about.

Part of the reason there is so much competition for the top schools is because so-called elite employers only recruit from them. We need companies to see that there are tons of bright students everywhere. Just look at the girl profiled in the article who is clearly smart and likely has a ton of grit. She's going to Hunter College where no investment bank or MBB would ever look to hire from. Until that mindset is broken, things will not change.

I feel your post is misguided and idealistic. Maybe you have never been on the recruiting side for a major corporation. There are only so many colleges that a recruiting team can visit. When they go to the school, they want to see dozens, maybe hundreds of potential applicants who are the combination of highly intelligent, socially adept, analytical, communicative and sustained high-performance. They don't want to see just 1 or 2 bc that would be a waste of time and money. Hunter College may have a handful of these kids, but Cornell and NYU have hundreds. Half of Williams' entering class is this profile. The recruitment engine is what it is for elite roles and it won't change for at least another generation.

+1. Bingo. Hence the DCUM faux-outrage regarding certain colleges. Some of these schools have over 50 (!!!) pages of venom spewed at them on DCUM. Doesn’t change the positive outcomes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the so-called elite employers think they're doing well recruiting from a certain set of schools, what incentive do they have to spend more time/money looking elsewhere for (in their mind) marginal value?

None which is why the insanity will continue. The name of the school does not matter for some degrees, and I think most people understand it, but the name on the degree is the only thing that matters for certain professions as much as people insist otherwise. For all of the Barista jokes, who has a better shot at a hedge fund job- a lax player with an english degree from Princeton or someone with a 4.0 in business from Towson?

Exactly. And this is why my senior kid is going to a “lesser Ivy“ instead of a Flagship

A lesser Ivy is not Princeton, and a flagship is not Towson.

My friend from Cornell is a journalist at a local suburban paper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the so-called elite employers think they're doing well recruiting from a certain set of schools, what incentive do they have to spend more time/money looking elsewhere for (in their mind) marginal value?

None which is why the insanity will continue. The name of the school does not matter for some degrees, and I think most people understand it, but the name on the degree is the only thing that matters for certain professions as much as people insist otherwise. For all of the Barista jokes, who has a better shot at a hedge fund job- a lax player with an english degree from Princeton or someone with a 4.0 in business from Towson?

Trick question. They both have low odds. Hedge funds are hiring the lax player's classmate majoring in something more suitable for the job.

My English major investment banker college-roommate disagrees.

Hedge funds are not like investment banks. They wants kids who are solid in math, cs or physics. An English major will not pass the first round for hedge funds because it is only math or logic problems but may be hired by an IB. The math required for IB is basic algebra not so for quant funds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the so-called elite employers think they're doing well recruiting from a certain set of schools, what incentive do they have to spend more time/money looking elsewhere for (in their mind) marginal value?

None which is why the insanity will continue. The name of the school does not matter for some degrees, and I think most people understand it, but the name on the degree is the only thing that matters for certain professions as much as people insist otherwise. For all of the Barista jokes, who has a better shot at a hedge fund job- a lax player with an english degree from Princeton or someone with a 4.0 in business from Towson?

Trick question. They both have low odds. Hedge funds are hiring the lax player's classmate majoring in something more suitable for the job.

NESAC schools are heavily recruited by wall street, what relevant majors do they offer?

They have the best classes.

Social classes, that is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They expect the college admissions process to find the exceptions.

Bingo. If college admissions officers are already doing the front-end vetting for you, why bother reinventing the wheel? As the saying goes, work smarter not harder.

In effect they are outsourcing their personnel decisions to readers who make $45k and spend ten minutes on each application. This is not “working smarter”.